HOULTON, Maine — In the ongoing effort to provide law enforcement officials with the tools needed to do their jobs, both the Houlton Police Department and Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office have added new, less-lethal weapons to their arsenal.
Last week, the Houlton Police Department recently added two shotguns designed to fire bean bag pouches for times when a less than lethal option is preferable.
The Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office also added these weapons in January, but to date, have not had cause to use them.
“We issued them to each of our Deputy Sheriffs assigned to rural patrol in January,” explained Sheriff Darrell Crandall. “I chose to add them after exploring the idea for some time. My leadership team and I feel very strongly about providing our Deputy Sheriffs with as many intermediate force options as we can, that might be used in a variety of situations.”
Captain Craig Clossey and Deputy Vance Palmer of the Aroostook County Sheriff’s office hosted a session June 20 with the Houlton Police Department, that featured both classroom work and time at the firing range, so that officers could become certified in the weapon’s use.
Both departments also had to create a new policy for the weapons use.
For the HPD, whichever officer is on duty will sign out one of the two shotguns to carry in their police cruiser and will have to turn it back in at the end of their shift for the next officer to use. The shotguns have bright orange fore-end and stock with the words “Less Lethal” embossed on it.
“We wanted to make sure there was no possible way an officer could mistake this shotgun with a regular-duty shotgun,” McKenna said.
The less lethal shotgun is a full-functioning shotgun, capable of firing traditional shells. The bean bags travel at a speed of 257 feet per second.
“The intent is to incapacitate and obtain compliance,” McKenna said.
Much like HPD officers, deputies are issued pepper spray and electronic control devices, but other options are available.
“Some deputies are who are trained choose to carry impact weapons (batons) and they are now all issued less lethal impact weapons (bean bag guns),” Crandall said. “These particular weapons have a relatively narrow application, but can be very effective if used properly, and can in those circumstances potentially make the difference between having to take someone’s life or not.”
The bean-bag guns are designed for use at a greater distance than what an electronic control device (taser) can be successfully deployed. According to McKenna, a taser is only good if the subject is no more than 21 feet away from the officer.
“If you are facing someone with a knife, who is competent in its use, it is highly probable they will hit you before you can draw your weapon if they are inside that 21-foot range,” McKenna said.
The bean-bag gun is meant to be discharged at a distance between 18-50 feet. If the bean-bag is fired at a range closer than 18 feet, it can penetrate a person’s skin and be fatal. The weapon is not intended to be fired at a person’s head or groin area as it could cause significant damage and be life threatening.
“I want our officers to be in a position where the last thing we do is lethal force,” McKenna said. “If I can add these to the department, for a minimal cost, it is for the benefit of the community and the officers. I can tell you from being involved in a shooting, it messes with you for a long time.”
“They are really not designed for use when one officer is alone,” Crandall said. “More than one officer needs to be present so that a deadly force option for the officers remain, should that be necessary.”
Some of the situations where these weapons might be used are on individuals who are psychotic and armed with a weapon, but they are not actively brandishing or offensively using that weapon, Crandall stated.
“Under these circumstances it is not safe for officers to approach within effective Taser range, but you may be able to disable the individual with this weapon system,” he said.
The Sheriff’s Office also spent a day training deputies on the weapon, that included both classroom instruction and practical exercises. A refresher course will be done on an annual basis, Crandall said.
“The bottom line is that there is, in fact, a difference between being legally justified in using deadly force and having genuinely exhausted all other objectively reasonable options before using deadly force,” Crandall said. “The latter, in my opinion, is the ethical use of force. However, I want to stress that every situation is different, and sometimes no matter how hard you try and no matter what you do, the actions of the other person ultimately determine the outcome.”
