Less Lethal Weapons
Less than Lethal Weapons by Clayton Moss
Less than lethal weapons were developed to provide law enforcement, corrections, and military personnel with an alternative to lethal force. The term less lethal weapons refers to weapons such as bean bag shotshells, rubber bullets, and electronic stun devices to name a few. They are designed to temporarily incapacitate, confuse, delay, or restrain a suspect in a variety of situations. They have been used primarily in on-the-street confrontations and suicide interventions, but have also been applied in riots, prison disturbances, and hostage rescues.
History
The concept of less lethal weaponry is not new. Law enforcement has long operated with what is called a "continuum of force." It provides guidance to officers for selecting the type of weaponry to use in a variety of situations. The continuum normally begins with asking a subject to respond to voice commands. If the subject does not respond, the continuum may advise that the next level of force be used, in many cases, pepper spray (Pearson, 2003). If the subject is wielding a firearm, lethal force may then be used. Law enforcement has long recognized that a wide and dangerous gap exists in the range of tools available to them. The only tools traditionally available, baton or gun, may be either too weak or too strong a response to some situations. This fact became clear after the Supreme Court ruled in Tennessee v. Garner that the use of deadly force to apprehend apparently unarmed, nonviolent fleeing felons was an unreasonable seizure under the Fourth Amendment (Pearson, 2003). Edwin Meese, who was Attorney General at the time, called a conference to address the need for alternatives to deadly force. As a result of this conference, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) established a less-than-lethal technologies program. Through this program, NIJ seeks technologies that provide new or significantly improved less lethal options to law enforcement and corrections
Less than lethal weapons were developed to provide law enforcement, corrections, and military personnel with an alternative to lethal force. The term less lethal weapons refers to weapons such as bean bag shotshells, rubber bullets, and electronic stun devices to name a few. They are designed to temporarily incapacitate, confuse, delay, or restrain a suspect in a variety of situations. They have been used primarily in on-the-street confrontations and suicide interventions, but have also been applied in riots, prison disturbances, and hostage rescues.
History
The concept of less lethal weaponry is not new. Law enforcement has long operated with what is called a "continuum of force." It provides guidance to officers for selecting the type of weaponry to use in a variety of situations. The continuum normally begins with asking a subject to respond to voice commands. If the subject does not respond, the continuum may advise that the next level of force be used, in many cases, pepper spray (Pearson, 2003). If the subject is wielding a firearm, lethal force may then be used. Law enforcement has long recognized that a wide and dangerous gap exists in the range of tools available to them. The only tools traditionally available, baton or gun, may be either too weak or too strong a response to some situations. This fact became clear after the Supreme Court ruled in Tennessee v. Garner that the use of deadly force to apprehend apparently unarmed, nonviolent fleeing felons was an unreasonable seizure under the Fourth Amendment (Pearson, 2003). Edwin Meese, who was Attorney General at the time, called a conference to address the need for alternatives to deadly force. As a result of this conference, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) established a less-than-lethal technologies program. Through this program, NIJ seeks technologies that provide new or significantly improved less lethal options to law enforcement and corrections
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