“This is a lot worse”: The wicked truth about the police’s favorite anti-protest tool [View all]

http://www.salon.com/2014/08/31/this_is_a_lot_worse_the_wicked_truth_about_the_polices_favorite_anti_protest_tool/



The flash-bangs fired by St. Louis County police trying to disperse crowds have raised questions about safety

“This is a lot worse”: The wicked truth about the police’s favorite anti-protest tool
Abbie Nehring, ProPublica
Sunday, Aug 31, 2014 12:00 PM EST

Peter Callahan was caught between two police lines in the West Florissant section of Ferguson, Mo., on Sunday night, when something fiery hot singed his leg. A nearby protester’s shirt briefly caught fire.

Callahan, a Washington D.C.-based journalist, deduced that he had been hit by a flash-bang device. “I was also at Occupy Wall Street,” he said. “This is a lot worse.”

Among the debris protesters and journalists have picked up in the days since Michael Brown was killed are canisters of the 7290 flash-bang made by Combined Tactical Systems, a “less lethal” diversionary device that has made its way into law enforcement agencies’ toolkits to carry out search warrants, and less frequently, to disperse crowds.

Flash-bang devices are one of many military-style weapons being used in Ferguson, along with tear gas and beanbag munitions. While marketed as non-lethal, there have been instances in which flash-bangs have caused serious injury and sometimes death when used by police, prompting debate over their proper use.