By Dori Modney (@Dori_Modney on Twitter)

LPS Converts Old Shotguns into Less Lethal Tools

Feb 5, 2016 | 12:13 PM

LETHBRIDGE:   Lethbridge Police have just accomplished the ultimate in recycling.

The force is the the first in the province to re-purpose its Remington 870 shotguns to fire soc rounds instead of bullets, to deal with armed individuals suffering from a mental health crisis.

A soc round is a small, bean-bag like projectile that discharged at the lower abdomen, legs and lower arms to reduce the potential for serious injury or death. All LPS officers received a training course in the use of the less-lethal shotguns before they were made available for front-line use. The shotgun barrels have also been painted bright yellow, so they can be easily identified as the refurbished guns.

Chief Rob Davis says front-line officers have been equipped with the re-purposed but less-lethal shotguns to help de-escalate high-risk situations.

“We had identified a gap between the taser and lethal force and it’s not intended to be a replacement for our firearms but, there was definitely a gap – we’re getting called more and more to situations where there are mental health issues, and we needed a tool that would allow us to control the situation, yet increase the chance for the person to survive.”

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So far, the re-purposed weapon was put to use in one incident late last year and brought about a positive outcome. 

“In an ideal circumstance, when we have the time, we would have a staggered approach where you have your O-C spray, you’ll have your taser, you’ll have this weapon, and you’ll have the firearm, so that multiple options are available because the options drive strategy – but, a big piece of this is the de-escalation rather than ramping things up into a lethal force situation,” stated Davis.

The Chief notes, “This is a nice intermediate that is a non-lethal option.”

However, the soc round shotguns are not intended to replace traditional firearms at more serious crime scenes.

Like many other police agencies across the country, LPS transitioned from shotguns to carbine rifles and the old shotguns have simply been sitting in storage. It was a relatively easy re-furbishment, at minimal investment, to return the Remington 870’s back into use, albeit, in a different form.