Sock gun proves effective as non-lethal option for Lethbridge police

There has been plenty of discussion in recent days around the number of police shootings in Calgary.

So far in 2016, there have been 10 police shootings in the city the highest number in the country with five of those being fatal.

The most recent fatal shooting happened early Tuesday in Sunalta, when police shot a woman they said was armed with two knives and acting erratically.

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In some cities, including Lethbridge and Toronto, police have begun carrying non-lethal weapons, like the sock gun.

Lethbridge Police Chief Rob Davis appeared Thursday on the Calgary Eyeopener to explain what a sock gun is, why they added them to their arsenal, and how effective they have been.

Q: Can you describe how a sock gun works?

To really simplify it, it's a modern version of the old bean-bag gun. We've re-purposed our old 870 shotguns to fire a different projectile, which is similar to a bean-bag compressedwithin a shotgun round.

Q: Any idea what it's like to get hit by one?

No, but when we do the training, you can definitely see the impact on the training dummy. And talking to those who have been hit, the description is usually like being hit with a baseball bat.

Q: So it can break a bone, but it's non-lethal that's the point?

That's the point. And we train to aim where it's going to be a non-lethal hit. It does have the ability to break ribs, and nobody wants to do that, so we aim for the lower abdomen into the upper legs.

Q: Can you give an example where this has been a useful alternative?

We've brought out the sock round 21 times this year. Where you see the real need is when we're dealing with people in mental health crisis. They're not fully aware of what they're doing, but they're brandishing a weapon, they're a risk to public safety.

We have an obligation to deal with the threat and because of their mental state, we're left with limited resources to do it. The person may wind up with some injuries, but at least they're going to live.

We've made it so it has a bright yellow barrel,so there's no mistaking this is something different. What we've foundis,initially, it was being deployed and now just the sight of it is having the psychological effect that it's there.

Q: These are just re-purposed shotguns you already had?

What drove it was in 2015, we had three incidents in a very short timeframe with mental health issues involved, but there werelegitimate weapons, knives involved, public safety was at risk. And the staff sergeant in charge of those incidents did an outstanding job doing the debriefing. It was clear we had a gap between the Taser and the pistol, and we needed to address that. Before we carried carbines, the rifles, we carried 870 shotguns. We had these sitting in storage, so it wasn't a huge expense to re-purpose them. It was a matter of painting the barrels, getting the rounds, and training our officers.This was a fiscally responsible fix that met our needs.

Q: What difference have they made when it comes to injuries or fatalities from police shootings?

When I look at the 21 times we've had the sock round out, in all of these, the officers would have been more than justified in using lethal force, when you look at all the circumstances. But because of this weapon being used, in all of those, we've taken the person into custody safely, a couple with some welts from the round. And the ones with mental health concerns, we took them to get the appropriate psychological care.

Q: Do you worry at all that it puts officers at risk by delaying use of force in a dangerous situation, that they'll opt for this instead of pulling their pistol?

Every situation is dynamic, and in no way am I ever going to armchair quarterback situations elsewhere. What we recognized was this gap I spoke of between the Taser and lethal force so we made this readily available to our officers.

Q: You've made this move, Toronto has made this move, it's widespread in the United States, are you surprised Calgary hasn't done this yet?

We're a relatively small service, 175 officers, and we had the shotguns sitting in our vault. I can't speak to the situation in Calgary, but if the mechanism is there to re-purpose them, I would strongly suggest it. It is a very fiscally responsible option.

With files from theCalgaryEyeopener

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