‘Reducing the risk of fatality’: Lawrence police trade shotguns for ‘beanbag’ guns
The Lawrence Police Department switched from carrying shotguns to less-lethal “beanbag” guns this week, the department announced Thursday.
The new weapon operates like a traditional gun, but instead of a bullet, it fires a beanbag, which reduces the chance of killing someone, Lawrence Police Chief Rick Lockhart said.
“No one wants an incident with a deadly outcome; not the police, not the community, and certainly not the person in crisis nor that person’s family,” Lockhart said. “Having more tools to confine, deescalate, and conclude a dangerous situation, while reducing the risk of fatality, will always be our goal.”
An orange stock and end distinguishes the beanbag gun from a traditional shotgun. The weapons are less lethal than a shotgun, but can still be dangerous. Officers are trained to shoot subjects below the chest to limit the risk of serious injury, Sgt. Justin Rhoads said.
When a person is hit, the beanbag can cause bruising and broken bones, Rhoads said.
Officers can use the weapon from up to 75 feet away from the subject, which Rhoads said gives them a tactical advantage. Other non-lethal weapons like pepper spray and tasers require closer range.
“If somebody’s armed and not a direct threat to someone else, it just gives us an option to be further away and keep everybody safe in those environments,” Rhoads said.
Officers will still have the option to carry a patrol rifle, but the department retired its traditional shotguns and safely disposed of their ammunition, police said. Shotguns became the norm for departments in the 1970s.
“It’s not taking anything away,” Rhoads said. “I don’t think it diminishes anything to have more options than less options.”
Officers completed training on the weapon this week, police said, and they will be required to qualify annually to continue to use the weapon.
Departments across the country are making slow transitions to the less-lethal weapon. Lockhart said he wanted to make an immediate turnover.
“When they’re able, officers already utilize safer compliance options such as pepper spray and tasers, so this decision was essentially a no-brainer,” Lockhart said.
