PLAQUEMINE - Deputies and school resource officers in Iberville Parish now have an extra layer of protection.

For about $40,000, Dow Chemical purchased 50 bulletproof shields to donate to the Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Brett Stassi says each deputy and school resource officer in the parish will get one. 

According to Stassi, mass shootings across the country such as the one in Uvalde, Texas, inspired the decision to get the shields. He says, they can stop a bullet from an AR-15.

“These shields will sustain impact from a .308, all pistol rounds and especially AR-15 .223 rounds, which seems to be the weapons these individuals tend to bring," the sheriff said.

It's a tool they say they hope to never have to use, but in dire situations, they will be prepared. 

“Time costs lives, and we’ve learned from these other school-related shootings that we’re not wasting any time," Stassi said.

The shields come in two sizes and weigh about 20–30 pounds each.