Ballistic shields are a tool for SWAT teams and patrol officers, who regularly respond to and make entry into volatile, violent incidents. In a presentation at IACP 2025, Constantino Cipolla and Eric Lee from Gemini Tactical, discussed the utility of ballistic shields for patrol officers, the necessity for knowledge of shield tactics and training and the next steps to update ballistic shield policy and training at attendees’ departments.
According to the presenters, patrol officers enter hazardous environments just as much or more often than full-time SWAT operators. Cipolla and Lee showed several body camera videos of patrol officers responding to high-urgency hostage-taking incidents that illustrated the need for more training in shield use, live fire from behind a shield training and team tactics for room entry and clearing.
Ballistic shields for patrol officers
The presenters have reviewed and tested a lot of ballistic shields. In their experience, a ballistic shield for a patrol officer needs a:
- Viewport
- Horizontal handle
- Cover for viewport when it’s not in use
- Removable viewport clear tape to train with simunition rounds
- Lights on the shield — installed at the center of mass point of the shield as “that is where the rounds are going to end up going,” Cipolla said.
Ballistic shield features they said they don’t find useful include fixed shoulder straps, which can catch on gear and obstruct movement, and lights permanently affixed to the shield. Fixed light systems can break during use and may require the entire shield to be sent out for manufacturer repair. Cipolla’s team instead relies on inexpensive, easily replaceable hardware-store lights for routine deployments, and they also use high-quality detachable manufactured lights with wireless activation capability when needed. The key advantage of detachable lights — whether low-cost or commercial models — is that they can be removed for repair without taking the shield out of service.
“We always recommend full-sized shields and a rifle-rated shield,” Cipolla said. “If you don’t have the budget now, wait until next year. Bring the right tool to the right job.”
Memorable quotes
Lee and Cipolla work together on a regional SWAT team and present this material regularly. Their experience and rapport were obvious in these memorable quotes:
- “When we joined the SWAT team, we were handed a shield and told to figure it out. There is a gap between SWAT use of shields and patrol use of shields. We believe the ballistic shield is an everyday tool for every patrol officer.”
- “We got shields with no training at all. There was nothing local, so we designed a shield training program from the ground up.”
- “The shield requires specialized training to use effectively.”
Top takeaways
Cipolla and Lee delivered a lot of information. Here are four top takeaways from their IACP presentation.
1. Ballistic shields are a tool for patrol operations
Shields are movable cover for patrol officers. Use cases for ballistic shields include hostage rescue, barricaded suspects, welfare checks, domestic violence, acute mental illness calls, felony stops, high-risk warrants and building searches.
According to the presenters, a shield gives officers cover time, distance and decision-making space, but patrol officers hesitate to pick up ballistic shields because it is perceived as a SWAT tool.
Leaders, chiefs and sergeants need to instill a culture that the ballistic shield is an everyday tool for patrol officers and if the situation, like a welfare check, proves to be low risk, the shield can be lowered or set aside. Leaders should not discourage patrol officers from using their shield and acquiring additional training.
2. Patrol officers need the same shield training as SWAT
The presenters showed a series of videos of patrol officers responding to incidents with ballistic shields. The video analysis drove home the need for more training.
“These are officers who want to do the right thing,” Lee said. “You are seeing a lack of training.”
Ballistic shields, often weighing more than 20 pounds, require initial and regular training, including time at the range for live fire and partner shoot drills. Patrol officers need to know that a shield stops bullets, provides cover when there is no cover, acts as a force multiplier and disrupts the OODA loop.
Patrol officers also need to know how to use a ballistic shield through regular practice in the training room, simulation environments and live fire ranges.
3. Ballistic shield training program components
A shield is best used as a team tool. In addition to patrol officers understanding the capabilities of a ballistic shield, they need to learn tactical considerations, and how to work with a shield in a two-person team formation, especially in close quarters.
Ballistic shield instructors need to have specialized instructor-level training. “Is the training relevant to your job description and do you understand the why of the techniques,” Cipolla said. If these questions aren’t easily answered, the training program is probably not a good investment.
Cipolla recommended a stair-step training program that capitalizes on foundational firearm skills, including one-handed shooting from behind the shield. Classroom and range training need to include stance and weapons positions, “from the ground up and the gun back,” weapon manipulation, sight alignment, two-person systems — the shield operator and the shield handler, who is the second officer scanning the incident and working the radio.
Lee and Cipolla shared videos of training drills they use that progressively challenge participants with different firing distances, trip hazards, moving in different directions and making room entries.
4. Ballistic shield next steps for law enforcement leaders
For departments that have already equipped their patrol officers with ballistic shields, there are two important next steps: training, as described above, and culture change.
Culture change includes encouraging, promoting and rewarding patrol officers for universal, regular use of ballistic shields. Another part of culture change is community education that the shield is not an aggressive escalation tool, but a de-escalation tool as it is moving cover for patrol officers. “When properly used, a shield is a de-escalation tool,” Lee said.
Finally, keep learning. Cipolla and Lee normally teach shield use in a four-hour or longer training program. Their 90-minute IACP session introduced excellent concepts and opportunities that departments should implement into initial and ongoing training programs.
Bonus tip: Share the load
Cipolla and Lee recommended the Wedge-It door stop to support the ballistic shield in a dynamic environment.
“We add a couple carabiners to our MOLLE and attach the Wedge-It to the carabiners,” Cipolla said. “Depending on the length of the shield it can be moved up or down on the carabiner link.”
About Gemini Tactical
Gemini Tactical is a training and consulting company that establishes the “Relevant Why” in Firearms/Tactical training for both the LE Special Operations community and the private sector. Gemini offers corporate security consultation, active threat mitigation and training, large venue security operations, executive protection training, and Threat, Vulnerability and Risk Assessments to private corporations and organizations.
