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Thread: New or Newish Book on Force

  1. #1

    New or Newish Book on Force

    Posted in the LE sub-forum since it's likely to be seen by more SMEs here than it would in General Discussion. If this is an unacceptable faux pas, please send a Boston Robotics dog or a lizard person to my home to deal with me appropriately.

    https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/ar...uting-shooting . Any feedback on the book, the author, or the reviewer?

    Amazon link

    "Concepts of Nonlethal Force takes on the Herculean task of summarizing the body of work, history, development, technology and classification system of nonlethal weapons and options. It is purposefully written within the operational context of nonlethal use of force by law enforcement and military organizations and the discussion remains connected to the complex and difficult framework of the use and justification of force with the intent to expand the concept of force beyond the “deadly only” solution."

    "Sid Heal is widely known as an experienced practitioner in both the law enforcement and military communities. He retired as a Commander from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and as a CWO-5 from the United States Marine Corps Reserve and is considered one of the few subject matter experts who understands both the technological application and operational implications of using nonlethal weapons. He writes from a position of actual personal and practical experience"

  2. #2
    Member jd950's Avatar
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    I have not read the book and don't know the author.

    My primary reason for responding to the inquiry is to provide a link the following interview with the author that may give some insight into his interests and communication style: https://catopodcast.podbean.com/e/co...with-sid-heal/

    If writing style of the book is similar to that of the review, or to the author's verbal communication style, I would not be able to get very far into it. He spent about 15 minutes to explain "less-lethal."

    The five 100% "ratings" on Amazon that look suspect don't inspire confidence and to be blunt, his statement in the podcast that Tasers are effective more than 90% of the time just does not even come close to what I have seen and it is hard to for me to get past that. But maybe LAPD has the really, really good Tasers or something.

    I am sure someone else may know the guy and I could be way off in my negative impression.

  3. #3
    Site Supporter Erick Gelhaus's Avatar
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    It's fairly new, came out within the last few months. I haven't read it; however, I heard a lengthy podcast he did on the book and subject. I've read and recommended other books of his (and took a class from him).

    Based on the podcast info, if you're using less-lethal rounds or supervising/managing those who are, evaluating their use, etc - get the book and read it.

  4. #4
    Site Supporter Coyotesfan97's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jd950 View Post
    I have not read the book and don't know the author.

    My primary reason for responding to the inquiry is to provide a link the following interview with the author that may give some insight into his interests and communication style: https://catopodcast.podbean.com/e/co...with-sid-heal/

    If writing style of the book is similar to that of the review, or to the author's verbal communication style, I would not be able to get very far into it. He spent about 15 minutes to explain "less-lethal."

    The five 100% "ratings" on Amazon that look suspect don't inspire confidence and to be blunt, his statement in the podcast that Tasers are effective more than 90% of the time just does not even come close to what I have seen and it is hard to for me to get past that. But maybe LAPD has the really, really good Tasers or something.

    I am sure someone else may know the guy and I could be way off in my negative impression.
    He’s LASD not LAPD. I’ve never met him. He’s well known in the SWAT/Tactical field. I never got a chance to attend any of his classes but I always wanted to. He’s been part of NTOA forever and I’ve read a lot of his articles.

    When he said a 90% success rate for Tasers was he talking about patrol deployments or SWAT deployments? When I thought about it my Tactical experiences had a much higher success rate the Patrol deployments.

    Here’s his bio from Amazon:

    For reasons that I have never understood, I've always been called by my second name, as did my father. I grew up on a very small farm in mid-Michigan and walked to a country schoolhouse with my brothers and sisters until I was in 7th grade. All the grades were in the same room. When I was 18, I joined the Marine Corps and experienced my first bus ride, my first taxi ride, my first plane ride and stayed in my first hotel. I saw my first movie in boot camp and met the girl who became my wife en route to Vietnam. We have been married 50 years now and have five kids, who married five great spouses, who provided us with 15 wonderful grandchildren.

    I retired as a Commander from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department in 2008 after nearly 33 years of service, more than half of which was spent in units charged with handling law enforcement special and emergency operations. I have been personally present for the operations at the Oklahoma City Bombing, the 1992 Los Angeles Riots, the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, and the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center in 2001. In addition, I retired from the Marine Corps Reserve after 35 years and four tours of combat. I am the author of "Sound Doctrine: A Tactical Primer" and "Field Command," as well as more than 190 articles on law enforcement subjects. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Police Science from California State University, Los Angeles; a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in management from California Polytechnic University, Pomona. I am also a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy and the California Command College. I just retired (December 2019) as the President of the California Association of Tactical Officers but remain the national chairman for Strategy Development for the National Tactical Officers Association. I often teach at the U.S. military war colleges and many countries throughout the world.

    My work focus during retirement has been on understanding and applying the science to support sound planning and decision making during law enforcement tactical operations and disaster responses. To that end, I've written four books and have been teaching throughout the United States and other countries. I plan on spending my remaining years teaching the things I wished I'd known in my younger years
    Just a dog chauffeur that used to hold the dumb end of the leash.

  5. #5
    Site Supporter Lon's Avatar
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    I bought it. I’ll post a review when I read it.
    Formerly known as xpd54.
    The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions or policies of my employer.
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  6. #6
    Member jd950's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coyotesfan97 View Post
    He’s LASD not LAPD. I’ve never met him. He’s well known in the SWAT/Tactical field. I never got a chance to attend any of his classes but I always wanted to. He’s been part of NTOA forever and I’ve read a lot of his articles.

    When he said a 90% success rate for Tasers was he talking about patrol deployments or SWAT deployments? When I thought about it my Tactical experiences had a much higher success rate the Patrol deployments.
    Thanks for correcting my LAPD error. The "over 90%" comment on the podcast was made in the context of the ideal less-lethal being 100% effective and he said the Taser comes close at over 90%. He did not make any distinction between routine patrol use and swat/tac use at the point I stopped listening. Perhaps later in the podcast he expanded on the comment, but I did not listen to the whole thing. I don't doubt the 90% under ideal conditions such as certification training in the academy, and I realize success might be greater in places like L.A. where bulky and baggy clothing is not the issue that it can be in colder climates. But what I see in my little world is a success rate far, far lower than that.

    I want to reiterate that I recognize the guy has vastly more experience and vastly more impressive credentials than do I, and I mean no disrespect to his experience and creds, but I was troubled by the Taser statement and I did not enjoy his communication style, while others may, of course, love it. Perhaps if I had made it more than 25 minutes into the podcast or if I read the book I would feel differently. I look forward to hearing about it if I misunderstood the comment or he clarifies that 90% number elsewhere.

    ETA: Concerned I may have misrepresented, I just went back and checked. The comment occurs right around 26:20 in the podcast and the statement is that Tasers " are routinely returning effectiveness results well the 90th percentile, meaning that more than 9 times out of ten, it works." He then defined "effective" to mean that after deployment, there is no need to transition to some other device. I don't wish to hijack this thread into a taser effectiveness discussion; I just found the statement discomforting and it makes me less inclined to read his book.
    Last edited by jd950; 01-02-2021 at 10:02 AM.

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    I've read the book, but haven't heard the podcast. Sid reported that the then-new Air Taser/M-26 was effective "well into the ninetieth percentile" in an early LASD evaluation. That doesn't really surprise me and mirrors the success rates of other agencies at the time.


    Have Tasers become less effective over the years? Perhaps...I emphasize perhaps...the "smart Tasers" are less effective, but I think other factors are more important. One in the early days of the Air Taser/M-26, bad guys were...if you'll forgive me...shocked by the new technology. I think we had many psychological stops after Taser deployment in the early days. Today, the opposition knows the Taser is a non-lethal weapon. If they haven't experienced it themselves or had buddies who have been tasered, they can see any number of Taser deployments on YouTube. I suspect the opposition had a similar learning curve with pepper spray.

    In my department, and I suspect LASD and elsewhere, the officers carrying the new Air Taser/M-26 were the more motivated and skilled officers. The Taser wasn't the default go-to of less lethals and it was likely deployed when it would work. As the Taser became a more general issue weapon, it was used by less skillful officers in a greater variety of circumstances. That speaks to a training issue more than a technology problem.

    jd likely also has a point about baggy and heavy clothing being less prevalent in LASD's territory than elsewhere. It would have been interesting to see a companion study by a similar department with similar training, but operating in a cold weather environment during the time frame of the LASD study.

    Heal is an admitted proponent and believer in the Taser, but I found nothing in the book that led me to think he has become blinded by the hype. In fact, while he thinks the Taser is the most effective less lethal we have within its effective engagement ranges, he states that it falls "well short of the 'magic bullet'" we would like to have as less lethal technology.

  8. #8
    #RESIST

  9. #9
    Site Supporter Coyotesfan97's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jnc36rcpd View Post
    I've read the book, but haven't heard the podcast. Sid reported that the then-new Air Taser/M-26 was effective "well into the ninetieth percentile" in an early LASD evaluation. That doesn't really surprise me and mirrors the success rates of other agencies at the time.


    Have Tasers become less effective over the years? Perhaps...I emphasize perhaps...the "smart Tasers" are less effective, but I think other factors are more important. One in the early days of the Air Taser/M-26, bad guys were...if you'll forgive me...shocked by the new technology. I think we had many psychological stops after Taser deployment in the early days. Today, the opposition knows the Taser is a non-lethal weapon. If they haven't experienced it themselves or had buddies who have been tasered, they can see any number of Taser deployments on YouTube. I suspect the opposition had a similar learning curve with pepper spray.

    In my department, and I suspect LASD and elsewhere, the officers carrying the new Air Taser/M-26 were the more motivated and skilled officers. The Taser wasn't the default go-to of less lethals and it was likely deployed when it would work. As the Taser became a more general issue weapon, it was used by less skillful officers in a greater variety of circumstances. That speaks to a training issue more than a technology problem.

    jd likely also has a point about baggy and heavy clothing being less prevalent in LASD's territory than elsewhere. It would have been interesting to see a companion study by a similar department with similar training, but operating in a cold weather environment during the time frame of the LASD study.

    Heal is an admitted proponent and believer in the Taser, but I found nothing in the book that led me to think he has become blinded by the hype. In fact, while he thinks the Taser is the most effective less lethal we have within its effective engagement ranges, he states that it falls "well short of the 'magic bullet'" we would like to have as less lethal technology.
    When we started getting M26s they were issued to SWAT first. I was one of the evaluators. I think their is something to your motivated and skilled comment. Tactical has always had a high percentage of stops and I think a lot of it is due to planning and people who work low percentage/high risk calls. I can see 90% then. My opinion of current Taser deployments is fifty/fifty. I think it’s dependent on who is using it.

    The M26 was a PITA as far as loading eight AAs into it but I really liked the unit. I liked the X26 too. The last one I was issued the X2 I think was bulky, complicated, and it seemed to fail a lot. I don’t think I ever used it on a live deployment. I reminded me of CS/Mace back in the day.

    I bought the book and I’m going to read it from retired professional curiosity.
    Just a dog chauffeur that used to hold the dumb end of the leash.

  10. #10
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    We used rechargeable batteries for the M-26's which helped quite a bit. We did purchase some X2's later on, but I believe I wasone of the very few that carried out. A couple who selected the X2 opted to go to the X-26M's. I'd agree the X2 was bulky, complicated, and possibly more prone to failure. I'm just happy we didn't go with the even more complex X3. I understand the new X7 is an improvement, but I haven't seen one yet.

    As far as success in the field, a few years ago LAPD, Topeka, and my former department were running about 50-60%. While used much less often, Sabre Red OC pretty much always worked.

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