Breaching shotguns give Nash County SRO's and students a new layer of protection

Nash County is adding "breaching shotguns" to School Resource Officers' toolbelts to keep students safe in school. Typically, only SWAT teams would use them, but Nash County's sheriff thinks SROs in all schools should have them.
Posted 11/4/2025, 2:59:27 AM Updated 11/4/2025, 3:00:12 AM

THERE'S COUNTER MAN EVER TO

>> TOLL ONCE RESERVED FOR SWAT

TEAMS IS NOW COMING TO A SCHOOL

NEAR YOU. MORE SPECIFICALLY

TO THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS

IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

YOU SEE EVERY SRO IN NASH

COUNTY. WE'LL HAVE ACCESS TO A

BREACHING SHOTGUN. IT CAN BREAK

THROUGH THE LOCKS OF A LOCKED

DOOR SO OFFICERS CAN GET TO

STUDENTS FAST IN AN EMERGENCY

WRAL'S. HEIDI KIRK SHOWS US

HOW THEY WORK. WHY THE SHERIFF

THINKS MORE DISTRICTS SHOULD

HAVE A.

>> THESE TOOLS ARE ALL ABOUT

LOWERING RESPONSE TIME SAFELY

WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING INSIDE

A LOCKED DOOR IN AN EMERGENCY

RESPONSE RATHER THAN SENDING

ONE OF THESE THROUGH THAT LOCK

TO UNLOCK THE DOOR. SORROWS IN

NASH COUNTY WILL BE USING THIS

A POWDER TO PENETRATE THAT LOCK

INSIDE A NASH COUNTY PUBLIC

SCHOOLS ARE LESS. OUR ROADS

WILL HAVE ACCESS TO ONE OF

THESE A BREACH IN SHOTGUN.

WE'VE GOT TO DO WHAT WE CAN

TO ENSURE.

>> THAT WE ARE COMBAT READY TO

TAKE CARE OF THE COMMUNITY AND

ENSURE THE SAFETY OF OUR KIDS.

AND THIS IS JUST ANOTHER 2 IN

OUR TOOLBOX. SERGEANT KEVIN

BISSET HELPED ROLL THEM OUT

SAYING IT WILL SHAVE TIME OFF

AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE BY GIVING

US OUR NORMALLY RESERVED FOR

SWAT TEAM MEMBERS. YOU'RE

LOOKING AT AND MINUTES TO HOURS

BEFORE A SWAT TEAM MEMBER MAY

ARRIVE AT A LOCATION,

ESPECIALLY THEY THE GATHER THE

ENTIRE GROUP. WE DON'T HAVE

THE TIME.

>> SO THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPAIRED

FOR ALL SRO'S PE ISSUE THIS

EQUIPMENT TO BE PROPERLY

TRAINED ON IT. WE COULDN'T FIND

ANOTHER DISTRICT IN OUR AREA

USING THESE SHERIFFS DON'T SAYS

NATIONALLY IT'S BECOME A BIGGER

CONVERSATION AFTER SHOOTINGS

LIKE UVALDE SOME OF THE PLACES

THAT HAVE HAD THESE BAD

INCIDENTS, THE DOORS OF MEN

LOT.

>> AND CHAINED AND THINGS OF

THAT NATURE

AND EMS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

CANNOT GET INTO THE SCHOOLS

IMMEDIATELY. AND REMEMBER, TIME

IS OF THE ESSENCE. THESE TOOLS

FALL INTO PHASE ONE OF A

MULTI-YEAR PLAN THAT THEY HAVE

HERE IN NASH COUNTY OF SORROWS,

WITH MORE TOOLS LIKE THESE

BALLISTIC SHIELDS.

>> AND THOSE BREACHING SHOTGUNS

MORE TO COME IN THE FUTURE.

HEIDI KIRK, WRAL, NEWS NASH

COUNTY. HEIDI, THANK YOU.

NOW, LOOK, IT IS IT IS WORTH

NOTING THE NASH COUNTY HAS BEEN

VERY OPEN TO INVESTING IN THESE

NEW TOOLS WITH THE GOAL TO KEEP

STUDENTS SAFE THERE. HEIDI

MENTIONED THE BREACHING

SHOTGUNS AS WELL AS THE

BALLISTIC SHIELD. SHE WAS

HOLDING THERE AT THE END.

>> NASH COUNTY SCHOOLS ALSO

HAVE THOSE WEAPONS DETECTION

SYSTEMS. THESE ARE THE ONES WE

HAVE SEEN SPOT POPPED UP AT

SCHOOLS ALL OVER THE AREA AND

COUNTRY FOR FOR THAT MATTER.

NASH COUNTY ALSO UPDATED ITS

CRISIS ALERT SYSTEM TO KEEP

STAFF AND PARENTS UPDATED IN

ANY TYPE OF EMERGENCY. NOW,

WHEN IT COMES TO THOSE

BREACHING SHOTGUNS, THEY ARE OF

THEIR SCHOOLS AND AND OTHER

STATES WHO ARE TRYING SIMILAR

THINGS TO PRIORITIZE URGENCY.

YOU SEE THIS SUMMER, TEXAS SOME

LAWS REQUIRING SCHOOLS TO HAVE

BREACHING TOOLS ON CAMPUS LAST

MONTH. THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND

ALABAMA EQUIPPED ITS SRO IS

WITH BREACHING TOOLS, NOT

SHOTGUNS HERE, BUT SLEDGE

HAMMERS HIM PRY BARS AND BOLT

CUTTERS. THE NONPROFIT WHO

FUNDED THIS SAID, QUOTE, EVERY

SECOND COUNTS IN 2022, THE

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA

EQUIP ITS OFFICERS WITH THESE

BREACHING KITS. THE DEPARTMENT

SAID, QUOTE, SECONDS COUNT.

ALSO 2022, YOU MIGHT REMEMBER

WHEN MADISON COUNTY, NORTH

CAROLINA PUT AR FIFTEENS IN ALL

OF THEIR SCHOOLS, THE GUNS ARE

ARE STORED, INSECURE SAFES THAT

ONLY THOSE OFFICERS AS SRO'S

THERE CAN ACCESS EVERYONE, OF

COURSE, IS GONNA HAVE A

DIFFERENT OPINION ON THAT

SPECIFIC IDEA. BUT IT IS WORTH

NOTING THAT THE SHERIFF ALSO

PUT BREACHING TOOLS IN THOSE

SCHOOLS TO THE SHERIFF SAYING,

QUOTE, I WANT TO MAKE SURE MY

DEPUTIES ARE PREPARED. THIS

ALL OF THIS WAS A DIRECT

RESPONSE TO THE SCHOOL SHOOTING

IN UVALDE, TEXAS WHEN 19

CHILDREN AND 2 TEACHERS WERE

KILLED AT ROBB ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL. THIS IS THE SAME REASON

THE SHERIFF PUT BREACHING

SHOTGUNS IN NASH COUNTY SCHOOLS

BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED THERE.

YOU SEE A NASH COUNTY DEPUTY

VISITED UVALDE AFTER THAT THAT

MASS SHOOTING THERE, LAW

ENFORCEMENT FROM ALL OVER THE

COUNTRY ACTUALLY WENT THERE TO

TALK ABOUT WAYS TO IMPROVE

SAFETY IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

>> ACTUALLY, WHAT'S BEEN A WEEK

AND UVALDE TEXAS SPEAKING WITH

THOSE INDIVIDUALS, A FIRST-HAND

GETTING THE INFORMATION OF WHAT

THEY EXPERIENCED AND WHAT THEY

PUT IN PLACE AFTER THE EVENTS

AFTER SPEAKING WITH THEM

SPEAKING WITH THE FOLKS IN

FLORIDA AND AGAIN THROUGHOUT

THE COUNTRY, BRIDGES, SHOTGUNS,

A BALLISTIC SHIELDS, WERE 2 OF

THE IDEAS THAT THAT WE CAME

UP WITH.

>> SO MAJOR FACTOR IN THAT

UVALDE CASE WAS THE SPEED OF

THE LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE.

THE DOJ REVIEW FOUND THE POLICE

OFFICERS THERE ACTED QUOTE WITH

NO URGENCY. THE GUNMAN WAS AND

KILLED UNTIL 77 MINUTES AFTER

POLICE ARRIVE THERE AT THE

SCENE IN THE DAYS AFTER THE

SHOOTING WAS REPORTED THAT LAW

ENFORCEMENT WERE DELAYED IN

PART BECAUSE THEY WERE LOOKING

FOR KEYS TO UNLOCK CLASSROOM

DOORS. BUT A REVIEW A FEW

MONTHS AFTER THAT, A FEW MONTHS

LATER FOUND THAT THOSE DOORS

WE'RE ALREADY UNLOCKED. SO

FINDING THE KEYS WAS NOT

NECESSARY. NOW, YOU MIGHT SAY,

DAN AT THE DOORS ARE ALREADY

OPEN WIDE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT.

JUST GO INSIDE. AND WHAT'S THE

POINT OF THESE BREACHING TOOLS

ARE BREACHING SHOTGUN AT THOSE

DOORS WERE UNLOCK. WHAT IF YOU

ASK THE LAW ENFORCEMENT

OFFICERS ABOUT ELIMINATING

THOSE QUESTIONS, ALL TOGETHER.

WHAT I MEAN IS IF OFFICERS HAVE

A TOOL TO GET INSIDE A SCHOOL

CLASSROOM, THE QUESTION OF

WHETHER THE DOORS LOCKED OR

UNLOCKED, DOES IT REALLY

MATTER? THEY CAN GET IN EITHER

WAY. IT'S ABOUT REMOVING THE

BARRIERS, MENTAL ONES AND

PHYSICAL ONES BECAUSE IN AN

EMERGENCY TIME IS OF THE

ESSENCE. AND AS THOSE OFFICERS

AND DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS

WERE SAYING, EVERY SECOND DOES

COUNT. DO YOU HAVE A THOUGHT ON

THIS TOPIC? IS THERE SOMETHING

YOU THINK WE MAY HAVE MISSED OR

DIDN'T CONSIDER HERE? ANYTHING

YOU WANT TO COVER WHEN IT COMES

TO TO SCHOOL SAFETY AND SOME

OF THESE NEW TECHNIQUES AND

AND WEAPONS IN SOME CASES THAT

ARE BEING INTRODUCED INTO OUR

SCHOOLS. SEND US AN E-MAIL.

DAN AT WRAL DOT COM. TELL ME