Quit resisting!!

I was at a local high school with a K-9 unit yesterday and was reminded of all the less-than-lethal options we have as police officers these days. Many years ago if an officer encountered a violent suspect there were two options, shoot them or beat them half to death with a baton.

Nobody wants to fight with a suspect but we now have tools to end the fight quickly and it usually prompts a big smile for the officer. Dogs for example, are great for running down suspects and taking them to the ground. And it is really cool to watch. I don't care how fast or strong you are, a 75 pound German Sheppard with the intent to eat your ass out like a lioness on a wildebeest is going to win that encounter.

Then came O.C. or pepper spray. O.C. isn't that much fun during the fight because it often cross-contaminates the officers. The fun part is after the fight and on the way to the jail or hospital. See ten minutes prior to the transport the guy in the back seat fancied himself as a bad ass and threatened to beat down every cop in the area. Now he can't open his eyes, he is having trouble breathing, he has his head stuck as far out the window as he can reach (kinda like a Labrador on a Sunday drive), he is begging for the officer to hurry up and there is a stream of tears and snot streaming from his face like the tail of a kite.

Then we got tasers. Oh shit, you do not want to be lit up with a taser. But it is fun to be the one pulling the trigger. Imagine a dude 6'5", strong as an ox, high as hell and wanting to fight. All we have to do is keep about 10 feet away and decide where exactly we want to shoot him up with electricity. Then let 'em have it. BBBZZZZZZ and he's down, laying in the fetal position, shaking, trying to uncurl his toes while wondering what the hell just happened. One thing is certain, he isn't interested in fighting any more.

Lastly, we got less-lethal rounds that we actually shoot out of a shotgun. Bean bags, rubber and plastic balls, they even make grenades that can be deployed in rooms or rowdy crowds. One of the funniest pursuits I have ever seen was recorded in L.A. Patrol is chasing this guy and he is constantly cussing at them and flipping them off when all of a sudden he stops, jumps out of the car, moons the patrol officers, flips them off and he hauls ass in the car again. This went on for a while and dude stops again. This time he jumps onto the top of the car and is screaming while flipping everyone off again. A Sgt. comes into the picture, jacks a shotgun round into the barrel and points it at the suspect. The suspect is not phased, after all, he had not done anything to warrant deadly force. Oh how unlucky for him. Sgt. blasted this guy in the gut with a bean bag. Needless to say the chase was over and the officers that were infuriated had to be giggling inside when they saw him take the blow to the gut and fall off the car.

Unfortunately for us, we usually one get to use these options once on a suspect. They tend to leave a lasting impression and if a suspect decides a week, month or year later that he wants to show his ass, all we have to do is show up with the same amount of force used on him previously. He got sprayed last time? Ok, just pull out the O.C. can and watch his attitude change.