Understanding less lethal options

With so many controversial shooting deaths involving law enforcement personnel, a growing number of law enforcement agencies and departments are looking for ways to eliminate fatal encounters between officers and citizens. Police officers often find themselves in dangerous and difficult situations and they must be able to protect themselves. Some are arming themselves with bean bag shotguns. The rounds fired from these guns can take down an assailant but usually don’t result in a fatality.

A bean bag round is a small fabric pillow that is filled with No. 9 lead shot that weighs about 1.4 ounces. It is usually fired from a 12-gauge shotgun and expelled about 250 to 300 feet per second. It spreads out in flight and distributes its impact over one square inch of the target. The bean bag round is designed to deliver a blow that will cause minimum long-term trauma and no penetration to the body. It will result in a muscle spasm to stop a potentially violent suspect. Recent innovations have meant a change from a square shape to a rounded sock-shaped projectile.

Hollywood, Florida Police Chief Tomas Sanchez said he believes that bean bag guns can be a very good law enforcement tool. They can neutralize dangerous situations without causing a permanent injury or death. “Bean bag shotguns have been very effective at stopping people without using lethal force. We prefer using a less lethal weapon. If a situation escalates to a point where we need to use a weapon, we don’t want to use deadly weapons.” said Sanchez.

The Coral Springs, Florida Police Department has just begun to issue bean bag shotguns to patrol officers. The department is pleased that they are less lethal than regular guns. The goal is avoid a confrontation that leads to a death. “These guns fire a bean bag round that is not made to penetrate a person,” said Coral Springs Captain Brad McKeone. “You target large muscle groups in the person you are firing at. You avoid the neck or head. You want to avoid a lethal result. By targeting the large muscle groups, you cause pain rather than death.”

The bean bag guns are used in specific situations and provide an officer with a valuable tool that can be used to avoid a lethal response. “We have Tasers and pepper spray. This is just one more option that you have as opposed to having to use lethal force. It is not a danger to an officer but it gives one more option to gain compliance without a lethal option. We wanted to deploy a less lethal fire arm,” said McKeone. 

If a violent situation develops and an individual is a potential threat to a police officer, the officer can use the bean bag round to stop the person rather than killing him. The company ARMA USA produces a bean bag gun that is highly effective with knockdown power up to 20 feet away at 135 feet per second with reusable bean bag projectiles. The simple release allows loaded cartridges to be inserted quickly. They are safer than electric shock devices.

Rick Juler, the CEO of Less Lethal LLC, a distributor for AMTEC Less-Lethal Systems, Inc. (ALS) said that many law enforcement agencies actually prefer less lethal rounds of ammunition because this approach reduces fatal encounters between police officers and civilians. “In today’s day and age, law enforcement agencies are facing more difficulties. Agencies want devices that are less lethal but are accurate and effective. When shot, a bean bag round is accurate.  A 12-gauge gun that fires bean bag rounds is second to none. The newer versions of the standard bean bag round have become more accurate over time because of improvements to the round,” said Juler.

The trident bean bag round shot out of a 12 gauge shotgun is also very effective. This is a three tail cotton Kevlar drag stabilized bean bag. This round has three tails that comes out of a 12 gauge gun and the tails help stabilize the round for improved accuracy. The addition of the stabilizing tails result in a more accurate round relative to the original older flat ravioli shaped bean bags. The trident is the most popular round. “It allows the officer the option of deploying a less lethal alternative when deploying the shotgun,” said Juler.

Another 12 gauge less than lethal round is the pen prevent. This has a single tail which also has improved accuracy over the standard bean bag round. The pen prevent provides an option which some agencies prefer, according to Juler. “The buzz word right now in law enforcement is less than lethal products. That is what every agency is currently looking for,” said Juler. 

Combined Systems, Inc. manufactures less lethal products. It offers a 12 gauge bean bag round known as a super sock fired from a 12 gauge shotgun. It has proven effective in crowd control situations and in dealing with non-compliant subjects, according to Marissa Jovenall, marketing and brand manager of Combined Systems.

ARMA USA produces a bean bag gun that is highly effective with knockdown power up to 20 feet away at 135 feet per second with reusable bean bag projectiles. The simple release allows loaded cartridges to be inserted quickly. They are safer than electric shock devices.

West Coast Ammunition produces a bean bag round known as Accusox that has proven effective in controlling non-complaint subjects.