From the earliest days, those tasked with keeping the peace have been used to control large dangerous riots. The first ancient instances of this tended to be heavy-handed affairs, as land barons or rulers used hired men to remove crowds. The cliché of the “brute” squad comes closer to the truth than most know.
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With the establishment of a formal law enforcement entity and evolution in policy, tactics and philosophies have improved. Unfortunately, in many cases, the law enforcement side is the only one who has moved forward. Scenes of rioting crowds throwing rocks, bottles and worse are common. The byproduct of this is technological advances in gear designed to protect the officers charged with keeping the peace.
Let’s take a short stroll through some of the best and most effective gear used to control rioting crowds as well as protect the officers tasked with getting it done.
For more information on the riot gear shown in the above gallery, please visit the following websites:
- CTS 7290 Flashbang: combinedsystems.com; 724-932-2177
- MSA Riot Control Gas Masks: msasafety.com; 800-672-2222
- Defense Technology 12-Gauge Marking Round: safariland.com; 800-347-1200
- AAMI Weapons MGL-LTL: abrams.com; 520-887-1727
- Defense Technology Riot Control CS Grenade: safariland.com; 800-347-1200
- SECPRO Anti-Riot Suit: securityprousa.com; 800-264-8273
- Monadnock 906 Tac-Elite Riot Helmet: safariland.com; 800-347-1200
- Paulson Body Shields: 800-542-2451; paulsonmfg.com
- PepperBall LIVE and LIVE-X Projectiles: pepperball.com; 877-887-3773
- Safariland Stinger Grenade: safariland.com; 800-347-1200
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