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Police Use Of Non-Lethal Weapons Term Paper

At the same time though, they are often used in cases of violent arrests and intense police operations. Also, ultrasounds weapons are used in riots and mob control as well as in violent manifestations. At the military level, these are common especially when engaging in peacekeeping operations and in the missions where the risk of hurting civilians is relatively high. Still, in these situations, police forces are also equipped with fire arms.

The community is divided on the issue of the use of non-lethal weapons. Some actually salute their introduction in the police arsenal, while others decide to take their defense in their own hands. More precisely, those who recognize the ability of the police to maintain order and security and are at the same time against police abuse consider this method to be useful. Those who disagree however make their point through statements such as "we cannot trust police personnel or their supervisors or their police chiefs to use these weapons judiciously, sparingly, and with reservation in order to subdue only those offenders who present a real threat of serious bodily injury (or death) and cannot be subdued by any other means, using more traditional and 'non-lethal' means of restraint-like a few cops jumping on the guy and physically overpowering him" (Adachi, 2005).

Concerning the use of non-lethal weapons, it can be said that there has been important improvement made at the level of the authorities and of the communities to reconsider their role. At the same...

(2005) "Sanctioned Torture & Summary Execution in America." Educate yourself website. Accessed 24 June 2008, at http://educate-yourself.org/pnt/index.shtml
America Civil Liberties Union. (1997) Fighting Police Abuse: A Community Action Manual. Accessed 24 June 2008, at http://www.aclu.org/police/gen/14614pub19971201.html

Bunker, R.J. (n.d.) Nonlethal Weapons: Terms and References. INSS Occasional Paper 15. USAF Institute for National Security Studies. Accessed 24 June 2008, at http://www.angelfire.com/or/mctrl/nonlethal.html

Corlett, a.J. (2001) Responsibility and Punishment. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Hambling, D. (2005) "Police toy with 'less lethal' weapons." New Scientist. Accessed 24 June 2008, at http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7326

Hamdorf, R. (n.d.) "Non-Lethal Incapacitation." National Police Research Unit Adelaide, South Australia. Accessed 24 June 2008, at http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/proceedings/18/hamdorf2.pdf

Harper's Magazine. (2003) When killing just won't do. Accessed 24 June 2008, at http://harpers.org/archive/2003/02/0079475

Mondak, J.J. (1994) "Policy Legitimacy and the Supreme Court: The Sources and Contexts of Legitimation." Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 47, No. 3., pp. 675-692.

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

Adachi, Ken. (2005) "Sanctioned Torture & Summary Execution in America." Educate yourself website. Accessed 24 June 2008, at http://educate-yourself.org/pnt/index.shtml

America Civil Liberties Union. (1997) Fighting Police Abuse: A Community Action Manual. Accessed 24 June 2008, at http://www.aclu.org/police/gen/14614pub19971201.html

Bunker, R.J. (n.d.) Nonlethal Weapons: Terms and References. INSS Occasional Paper 15. USAF Institute for National Security Studies. Accessed 24 June 2008, at http://www.angelfire.com/or/mctrl/nonlethal.html

Corlett, a.J. (2001) Responsibility and Punishment. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Hambling, D. (2005) "Police toy with 'less lethal' weapons." New Scientist. Accessed 24 June 2008, at http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7326
Hamdorf, R. (n.d.) "Non-Lethal Incapacitation." National Police Research Unit Adelaide, South Australia. Accessed 24 June 2008, at http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/proceedings/18/hamdorf2.pdf
Harper's Magazine. (2003) When killing just won't do. Accessed 24 June 2008, at http://harpers.org/archive/2003/02/0079475
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