crowd control

[cluebyfour]

Before I get seriously annoyed with somebody, can someone on my list who's knowledgeable about such things confirm the following: U. S. police typically use rubber bullets for crowd control, not live ammo (though they still carry it in their sidearm).  (Oh, and tear gas, of course-I'm just saying that for projectiles they tend to use rubber bullets

Comments

[warpedpuppy]

there is actually a whole slew of "less-lethal" munitions out there that cops can use. bean bags for the shotgun, rubber bullets, pepper bullets, sting grenades, and the good old tear gas.

[cluebyfour]

Right, but the question is that these are generally the rule instead of the exception for crowd control/dispersal, correct? If you're deployed to a protest at a political event, you're not going to be using live ammo.

There are exceptions of course (someone brought up NOLA post-Katrina), but I also think the circumstances were different, and are different in every case.

[warpedpuppy]

they are the rule.

[ms_cantrell]

sorry about that.

i sent an email to a friend who's on a federal swat team, and another who trained for swat with a local agency. but who knows when they'll answer.

[cluebyfour]

Enh, not your fault. He's often crankish and not completely connected to reality on these topics.

[smjayman]

The situations around here that have required such usually involved a whole shitload of OC in those monster spray cannisters.

[flainn]

As far as I know, yes. Well, except for that whole Kent State thing, but that was the National Guard.

[cluebyfour]

In fact, Kent State was what forced the NG to change their crowd-control tactics and develop less-lethal weaponry.

[flainn]

Although I always kind of wondered what the hell the kids expected to happen when they decided to throw rocks at a bunch of antsy, fully-armed National Guardsmen. Death wish anyone?

[ilcylic]

See also: Palestinians