The Less than Lethal (LtL) Response

Less than lethal weapons are exactly that; less than lethal. They are weapons specifically designed not to kill a Tango however, depending on its deployment, it can kill your target and if one deploys it incorrectly, it will kill the user. We’ll look up a few of the most popular items and its employment, drawbacks and liabilities.

Less than Lethal or LtL weapons offer a wide variety of options but it has a narrow margin on how they are used in your everyday arsenal of options to deploy in a future confrontation. Depending on the scale of the aggressor, different options can be used. You will see it from the Law Enforcement point of view and how it’s deployed and what the differences are for the civilian. Let’s list a few options that we can categorize in a few areas for you to understand. We’ll identify the general options in the order of its supposed use and then we’ll look at it in detail.

Hands On

Hands On, Defensive tactics, hand to hand combat. This is when you physically fight with your hands as the weapon. Unlike many weapons, your hands can be a flexible response and it can be LtL or Deadly force depending on its use, technique and target medium and area of attack. One would try to gain pain compliance or simple incapacitation. The operative word is “try”. Sometimes it just won’t work and someone is badly hurt or killed.

Chemical

This is pepper sprays, chemical sprays, Mace or whenever the active ingredient is Oleoresin Capsicum. It is commonly referred to as simply “OC” in the business. It is a lachrymatory agent and it will irritate a person’s eyes, mucus membranes and will cause tears, pain, temporary blindness and great discomfort to the target. However, I would advocate that in a pinch, one can deploy most chemicals in order to incapacitate your target but in many cases when someone used a household cleaner, it has also caused permanent blindness.

Electrically Powered

This option is usually identified as either Stun Guns or TASERS. I say “or” because the two systems are different much to the ignorance of the general public. They are often confused but they are completely different systems and they generally use electricity to affect a target area with thousands of volts of electricity to confuse natural electrical signals from muscle groups to cause involuntary muscle confusion and gain pain compliance.

Impact Weapons

These weapons are referred to their brand names like ASP, PR-24’s and other names. It is essentially a club. As basic as it sounds, it is the most liability prone weapon to deploy because much like using your hands, it can be used not only incapacitate but kill. There are some other areas like bean bag guns or rubber bullets. I will get into these a bit more but they are also liability prone and can easily kill unintentionally which will bring forth a plethora of liability issues.

Deadly force

In the continuum of force that I have already mentioned above, this option is the last resort when all has failed to gain compliance. Just remember this; you will be a victim as well. This is the time where a Law Enforcement Officer is authorized to use deadly force which is defined as; any action that could cause serious injury or death. Usually, this is where I deploy a firearm and “incapacitate” my target. Never say “shoot to kill”. Nothing good has ever happened when someone has used that short statement post usage. Make sure you don’t.

Intermediate Sensory Weapons (ISL) & LtL Anomalies

There are a few established LtL weapons that have been used already and it is worth mentioning however they should not be considered as mainstream and readily available for most civilians. This category of weapon is used as an LtL option and they are specifically designed to be deployed against a target that will either deprive or overload a person’s sensory input which would either induce involuntary reactions or pain compliance. I will address these ISW’s in detail to merely introduce you to them and get this area out of the way before we address the mainstream LtL weapons that are readily available to the general public.

Visual ISL

Recently, some lasers and flashlights have been developed to incapacitate a target by usually overloading the targets eyesight and how it’s perceived in the target’s brain. Unlike the next category of ISW’s, lasers and flashlights are man-portable and have been used in both military and law enforcement applications. Some will simply overload the target’s vision. Imagine shining a powerful flashlight into someone’s eyes in the dark. If anything, this will disorientate your target long enough to gain an advantage. Some flashlights have a pulse option and this strobing effect will give one an advantage over your opponent for a very short period. Sometimes it works and sometimes it won’t and you’ll have to go to other LtL options before you gain compliance. Some special options have been invented that will actually induce vomiting and nausea in the target. Some would also categorize the use of a flashbang grenade device but I would advocate that a flashbang grenade is just a dynamic distraction device but have been used in some military applications as merely a distraction or deterrent before a higher level of force is considered for deployment. Some of these new innovations in LtL technology have great potential but generally, it is not an option for most people to acquire besides your fancy flashlight or laser system.

Acoustic & Microwave ISL

Through the historical archives of history and myth, from the trumpets that brought down the walls of Jericho to the Nazi acoustic weapon that would have utilized the sonic energy to kill a target, new innovations in this area of incapacitation have been utilized successfully however, it does take a considerable amount of energy and they aren’t portable at all. If you look up Sonic and Ultrasonic weapons like the LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) or Directed Energy Weapon (DEW), you will see how we’ve developed some pretty neat devices that use both sonic and microwave energy to be effective LtL control methods, however they are not something you can strap onto your utility belt. It does take considerable amounts of energy to operate and they are large and if misused, it can kill just as easy as it takes to incapacitate. Sometimes it’s also a dual edged sword. For example, the Nazi weapon was abandoned because it was gigantic and had limited applications. Its intent was to kill soldiers in mass by creating the sonic energy by chemical means to simulate the sonic blast of an explosion. However in their research, they discovered that it would just be simpler to kill the soldier with the explosion itself and it was more cost effective and portable. Why go out of your way to simulate the sonic energy of an explosion when you have the means to get the explosion through traditional cost effective means? It wouldn’t make sense, however the Nazi weapons intent was to kill whereas most sonic LtL devices made today are made to incapacitate. It has been used on naval vessels against pirates in the Gulf of Oman and to disperse riots and crowds in many areas. It’s used much like the sonic version of a water cannon and in certain cases; it has proven to be an effective technology. There are some interesting cases where some sonic waves within certain frequencies have been able to produce some of the strangest results like vomiting, diarrhea or temporary synaptic shutdown. In some tests there have been examples that low frequencies have been able to produce immense fear and paranoia. I am sure that research and development into psychological operations are working around the clock to find a consistent result.



Hands On

In your everyday run of the mill scenario, everyone has a set of hands, arms, feet and legs. It’s always there and ready for use. In the area of self defense or less than lethal applications, wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to depend on other items such as pepper spray, a stun gun or a firearm? It would if it was a perfect world but in a perfect world we’d never have problems to address. Unless you have massive amounts of training that would allow you to know when, how and where to strike or grapple, most mortals just don’t have the necessary training to go hands on with an opponent effectively. In the Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) world, the first thing you can do is just do a controlling touch to guide the person to comply. The next thing would be to use a controlling hold like chicken winging them around or the simple use of an arm-bar hold but in real life scenarios, if they’re going to fight you anyway you’re going to have to learn some pain compliance measures like a bent wrist or split finger hold. This utilizes pain compliance as the primary way to gain compliance from the subject. If things go out of hand then you could use incapacitation moves such as a brachial downward strike and if that doesn’t work, one could employ a strike to the throat and that would be considered deadly force. I don’t want to paint a pretty picture for anyone here. As a cop trainer I do teach techniques like the ones described but as an experienced LEO, there are far more dangers than meets the eye. Maybe that opponent is a guy with my skillset. How about when I used to closed fist punch someone in the jaw? What would happen if this guy moved suddenly and I cut my fist upon his teeth and he’s tested HIV positive or Hepatitis C before? Haven’t I exposed myself to some freaky bloodborne pathogen now? How about if I just break my fist or hand or foot and I have to take time off for it now? How about if I break something and now my Tango has the advantage? I will be sent to the Great Void. There are many unknowns and don’t want to get into the subject that deeply because from the few examples I’ve just given you; it can turn out just as bad for you as it is for your target.

Use technology and tools to your benefit to gain the advantage but when push comes to shove when there is nothing but air and opportunity, your hands are your second line of defense. Your first line is your brain. Use it and think of a better option if you can. Range and distance is your friend. If you can engage with your hands that means your Tango can also engage with theirs. One never knows the ability of some folks and just because they are small or frail looking doesn’t mean they can ruin your day. Keep reading and I will relay the story of the 22 year old, 5’2”, 100 lb. drunk woman that used a simple environmental weapon against me that has left a life-long scar. Of course when it happened, I didn’t react well and I felt like a sheer brute when I slammed her onto the asphalt road. I didn’t want to hurt her but I did although I was cordial, polite and gentle with her from the beginning of the encounter. Keep reading and you’ll get the full story. Just because you just saw a move in a movie may just get you killed as a result, or accidentally kill them. If it’s justified, then it’s justified but every now and then, someone gets killed and someone will always pay for it eventually. Don’t do it unless you absolutely have no other option. It just isn’t worth it in the long run. Range and distance is your friend. Use it to your benefit.

Chemical

This option is the most easy to gain access to. It’s cheap and they sell it in most department stores and it varies in strength from dog repellent size, the ever popular bear repellant in industrial sized Jug-O-Mace containers and a more reasonable anti personnel size with UV dye to increase “law enforcement” detection but I can’t ever recall where I ever had a UV light in my kit. I would advocate that it may help but it’s more of a sales ploy rather a practical tool that we strap onto our utility belts. It would be as popular as carrying around a Geiger Counter and along with my body armor, I’ve already got holsters and pouches to carry a sidearm, ASP, two spare mags, radio, my TASER, my OC and not one set of cuffs but two, because if you need one pair, most likely you’ll need two of them just in case. Yet alone a handy multi-tool, another knife and gloves that I never seem to have enough time to put on before I get that suicide call where I wrestle the knife out of someone’s bloody hand after he Ginsu’ed himself a few times only to find out he is Hepatitis C positive. See some of the little things that you can’t seem to control due to the nature of the call? It’s a younger man’s game but enough of this tangent.

Chemical agents are an effective tool. It takes virtually no training for anyone to use this. It has limited range up to about five to ten feet and it can effectively gain compliance from a much larger opponent. Of course you need to understand that it affects the membranes of anything that is moist so aiming for your targets eyes is the best. Most folks stop resisting when their eyes are affected. Sinus cavities don’t react well to it and that can hamper breathing. In a perfect world a small petite person can incapacitate a much larger aggressor with little instruction and they can usually carry it upon them in most states legally for the cost of a decent meal. But it isn’t a perfect world is it? There are variables. Keep reading.

Chemical sprays, pepper sprays, OC however you want to call it is also the most messy to deploy. Originally, it was alcohol based laced with fats and the active ingredient OC to stick onto the target surface. Therefore it will also stick onto your clothes and it will irritate any moist parts of your body later on when you throw your clothes into the washing machine. Even though the solutions are water based now, it will take awhile for the fats to wash away. I would recommend soaking the clothes affected after a deployment in a bucket outside for a day or so and most of it will float to the top for you to drain off and then wash your clothes. Any OC that gets on the dirt outside will dissipate in time but if you use it inside a home, the chemical will linger around a bit longer and could irritate anyone near it. Once my former spouse cursed my name when I threw in one of my OC’d shirts in with her underwear. She wasn’t happy for a while. I can’t say that I blame her. I was just lazy. Just because I’m used to it doesn’t mean your average person is. I mean, who would be? There have also been some jacktards that prove Darwin right by getting very excited before the deployment and have accidentally sprayed themselves! That’s why most of these bottles have directed jacktard buttons to push so you won’t do that but, it has happened before and it’s gotten some folks killed. Another thing you don’t really hear of is environmental factors that could hamper its deployment. The more mucus someone has in their sinuses the better it works. The sweatier the target is, the faster it works. The hotter the ambient temperature seems to add a boost to the pain level as well but let me paint a far darker scenario for you; imagine you’re in a night time parking lot and you’ve successfully deployed the spray against an aggressor but a sudden shift of wind also gives you a snootful. Now to say the least, this is a bad situation for you.
As a civilian, you should spray your attacker and get away as soon as you’re able, whether or not you have some on you. Go get help. Once as a cop on the beachside I had the same situation occur. But here’s the difference; I had to arrest this guy and back up was still five minutes away. It was a painful while he and I fought for control. It is especially a bad feeling when you can feel his hand upon your holster to end you. I thank the heavens above that I was able to gain control but it could have turned out badly. The lesson is if you deploy OC on someone, make sure you don’t get a faceful of that spray as well and be mindful of the environment before you use it. I would also advise looking specifically for the water based OC sprays. The earlier alcohol based ones were effective but for instance there was a very unfortunate event that occurred when alcohol based OC’s were used and the first appearance of the TASER about fifteen years ago. Someone was sprayed multiple times but was still wasn’t compliant. The resulting dash cam video then showed that the shift supervisor was at the scene and he deployed his new TASER. As a result, the defendant caught on fire and you can see folks scrambling back to get extinguishers. From what I understand, the defendant died as a result and the department was sued big. I’m just saying not to invite potential disasters like this. Not that someone will light up like Johnny Flame but imagine if you shot an alcohol based OC on a guy smoking a cigarette? Is it probable? Most likely not, but is it possible?

Electrically Powered

Many of you are probably scratching your head asking what the hell is the difference between a Stun Gun and a TASER? Many of you probably think they are exactly the same and the answer is both yes and no. Both of them do have a battery operated element that can deliver approximately 50k volts into someone through a contact point. That is true. Both systems are stun guns but the major difference between a Stun Gun and a TASER is that the TASER can be used as a touch stun and it also incorporates a cartridge that has compressed gasses that will shoot out two metal barbed probes attached with fine, hair like wires into the target medium. Another major difference is that the TASER costs almost as much as a firearm and it’s a dual purpose LtL tool. It can be used as a close-quarters touch stun gun, we call it touch tasing but the fact that they shoot probes out into the target medium makes it technically a firearm in many state’s definitions when it comes to some laws since it shoots out projectiles. Although it is a very effective, less than lethal option and some states would require you to have a concealed weapon license in order to have it upon you just like a real firearm. The M21 is the larger model that is as big as a real firearm and they’ve created the X26 which is the more compact version. The only difference between the two is the size. The voltage output is the same but the X26 doesn’t take as much room on a duty belt. There is an interesting aspect of the TASER. Most former criminals know of it and they are scared of it. Once they see that laser dot, most of them stop in their tracks and comply immediately. The word is getting out so to speak.

Many folks aren’t aware that the inventor of the TASER is a science fiction geek and when he named the TASER, it’s an acronym for the Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle based upon a science fiction character he read about when he as a k**. There are a few differences between a cop’s TASER in comparison to the civilian counterpart. The LEO model has the maximum range of 21 feet and once initiated, the shocking goes on for only five seconds. Whereas the civilian model’s maximum range is only 12 feet and the shock lasts for a full 30 seconds. With both models, if it was deployed correctly into the target, and if the probes and wires are still intact, one can squeeze the trigger again to start the shock timer over and over if need be. The LEO version was designed to get subject compliance whereas the civilian model was designed so that once shot, the user would have a head start to get away from the subject. Unfortunately, both models of the TASER are very expensive and they both use cartridges that are packed with the barbed probes and wires. As far as cost goes, the basic stun gun is very affordable whereas the TASER is not. Another innovation to the TASER is that within the probes, micro-confetti is packed with the individual serial number of the cartridge used so it can be identified during a potential investigation. TASERS also incorporate a built in use counter. One can also plug up a USB connector to it and find out how many times the trigger was pulled and when it was used. This keeps folks honest in case there is a bad cop that likes to use his TASER against someone too much. The main body of the TASER also has a dot laser for fast acquisition for the shooter to use against a subject muscle mass areas.

Once the safety is disengaged, the laser comes on. The way the TASER will work with the cartridges is that you aim at the target medium. You will aim for center of mass where fluids are most present because that conducts the voltage better. Once you depress the trigger, you will hear a pop and the front panels of the cartridge will pop out and two probes will fly out vertically attached by small wires which are still connected to the unit. The top probe will fly out straight whereas the lower probe is designed to make impact approximately one foot below the top one at twenty one feet. As the probe fly out very slowly, micro dot confetti pieces with the cartridges serial number will fly out as well. As the barbs pierce through the targets skin, it will conduct the voltage into them which will create a signal disturbance into their muscle groups. This disturbance is usually described as immense pain and an inability to control their normal motor functions. In many cases, the target’s muscle group locks up and they fall onto the ground giving you the opportunity to flee or maintain pain compliance and control over them. That is if the wires are still attached and the cartridge is still within the TASER’s main housing assembly.

In all aspects in regards to the touch stun from both “guns” and the TASER probes, they are all designed to inflict pain by the electric discharge. They all produce about the same amount of voltage and they are all designed to be employed upon a muscle mass area with fluids meaning hitting boned areas on a body will not be as effective as hitting areas like the thigh, the back or the upper body. The touch capability brings forth a liability because you have to get right up to your target to employ it. This of course could have harsh consequences. So the TASER with the probe cartridge is the clear winner here when you can have some distance between you and your target.

Another area where it could hamper the effectiveness is the weather. Think about it. If I deployed it in winter time when someone is wearing a heavy coat do you think my chances of making touch stun or probed stun with the target medium be greater or less than if they wore only a t shirt with a pair of shorts? So keep in mind that environmental factors could hamper it. Since they are electric, conductivity could also play a part in its effectiveness. Going for a stun if the medium is all wet could diminish the voltage by dispersing it. I have yet to see a stun gun or a TASER made that couldn’t be easily broken so they may need a little protection from the elements or by being dropped on the ground to many times. They’re fragile.

Stun guns have no cartridges and you have to get right up to the target to use it. I would advocate that this is very dangerous to begin with yet alone if that person had heavier clothing on. It can spell disaster very quickly. A strange anomaly is when the TASER first appeared in a LEO’s kit. Since we carry our firearm on our strong side, there had to be a way to incorporate the TASER onto our duty belts. Since the beginning of the M21 to today’s M26 we’ve built a holster system onto the duty belt that is of a cross draw design on our support side. Once we got used to them, the TASER seemed to be the save all, multi tool that we would employ with 99% of aggressive calls. Hence the problem; muscle memory is based on training and besides the training course and being shot with a TASER ourselves, some have accidentally deployed their TASER’s rather than their real sidearm. As you can imagine, some of these incidents had tragic endings for the LEO involved. It is more of a LEO’s concern than it is for a civilian since most of you will not have a TASER and a firearm on you but it’s just an interesting situation that should be noted to show the importance of proper training with muscle memory in mind.

Once, I encountered a drunk at night that was belligerent and made threats towards me after I made initial contact. I verbally warned him that I was going to TASER him if he didn’t comply with my lawful orders. He didn’t like that and rushed towards me as I shot him with it. As the probes hit him, he couldn’t control his forward momentum and essentially we both went down together. As the five second shock was still being delivered, I could also feel a shock upon my own skin. Although it didn’t incapacitate me, it was still very uncomfortable. It was too late to reload another cartridge for another chance and somehow during the fracas, one of the wires broke so squeezing the TASER trigger wouldn’t have helped. This is by all definitions a bad day on the beat. As we wrestled about, I felt his hand around my holster. Thankfully he was intoxicated and wasn’t coordinated enough to gain control and after some effort, I was able to pull out the spent cartridge and touch tased him to finally get cuffs on him. After a minute or so, back up units arrived and I still got to go home for dinner but this is just another example that technology cannot be the save all tool. Sometimes I do a mental review and wonder what would have happened if he wasn’t drunk or he was a guy with my skillset or if he got my handgun out? It could have been a very bad day for me and others. I sent him to prison for that. It’s also another simple example that no one ever does something they’re proud of when they’re drunk.

The company TASER has been sued many times that their product has caused unintentional injuries or death. They have won so far and it remains a very effective tool for us LEO’s. It sure beats going hands on or shooting someone with a real firearm when you don’t need to. It seems that sometimes due to uncontrollable circumstances, the target falls onto the ground and breaks their skull or neck resulting in death. So being aware of the surroundings can help avoid this unfortunate result. There have also been cases where someone was hopped up on d**gs or had a bad heart and the electrical shock essentially causes heart failure. This can’t be helped nor does anyone have access to someone’s medical history before the TASER is deployed. It is just an unfortunate outcome but you have to think of this like a safety belt in your car. Many folk do die every year because their safety belts did cause unintentional damage like aortal separation after a sudden impact but overall, it does save lives and the numbers prove it. Overall it saves lives. The TASER is much like that. Overall, it does save lives because without it, we’d have to shoot more people with a real firearm. There are some folks or their families that have sued the department, individual and TASER for the product but they have all lost. The product works just fine as designed however the variables like the articulable circumstances were previous to deployment and the after results. In most cases, the deployment was justified and according to most department’s policies and procedures. It is the preferred tool for LEO’s after a subject is verbally resisting and officer discretion must be sound.

There has been a lot of controversy regarding the use of a TASER. You may remember when they first started to appear that some LEO’s had deployed it on juveniles. Depending on your viewpoint, you could have supported this particular course of action or not. Remember that the TASER is an LtL tool that a LEO may deploy to subdue a person and defuse the situation to gain control and compliance. In most cases, there’s no question about the effectiveness of this tool nor do most folks question why someone was tased. However when it comes to juveniles, the American public gets all fuzzy about it. Let me remind you of a national case from some years ago.

One day an 8 year old boy was in his counselor’s office at school and he was so violent that he shattered a vase and threatened the staff. The police was called. The responding officer tried to talk the boy down with no success. The boy was swinging the shattered glass around threatening the officer. Remember this? The boy was shot with the TASER and was taken into custody and remanded into psychological counseling. Bear in mind that if this boy was an 18 year old we wouldn’t have an issue with this but remember the backlash from this? Folks questioned this veteran officer’s competence and ability that he felt necessary to use a TASER on an 8 year old boy. Sure, I agree that this doesn’t look good but let me give you a realistic viewpoint had the Officer gone hands on with the boy to gain compliance.

The Officer goes in and tries to gain compliance with his hands but the boy was fast enough to stab the officer in the neck or his shooting hand ripping open tendons. What do you have now? I have three options; I either have a veteran Officer killed by a nick into his carotid artery by an 8 year old boy wildly swinging shattered glass around and all this Officer’s experience has now gone bye-bye. I have a veteran Officer with ripped tendons in his shooting hand that will effectively kill his career due to medical reasons and thousands of dollars in tax monies spent on worker’s compensation claims and for the most part, this Officer’s experience has just gone bye-bye. By both accounts, this would be an epically tragic scenario. Or do I have the 8 year old shot by the Officer’s back up after he wounded the original Officer? I would argue that the original fifteen dollar cartridge from the TASER was still the best option with the greatest chance of success the first time around. The lesson is never to confuse sentimentality with threat level. It will kill you. In my own experiences, sentimentality has cost me at least a few stitches. Would you not engage an 8 year old with an AK47 with a real firearm when all attempts to defuse the situation has failed? It is the same players with a higher threat level. Again, was this responding officer wrong to deploy his TASER? I would strongly argue no.

If you do deploy a stun gun or a TASER against someone please keep in mind that you must be justified to do so as with any force you use against someone. Keep in mind some of the drawbacks of deploying the TASER and understand what it can and what it cannot do. Everything has limitations and a technique against it. If you don’t understand that then you’re going to be the victim one way or another. Don’t prove Darwin right.

Impact Weapons

From the beginning of time to the modern day, even the most primitive man knew to pick up a stick as a weapon against their fellow man. That hasn’t changed until just recently when modern innovations have created “advanced” sticks but no matter what name it goes under, it’s just a stick. You may just have a small baseball bat around, that spring baton, that old billy club you somehow acquired or went out of your way to buy an ASP baton or one of those fancy collapsible Monadnock PR-24’s…you know it’s a stick with a smaller stick on top to use as the handle…the fancy stick used on Rodney King numerous times. Most of them are merely striking weapons and the PR-24 is actually a modern version of a martial arts weapon from China and Japan called a tonfu. Because of the handle on top, it makes it a unique blocking weapon that can protect your forearms during a block.

I will advocate that all impact weapons with a club in mind have a few similarities’; they are a striking weapons, they can block, they can incapacitate and if used incorrectly, it can permanently injure someone or kill them. Let me be the Devil’s Advocate here. Do you really have enough training to use this? Do you know how and where to strike before it becomes merely a simple bludgeoning tool that will kill someone? I’ve used one in my work for over two decades and I can’t even say that. Much like hands on, this is merely a convenient extension of being hands on. In other words, it’s a liability. Even if you were totally justified in doing so and you may even have some training, won’t things go wrong every now and then? Why is it that you see plenty of videos online of cops using pepper spray or a TASER but you rarely see a video of us using a baton? Because even on the best days, it can be an unknown variable and something horrendous can occur. This is why impact weapons are the very last LtL response before you use your firearm. Unless you have more training than I do, I would advocate that if you’re close enough to strike someone then they’re close enough to take it away from you and kill you with it as well. Do you feel that confident? It’s just like going hands on and you’re opening plethora of problems. Besides, most of these baton options are heavy and not very concealable. About the most I’ve ever done with my batons have been shattering windows to gain access into a locked car or a locked house to save someone.

Here’s another story from my fun past. I encountered a guy that was really angry running around his neighborhood drunk off his rocker swinging a log at people down the street…stranger things have happened folks and he didn’t like me telling him what to do. In the day’s pre ASP baton, I had a collapsible PR-24 on my belt. I snapped it out, he swung at me and I blocked and gave him a forearm strike to the chin. As he backed up, I swung downward and aimed at his outer left thigh for that “fluid shock” hit that they taught me at the academy when he suddenly pivoted and the tip of my baton struck him directly on the outside of his kneecap. There was a disturbing crack and he went down like a pile of bricks and cried like a stuck pig because I’m sure it hurt like hell drunk or not. I secured and searched him, called an ambulance, got witness statements, my Sergeant came on scene to find out what happened and two months later I was sued along with the department for unlawful use of excessive force. It was determined that the man’s kneecap was shattered and had to get a prosthetic replacement. He sued for medical and emotional distress and lost work time and now his permanent limp. We won the case but still, the department still had to shell out thousands for a lawyer. Now imagine if you did it as a civilian. See what I mean? And I’ve received a lot of training with it and teach it on occasion. How about you? Learn anything? The bottom line is when it comes to batons and impact weapons; don’t use it. You will poke out an eye!

If anything, I miss my PR-24 the most. It was like a TASER in a way, it was multifaceted and I could do restraining holds, pain compliance holds, block and do offensive strikes with it. The ASP is merely a metal collapsible pipe that is overly hyped for sale. The reason departments went with it instead is because it didn’t look as offensive to the general public, especially after the Rodney King situation where he was beaten with PR-24’s by members of the LAPD. Not my fault nor my platform but I’m just saying that I liked it more but if we still had it, we wouldn’t have a place to wear our handy dandy TASER’s either.

Other Notables I Forgot To Mention

There are a plethora of LtL options out there for the military and law enforcement user. You won’t find these at your local Walmart, at least not anytime soon. Notable LtL options in use today are the Stingball, TASER slugs, Beanbag slugs, rubber bullets and Pepperballs. Let me explain Pepperballs first. In regards to using pepper spray; remember I said that the effective range is about five to ten feet? Pepperballs are OC paintballs that you load into a paintball gun. This increases your maximum range out to about fifty feet and they have been used pretty effectively when dealing with individuals. Someone thought about using it for crowd control but Gas Grenades seem to be a better option for that plus it’s cheaper. One .68 caliber pepperball from what I understand costs more than a dollar a round and it will take up to twenty rounds to incapacitate a person.

TASER slugs are just my definition for them and I have no idea if TASER makes them but it is basically a condensed TASER cartridge that fits into the size of a 12 ga shotgun round. Effective range is out to one hundred feet. Range is your friend. You shoot it at your suspect and if it makes positive contact, they will be shocked just like they got hit with a stun gun or TASER. It’s great but at $100 a piece, it’s not so great.

Rubber bullets have been in use for a few decades pretty unsuccessfully by mostly the Israelis, and of course I would not doubt if they deliberately aimed for someone’s head once in awhile. There seems to be no good answer for it. It’s too small for some rifle calibers unless you make it denser by placing rubber skin around a metal core but then it defeats the purpose of being less lethal but the Israelis use them. Hell, even a shot into the leg by a real bullet is essentially less lethal but try explaining that in court in the US. They have had a lot of success by creating a 12 ga shotgun rubber slug but then, why do that when you have a Beanbag round? Besides, who has a shotgun in their back pocket anyway and what civilian would use it?

It seems that many departments are now revamping their patrol elements with the rifle and are out phasing the shotgun. If you read my section regarding shotguns you’ll understand why. Supervisor units are the only ones with a shotgun now and they are specially marked to use beanbag rounds. Essentially it’s a small bag full of lead shot that’s shot at a suspect at a lower velocity and it all fits within a 12 ga shotgun round. It works and it’s both effective and cost effective at about two buck a piece. It’ll leave a mark and it’ll knock the stuffing out of someone but it won’t kill them unless you accidentally tag them in the head, which has happened before. Plus the shotgun can still be handy as a lethal option depending on the round I use so either way, this was a pretty good invention. I’m sure you can find these rounds and ownership by civilians would be legal but the usage of it against someone still hasn’t come to light in court yet. I’m sure it can be justified but it’s still shooting a projectile out of a real firearm at someone, so there will be a debate in the courtroom about them eventually. For now, I’d advise that you don’t be the first test case subject. I’ve seen some pretty interesting variations of 12 ga shotgun rounds from the LtL option to the absolutely devastating. Legality of ownership is questionable in some states and the usage of them legally is anyone’s guess. I would advocate that you should avoid them or you will be in a lot of trouble.

The most expensive and liable product out there is called a Stingball. Imagine a fragmentation grenade being used in a room but instead of metal fragments shredding folks up, there are hundreds of little rubber balls. It is used mainly as a crowd dispersal LtL tool that is a step up from flashbangs. It’s a flashbang with hundreds of rubber pellets. It’s loud, it’s blinding and it hurts like hell but just from the design I’m sure you can imagine the liabilities associated with this device. Some folks have lost their sight because of the pellets flying around and hearing because of the high sonic boom it creates. Although I haven’t heard of any lawsuits because of this doesn’t mean that it hasn’t happened. Besides, this device is about $150 a pop and it is an indirect LtL crowd control tool. It’s not a convenient tool for one person to deploy against another single individual. You will not find this at Walmart or any other type of grenade device. Thankfully there are restrictions on these grenade devices.

Environmental Weapons

An environmental weapon is defined as anything that you could possibly use as a weapon for a less than lethal or deadly force response. Ever hear of someone using a rock to crush someone’s skull or a can of disinfectant to spray into someone’s eyes? Though they cannot be called weapons in your everyday definition, anything and everything can be used in some way as a less than lethal response or to end someone. Whenever you encounter a situation that demands your full attention do not deviate and learn the painful lessons that I’ve had to repeat on occasion. Here’s a very painful example; the story of the petite Brunette.

One evening when I was a mere patrolman, I pulled over a suspected drunk driver. I made initial contact with the driver who was evidently inebriated but I wanted to conduct a field sobriety test. I called for an additional unit and while my dashcam recorded the entire event I thought nothing of the fact that this petite, attractive, five foot something, one hundred pound Brunette was about to ruin my day. During the test, she failed miserably. As I spoke to her she admitted that she had a horrible day at work and just broke up with her boyfriend and then after work, she went out with the girls in the office to have a few drinks. However she didn’t admit to having a whopping eight drinks until she was being processed after arrest. When I determined that she was drunk and informed her that she was under arrest, I had her slightly bent over the hood of the patrol car. She suddenly screamed out obscenities at me and while I was trying to put the first cuff on her wrist, she lifted up her left leg. She was dressed in a skirt and stiletto heels which I allowed her to put back on after the test…bad idea. She jammed that stiletto heel into my left shin about an inch in and ripped downwards. It pierced my pants and into my leg and I wasn’t incapacitated but I later had to get twenty stitches and had to charge her with resisting arrest with v******e and aggravated battery on an law enforcement officer yet alone the DUI charge. I still have a great scar from this and she got six years in prison. It’s unfortunate. I would have rather taken her out to dinner and a shower together but instead, I reacted by pulling her down onto the pavement which broke one of her teeth and it also cracked her ribs when my two hundred pound frame landed on top of her. Because I wasn’t paying attention, I got a great scar for my trouble and a very pretty woman got a one way trip to prison to languish for six years. That is something that can never be erased but again, it’s another example of someone doing something stupid due to drinking. The bad part is that I tend to reanalyze the situation many times afterwards. I felt like an absolute brute. I don’t want to hurt people. Quite the opposite but I won’t be someone’s punching bag either.

I even had a friend that made contact with a mentally ill person on the beach. It got so bad that he was being struck in the head with a rock. His only option was to pull out his firearm and had to end this guy. So, again there’s another example of environmental weapons. Like the old lady and her handbag or an old guy and his cane. I even had an ashtray bopped into the side of my head once and had broken bottles slashed at me in a bar fight gone wrong. Anything can be used. Therefore if you intend to defend yourself, think abstractly; anything can be used.

As a civilian, you will not have that to live with and you can thank your lucky stars that you’re not under public scrutiny all the time. It’s uncomfortable. I would also strongly point out that if you’re justified in protecting yourself, then it’s justified. But, with that being said, do not be surprised if your life is irrevocably changed once you deploy force against anyone, be it less than lethal or lethal. In our post quarterback society, you’d better do a triple take on your situation before you deploy any force because any one of these LtL responses are charged the same if you had used a real firearm. You will at least face aggravated battery charges if it wasn’t justified and attempted murder charges as well. Do not be reactive. Think before the engagement and during the fight.

There’s an old proverb that says “a smart man will learn from his mistakes and a wise man learns from others mistakes”. Yes, that’s true but in the defensive world I would revise that.

“A wise man must learn from others mistakes first because your first mistake in this realm will most likely be your last.”