By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A Texas state grant will help Fort Worth Police Department expand bullet-resistant glass installations in patrol vehicles.
• The equipment upgrade follows a May 2024 shootout in which an officer credited the reinforced glass with saving his life.
• The Fort Worth City Council ratified acceptance of the grant on Jan. 13 to accelerate protective upgrades.
• The department currently has more than 230 vehicles outfitted with bullet-resistant glass and plans further expansion.
• Funding includes state grant dollars and local Crime Control and Prevention District resources.
(FORT WORTH, TX —) The Fort Worth Police Department will use a recently approved state grant to expand the installation of bullet-resistant glass in patrol vehicles, officials said, nearly two years after the technology was credited with saving an officer’s life.
Officer Lorenzo Burrell was involved in a gunfire exchange on May 19, 2024, when a suspect opened fire during a traffic stop; Burrell said the reinforced glass helped prevent serious injury.
The Fort Worth City Council ratified acceptance of the grant on Jan. 13, authorizing the department to use the funds to accelerate the bullet-resistant glass rollout across its fleet of patrol vehicles.
Funding for the upgrades combines the state grant with approximately $1 million annually from the local Crime Control and Prevention District, department officials said, allowing for continued expansion in 2026.
Fort Worth currently has more than 230 vehicles — including cruisers and SWAT units — equipped with bullet-resistant glass, with plans to outfit additional units as part of broader officer safety efforts.
The reinforced glass is designed to withstand repeated shots from high-caliber firearms and allows officers to return fire from inside the vehicle, the department said.