As law enforcement officials become more frequent targets of violence, strengthening physical security at police stations is a high priority.
With an increasing number of attacks on law enforcement officers, police departments have had to fundamentally re-evaluate their strategies for maintaining a safe workplace for officers without compromising community trust.
In this post, we’ll cover what a comprehensive, integrated police station security system should include and the funding options police departments and law enforcement agencies can explore to support these building projects.
Total Security Solutions has completed more than 5,000 physical security projects for police departments. In recent years, we’ve noticed both an uptick in the number of police buildings we’re asked to help secure and an increase in the threat level those buildings must withstand.
Ten years ago, the bullet resistant barriers we installed in police stations prioritized protecting officers and other personnel from small handguns. Roughly 50% of the systems we designed and installed were UL Level 1 systems, guaranteed to stop a few shots from small, easily concealed guns, like .22 and 9mm pistols. The other 50% were Level 3 systems, which will protect people from every kind of handgun, including “hand cannons” like the .44 Magnum.
Today, around 75% of our law enforcement customers opt for Level 3, while 20% or more upgrade to Level 5 barriers designed to protect against shots from every kind of pistol, as well as high-powered tactical rifles (like those built on the AK platform). Fewer than 5% of the police stations we secure now rely on Level 1 materials.
Police, understandably, tend to be very focused on stopping bullets. But that worst possible scenario happens infrequently. Meanwhile, you have to live and work with your security systems every day.
Ballistic performance ratings are important, but just one ingredient of a good physical security solution. When we design a ballistic barrier for a law enforcement agency, we focus on four key considerations:
As a law enforcement agency, you are the expert in your community. For example, we were recently working on a project in the Upper Midwest, which specified Level 5 materials. Some of our sales team were surprised, because they were more accustomed to installing systems like this in major metropolitan areas. It seemed like overkill, until the customer pointed out that, in their neck of the woods, some people own pistols, but many more own a high-powered hunting rifle.
A problem you can see coming is often a problem you can stop before it becomes serious. At TSS, we love designing systems with minimal framing and the best possible sightlines. We’re also eager to work with your other vendors and security integrators to make sure that your ballistic barrier system is designed and prepped to work seamlessly with your security camera, access control, and surveillance systems.
Most law enforcement buildings also serve as records offices, licensing bureaus, points of payment, and secure storage. Employees handle paperwork, forms, IDs, payments for fines, and records. They take items into evidence and return recovered property. If you regularly find yourself having to come out from behind the safety of the barrier because your deal tray is too small to accommodate a thick envelope or clipboard, you are asking for trouble.
You want to avoid situations in which the victim of a crime has to yell to be heard through a ballistic barrier. And if someone comes in angry, it’s impossible to de-escalate the situation if a bad intercom is forcing them to keep repeating themselves or raise their voices.
But clear communication is only half of this equation. In many stations, officers need to be insulated from the chaos around them or be selective about what can and cannot be heard outside of the secure area. Engineering transaction windows and other systems for ideal communication is the most often neglected part of any physical security solution, and it’s an area where our team excels.
Most of our law enforcement-related projects at TSS are retrofits of existing facilities. We typically focus on one of two key building areas: the public counter, or the main entrance.
Most police departments increase security by adding a ballistic “teller line” system at their public counter, similar to what you see in a bank. Two or more individual stations are protected by ballistic glass and rated framing, with counters and surrounding walls reinforced with bullet-resistant fiberglass (although architectural choices, like brickwork or block wall construction, can eliminate the need for additional ballistic panels).
At a minimum, secured public counters need bulletproof deal trays, and potentially also a secure package passer for larger items. Every door off the lobby will need to be bullet-resistant as well. Veneered wood ballistic doors and rated steel doors are the most common choices.
Another popular approach is to convert the main entryway into a secure vestibule, a solution we first developed for schools. Here we leave the existing exterior doors as it is and replace the interior non-rated doors with access controlled, ballistically rated, forced-entry resistant doors, a system frequently called an “interior storefront.”
With the addition of an in-wall transaction window inside the vestibule, police officers can freely interact with the public and vet all visitors before they are allowed access to the building and authorized personnel.
Secure vestibules are ideal for facilities where visitors are already consistently funneled through a single entry. This can also be a much more budget-friendly solution. We recently worked with a police department in Florida where they chose a vestibule because it was more practical and cost effective to secure one access point than it was to secure eight different publicly facing desks in the lobby.
This solution also allowed them to directly integrate a metal detector into their entrance to screen for weapons.
Budget is consistently an issue for law enforcement agencies pursuing security upgrades. Even when funds are available, we find that many law enforcement projects must be completed in phases in order to fit into larger fiscal cycles. At TSS, we’re accustomed to creating solutions that can be implemented in stages as your funding becomes available.
There are numerous grant programs available to law enforcement agencies looking to increase building security. Not sure where to start your search for additional funding? The following examples give a good sense of the range of programs available at the state and federal level.
The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG) is probably the most flexible and law enforcement-friendly federal funding stream. It’s widely recognized as the leading source of federal justice funding, and especially popular because it allows agencies to address specific local “resource gaps” across eight broadly defined program purpose areas.
JAG specifically supports efforts to create secure environments and improve bullet resistance with bullet-resistant lobby transaction windows, ballistic glazing, reinforced doors, access control, and integrated security cameras.
This is a non-competitive formula grant program. Police departments apply through their local government or state administrative agency (SAA). Deadlines for this program can be a little complicated because states and large locales that work directly with JAG have a federal deadline, while most local police departments will work through their SAA and have a different timeline. If you’ve never explored your options through JAG, now is the time to act.
The State Homeland Security Program and Urban Areas Security Initiative totaled over $927 million in assistance in FY2025. This most recent round of funding explicitly prioritizes protection of soft targets and crowded places, with an authorized equipment list that includes reinforced doors, access control, locking devices, and blast/impact-resistant systems (like many Level 3 and Level 5 ballistic barriers).
As with JAG, this funding flows to local agencies through state pass-throughs like the SAA.
Although the federal program doesn’t set a cap for project costs, many states institute their own ‘practical caps’ to distribute limited funds across more jurisdictions. Practical caps are most often in the $100,000 to $150,000 range.
As of April 2026, the Department of Homeland Security has yet to release FY2026’s Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
Often called earmarks or congressionally directed spending, Congressional Community Project Funding (CPF) is a mechanism that allows members of Congress to request direct federal funding for specific state, local, or tribal projects within their district.
For larger projects in the mid-six to low-seven figure range, CPF can be a promising avenue. For example, last year Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07) secured $3.7 million for several police station security projects in his district.
CPF funding isn’t competitive, but it does require engagement with a House member’s office, who will want proof that the project is a local priority. For example, they’ll likely want to see letters of support from the mayor, city council, or community groups.
Most states have one or several programs that can help support improvements to law enforcement facilities. For example, the most recent budget for the state of Michigan included $50 million in Public Safety Revenue Sharing Grants.
Municipalities receiving such grants can spend up to 25% of their allocation on capital improvements to public safety buildings, which cover the installation of ballistic glass or barriers.
Similarly, Florida has its Fixed Capital Outlay (FCO) Grants. These are state-funded grants for specific infrastructure needs, and can include police buildings. In 2025, the town of Eatonville received $1.5 million of funding through this program to rejuvenate their public safety annex and enhance law enforcement services.
In many hurricane-prone and coastal regions, police stations can also secure funding for “impact-rated” windows and doors through Hazard Mitigation Grants.
While primarily for weather, if the project is approached correctly, these systems can be specified to provide a baseline of ballistic or forced-entry protection as well.
TSS works with police departments, city managers, and security planners to develop custom barrier systems that protect officers and provide a safe haven for the communities they serve.
We’ve completed thousands of security projects for law enforcement facilities across the country, and it’s our pleasure to share what we’ve learned through free resources, like this police department security checklist for planning your project.
If you still have questions or you’re eager to start planning your project, talk to an expert today. We can help you plan for a security assessment, identify vulnerable areas, and prioritize upgrades according to budget. Our team brings both the ballistic expertise and the project management experience to navigate installations without interfering with operations.