A Fort Worth-area police officer says he is only alive today because his patrol car was outfitted with bullet-resistant glass during a shootout last year. He says rounds slammed into his cruiser during the exchange and that the reinforced window stopped what could have been fatal hits. His account has renewed local attention on retrofitting patrol cars with ballistic windows and reinforced door panels.
In an interview with WFAA, the officer said, “bullet-resistant glass is one of the main reasons he is still alive,” directly crediting the strengthened window with stopping rounds during the gunfire. The station published its report on Friday.
How ballistic glass works
According to Operation Safe Shield, many retrofit packages meet NIJ Level IIIA standards and are engineered to stop most pistol-caliber rounds while still allowing officers to return fire from inside the vehicle. The nonprofit notes that windshields can absorb multiple impacts before failing and that door panels and one-way side glass add additional layers of protection. Demonstrations and vendor materials also point out that the systems add weight and require modest modifications to door regulators.
Other Texas cases that drove momentum
High-profile incidents elsewhere in the state helped drive the policy push. In Leon County, a deputy walked away uninjured after eight rounds were fired into his windshield, sheriff’s officials and local reporting credited the recently installed ballistic glass with preventing serious injury, as reported by KBTX. That case and similar close calls were cited repeatedly during hearings and advocacy for statewide funding.
Funding and Fort Worth’s push
The Texas Legislature created a grant program to help local agencies buy and install bullet-resistant windshields, side windows, and door panels under HB 2217, which took effect on September 1, 2025, according to LegiScan. In Fort Worth, the city council ratified an application to the governor’s Criminal Justice Division for the Fiscal Year 2026 “Bullet-Resistant Components for Law Enforcement Vehicles Grant,” seeking up to $1.2 million, per the City of Fort Worth agenda. The request is part of broader municipal efforts to tap state funds and private donations to better protect officers on patrol.
What retrofits actually cost
Outfitting a cruiser is not trivial: vendors and nonprofits say a full windshield-and-door package can run into the thousands and sometimes requires changes to door regulators and mounting hardware. Supporters argue that the upfront cost is outweighed by the potential to save lives and reduce line-of-duty fatalities…