PENSACOLA, Fla. — A new safety device developed by Pensacola police officers is set to enhance emergency response capabilities for law enforcement across the country, WEAR reported.
The “Barrel Breacher” is a compact, door-breaching tool designed to allow officers to bypass locked doors in a matter of seconds, potentially saving lives during active shooter and other high-risk incidents, according to the report.
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The tool was co-developed by Pensacola Police Lt. John Austin, fellow officer Jason Browning and Dark Mountain Firearms, and is now being manufactured in North Carolina and Wisconsin.
“If an officer is responding to an active shooter event and a locked door separates them from the threat, there is currently no immediate solution in most departments,” Austin told WEAR.
Dubbed a “pocket-sized shotgun,” the Barrel Breacher attaches directly to an officer’s rifle. To deploy it, officers simply attach the breacher to their weapon, pull a ring to activate it and apply pressure to the door lock.
The device then fires a specialized round designed solely for breaching door locks, not for lethal use.
“The typical active shooter takes about two to three minutes nationally. So any delay of seconds is a big problem,” Austin said. “So if you’re talking about having to call for help, someone that has breaching equipment in their car, or you going back to your car, it’s totally unacceptable.”
The Barrel Breacher is lightweight, portable and fits into a standard plate carrier, making it accessible to officers of any experience level.
Florida’s Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has already placed an order, with the Pensacola Police Department planning to follow suit.
“My goal is to get these in the hands of every police officer, every deputy in the United States,” Austin told WEAR.
