# Less-Lethal Taken to a Higher Level



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*The LAPD's new beanbag platform*

One of the most difficult challenges confronting a police officer during an encounter with an agitated, aggressive or violent suspect is the accurate assessment of the suspect's intentions. In many cases, the responding officer does not know if the suspect has been involved in a domestic incident, intends to commit suicide or has just committed a crime. The primary benefit of using any less-lethal device is forcing the suspect to declare those intentions while maintaining a tactical advantage, according to a presentation on less-lethal weapons by Sid Heal for the International Association of Chiefs of Police Firearms Committee in 2004. The Los Angeles (California) Police Department (LAPD), like other police agencies, is committed to officer safety, tactical flexibility, effectiveness and reverence for human life. The benefit of the LAPD's new beanbag platform is it provides officers in the field with a very flexible tactical tool that may be used to de-escalate a situation so deadly force is unnecessary.

Full Story: http://www.officer.com/print/Law-Enforcement-Technology/Less-Lethal-Taken-to-a-Higher-Level/1$36372


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