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officer loads bean bag round. lpact energy you need to do the job. so, how accurate does your shot have be to achieve the desired effect on the
ified shotgun rounds to 37mm rounds that had to be fired from special launchers. The primary application for these wood or rubber baton rounds was to quell riots in residential areas and correctional facilities where tear gas would have been impractical. They were also used in conjunction with tear gas to disperse rioters. Today, SIMs are a great addition to our use-of-force toolbox. They provide us with additional use-of-force options by extending the baton's distance and, enhancing the safety of the officers using the munitions and the subjects they are arresting. policemag.com November 2005
We use SMs during certain situations when deadly force is not justified, but there is still a high level of threat and risk of injury to the officer, the subject(~),or bystanders. Impact munitions are also used when it is not safe for an officer to close in on a subject and to control him or her physically, The Right Tool One of the most important decisions that you have to make when using special impact munitions is what type of round to use. There are a variety of factors that you have to consider. You have to determine how much
unic than others and offer less resistance to the air during flight, thereby ineasing their effective range and ihancing their accuracy. Another major factor that afPects both curacy and impact power is the weight the actual munition. For example, am baton rounds are much lighter .an bean bag rounds or rubber baton unds. So generally they aren't quite as accurate, and they don't hit as hard. It's important to remember when discussing the effective range of less-lethal munitions that there mayibe minimum as well as maximum effective ranges to consider. If you use the munition too close to the subject, the impact may be much more traumatic than you desire. It could even be lethal. There are several variables that determine the effectiveness of SIMs on a subject. The size and mass of the subject is a major factor that can determine the success of a SIM deployment. A subject who weighs 150 p ~ u n d sand who is shot with a 37/'40mm foam baton round at a range of 24 feetwill experience a different effect'ithan a subject who weighs 314 pounds who is shot at the same range with the same round. Heavy coats and other padded clothing can also mitigate the effects of a SIM. To achieve maximum effect, you also have to hit the subject in the right place on his or her body. This is easier said than done because SIMs are harder to POLICE53
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The standard effeatitierange for a 1%
37140mm.
erls barrel, a specific sequenae of kvents are;alsb.usedto p~ot'ictchkmca~ m W - rials. They are designed to have stabilizstarts to take place. As the romdanoves tiong, psovide cove~@r&otsquad Enr- ers or tails to make them more accurate. out from the barrel, itJ1dses."velocityvery madons and crowd ~ontrolpersonnel, Even though tear-shaped bean bags
12-Gauge Square ' Bean Bags - Clo bags made of spec nylon or canvas that are fllled wtth lead shot or small metal pellets The standard alm potnt for a 12gauge square bean bag IS about 25 feet
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inflicted by SIMs. They are clear evidence of the ain-complia capabilities -f these mu1.... m s .
Baton - This special round is available only in 40mm cartridges and can only be fired from a launcher with a rifled bore. It was developed to increase the effective range, enhance the accuracy,
and rounds. impact ' stabilize Point of of aim foam theis r , 50 feet.
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-Available in both 12gauge and 37140mm cartridges. Can be as small as .31 caliber ot as big as .60 caliber Also available in .3; caliber, .45 caliber, anc .50 caliber. Point o aim for these muni tions is 20 to 30 feet.
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PepperBall
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The PepperBall system is an airpowered, less-lethal developed by Jaycor Systems (now PepperBall).
PeppwBalE sells five drfferent munitiam fO.T this weapon: wnd h t ' s filled with water, a purple round filled with talc for training, o red operatir~naE round firled with PAVk a green round filled with marking dye, and a ~ F i white d round Ithat can I;rer used fw shattering w i d The PepperBstl TAC Uactkal Automatic Carbine) can fire up t o 700 rounds p e r minute. kt has a target range af 60 6& and an area-ssrtu-
are still susceptible to environmental factors. Once these rounds are deployed some might "J" turn with crosswinds or spiral when affected by tailwinds. The effective range of tear-shaped bean bags is 45 to 60 feet. The rounds are marketed under such names as "Drag Stabilized," "Super Soc," and "Power Punch." 37/40mm Bean Bag RoundsThe primary difference between the 12gauge and the 37/40mm square bean bag round is, of course, size. But there are also other differences. The impact power of these munitions is much greater than a 12-gauge round, and this should always be remembered when determining if such a large bean bag is suitable for a particular application. Typically, the projectiles used in 37140mm rounds are constructed of special nylon or canvas closed with cotton or nylon stitching. These bags are filled with lead shot, small metal pellets, silica sand, or glass beads. Generally, these rounds weigh approximately 25 to 40 grams. Like 12-gauge square bean bags, 37140mm square bean bags can some-
times flatten out, pancake, or saucer. With crosswinds, they may "J" turn (right or left). If fired into the wind, they can float upward or dive downward. In a tailwind, they can go into a spiral motion like a cork screw. The effective range on these munitions is about 25 feet. 37/40mm Baton Rounds-Made of soft foam, hard rubber, or wood, these munitions are approximately one inch in diameter. Baton rounds are most accurate when skip fired into target areas. This is because they are really not that accurate. When leaving the barrel, they sometimes start to spin, tumble, or stop spinning, which causes them to knuckle like a spinless baseball pitch and follow the same possible movement for cross winds, head, and tail winds. The best point of aim for these weapons is about 20 to 30 feet. As noted above, they should be skipped into the target. Spin-Stabilized Foam Baton Rounds-This special round is available only in 40mm cartridges and can
?as pursued the highest quality jtandard in the industry- our lwn. No company can match :he Blackinton" combination of American craftsmanship, integrity and service. ' 7 3 ~department r deserves the '-?st. For badges and incignia, accept nothing , than Blackinton?
Blackinton THERE IS kJO EQUAL.
www.blackintan.com nrna~IM wsn
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Call ~.699.4436 f r v r h k r fa )wrv a m .
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Circle No. 150 on ~ e a d e Service r Card
policemag.com November 2005