CMPD Officer Invents Anti-Shooter Device

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Pull, wrap, secure. Sergeant Chris Kopp’s Barricade Box is a simple device, that he says, his 11-year-old can tackle in under 7 seconds. Kopp, a Marine who now works for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, trains people how to survive an active shooter.

Kopp says, “I tell people, if you can barricade yourself in a classroom or office room, your chance of survival goes up.”

Disillusioned by demonstrating with extension cords and shoe laces, that simply aren’t strong enough, Kopp’s created a device that uses a Kevlar cord. “That cord can withstand 2,000 pounds of tensile strength on top of being cut-resistant and burn proof,” he says.

James Phillips has three kids, and as every parent knows, keeping them safe is paramount. “I think about that all the time,” he says.

Phillips continues, “I just want something that works. The violence keeps going on and on, year after year. This is something we could put in now that’ll fix the problem in the short term.”

Kopp readily acknowledges: the Barricade Box is not a silver bullet. But, as a father of three himself, he’s doing what he can to tip the scales in his family’s favor. “The average active shooting lasts about 12 minutes. Law enforcement is there in about five minutes. So the goal is: can you survive 5 minutes? Eventually, somebody can get through that door, but is an active shooter gonna spend five minutes knowing that law enforcement is coming, trying to get that one door, or are they gonna move on?”

The Barricade Box installs into the door frame and Kopp says it doesn’t violate fire code. It costs $50.