Police Study Less Lethal Options
In Butler Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, the police department has pledged to use tools that are less deadly, investing in three 12-gauge Remington 870 shotguns at about $800 each.
The guns use “Super Sock” beanbag cartridge ammunition from Combined Tactical Systems, which are unlikely to go through the skin but will cause most people to collapse.
The cartridges hold a Kevlar “sock” with lead pellets; the cartridges are placed into a shotgun shell and used as usual.
In the past, such beanbag ammunition would often turn over before it hit the suspect and go through sideways, causing internal bleeding, but the Super Sock is designed to be more accurate.
Meanwhile, the Englewood Police Department has purchased six Tasers at $700 and has also provided training to officers.
Tasers need only eight AA batteries to administer an electrical current through the Taser’s lead wire to which two probes are attached. Both probes must be in contact with the victim for the person to be momentarily subdued, and can work within a range of 12 to 18 feet. They are especially useful for people who are unaffected by pain, such as drug abusers.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Dayton Daily News (02/13/03); Bush, Valryn.