‘Less lethal’ arms still pack punch

Marisa O’Neil

The image of cops blasting away at robbers is becoming more and more

a thing of the past, a relic more typical of the movies than the mean

streets.

Today, police officers have a cache of “less lethal” weapons to

subdue combative suspects, from Taser stun guns to shotguns that fire

racquetball-like rounds. But these still pack a mean punch and are

usually reserved for worst-case scenarios.

“These tools are like an insurance policy,” Costa Mesa Cpl. Mark

Manley said. “We have to have them there if we need them, but most of

the time we don’t have to use them.”

Such devices are designed to battle dangerous suspects or for

those who are actively resisting arrest. Using them helps officers

temporarily incapacitate a person who poses a threat to the public or

to officers without having to resort to lethal force, Manley said.

Among those tools are Costa Mesa’s new, .40-caliber shotguns that

fire blue, rubber rounds the size of a racquetball. The department

also has five new Taser stun guns.

Sergeants in the department got the Tasers this summer. So far,

they haven’t had to use them, Manley said. Just the sight of them has

been enough to coax a surrender.

But even the less lethal weapons have their risks.

The Brea Police Department is facing a lawsuit from the family of

a man who died after being shot with a Taser stun gun last year. The

Orange County district attorney’s office is investigating the

incident.

A QUESTION OF USE

Last month, Las Vegas Police reviewed its use of Tasers after two

in-custody deaths since the department started using the stun guns

last year. Both deaths occurred after officers used the Taser guns on

handcuffed prisoners, prompting officials to restrict their use in

such cases.

“We’re training officers to use them effectively,” said Jim Owens,

captain of the Las Vegas Metro Police Department training bureau.

“They’re a tool like everything else on the belt. We have to decide

when to use them.”

Miami-Dade Police in Florida have received harsh criticism since

officers there shot a 6-year-old boy with a Taser gun last month,

when he threatened to cut himself with a glass shard. That department

has also reviewed its use of the weapons.

Costa Mesa Police want to avoid any such problems, Manley said.

Its policy states that officers can’t use stun guns on handcuffed

suspects, children, the elderly or pregnant women, he said.

The United States Department of Defense Human Effects Center of

Excellence looked at the stun guns and last month released some

initial data on their effectiveness and safety. Some in-custody

deaths associated with the Taser may also be drug-related, but the

weapon isn’t totally without its dangers, the study said.

“Although likely to be uncommon, some severe, unintended effects

might occur,” a summary of the report read.

Full results of the study are yet to be released.

NOT ALWAYS THE BEST SOLUTION

The Taser shoots two barbs that can latch on to a person’s

clothing or skin and deliver a five-second, 50,000-volt shock. That

causes the muscles to momentarily stiffen, temporarily incapacitating

the suspect, in most cases without causing long-term effects.

“It hurts like the dickens for about five seconds, then it’s

over,” Owens said.

If a suspect continues to act combatively, the officer can pull

the trigger to deliver another five-second shock.

But it isn’t the best solution in every situation, Manley said.

The barbs can hit someone up to about 20 feet away, but they aren’t

recommended for use at close range.

“The Taser is a tool, and if it’s not the right tool, there are

others available,” Manley said.

Some of those include pepper spray, the baton and a retractable

baton. Costa Mesa Police also have the new shotguns that fire

.40-caliber rounds similar to a racquetball at 325 feet per second,

said Dave Kress, the department’s range master.

It works like a long-distance baton strike.

“It’s like getting hit with a Nolan Ryan fastball,” he said.

The shotguns are designed so they can only be loaded with the less

lethal ammunition, unlike some other guns that can accidentally be

loaded with lethal rounds, Kress said. They have far more accuracy

than beanbag guns, he said.

That precision is important because officers are trained to shoot

at bodily areas with a large amount of muscle mass. If someone were

struck in the head, they could die.

A Boston woman died last month when she was struck in the eye with

a ball filled with pepper spray. A police officer fired the round

while trying to control a crowd after a Boston Red Sox playoff game.

“Using the sponge-round projectile, it flies extremely

accurately,” Kress said of Costa Mesa’s .40-caliber guns. “Even with

minimal instruction, if someone’s aiming at a guy’s thigh, they’re

not worried about it flying erratically and hitting him in the

groin.”

Officers have eight hours of training before getting the guns and

are required to pass annual recertifications. The department has

similar requirements for the Tasers.

And that, Kress said, is the key to preventing injuries to

officers, the public and suspects. Using tools like the Taser and

.40-caliber gun keeps officers from getting into physical fights to

subdue combative or intoxicated arrestees, fights that might result

in broken bones for both parties.

“It’s that 1% [of people] we worry about,” Kress said. “It could

happen here tomorrow. And if [officers] aren’t trained, we’re in

trouble.”

Costa Mesa Police officers are not given hard-and-fast rules about

when to use which weapon, Kress said. For that, they must draw on

their training.

“Officers are trained to make split-second decisions that are ones

they have to be able to justify later,” Manley said. “That’s why

we’re trained and retrained and held to a high standard of training.

We’re constantly asked to polish our skills.”

Costa Mesa Police Chief John Hensley, who previously worked with

the Tasers in the Cypress and Manhattan Beach police departments,

said the department will get a few more Tasers in the near future.

Officers will use them only if the situation warrants, he said.

“I don’t think you’re going to see a lot of use of the Taser, but

it’s good to have if we need it,” he said.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4618 or by e-mail at [email protected].