About…With more than three decades manufacturing bulletproof security systems, Total Security Solutions is the industry leader for custom bullet resistant barriers that meet your bulletproof security needs on-time, on-budget, and expertly finished. | July 30th, 2009 When a bank or credit union decides to install bullet proof barriers in its facility, they have many different options to choose from. The most common barrier system installed in major retail banks is the Arch Window System. Other barrier systems include Baffle Window, Secure Sound, and Speak Hole and Backer. All four types of bullet resistant barriers provide financial institutions, convenience stores, and government facilities UL Level 1-3 security without obstructing staff/customer interaction. All barriers can also be customized to include cash trays, both counter-mount or recessed. The oldest bulletproof barrier is the Baffle Window System. Dating back nearly forty years, this system provides unobstructed views through the use of staggered pieces of bullet-resistant glass and also offers natural voice transmission. The Arch Window System was designed approximately 15 years ago to update the Baffle Window concept and improve voice communication. The Secure Sound System wasn’t developed until four or five years ago and enhances voice communication even further. Ultimately, a bank or credit union’s bullet resistant barrier selection is based on personal preference. Each barrier system offers a slightly different architectural appeal enabling financial institutions to customize their facility. July 22nd, 2009 Bullet proof glass may not be an option you need for your vehicle, but for individuals like President Obama, it comes standard. The newest Cadillac Presidential Limousine takes cues from a variety of Cadillac’s vehicle line-up and weighs in “at more than 10,000-lbs. Most of that is due to thick, bullet-proof glass and armor plating throughout. Even the tires are resistant to attack and contain innerliners just in case the outer tires are damaged.” View a slideshow of Cadillac Presidential Limousines dating back to Taft’s presidency and read “Cadillac presidential limousines from Taft to Obama – history and review” by Craig Hover, Kansas City Automotive Examiner. Bentley is getting in on the security vehicle business with their Continental Flying Spur. For $500,000, it “features military-grade B6-level protection and is fitted with ballistic steel, [ . . . ] bulletproof glass, run flat tires, an explosion-proof gas tank and kevlar flooring.” Read “Bulletproof Bentley Flying Spur on sale for $500,000,” 4WheelsNews.com. July 17th, 2009 Just as banks are a common target for robberies, convenience stores face the same challenge as a result of their late hours. Many convenience stores do not have the protection of bullet proof glass and most clerks are advised not to respond if a theft is underway. “It happens all the time. It’s not something that happens once in a blue moon,” Ali Zaidi said of the trend in robberies at stores such as his. Some convenience stores, however, are taking steps to safeguard their employees by installing bullet resistant barriers. The most commonly used barriers for convenience stores are horizontal or vertical sliders. Providing UL Level 1-3 security, these bulletproof barrier systems can be customized to provide different levels of security at different times of day. Read “Too Often, Convenience Store Clerks in Danger” by Carl Lewis, www.macon.com. July 16th, 2009 Bulletproof glass offers protection to those seeking safety, but sometimes individuals must respond with force and not just hide. The idea of one-way bulletproof glass has been around for some time and improved upon over the years. The objective is to stop bullets from entering from the outside but allow them to exit from the inside. This is commonly used in armored cars to protect passengers while enabling security guards to fire out of the vehicle. The government used its first armored car in 1941 with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After fear of a presidential assassination following Roosevelt’s “Infamy Speech,” the Secret Service used Al Capone’s recently confiscated 1928 Cadillac to transport the president. Capone had outfit the vehicle with “3,000 pounds of bulletproof armor beneath the standard body” and painted it to replicate the existing government vehicles. Read more about Al Capone’s bulletproof car and why the government couldn’t afford to purchase its own. (Image on right taken from FederalTimes.com) How does one-way bulletproof glass work? One-way bulletproof glass is composed of two layers. The outside layer – on the threat side – is made of a brittle glass and the inside layer is a flexible polycarbonate. A bullet that strikes the brittle external layer first causes the glass to break inward toward the polycarbonate layer. The glass breaking absorbs some of the bullet’s energy by spreading the force over a larger area and the flexible polycarbonate stops the bullet. Bullets shot from the inside of an armored car are able to penetrate the bulletproof glass because they strike the polycarbonate layer first with more focused energy. The brittle glass layer then breaks outward allowing the bullet to pass through with minor energy loss. July 13th, 2009 Yesterday, I stumbled across an article relating the increase in pirate attacks on shipping companies to the increase in bank robberies. The article, titled “The Robbery Business” was published on observer-reporter.com and the author was questioning why more banks aren’t taking extra steps, like installing bulletproof glass, to protect themselves against bank robberies. The author stated, “‘Why wouldn’t shipping companies do more to protect themselves against Somali pirates?’ [ . . . ] it was cheaper for the companies to pay the ransom than to take precautions against kidnapping.” He went on to say, however, that just as the pirates will keep pirating, bank robberies will continue to occur until banks do something to prevent them. The shipping companies may not be taking precautions to protect against pirates, but some wealthy yacht owners certainly are. As fears rise over the potential for pirate attacks, “hidden chambers, escape pods, tracking devices and ex-marines employed as security guards have all risen in popularity.” Read the full article on how “Wealthy Arm Their Yachts with Military-Level Security” by Anouk Lorie, CNN.com. July 8th, 2009 The Bullet Proof Glass industry evolved from a series of accidental discoveries dating back to the 1640s. The idea of tempered glass was first discovered by Prince Rupert of the Rhine, when he dropped hot molten glass into cold water. The glass rapidly cools but only on the surface, creating a shell for the hotter glass contained inside. As the inside cools, it contracts against the already hardened exterior creating a compressed chamber and making the glass substantially more durable. This lends itself to high impact resistance. The idea of laminated glass evolved from another accident. This time, by the French chemist Edouard Benedictus in 1903. While working in his lab, Benedictus accidentally dropped a beaker that was coated in plastic cellulose nitrate. He noticed when the beaker hit the ground it cracked, but did not split apart in pieces. Benedictus went on to register the first safety glass patent in 1909 after bonding a piece of plastic cellulose between two sheets of glass. Using Prince Rupert’s method of immediately chilling the glass, the safety glass becomes much stronger and if it does crack, it will not shatter. Today, there are two types of bullet resistant glass: solid acrylic or laminated polycarbonate. Solid acrylic is just as its name suggests – a solid sheet of acrylic either 1-1/4” or 1-3/8” thick depending on the level of protection required. Laminated polycarbonate is made by layering polycarbonate, a heavy-duty clear plastic, between two sheets of glass and laminating it all together. It can be ¾”, 1” or 1-1/4” thick depending on the level of protection. While a bullet will pierce the exterior glass layer of laminated polycarbonate, the inner layers absorb the bullet’s energy stopping it from penetrating through the entire piece of glass. July 6th, 2009 A man in Northwest Arkansas, Timothy Barnes, was arrested after two bank robbery attempts. During his first robbery attempt, he “discovered the tellers were behind bullet proof glass, a bank security measure that prevented Barnes from getting anything from tellers during the Friday heist.” Read “Rogers Man Admits to Robberies” by John Henley Jr., NWAOnline.net. July 3rd, 2009 We found it appropriate at this time of year, in honor of Independence Day, to highlight a few interesting facts about the Declaration of Independence. Did you know… Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer of the document at age 70. Steps to preserve the Declaration of Independence were not taken until 1951 when the document was sealed in a bronze, bullet proof glass case at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Independence Day was not declared a legal holiday until 1944. Read more interesting facts about the Declaration of Independence and enjoy your holiday weekend! |
