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The city of Elwood, Indiana, has decided to invest in stronger windshields for its police cruisers after one of its officers was shot to death in his car.
Following an initiative led by Elwood Police Chief Jason Brizendine, the Elwood Board of Public Works and Public Safety voted unanimously to spend $35,000 to purchase bullet-resistant windshields for the department’s 19 cruisers.
Brizendine began the initiative after 24-year-old Officer Noah Shahnavaz was fatally shot through his vehicle’s windshield and driver-side window during a traffic stop on July 31.
The shooter, Carl Roy Webb Boards II, was later arrested and charged with murder.
Elwood Clerk-Treasurer Alison Roby said anti-ballistic windshields are strong enough to stop bullets from a rifle.
“They can actually shoot out if there is shooting,” she said. “It at least gives them enough time to react.”
Councilman Sam Tyner said that it usually takes months to deliver anti-ballistic windshields, but Brizendine hopes to get them sooner.
“He said he’s trying to push it, get it in 30 days,” Tyner said.
Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings also scheduled a news conference to discuss the case and announce whether he will seek the death penalty for Boards.
Councilman Jim Watters noted that the city would be the first in Indiana to reinforce its windshields. Advocates have been pushing for the safety measure in other areas, including Texas, where the Department of Public Safety installed antiballistic windshields on all its cars after Trooper Chad Walker was fatally shot through his windshield on March 26, 2021.
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