GROESBECK, Texas (KWTX) –A group in Groesbeck is pushing for bullet resistant windows and windshields to be installed on law enforcement vehicles after Department of Public Safety Trooper Chad Walker was shot through the windshield of his patrol unit on March 26.
Walker died Wednesday at a Waco hospital.
Mutual Assistance Group, Inc., is a nonprofit aimed at helping members of law enforcement and their families.
The group, in a Facebook video said it is advocating for every law enforcement vehicle in the state of Texas at least to have bullet resistant windshields.
Existing vehicles would be fitted with new windshields and windows under the proposed plan.
“We thought a company coming in to retrofit vehicles would be the best and most cost efficient,” said Bryce Worsham, president of MAG Inc.
Dave Applegate, the president of BullDog Direct Protective Systems, Inc., a company that manufactures and installs bullet resistant glass in law enforcement vehicles across the country, said cost is usually the main deterrent to the upgrade.
“You’re probably talking four to five thousand dollars per windshield for assault rifle protection and $1,000 or more per each side door glass plus the installation,” Applegate said.
The total for outfitting an entire vehicle could be more than $10,000.
The members of MAG Inc say they plan to raise funds to pay for upgrades to law enforcement vehicles in Limestone County.
They also plan to petition lawmakers to pass legislation providing funding for law enforcement vehicles in the rest of the state.
The group said it will meet with various lawmakers and bullet-proofing companies in Austin next week.
The deadline for new state legislation has passed, but the group’s president says they are in talks with legislators to attach the Walker Strong Initiative to a bill that has already been filed in this legislative session.
