Could laser aiming devices deter a potentially violent assailant?
Yes! Several police agencies have reported that laser aiming devices clearly added an additional less-than-lethal force alternative. In moments of tension and high stress, an Officer’s verbal commands to a suspect at gunpoint often go unanswered. These are critical moments when the officer must make split-second, life or death decisions. The visual impact of the red laser dot has assisted officers in quickly gaining compliance. Kevin Stich of the Newberg Police Department, Oregon said in the April 1998 edition of Law Enforcement Technology, “[In one case] pointing the laser dot on a suspect convinced him to give up, where verbal commands didn’t work.” We have heard several antidotes from law enforcement customers in the past concerning tense situations that were suddenly defused when the good guys decided to deploy an aiming laser. In our view, if using an aiming laser will improve the likelihood of ending a standoff, or if it frightens off a potential assailant without a shooting, it
