School safety expert: Entrances can be made less vulnerable

A Miami Valley school security expert said glass doors on school entrances can be modified to make them much less vulnerable to the kind of attack in Richmond, Indiana, that allowed a teenage shooter to gain access.

Craig Hoschouer, president of PLE Group, Kettering, said on Thursday that a protective film can be applied to glass doors and windows that make it difficult to penetrate, even with the help of a firearm.

“The product is relatively inexpensive and costs about $2 to $3 a square foot and $10 to $12 installed. When it is installed it takes about two to three weeks to cure. What it does is keep the glass intact,” Hoschouer said.

In the Richmond school case, the teen gunman fired several shots into a side door of the school to gain immediate entry. Later police caught up with him and exchanged gunfire inside the school. No law enforcement officers, staff or students were struck. Authorities said the teen, Brandon Clegg, later shot and killed himself in a school stairwell.

Hoschouer said the glass film delays entry by a few minutes, if the perpetrator persists, giving police time to respond and prevent entry.

Richmond police already were on the scene to intercept the shooter because someone had tipped them off that the teen was planning to launch a violent attack at the school.

Hoschouer said the caller who warned police of the attack definitely saved lives.

“That person took it on themselves to warn the school district. The district went on lockdown immediately. They took the threat very seriously. Law enforcement was on the scene before the person arrived. They did everything right,” Hoschouer said.

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