Ferguson police testing new device aimed at reducing fatal police encounters.

[The Legion]

ST. LOUIS –  As police in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson seek alternatives to the sort of lethal force that led to Michael Brown's death, they're testing a new device that attaches to a handgun barrel and is designed to turn a bullet into a projectile intended to stun but not kill.

Mayor James Knowles III said Wednesday that a few Ferguson officers will test the device, known as the Alternative, at a shooting range Thursday. But Knowles said the department is early in the evaluation stage and the city has not decided whether to purchase the device.

 

Brown, 18, was unarmed when he was fatally shot by Ferguson officer Darren Wilson in August, leading to widespread protests. The shooting also spurred a national discussion about police use of force.

The Alternative is made by Poway, California-based Alternative Ballistics. The company's website says the bright orange device sits in a pouch that attaches to an officer's belt, and it can be attached to the top of a gun within a second.

Then, if the officer fires, the bullet embeds itself into a new, round projectile the size of a ping pong ball. That decreases the velocity of the bullet, and, because the bullet is embedded inside a ball, the company says it is less likely to pierce a suspect and cause a fatal injury. Alternative Ballistics CEO Christian Ellis calls it "an air bag for a bullet."

University of Missouri-St. Louis criminology professor Richard Rosenfeld applauded Ferguson for considering less-lethal types of force but questioned the value of the Alternative in a life-or-death situation.

"It might be useful if the officer needs some degree of force, but not necessarily in a situation where the officer believes that he or someone else is being immediately threatened and has to respond very rapidly," Rosenfeld said.

Knowles called it a "neat technology," but one that is unproven in the field.

"That's one of the reasons were not rushing to deploy it," Knowles said. "It's not something that has been tried and true with law enforcement across the country."

Ellis said Ferguson would be the first police department to use the device, though he has received information requests from departments in Mexico, Egypt and other countries.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2015/02/05/ferguson-police-testing-new-device-aimed-at-reducing-fatal-police-encounters/?intcmp=features

[daddyo]

Wow, that sounds like a really BAD idea....

[DaveTN]

"It might be useful if the officer needs some degree of force, but not necessarily in a situation where the officer believes that he or someone else is being immediately threatened and has to respond very rapidly," Rosenfeld said.

That isn't what happened in Ferguson. Isn't that what a taser is for?

[Hozzie]

If I was a cop and they wanted me to use this I would walk.

[2.ooohhh]

so of the 12 bullets MB was shot with this might have made the first one non lethal? So if a lethal round wouldn't stop the attack and 11 more lethal rounds were warranted then WTF is the officer supposed to do for the other 11. I've always thought that a gun barrel pointed at the perp was a pretty good deterrent to aggressive behavior as is.

[peejman]

How about ... Stop doing stupid stuff that makes the cops want to shoot you.

[Grand Torino]

That's the worst idea anyone in the world has ever come up with....

[none]

Wow, that sounds like a really BAD idea....

Actually it sounds like an excellent idea I am all for it and I would propose that all criminals have their illegal firearms fitted with them.

Really you cant fix stupid.

[TNWNGR]

That isn't what happened in Ferguson. Isn't that what a taser is for?

Different animals really, Taser shuts you down as long as the leads are embedded and current's flowing. The "plastic " attachment described above is more akin to a rubber bullet used in riot control. I'd consider that plastic impact projectile a bit more likely to spin up an attacker rather then temporarily turning off his go switch.

[Erik88]

How about ... Stop doing stupid stuff that makes the cops want to shoot you.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3sLhnDJJn0

[peejman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3sLhnDJJn0

One of my favorite movies... :D Edited February 6, 2015 by peejman

[JAB]

Sounds like a really bad idea.  I think that if someone needs to be shot then they need to be shot, not hit with a ping pong ball and a firearm should never be seen as both a 'lethal force' option and a 'less lethal' option in the same package.  This isn't Star Trek where they can set their phasers on stun.  I foresee several potentially bad outcomes:

 

1.  Causing a mindset in officers where they begin thinking of a regular duty gun loaded with regular duty ammo as a 'non-lethal' or 'less lethal' option, causing them to draw their firearm when doing so might not really be warranted, at all.

 

2.  Causing a mindset whereby an officer, out of a desire not to use deadly force, opts for the 'ping pong' ball when he should really just shoot someone's a** - and the officer ends up getting hurt or killed in the process.

 

3.  Causing incidents whereby the officer intends to use the less lethal option but either doesn't attach the device properly or, in the heat of the moment, forgets to attach it and ends up improperly and unintentionally using deadly force.  IMO, any 'less lethal' option needs to be an entirely separate device.

 

4.  Instead of alleviating the problem of public outcry when deadly force is used I think this would actually make the situation worse.  Just like some people now say, "Why didn't they just shoot him in the leg instead of killing him," if an officer made a judgement call that deadly force is required then the family and friends of the 'little angel who loved everybody and wouldn't hurt nobody' (and anyone else looking for a BS excuse to loot someone else's business or destroy someone else's property) would be saying, "Why didn't they just hit him with one of those ping pong balls?  They didn't have to kill him!"

 

This idea also breaks one of the basic rules of firearm safety - never point a firearm at something you aren't willing to destroy (or kill.)  To me, that rule is clear, concise and makes sense while this attachment simply confuses the situation.  If there is room on the officer's belt to carry this attachment in a pouch then there should be room for something that is completely separate and self-contained.  If there really is a place for something like this, how about something like one of those single-shot 12 gauge flare pistols built to handle a 12 gauge 'rubber slug' load and colored florescent green?  They could call it 'The Noisy Cricket".  Just a thought.

Edited February 6, 2015 by JAB

[LawVol]

is it April 1st already?

[seez52]

I wonder if the ATF technical services branch has issued an opinion on this yet?

[monkeylizard]

I wonder if the ATF technical services branch has issued an opinion on this yet?

 

They said it's OK unless you hold it sideways in your off hand. The manner in which you use it makes the difference.

[dcloudy777]

I've literally lost track of the problems with this product....

[Parrothead]

Ya'll watch it! what we've done here is find the perfect solution to a problem that never existed.... :leaving:

Edited February 7, 2015 by Parrothead

[JAB]

Ya'll watch it! what we've done here is find the perfect solution to a problem that never existed.... :leaving:

 

And now some other company can try to make money coming up with solutions to problems that this will create.

Edited February 10, 2015 by JAB

[Randall53]

"Ferguson police testing new device aimed at reducing fatal police encounters."  

 

A device that does this same thing is already in place. It's called a Parent that teaches their children to respect authority.

[JWC]

Sounds pretty good to me

[Dustbuster]

I wonder if the ATF technical services branch has issued an opinion on this yet?

The murderer rapist was stopped by ATF approved ping pong balls. News at 11.
Nice....

[JAB]

The murderer rapist was stopped by ATF approved ping pong balls. News at 11.
Nice....

 

At the risk of pulling a threadjack, I have to say that for some reason, your post made me think of the schtick that was on many (every?) episode of Captain Kangaroo in one form or another:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7H9jbrzrbA

[Dustbuster]

I am the ATF !