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The 12-gauge vs 20-gauge choice for less-lethal use comes down to three things: how much payload each shell carries, how much recoil the officer has to manage, and how many less-lethal loads exist in each size. A shotgun's gauge describes the width of its bore.  A 12-gauge bore is wider than a 20-gauge bore, so…

37mm launcher ammo falls into five working categories: OC pepper, CS tear gas, kinetic impact, distraction, and smoke. Each one leaves the same 37mm barrel but does a different job once it lands. An impact round strikes one person. A chemical round puts an irritant into the air.  A distraction round produces flash and sound,…

Do rubber bullets hurt? Yes. A rubber round is built to cause sharp, short-lived pain through blunt impact, and that pain is what makes a person stop what they are doing. Rubber bullets are kinetic impact rounds: solid or semi-solid projectiles made of rubber or a similar compound, fired from a shotgun or launcher and…

How does a less-lethal revolver work? It holds several 20-gauge less-lethal shells in a rotating cylinder, and each trigger pull rotates the next loaded chamber into line with the barrel. An officer can fire up to five rounds without stopping to reload. The launcher itself is mechanically simple.  The round in each chamber changes the…

NFDD stands for Noise Flash Diversionary Device, the formal name for what most people call a flash bang. It produces a bright flash and a loud, concussive bang designed to overload a subject's senses for a few seconds, long enough for a team to make entry or gain the upper hand.  The term shows up…

A cell extraction is a planned use-of-force response correctional staff take when an inmate refuses to leave willingly, used only after verbal orders and other lower-level options fail. Correctional Service of Canada policy treats this action as a reportable use-of-force incident, requiring video documentation, a written plan, and review at the institutional, regional, and national…

A breaching round is a shotgun shell built to destroy a door lock, deadbolt, or hinge on contact, then break apart instead of continuing through the doorway.  For a tactical team, that single design choice is what separates a breaching round from standard ammunition. It solves a real entry problem: get through a locked door…

The use of force continuum is the framework agencies use to match an officer's response to the level of resistance or threat they face, moving from officer presence and verbal commands up through less-lethal tools and, only when necessary, lethal force.  For a training coordinator building or updating department policy, the continuum is not a…

Flashbang alternatives for law enforcement generally fall into two categories: hand-thrown devices and launcher-fired devices.  The LLD Aerial Burst belongs to the second category. It launches toward the target area and detonates above it after a timed delay, whereas a traditional flashbang is thrown by hand and detonates at or near its landing point. Most…

An aerial burst distraction device detonates above the ground after a short delay, while a ground burst device detonates on impact at the point where it lands.  Both are designed to produce a disorienting flash and sound output that gives officers a brief tactical advantage during entry or crowd dispersal operations.  The right choice depends…