Watch out for window work on suspects' houses

by: Michelangelo Nicolazzo

The new ‘hurricane-proof glass’ used for windows and doors in civilian homes which are in hurricane prone regions can withstand winds upwards of 120 m.p.h.. This is of importance to the SWAT/Entry Team as traditional methods of gaining entry through a window, such as a window-puncturing piston, or a battering ram, or Haligan Tool. The usual tools in the breacher’s arsenal will not be as ‘tactical’ as they once were. There are now specific pyrotechnic devices as well as stronger piston devices which will work. Although this new glass protects life and property it does merit consideration to a SWAT/Tactical Entry Team. The one good thing about this glass is that it does not shatter, which according to NTOA and DOJ databases, causes more injuries than I would have thought