Police use of a stick

[K Williams]

I was watching COPS last night. This episode's location was New Orleans during Mardigra(spelling?) One cop pulled out an ASP(26" from the looks of it) and tried to bring a guy down by repeated strikes to the back of the knee. It didn't seem to do much to the guy. Maybe he didn't feel it because he was drunk. It took about four of them to finally take him to the ground. I guess cops have to use targets to don't do real damage(law suits, etc.)

 

[shmoopiebear]

...the pamphlet from the ASP batons I have purchased. It expressly discourages the wielder from hitting anywhere near the head. I think the ASP baton training program emphasizes come along / restraint techniques and targeting of soft spots / zones of the body. I would imagine hitting of the face with an ASP would have severe repercussions liability wise.

 

[Airyu]

Here is an interesting article relating to Police batons in actual use by Officer Mark Conroy, Sayoc Kali Full Instructor, Level 7.

Taken from ”The Jersey Journal” Tuesday, December 4, 2001

15 Year Old drug Suspect tried to cut cop, police say

The quick reactions of Police officer Mark Conroy may have saved his life when a 15 year old boy wanted on drug charges swung a knife at his neck Sunday night, officials said.

According to reports the boy started acting edgy after police pulled up to the corner of Bayview Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive at 6:30 p.m.

At the time they were searching for someone while investigating a drug incident police said. Reports said that after they arrived, the youth acted “nervous” and reached into his left jacket pocket suspiciously before he started to run away. But his path took him right by Conroy, who ordered him to stop running, officials said.
Five feet from Conroy, he took out a silver bladed knife – which some officers later described as a steak knife-and swung the object toward Conroy’s head/neck area, reports said.

Conroy ducked and nearly tackled the boy, officials said, forcing him to run into a parked car on the block of Bayview and drop the knife along with seven glass vials that appeared to contain cocaine.

Soon the 15 year old was running again, this time headed south on Bergen Avenue, and then into an alleyway with Conroy in pursuit, reports said. In the alleyway, the boy continued to ignore Conroy’s commands to stop and at some point turned and charged the police officer with “clenched fists” police said

All he met was the force of Conroy’s police baton, reports said, striking him on his forearms , forcing him to the ground until backup units were able to help with the arrest.
Both Conroy, who complained of injuries to his left shoulder, right shin and right hand, and the boy who complained of pain in his right forearm, were transported to Jersey City Medical Center for treatment, police said.

The boy faces several drug count as well as aggravated assault, assaulting a police officer, according to reports was taken to the Hudson County Youth Center in Secaucus.


As a caveat: LEO's are bound to non lethal /limited damage targets, when utilizing a baton.

Gumagalang
Guro Steve (Kayan Isa Guro Sayoc Kali)

 

[Samuel]

Actually, and I'm pretty sure this is true for almost all LE agencies in the US, how we are "allowed" to use our batons is determined by the level of threat that we are dealing with. If it is Reasonable, then yes, we Can execute a strike(s) or perform a technique(s) that could seriously/permanently injure or kill a suspect.

 

[DANJ]

I saw that same thing on Cops (New Orleans episode). It didn't look to me like the officer was using much force at all. It kind of looked like he was a fairy with a magical wand granting somone's wish from the looks of how he was tapping the guys leg.

Nothing like the old episodes of cops they play on court TV, those were the good old days .

 

[MelancholyMutt]

Here in NYC, they're used as anal probes...

 

[K Williams]

Off Topic...

There are a bunch of new cops where I work that I see walking the beat trying to twirl their batons like the cops in the 1970s(that I used to watch in awe as a kid). These new guys don't look too convincing(some of them look like high school kids)...that and the fact that it just doesn't look right unless it's a battle scarred hardwood baton.