Volume 25. Number 9

®

Su rye Results:

1r

.

for

Patrol Rifles

The M26 TASER from TASER International offers a less-lethal ability
to point and 'smite' from a safe distance.

-He
i)
D

2. Is showing an obvious sign of "min d-body separation"
such as self-mutilation, which clearly demonstrates that pain
compliance techniques would likely be ineffective?
M26 Advanced TASER
The name is familiar to veteran officers, and the TASER is
once again a "hot topic" in resistance control circles. The
newest version of this 35-year-old technology is the M26 Advanced TASER and it offers a number of improvements over
earlier devices, including:
• Twenty one-foot maximum effective range.
• 26 watts versus 7 watts of stopping power.
• Handling and deployment characteristics similar to a
semi-automatic pistol.
• Battery status "ready" light.
• Trigger does not have to be continuously held back to
transmit the energy.
• Data port tracks use history.

The M26 is a
black plastic "conducted energy
weapon" that looks like a semi-automatic
pistol. Depending on your perspective, this
could be good or bad.
The weapon is loaded by taking a live cartridge in one hand and the M26 in the other.
Ensure the safety is down and point the
weapon in a safe direction. Squeeze the release
buttons on each side of the cartridge with thumb and index
finger and place it firmly into the open, muzzle end . The cartridge cannot be put in upside down or backwards.
policemag.com Septe mber 2001

The weapon
can be carried in a
variety of ways, with the most common
and practical methods utilizing the two
holsters available from the manufacturer.
One is a black nylon "leg drop " that attaches in seconds to the weak side of an officers
duty belt. The second is a conventional belt
mount, which requires the officer to wear the
M26 during the entire shift. This clearly ensures ready availability should a spontaneous
event occur. Likewise, a gun on each hip will
generate more than a casual glance from the citizens you meet on the street!
Deploying
Moving the safety into the "up" position arms the weapon.
Immediately, a red laser dot is projected from the front and
a flashing red "batt ery indicator" is visible at the rear. The
laser dot is placed on the intended target and the
trigger/switch is pulled. Two small probes are propelled at
175 feet per second at distances up to 15 or 21 feet (depending on the cartridge ) by non-pyrotechnic compressed nitrogen. The top probe is designed to strik e within an inch of
the laser dot. The bottom probe is designed to,strike directly
below at an 8-degree trajectory. This causes a spread of roughly one-foot for every seven feet of travel.
The probes are connected to the weapon by high-voltage
insulated wire . When contact occurs, electrical pulses are
transmitted into the suspect's bod y. Th e probes are able to
deliver their electrical charge through two inches of clothing. The transmission continues for five seconds regardless
of the trigger position, unless stopped by the operator moving the safety into the "down" position .
According to the manufacturer's literature, when th e current is applied it "interferes with and overrides the body's
neuromuscular system and voluntary muscle control is lost
POLICE

15

This was followed by a practical test involving twenty-three
volunteers. Many were veterans of earlier seven-watt TASER
tests and all had been subjected to direct OC exposure. Mats
were placed on the floor and "spotters" positioned beside each
person. Probes were attached and the participants were given
foam batons. They were then asked to focus all of their attention on the TASER operator and attempt to attack him. All twenty-three officers were fully and immediately incapacitated by
the M26. Twenty-one experienced a dynamic response including a high-speed movement off their feet.
Testssuch as this are interesting but officers should be cau-

between the two
dart points. As a result of this current
being delivered
into a subject, they
will usually fall to a
grounded position
or freeze in place."
Interesting.
Test ing
The M26 was
then put through a
series of tests. The
operator's manual
was followed verbatim and the M26
performed from a
function-perspective as intended. It L..-..............~
fit in the holsters "SMSU" cuts show the type of selfwell and the units destructive behavior often observed
were readily acces- w ith potentially suicidal people.
sible. The cartridges
loaded and unloaded easily and test firing occurred at ranges
up to 21 feet. The top probe contacted the target at or near
the laser dot and the lower probe spread consistent with the
printed literature.

Those who are armed and non -assa ultive need to be
taken into custody, but their actions don 't justify the use
of tools that would risk ve ry much injury.

• Have a low tolerance for pain - unlike many suspects.
• Lack true motivation to focus and

Above , Tase r probes after being
fired.
Right, An office r demonstrates
how to access his duty firearm
mounted on his strong side and
t he M26 Taser mounted on his
weak side.
tioned against taking the dramatic results and assuming such outcomes are
guaranteed on the street. Several thousand controlled OC exposures strongly
suggest that officers who participate in
such tests generally:

The (at's Meow?
This is not a perfect tool. The electrical impulse has ignited alcohol based
OC sprays that were on suspects prior
to deployment and in one case several '
years ago a probe was embedded in a
suspects eye
Likewise, based on several thousand
U.S. and Canadian field tests and over
200 documented street encounters, the
M26 Advanced TASER appears to offer a
less lethal incapacitation capability that
has simply not been available before .
When an agency is seeking a balance between the need to incapacitate and the
acceptability of the potential injury outcome, I'm not sure anything else in law
enforcement can compare to this kind
of technology. -$Circle Reade r No. 200
on Reader Service Card

fight through the effects- unlikemany
suspects.
• Are very susceptible to the psychological processes created by apprehension and the subconscious modeling of
behavior that often occurs in such
group environments.

Steve Ijames is a major on theSpringfield
(Mo.) Police Department andan internationally known expert on less-lethal force options. He is a regular contributor to Police.
He's still waiting for someone to invent a
"real" Phaser ...