Recently, I was given the opportunity to observe a product demonstration for an article I was writing for S.W.A.T magazine. There were a couple of items that I thought so unique, I thought I would give our loyal Police1 readers a sneak preview.
Several of the neatest new items to hit the distraction market are the brainchild of ALS in
There were actually several things, but if you want to hear the whole story, you’ll have to buy the magazine. Two I’ll let in on are their stun and flat panel munitions.
First, the flat panel munition. While strip flash bangs have been around for a while, ALS truly reinvented it. Designed for special circumstances where a traditional round-body ‘grenade’ style won’t work, the ALS D-460 Flat Stun Munition has added tricks in its bag. In addition to placing flash and overpressure in areas via a small aperture without breaking a window, Mike and ALS found that you can affix the munition to the front of a ballistic shield.
The genius here is that if you are charging a subject, or are in a limited area such as a hallway, you can ‘bang’ a subject or subjects with the press of a button, without needing to take a hand off the shield to throw a munition. In fact, the flat geometry actually allows you to sort of ‘direct’ the effects of the device.
The second item you really have to feel to believe. It’s easy for operators to develop a sort of resistance to the effects of many distraction devices if you are exposed to them on a regular basis. I have talked with other operators about that and we’ve often wondered if criminals we ‘visit’ can build up a similar tolerance.
We’ve also discussed the difficulties of a situation where a room is unusually large and we don’t have time to make a hole on a side wall to make a simultaneous presentation.
With the ALS T-470 Magnum Tactical Blast Stun Munition, those issues are moot. ALS advertises this item as a true stun munition, and after witnessing the effects in a field, I can believe it. Using a proprietary, ‘secret formula’ that not only includes the flash charge, but the body and method of operation, this munition develops 185dB and 10psi at 7 feet without creating lethal fragmentation or a great deal of body movement.
These products are only two of all the ‘gee-whiz’ items I saw that day. Even as great a writer I am *cough cough*, these things are better felt and seen than read about. ALS travels, and there’s a good chance a demo is occurring somewhere near you soon. If you want to see if you qualify, simply call 870-445-8746 or surf over to them at: www.alstechnologies.com. Military Sales is handled by Dave Maddon, Federal / International Sales by Daniel Alvirez, and local / Correction Sales is through Mike Aultman.
ALS is dedicated to dominating not just the SWAT market, but also wants to ensure Patrolmen, Corrections, and even Military and qualified Security personnel get the best in less-lethal technology. Contact them, and tell them Shawn at Police1 sent you!
I stole this from my favorite news feed, the bombsqd66 e-news group. If you are IABTI, you should get on the distro list….
“Enforcement Officers Getting Sick from Meth
Troy Hildreth was a narcotics officer for the State Patrol for 7 years. He says his condition is a direct result of exposure to Meth labs and he has co-workers who have similar symptoms. Some even have developed cancer.
The Division of Narcotics Enforcement says it is concerned about the possible health risks, but they say it may be too early to reach any conclusions about them.
The state says officers take every precaution available before entering a Meth lab. That includes 40 hours of training and the use of protective chemical suits. “
I put this article in the “I told you so” department. For YEARS, I have harped on people about their lackadaisical attitude towards clandestine laboratory enforcement. We’ve all seen people smoking and joking, but even worse, watched agencies display evidence for the media, contaminating them; improperly storing evidence, and entering these spaces without adequate protection.
It’s one of the reasons I started getting training in Hazardous Materials back in the 80’s. I fear for the narcotics guys during that time period, and some of the bomb guys, too, that resolved labs without safety gear guys now routinely use. See, damage doesn’t always have to be immediate and obvious. Some of the damage takes years to set in. And, it can be cumulative, meaning that each subsequent exposure builds on the damage of the previous exposure.
Learn from the mistakes of the past. Don’t risk your future health any more than you need to. Wearing a suit or a respirator doesn’t make you a wuss, or overly cautious. It helps you to be in good enough health later on to visit the Officers in the hospital who refused to be safe……
Until next time –
Shawn
