TEXAS, USA — Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar sent out a tweet Tuesday about bulletproof windshields for Texas Department of Public Safety troopers.
"It would cost less than half a million dollars to replace @TxDPS patrol car windshields with a bullet-resistant product. I hope lawmakers are able to find a way to address that," the tweet states.
Texas DPS Officers Association President Richard Jankovsky told 6 News he was also getting questioned on that topic the same day.
Is there an affordable solution? If so, it remains to be seen.
6 News contacted Hegar's office Thursday, and a spokesman for the comptroller wasn't able to provide any clarification on the statement, or any facts to back it up.
At the same time, 6 News was able to speak with an expert in the armored vehicle industry. Frank Ruiz is the Executive Vice President at Armormax, which specializes in advanced armored passenger vehicles. Ruiz said there are multiple packages available for protecting vehicles. Products graded B4 are designed to protect against handgun fire up to a .44 Magnum round. B6 grade covers assault rifles rounds fired from AK47s and other assault weapons. The cheapest possible bulletproof windshield would start around $4,500 for the B4 package, which is what law enforcement customers commonly use.
"They can range from $4,500 per windshield all the way up to $9,000 per windshield," Ruiz said. "Some police departments prefer just the windshields and the driver's side, some do the windshields plus two front doors, some just do the front doors."
Ruiz said the cost increases from $4,500 if the client needs cameras or other kinds of sensors integrated into the windshield. The windshields, know as "ballistic glass," have multiple layers of glass and a layer of polycarbonate material. Ruiz said the windows can take multiple hits without being compromised, though they recommend a client drive away if under fire. Ruiz told 6 News replacing all the windows in a vehicle would cost $24,000 to $32,000.
A budget of half a million dollars, however, would only replace 111 windshields in a state with several thousand active troopers.
There are bulletproof film products for glass, but Ruiz said he doesn't recommend them, and Armormax doesn't sell them.
"It's not going to protect you ballistically. If you think that a thick layer of plastic is going to stop a bullet travelling at 1,200 feet per second or 900 feet per second, you are risking your life," Ruiz said.
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