The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team joined officers from several other local law enforcement agencies, Wednesday morning, for training in the use of new de-escalation tools.
Representatives from PepperBall, the Illinois-based manufacturer of pepper-based nonlethal weapons, visited the RCSO Training Range in Blythe to present training demonstrations for Richmond County SWAT team. Officers from Burke County, Grovetown and Paine College Campus police also participated in the training.
The products demonstrated were primarily what are called “launchers,” nonlethal projectile weapons designed to be held similarly to conventional firearms used by law enforcement officers.
The PepperBall Burst, for example, is a non-pyrotechnic device, not regulated by ATF, designed as an alternative to stun grenades or flash bang, releases 130 decibels of deterring sound while dispersing a cloud of what is essentially baby powder.
“What makes this different from your typical flash bang? There is literally no heat signature to this typical flash bang. When that primer goes off, it heats up. There’s a risk of burns, fires, all sorts of crazy stuff,” explained Jake Miller, sales director with PepperBall, to the attending officers during the demonstration. “However, with this, you’re going to see me when I throw it, I’m going to resound and pick it up almost immediately after it goes off.”
The tactical response pistol, or TPS, which runs off of carbon dioxide and expels PepperBall’s specialized projectiles, is used by deputies in jails, Miller said.
The VKS — which stands for variable kinetic system — is PepperBall’s signature series of semiautomatic launchers that function similarly to M4 or AR-15 rifles.
“I like to ask people, especially anybody’s been around policing for a while, name me another tool that can be used in de-escalation during a police incident that a kid gets to go play with?” said Miller, highlighting the VKS’ similarity to paintball guns.
The training and demonstrations represent the RCSO’s efforts to develop more peaceful means of conflict resolution, prevent injuries and save lives, said Richmond County Sheriff Eugene Brantley.
“We see where we are encountering more people that have mental health problems and issues and they really don’t fully understand what they’re doing because they don’t have the mental capacity to process what’s actually going on,” Brantley said. “So this is one of the ways we can still accomplish our goal of bringing some sense of normalcy to the situation.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
