OCT 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 10.1

on how to recognize and

on how to recognize and engage with a suspect suffering from a mental health crisis, or exactly how to de-escalate a threat from a knife, for example, without resorting to a gun. While additional training will be extremely helpful, using effective less-lethal technology will also help save lives while protecting officers. One such device is a product known as the ‘Alternative,’ which is manufactured by a Las Vegas company, Alternative Ballistics Corporation. The Alternative instantly mounts onto an officer’s duty weapon and acts as a blunt force impact device for less than lethal situations. It was designed to stop a non-compliant suspect with a weapon, other than a gun, to safely affect an arrest. It’s been tested by NTS Chesapeake, a company that specializes in ballistics testing for a broad range of weapons and various types of munitions. The testing series demonstrated extreme accuracy up to 32 feet and AIS levels between 2.2 and 2.6, which are expected to incapacitate an individual with little risk of death or critical injury, and once the device is fired, the firearm instantly reverts to lethal force for follow-up shots, if absolutely necessary. Retired North Las Vegas Chief of Police, Alex Perez, has personally tested the Alternative. “At first, I was skeptical, as in my 28-year career in law enforcement I’ve seen many less-lethal devices, some good…some not so good. But, after I took the time to go through the training and personally fired the Alternative, I quickly realized the advantages and benefits that this technology would have in the field as well as the numerous situations where it could be safely utilized.” Chief Perez additionally told us that, “It’s highly effective, because within seconds, it converts an officer’s duty weapon to a less-lethal device while instantly preserving lethal force if the situation warrants it. It’s also lightweight and takes up very little space on the duty belt, making it easily accessible.” Retired Detective Tony Lettieri, with 20 years of law enforcement experience, has investigated all types of violent crimes, including OIS (officer involved shootings). He has also fully tested and evaluated the Alternative. “The real beauty of this is that it’s with me, on my duty belt, so there is no reason to return to the trunk of my car to get a bean bag device, pepper ball or rubber bullets and I never have to take my eyes off the suspect,” explained Lettieri. “Plus, I was very impressed with how accurate it was,” he added, “and if taken from an officer, it can’t be used against them, unlike if the suspect gets a hold of the officer’s taser.” The company’s CEO, Steve Luna, told us that his company wants to bridge the gap in the market by providing an effective less-lethal option for law enforcement, once a duty weapon is drawn, and one that can be utilized at longer ranges to optimize officer safety. “When the suspect has a knife, bat, broken bottle, or anything other than a gun, our device gives an officer the ability to stop the suspect, so that an arrest can be made without shots being fired, because the Alternative uses a blunt force impact projectile that will likely incapacitate the suspect without the internal damage that a bullet causes,” explained Luna. He further suggested that “Once an officer has the opportunity to test fire the Alternative, the light bulb goes off, and they immediately begin to think of situations where the device could be used; situations where lethal force may be justified but not necessary.” In these dangerous and challenging times for law enforcement, we appreciate and empathize with the hard work, the complexities, and the risks that officers face every day, and we see that officer involved shootings of suspects in possession of a knife, or another type of potentially lethal weapon (other than a firearm), has the public continuing to rally against their decisions, and in some instances, the officers are charged with crimes for deploying their service weapon. These situations beg the question… do officers have everything they need to effectively protect themselves and citizens in complex encounters? To answer this, we must examine the fact that officers currently only have their firearms for encounters that rise to a possible lethal threat, and perhaps, some of these conflicts could be resolved in a more effective and appropriate manner, if an alternative tool provided an option that was readily available. Perhaps the ‘Alternative’ just might be an effective tool. For more information, visit their website at www.alternativeballistics.com. 46 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 47