For many years law enforcement has faced controversy about officer involved shootings. The use of non-lethal force has alleviated a lot of these occurrences. Law enforcement now has many options other than firing there guns. Some developments in the less than lethal weapons include the taser which is a stun gun that incapacitates a human target by generating a series of powerful electrical output pulses across first and second space apart output terminals in response to closure of a trigger. Tasers are the most popular non-lethal weapon used by law enforcement. Law enforcement also has use of non-lethal munitions like a 12-gauge shotgun that shoots what are called bean-bag or rubber bullets. Theses devices can be used to subdue an armed suspect if possible. Another development in non-lethal weapons are chemical agents such as tear gas and pepper spray. These devices are used to disperse large crowds of people or temporarily incapacitates individuals who pose a threat to law enforcement or the public. The need to project a chemical agent further distances has lead to the development of compressed air weapons, which fire projectiles containing chemical weapons. Yet another non-lethal weapon used by the police are impact weapons, which are probably the oldest form of non-lethal police protection. Impact weapons are used primarily for striking specific target areas of a violent and resisting offender to stop an attack and gain control by causing dysfunction or pain.
Current technology has provided police officers with a range of options to overcome suspect resistance. After deciding which weapons to carry on their person, either for a particular incident or consistently, each officer is burdened with deciding upon his or her own response to a suspects resistance. We must remember that while less than lethal technology continues to evolve, there is no perfect weapon currently in existence that will immediately stop unlawful
References: Bertomen, L.(2005).Launching Less Than Lethal Rounds. Law Enforcement Technology, 32(2), 112-119. Smith, R. (2006). Non-lethal Weapons:Safety Data Field Results American Academy of Forensics Sciences.