NCJ Number
176268
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 46 Issue: 12 Dated: December 1998 Pages: 95-97
Date Published
1998
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Many police agencies are considering less-than-lethal tactics and equipment for dealing with unconventional situations such as requests for police assistance by suicidal persons, as well as armed persons who are not directly threatening anyone but who refuse to put down their weapons.
Abstract
Police officers who self-direct their responses increase their own jeopardy and the potential for a fatal outcome. In contrast, less-than-lethal tactics and equipment that are properly used can assist in problem-solving and reduce the likelihood of death or serious injury to everyone involved. The most productive programs combine training that manages officer-controlled jeopardy, together with technology that offers the capability of incapacitating a person from an extended range. Training should focus on teaching officers to control themselves and respond in a way that limits the suspect's options without creating confrontation in the absence of a compelling reason to do so. Using less lethal projectiles such as plastic bullets has been successful in quelling countless disturbances in other countries. Both public opinion and civil courts are likely to encourage police agencies to take advantages of less lethal concepts as they become more effective and common. Photograph