Police shot while sitting inside their patrol cars. Students shot while cowering in their classrooms. These are two of the toughest challenges facing the United States today — and one inventor has come up with practical, affordable solutions for both.
This inventor is Gary Trott, President and CEO of Impact Barriers of Clearwater, Florida. His ThorBoard clear ballistic shields provide protection from close range gunfire for officers seated in patrol cars, as documented on the company’s website.
“What we’ve done is we’ve created a door mount and placed the shield on the door of the vehicle, so the officer could grab its handle instantly and use it to his advantage,” said Trott. “Outside, it can be used as a protective ballistic shield that the officer can see through without distortion. Inside the car, ThorBoard protects the officer from anyone shooting through their car window at close range.”
“The other advantage of the ThorBoard shield being door-mounted is that you can actually open the door, stand behind it and use it as a shooting platform,” he added. “You often see officers standing behind the open door of a police car. The problem with that is there is no protection: Neither the window nor the door are designed to provide ballistic protection, But the ThorBoard does.”
Meanwhile, the new ThorBoard tile is designed to provide affordable protection for children sheltering from active shooters. Since the doorway to a classroom is usually the only way a shooter can attack them, Trott has designed the ThorBoard tile to adhere to the door’s surface (on the classroom side) to deliver ballistic protection. The tiles are easy to apply and within any school’s budget — they can even be afforded through parent fundraisers. When the shooter fires at the door, the ThorBoard tiles stop the bullets.
Live fire testing
Gary Trott is a man who believes in backing up his products’ promises with documented proof. This is why he has sent Thorboard, and ThorBoard tiles to the police shooting range for multiple live fire tests. The stopping power of both products can be seen in photos and videos on www.Thorboard.com.
Steve Smith shot the guns for the tests we witnessed, which were documented from various camera angles.
“I’m currently a Range Master for a police department in Central Florida,” Smith told Police1. He has solid law enforcement credentials: “I was a full-time, sworn officer for 30 years, a SWAT member for 23 years, team leader, raid commander, supervisor, and lead trainer for the team. I’ve been a defensive tactics and use-of-force instructor for more than 30 years. I have written a curriculum for state certification in defensive tactics, taught for other agencies in the state, and led a number of SWAT schools for our agency.”
As for his test work with ThorBoard? “I have shot the shields a number of times with a variety of rounds,” Smith replied. “In my opinion, the stopping power is impressive. Nothing from 9mm, 40cal, to 357 magnum or 44 magnum has come close to penetrating. Even multiple rounds were basically absorbed by the material. Its performance is comparable, if not better, than a traditional level IIIA shield.”
“As for the ThorBoard tiles, the stopping power is also impressive,” said Smith. “I’ve personally shot it with a .223. One tile (approximately 12"x12") stopped eight rounds into various areas of the tile, with four rounds being within less than an inch and two of those rounds being one on top of the other. I think the tiles would be extremely valuable for fortifying offices or classrooms to offer shelter for people being victimized. “
Providing protection and time
For officers on patrol, having a car door-mounted ThorBoard shield provides them with protection on the job. “I believe the uses are countless,” Smith said. “Being clear and mounted in vehicles offers protection from ambush. Its portability allows users to take it with them in more dynamic situations, plus less dynamic situations such as suspicious vehicle traffic stops, welfare checks, or searches in general when you have to look into windows or under beds and furniture.
“The SROs have found that they can move faster carrying the Thorboard and I can only imagine that they could make more accurate shots from around it. Overall, I have shown Thorboard to a number of officers from various agencies with nothing but positive feedback.”
For Trott, the point of ThorBoard and ThorBoard tiles is to provide officers and school children with immediate protection and time to receive backup/rescue. As a father of three grown sons, the current unprotected state of schools appalls him.
“The only way to protect kids from shooters is to protect them from gunfire while waiting for law enforcement,” said Trott. “The idea is to buy them time. If we just bond these tiles to the classroom door — which is real simple, anybody can do it — it means that the assailant cannot shoot his way in. Add heavy latches so that he can’t pull the door open, then all he can do is just continue down the hall. Think about it: For the cost of about one SRO officer for one year, you could create 20 safe rooms throughout the school.”
One thing is certain: ThorBoard and ThorBoard tiles are tangible, practical and available solutions to the problem of gun violence. “I don’t want to offer thoughts and prayers,” Trott concluded. “I want to stop shooters from killing officers and kids.”
