A retrospective analysis of less lethal tools at a municipal agency to determine if the baton should still be carried

As police use of force is constantly under scrutiny, it is important to analyze the impact of less lethal tools on law enforcement. There is still no general agreement on the efficacy of the use of less lethal tools (LLT). Some law enforcement agencies have, for example, questioned the efficacy of the use of the baton and have reportedly removed it from the equipment officers carry. To better understand the impact of the use of LLT on law enforcement, this retrospective analysis sought to determine if implementation of the TASER controlled electronic device (CED) affected the number of times officers used the baton. The number of incidents in which the use of LLT was employed was collected from records from a mid-sized municipal police department. The proportion of the number of LLT uses according to its type, baton or and oleoresin capsicum (OC), for five years prior to and five years after the implementation of the CED was compared using a Chi-square analysis. There was no significant difference observed in baton usage after CED implementation. However, the use of chemical spray (OC) was significantly affected showing a decrease of 83% (p < .001). Though the frequency of baton use did not change after implementation of CED, it was used much less frequently than any other tool, averaging only two a year. Therefore, implementation of the TASER CED did not render the baton obsolete as a tool for officers in this department. The reason for such low incidence of usage should be investigated further to determine if the baton is still relevant.