Police Equipment Includes TASER Devices, Pepper Spray, Bean Bags

When it comes to law enforcement officers, traditional firearms are generally the last resort in a hostile situation. However, there are often circumstances that require a non-lethal form of defense. Nowadays, officers are equip with a range of options when it comes to these non-lethal forms of protection, such as TASER devices, bean bags and pepper spray.

Generally, when officers are faced with a situation that sees a suspect who is not complying with officers’ demands then they will deploy a stunning device in order to subdue the suspect in question. And yet, if the situation has the potential to turn dangerous, then the officer utilizing the self defense device will always have a backup officer ready with a traditional firearm.

Communication is also a key factor between the officers. In order to avoid the possibility of an accident, the officers are required to let each other know what the other is intending to do. Not only that, but officers have their TASER weapons on the opposite side to that of their firearms.

Once a year officers will undergo the necessary training related to self defense devices in order to prepare them and get them used to employing non-lethal weapons in dangerous situations. Non-lethal devices are often utilized in situations in a bid to decrease the possibility of a conflict, or where the use of firearms is restricted.

Until the design of non-lethal devices, there were few officers who had access to a non-lethal device. The common tactics that police often employed as a less lethal option included the use of police batons, officers on horses who had received the training to deal with riot situations, or even a charge into a riot.

In the 1990s, it was discovered that high-pressure fire hoses were ideal at breaking up a crowd, and has remained one effective non-lethal form of defense to utilize on riots. Trained dogs were another measure used to scare and apprehend rioters.

In the 1980s, high-tensile plastics changed police shields and personal armor, which ultimately led the way for innovative tactics for riot squads. Officers were now capable of battling violent rioters who decided to throw dangerous objects at officers, without the officers having to resort to lethal means to eliminate the danger involved.

Of course, since the 1900s, non-lethal forms of protection for officers have developed into more sophisticated devices that now give officers another form of weapon when they are required to subdue an individual without resorting to lethal means.