Beyond The Stun Gun: The Growing Demand For Alternative Less Lethal Weapons
Police departments all over the country are using less lethal weapons designed to stop an offender without killing him. However, a rash of controversial incidents has increased the media and public scrutiny of certain less lethal force options. Critics allege that Tasers have caused the deaths of a number of suspects and are prone to abuse situations. Amnesty International claims to have catalogued 103 cases in which the targeted person has later died. While these instances usually involved drug intoxication or pre-existing heart conditions, growing concerns remain.
(PRWEB) June 4, 2005 -- The use of lethal force is becoming socially and
politically unacceptable in many of the confrontations faced by police and the
military today. Law Enforcement personnel are continuously faced with lawsuits
for wrongful deaths and unintentional injuries resulting from use of force. This
has led to the development and use of “less lethal” force options, like the
Taser.
Police departments all over the country are using less lethal
weapons designed to stop an offender without killing him. However, a rash of
controversial incidents has increased the media and public scrutiny of certain
less lethal force options. Critics allege that Tasers have caused the deaths of
a number of suspects and are prone to abuse situations. Amnesty International
claims to have catalogued 103 cases in which the targeted person has later died.
While these instances usually involved drug intoxication or pre-existing heart
conditions, growing concerns remain.
“The market for stun guns could be
on the verge of collapse,” says Barry Lamperd, president and founder of Lamperd
Less Lethal, a certified supplier of less lethal guns for the United States,
Canada, and NATO law enforcement forces. “The demand is rapidly growing for
alternative less lethal weapon systems. We have developed a wide variety of less
lethal arms designed to temporarily incapacitate, confuse, delay, or restrain an
adversary in a variety of situations.”
Lamperd Less Lethal currently
manufactures more than 250 products, with more in development. One of their most
recent products is a rubber-like projectile that is lead-free and stays soft,
even in freezing temperatures. Two years in the making, this projectile has won
numerous awards in North America. Lamperd develops and manufactures various
ammunitions, rubber projectiles, shields, sock rounds, distraction rounds,
numerous accessories and training products. They also offer tactical training
programs for law enforcement personnel and stand by their trainees. “If we
trained you, and you followed department policy and procedure, we will go to
court with you,” says Lamperd.
Along with the constant threat of
lawsuits, today’s world has its own unique set of challenges for military and
law enforcement officers. New technology is needed to assist air marshals on
board our commercial airlines and for our troops in Iraq, who deal with unruly
crowds on a regular basis. Lamperd Less Lethal strives to meet the needs of
peacekeepers all over the world. Their products have been used successfully in
riots, prison disturbances, suicide interventions, and even hostage rescue
situations.
For more information or to set up an interview with Barry
Lampert for a story, please contact Jay Wilke at 727-443-7115, ext.
223.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb247270.htm