(Newswire.net — February 20, 2015) — When a police officer pulls out his handgun and fires a shot, the suspect often gets killed. Now, there’s ‘The Alternative’.
Engineers in San Diego created an orange attachment, named ‘The Alternative’, which a police officer could put on their gun in a second. When the bullet is fired, it actually hits the aluminum Ping-Pong like ball and propels it to the target. Upon hitting the target, the bullet remains in the ball which cannot penetrate the body, however, it delivers a huge amount of kinetic force that would disable the treat.
“It is like an airbag for the bullet,” said the device constructor to CNN correspondent Sara Sidner. He told CNN the first order went to Ferguson police where the trainers just authorized the training officers to use the attachment.
Ferguson was at the center of the media attention amid clashes between the police and the demonstrators when a police officer killed unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown. Besides Ferguson, more than 400 agencies and police departments across the US have expressed an interest in ‘The Alternative’.
One of the key features ‘The Alternative’ offers is that after firing it the handgun remains lethal. That, however, could be the greatest downside as well. Police officers often fire two rounds at the target, and it is not rare situation to see officers empty an entire clip onto the possible threat.
The problem, however, could have a psychological effect as an officer with ‘The Alternative’ mounted on his service Glock, may not think twice before squeezing the trigger. Some behavioral psychologists say ‘The Alternative’ could create an army of trigger-happy police officers who would normally leave their gun in holster, so ‘the life-saving alternative’ could actually create more dangerous situations and actually increase the number of shooting involved incidents. Off course, there are other issues.
According to ‘Here & Now’, former New York City police officer and prosecutor Eugene O’Donnell says he isn’t convinced that The Alternative gun attachment is the answer.
Policy leaders should be moving towards policing with non-lethal weapons and non-custodial arrests, O’Donnell said.
Police have been searching for some time now, for a reliable non-lethal weapon to prevent lethal encounters with suspects. Choosing ‘The alternative’ handgun add-on could be not so good of an idea according to the comments some readers posted online.
“Oh yeah! A police officer in a high stress situation has time to put a clown nose on his gun. Why not just give them paintball guns? Or how about clown noses so they can entertain the perps?,” one reader posted.
“I saw that a few weeks ago. Literally the worst idea I’ve heard in years,” reads other comment.
“How about a Police Force of Major League pitchers armed with baseballs and a 95 MPH fastball,” said one reader refering to the constructors statement that kinetic power of ‘The Alternative’ ball hitting the target is the same as the power of a professional baseball player’s delivery of a fastball.