Less-Lethal Tools: What They Do, What They Don't

The phrase less lethal carries a quiet warning inside it. Not nonlethal. Less. Every tool in this category is designed to stop a threat without killing, and every one of them can kill under the wrong conditions. Treating them as harmless is the fastest way to turn a control problem into a tragedy.

Chemical Agents

Oleoresin capsicum spray, derived from capsicum, works by inflaming the eyes and respiratory tract, producing involuntary eye closure and intense discomfort. It buys distance and compliance. It is not a magic switch. A meaningful percentage of subjects, particularly those under the influence of certain substances or experiencing a mental health crisis, are less affected than the training videos suggest. Wind, indoor spaces, and cross contamination of the officer all complicate deployment. Decontamination and medical monitoring after exposure are part of the responsibility, not an afterthought.

Impact Weapons

The baton, expandable or fixed, remains a core tool because it extends reach and delivers controlled strikes to large muscle groups. The training emphasis is on target zones. Strikes to areas like the common peroneal nerve or the forearm are designed to create dysfunction and gain control. Strikes to the head, neck, spine, and other vital areas are treated as deadly force, because that is exactly what they can become. The tool is only as safe as the discipline of the person swinging it.

Conducted Energy Devices

Conducted energy devices, often known by the dominant brand name, disrupt the body's neuromuscular control through an electrical charge, causing temporary incapacitation. They have prevented countless lethal force encounters. They have also been involved in deaths, often in combination with underlying medical conditions, drug use, or prolonged or repeated activation. Responsible policy limits the number and duration of cycles, prohibits use on subjects in obviously dangerous positions such as elevated areas or near water, and treats certain populations with heightened caution. Probe deployment also requires medical follow up for removal in sensitive areas of the body.

Projectile Systems

Launched options, including beanbag rounds and certain foam or sponge projectiles, allow officers to deliver impact at distance. They are valuable in barricade and edged weapon situations where closing the gap would be dangerous. They are also distance and target dependent. Rounds fired too close or to the wrong part of the body have caused serious injury and death. These systems demand recurring qualification and a clear understanding of minimum engagement distances.

The Common Thread Is Training and Policy

Every category above shares the same two requirements. First, written policy that defines when the tool may be used, how it fits the force framework, and what reporting and medical steps follow. Second, recurring and documented training that keeps skills current and judgment sharp. A tool issued without policy is a liability waiting to mature. A tool issued without ongoing training is a skill that has already started to decay.

The professional standard is not enthusiasm for gear. It is sober respect for what each device can do in both directions, and the humility to keep training as if the next deployment will be the one that gets reviewed frame by frame.

The Questions to Answer Before a Tool Goes on the Belt

Adding a less lethal option to a post is a policy decision long before it is a purchasing decision. Every item below should have a documented answer that an attorney could read three years later:

• Is the tool permitted by state law for licensed security in the jurisdiction, and does the client contract authorize it on this specific post?
• Does written policy define the circumstances in which it may and may not be used, in language more specific than reasonable force?
• What initial training is required, who delivers it, and what does the qualification record look like?
• What is the recertification interval, and is there a process that pulls the tool from an officer who lapses?
• What is the medical aftercare protocol, including when medical evaluation is mandatory rather than optional?
• What is the reporting requirement after any use, including a display or threatened use that never became contact?
• Who inspects the device, how often, and where is that log kept?
• For chemical agents, what is the decontamination procedure and who is responsible for carrying out on scene?
• Is the device serialized, assigned to a named officer, and tracked through issue and return?
• Does the officer have both a lower force option and a disengagement option, so the tool is a choice rather than the only answer?

Common Questions

Does less lethal mean non lethal?

No. The industry moved away from the term non lethal deliberately, because every one of these tools has been involved in serious injury and in death. Less lethal describes intent and probability, not a guarantee, and any policy written on the assumption of a guarantee is a policy that will fail under examination.

Can a licensed security officer carry chemical agents or a baton anywhere?

No. Authority varies by state and often requires certification specific to that tool rather than a general security license. Several jurisdictions restrict impact weapons more tightly than chemical agents, and a few restrict both in ways that surprise operators moving in from elsewhere.

What matters most when a use of force is reviewed?

Not the tool. Reviews turn on whether the decision was reasonable given what the officer knew at that moment, and on whether the documentation supports that account. A well chosen tool used on a poorly justified decision is still a poorly justified decision.

How often should recertification happen?

The controlling answer is whatever the state, the client contract, and the manufacturer require, and the strictest of those governs. As a practical floor, most serious programs recertify at least annually and treat conducted energy devices and firearms as requiring more frequent contact than that.

More from EPS: Use of Force in 2026: What the Numbers Actually Show, and Bleeding Control Belongs in Every Security Plan.

Reference Material: Monitor The Situation; the device and use guidance published by major less lethal manufacturers; the medical literature on conducted energy device safety; agency model policies on less lethal deployment; and the certification standards required by the manufacturer and the jurisdiction.

Somebody’s gotta do it. Might as well be us.

Mahalos.

About the Author

Kawika Rogers is Managing Partner at Eight Point Solutions LLC, a veteran-led defense consulting and training firm based in Maryland. He served as an Infantry Team Leader in the United States Marine Corps, then directed the Field Training Officer program and served as an Armorer for Triple Canopy at Camp Arifjan and Camp Buehring in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. He has also served in an advisory and operational capacity in Eastern Europe. Rogers holds over 15 instructor certifications in firearms, defensive tactics, and emergency medicine, and studied International Relations and Global Security at American Military University.

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