On Less Lethal

A look at Weapons Cops use to try and Stop a Subject without Killing them.

Story and Photos by Nick Perna

Less lethal weapons are a mainstay of a police officer’s equipment for self-defense and other purposes. Although the vast majority of cops will never fire their duty firearm in defense of self or others, they do use less lethal weapons fairly routinely. The term “less lethal” is a bit of a misnomer. Although they aren’t designed to kill, many of them have the potential to do so. That’s why it’s important for officers to be familiar with and to train on all of the weapons at their disposal.
The “tools in your toolbox” analogy is one often heard in tactical circles when describing what is available to you at any given time. Although it works, I think a better one is to look at the different pieces of equipment in much the same way a golfer looks at the clubs in their golf bag. A driver serves a much different purpose than a putter but they are designed to do the same thing – put a little white ball in a hole. While each of the systems I describe here serve the same purpose – to protect the user and the public they in turn protect – they all do it in different ways. Here’s what cops carry in their proverbial golf bag, what they use it for and each item’s strengths and limitations.

PEPPER SPRAY
Pepper spray generally contains oleoresin capsicum (say that 10 times fast), the “spicy” chemical in chili peppers. If you’re thinking, “How nice! I like spicy food!” – think again. One milligram of concentrated OC will cause your skin to blister. It’s mixed with an emulsifier that suspends the OC in water and is generally discharged from handheld canisters. It’s the same stuff that’s used in bear repellent, just with a lower percentage of OC and in a smaller burst.

The pros of pepper spray are that it’s a decent, close-quarters deterrent and is particularly effective on people with a high sensitivity to it. Although not used as much on the street, it is a good crowd dispersal tool and is often used in jails and prisons. But OC is an equal opportunity agitator. It will cause discomfort to anyone and anything it comes in contact with. The first (and last) time I used it on a human being was when confronting a violent subject who was throwing cinder blocks at cars. As I went to spray him with OC, a strong wind blew from behind him towards me. I got a face full of it. When I was able to see again, the first thing I saw was the suspect’s right fist as it connected with my face … I stopped using it after that.

IMPACT WEAPONS
Impact weapon is a broad term used to describe a variety of tools. Straight sticks, or night sticks, are the traditional impact weapon. These are some of the earliest forms of self defense provided to law enforcement. There is a variant with an additional handle protruding at 90 degrees, close to the actual handle. This is the PR24, which is similar to a martial arts kubotan. Collapsible batons are the types most often carried by cops. When used properly, an impact weapon is a good tool. It allows the user to deliver painful strikes to targeted areas. But to use it, you need to be pretty close – basically, arm’s length. For
it to work effectively, the user needs to be proficient in delivering strikes, which most cops aren’t. The possibility of a crook taking your stick from you and hitting you with it is always a concern. Most collapsible batons are, in my opinion, junk. To use it, you have to remember to carry it. You can’t have a non collapsible baton on your duty belt when you are in a patrol car, so you have to keep it somewhere in the driver’s compartment. And in the moment when you are quickly exiting your cruiser to confront a suspect, you need to remember to grab it.
Sounds easy, right? If it were the only thing you had to worry about when jumping out of your work ride, it would be, but it’s not. You need to lock up your car (or take the keys out of your ignition) so the crook in question, or his accomplice, doesn’t steal it. You also need to radio in your location and what you’re currently dealing with, so when the crook steals your car you can notify everyone of your embarrassing predicament. With all that going on, it’s easy to forget your stick. And one last con for the impact weapon: If you hit a suspect in the wrong body part, you can seriously hurt or kill them. A well-delivered strike to the head can send a suspect to the promised land, or the other place down south.

TASERS
The Taser is the wonder weapon of the new millennium that has rendered all other forms of weapons obsolete (well, not quite). Like the zappers used in Demolition Man, cops have found the Taser to be a tool, not the tool. Axon Enterprise, Inc. – formerly Taser International – the designer and sole producer of the system, prefers the term Conducted Energy Device, or CED. Most models fire two or more darts (Axon calls them probes) connected to the weapon by a thin, copper wire. When fired, the darts enter the intended target and an electric charge goes from the Taser, down the wire, through the darts and into the target. The desired effect is neuromuscular incapacitation, or NMI (pay attention; there’s a quiz at the end).

When it works like it’s intended, the Taser can basically cause the target’s muscles to completely lock up, meaning the target can’t move. It also hurts – a lot. Also, newer models give the user more than one shot before having to reload. The Taser 10 has 10 probes and has an alleged max effective range of 45 feet.
However, in my experience, the Taser works like it’s intended less than half the time. Axon might take issue
with that, but since they collect all of the statistics from officers around the world and to my knowledge there is no competitor, you’ll have to take my word for it. Axon is also the main supplier of body cameras used by most cops today. First of all, the prongs, which resemble a short, straightened-out fish hook with a barb at the end, don’t always connect to the flesh of the user. Moving targets, like combative people who don’t want to get tased, increase the chances of the prongs not connecting. Any clothes thicker
than a T-shirt stand a good chance of rendering the darts ineffective.
If you do get a good connection, you then have another series of issues to contend with. A human being,
when in full NMI, basically turns into a fence post. That means when they fall, they can’t put their hands out to protect themselves. This has resulted in a lot of unintended tooth removal in many folks when they were “riding the lightning” (not an official term). When used in conjunction with OC spray that has alcohol in it, it can light a person on fire. That’s not a good look on the 5 o’clock news. Another bad look is a prong in the eye or other “sensitive” parts of the human anatomy. Another unintended side effect of “Edison’s medicine.”

40MM/37MM LAUNCHERS
When you care enough to send the very best, very fast and cause a lot of pain, less lethal launchers are the way to go. Basically “artillery for cops,” an LL launcher sends a projectile, usually made of rubber, foam or plastic, at the intended target. The impact is similar to getting hit by a fastball from a professional baseball player.
They generally come in 37mm or 40mm, with the projectile being a little bigger than a golf ball. Most are
single-shot systems, but there are others that hold up to six rounds in a rotary magazine. There are other types of LL launchers like “bean bag” guns. These fire a small bag of bird shot at the target. They look a little bit like a ravioli, but that’s where the similarities end. The biggest pro with LL launchers is that they allow the user to maintain distance from the threat. This is really important when dealing with a suspect
armed with something other than a firearm, and there are no cops or other potential victims within stabbing or striking range.
However, when a projectile strikes an area like the face, it potentially can be lethal. It will also cause significant damage to internal organs, the spine, genitals, etc. They are fairly accurate, especially when paired with a red dot optic, but they’re not your granddaddy’s-deer-rifle accurate. Generally, the threshold for deploying one of these is higher than with OC spray, impact weapons and Tasers.

Another concern is confusing an LL gun with a firearm loaded with lethal ammo. Bean bag guns are generally pump shotguns that can chamber and fire regular, live ammo like 00 buck or slugs. They generally have blaze orange furniture to tell them apart from the real deal. On tactical teams, one
member will generally be designated as an LL gunner, carrying only a launcher and a handgun for protection.
I guess this can also be a concern for a 40mm launcher, confusing military rounds with law enforcement. It would definitely be a long day if, somehow, a cop launched a high explosive military round at a threat. In the highly unlikely event that this were to happen, make sure to let the coroner know so they can respond with enough Ziploc sandwich baggies to pick up all of the body parts. One more pro I’ll add – and this applies to the Taser, too, when it works – is that you only have to be hit by either system once and you’ll never want to experience it again. There is a steep learning curve for anyone who is on the receiving end.

PEPPERBALL GUNS
Finally, pepperball guns are relative newcomers to the less lethal arena. It’s basically a paintball gun but the paintballs contain powdered OC. They also make impact rounds – essentially, a smaller (.68-caliber) version of a 37mm or 40mm round, moving at between 280 and 425 feet per second. These are good riot control weapons. Users are taught, under certain circumstances, to fire the OC rounds at the ground near the intended target. This allows the OC powder to fill the air, affecting multiple intended targets.
But like OC spray, powdered OC is the gift that keeps on giving. A gas mask might be a good option,
especially if your pepperball gunner is “spraying and praying.” Perna uses a single-shot 40mm less lethal gun during a law enforcement tactical operation. So when it comes to your arsenal of tactical weapons – aka, putting your ball in the proverbial hole – practice your chip shots, try to stay on the green, and know what less lethal weapon to use for every situation.