Potter County school resource officers and deputies using bullet-resistant shields

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Potter County Sheriff’s Office has started using bullet-resistant shields on school campuses and on patrol.

School resource officers have full-sized shields and smaller shields on their assigned campus, officials said.

The shields have many uses on campus, but will be used primarily in an active shooter situation to keep officers safe so they can neutralize the threat and evacuate students and staff.

“If officers are safe, they’re going to do their job, they’re going to be there,” said Gerardo Patino, school resource officer at River Road, PCSO. “Their training is going to come up and, and protect these students. We’re there to protect.”

The shields will help school resource officers get to the shooter faster, get through doors safely, cover vital organs, and escort students out of classrooms behind the shield.

“We can get those people out of that room, get them down the hallway out the door, and go off somewhere else where we know is safe,” said Brian Thomas, sheriff, PCSO.

Sheriff Thomas says the school resource officers are the first line of defense in their schools and keeping them safe protects the staff and students.

“That shield is going to help keep our guys safe so we can still go in and fight to fight and take care of the situation that’s arisen and didn’t matter where it’s happening,” said Sheriff Thomas.

The shields can also be used in domestic violence situations or random shooting events.

“They’ve got protection to go in and stop the threat wherever that threat shall be,” said Sheriff Thomas.

Potter County ordered the shields in January as an effort to help in case of an active shooter situation.

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