The End Goals of Less Lethal Force

The goal of any less lethal deployment is to safely end a hostile encounter in a timely manner. As less lethal is used across several enforcement spectrums – police, corrections and military – the specific nature of the end users deployment and desired results may vary.

Riot Control

When one talks of civilian or public law enforcement and the application of less lethal force, one must consider its use in two basic applications.

Riot Control: Goals of less lethal force

• Crowd dispersion
• Individual apprehension

In crowd management situations, the police are looking at ways to disperse the crowd and terminate the potential for violence or property damage. This is done by removing the crowd from a certain area or breaking down large numbers into smaller less organized groups that can be controlled.

If criminal activity erupts within a larger crowd scenario, the police are often looking to apprehend the offenders as well as dispersing those who are not being sought for apprehension.

More often in crowd control, police are deploying less lethal to control a violent individual in a single encounter. The goal of less lethal in this case is to have the individual cease their violent behavior and apprehend the person for arrest or assessment if mental illness is suspected.

Prison and Corrections

Within the prison and corrections sector, the focus has very clear goals.

Prison and Corrections: Goals of less lethal force

• Containment of individual
• Stopping a riot immediately
• Containing a riot

Corrections officers don’t want to necessarily disperse a riot in the jail. They want to be able to contain it, so you can subdue the perpetrators and move them away.

Less lethal impact rounds allow corrections officers to control and strategically disperse inmates from a safe distance. This allows the officers to gain control of the area and prevent further issues that may jeopardize the institution.

In terms of training, there are are slight differences due to the different payload variants, but in essence, the usage of the BIP stays the same. The only difference is in regards to tactics, which require additional focused training.

Military Applications

The military have a different relationship with less lethal. Military forces deploy this type of ammunition in a peacekeeping function. They’re acting as peacekeepers, especially in areas where the local government has collapsed and there is no competent law enforcement authority.

The use of less lethal, in a purely military environment is very limited. In an environment where the military are acting as peacekeepers, it’s a lot more prevalent. This may occur in situations, for example, searching a section of the city where the lines are blurred between civilians and combatants.

Military Applications: Goals of less lethal force

• Containment of individual (similar to policing)
• Maintaining civil order

Typically when less lethal is deployed by the military, it also doesn’t necessarily precede arrest. They want those people to stop doing what they are doing without action.

Whether the agencies are civilian policing or military, the BIP functions are the same. SDI and our BIP Family of Ammunition gives these organizations the flexibility to meet their individual objectives and goals depending on the situation.

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