{"id":1827,"date":"2012-06-20T11:42:43","date_gmt":"2012-06-20T15:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/?p=1827"},"modified":"2012-06-20T14:29:32","modified_gmt":"2012-06-20T18:29:32","slug":"when-the-police-need-to-break-glass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/?p=1827","title":{"rendered":"When the Police Need to Break Glass&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Tec5_9sUbTM?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>You need to have the right information and tools if you are going to break a glass window or door to make an exigent entry into a structure or to rescue a trapped motorist.\u00a0 There are three types of glass you will encounter:\u00a0 tempered glass, non-tempered glass, and laminated glass.<\/p>\n<p>Tempered glass is special heat-treated form of glass.\u00a0 Tempered glass is used where there is a likelihood of human contact and as such is made to shatter into small \u00bc\u201d pieces when broken.\u00a0 The small pieces are not very sharp and are relatively safe to handle.<\/p>\n<p>Non-tempered glass is a different animal.\u00a0 When broken, non-tempered glass makes large, irregular, jagged pieces that are razor sharp.\u00a0 Non-tempered glass is much more dangerous than tempered glass and should be handled with caution, regardless of its thickness.<\/p>\n<p>Laminated glass has plastic layers sandwiched between glass layers.\u00a0 Because of the plastic sheeting, laminated glass tends to puncture under impact (see video where Mr. Summers tries to break the double laminate glass).\u00a0 Although the glass breaks, the plastic will hold the laminate together.\u00a0 High impact and\/or cutting forces are needed to adequately defeat laminated glass.\u00a0 Fragmentation and spalling will also send glass flakes and powdered glass inward, which can be a danger to those on the opposite side.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1867\" style=\"width: 910px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/GlassBreak1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1867\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1867 \" title=\"GlassBreak\" src=\"http:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/GlassBreak1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"695\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/GlassBreak1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/GlassBreak1-300x231.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1867\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tempered Glass Break Practice<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Here are some rough generalizations about glass.\u00a0 Car side and rear windows, newer storefront windows, and modern sliding glass doors are made of tempered glass.\u00a0 Many building codes require tempered glass be installed in residential and commercial windows that are within 48\u201d of doors.\u00a0 Tempered glass normally has manufacturers\u2019<!--more--> watermarks at all four corners, however it can be special ordered without the watermarks.<\/p>\n<p>Non-tempered glass is most often encountered in ordinary residential windows, whether jalousie, casement, Miami-style, single or double hung.\u00a0 Older sliding glass doors and older storefront windows were made from non-tempered glass and can kill you or cause severe lacerations when shattered.\u00a0 These break into very large, very heavy, and very sharp shards.\u00a0 I once worked for a window company and all of us dreaded replacing large non-tempered glass.\u00a0 It is extremely dangerous to work with.<\/p>\n<p>Car windshields, skylights, and some commercial storefront doors and windows are constructed with laminated glass, which is the safest but toughest of the three glasses mentioned here.\u00a0 The problem is that you have to punch out the entire plastic sheet to clear a door or window and it can take time, tools, and technique.<\/p>\n<p>Another type of laminated glass is wire glass.\u00a0 This is made for security purposes and is very hard to defeat, as the wire mesh is anchored to the window or door\u2019s frame.\u00a0 This glass has the visible crosshatch of the wire when you look through it.\u00a0 Bring a siege engine, because wire glass will laugh at your hammer.<\/p>\n<p>If you have the time, you should always wear gloves, eyewear, and protective gear when breaching glass.\u00a0 If you have to break out a large window in an older structure, you should not break it at the bottom.\u00a0 If it is non-tempered glass, it will rain down heavy fragments that will injure you badly.<\/p>\n<p>The safest place to strike large glass is near an upper corner, while you are standing as far to the side of the window as you can.\u00a0 Once the glass is broken, use a longer item, like your baton or a long handled tool, to clear the rest of the glass from the opening.\u00a0 Pay particular attention to clearing out the glass above you.<\/p>\n<p>Window punches used for car side glass are used effectively at a lower corner of the window.\u00a0 There is less danger from the safety glass when it comes down.\u00a0 We were issued some spring-loaded plastic window punches for TAC.\u00a0 When tried on a crashed car one night, they did not work reliably.\u00a0 If you have a punch such as this, you need to test it on real windows.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1844\" style=\"width: 160px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/bustacap.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1844\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-1844\" title=\"bustacap\" src=\"http:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/bustacap-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/bustacap-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/bustacap.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1844\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bust a Cap<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Many things can be used to break glass.\u00a0 There are better tools than your standard issue baton.\u00a0 I have a <a title=\"Bust a Cap\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bustacap.net\/\">Bust a Cap window-breaking device<\/a> mounted on the end cap of my Streamlight Stinger.\u00a0 I have tested it and it works just as well as in Mr. Summers&#8217; video.<\/p>\n<p>Glass can be a very dangerous substance, and is one we are sometimes forced to work with on the street.\u00a0 Do your best to respect the glass and use as much safety gear as you have available.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, while not a glass, polycarbonate sheeting is used in place of glass, but if you are attempting to physically bash out the bullet-resistant windows of a bank or on your light armored vehicle, <em>you<\/em> need serious help.<\/p>\n<p>Randall<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You need to have the right information and tools if you are going to break a glass window or door to make an exigent entry into a structure or to rescue a trapped motorist.\u00a0 There are three types of glass you will encounter:\u00a0 tempered glass, non-tempered glass, and laminated glass. Tempered glass is special heat-treated form of glass.\u00a0 Tempered glass is used where there is a likelihood of human contact and as such is made to shatter into small \u00bc\u201d pieces when broken.\u00a0 The small pieces are not very sharp and are relatively safe to handle. Non-tempered glass is a different animal.\u00a0 When broken, non-tempered glass makes large, irregular, jagged &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/?p=1827\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,10],"tags":[361,364,363,362],"class_list":["post-1827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-officer-safety","category-street","tag-breaking-glass","tag-bust-a-cap","tag-police-and-glass-breaking","tag-types-of-glass"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p28xkp-tt","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1827"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1869,"href":"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1827\/revisions\/1869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}