Baton (law enforcement)

It is carried as a compliance tool and defensive weapon[1] by law-enforcement officers, correctional staff, security guards and military personnel.

The usual striking or bludgeoning action is not produced by a simple and direct hit, as with an ordinary blunt object, but rather by bringing the arm down sharply while allowing the truncheon to pivot nearly freely forward and downward, so moving its tip much faster than its handle.

Batons are also used for non-weapon purposes such as breaking windows to free individuals trapped in a vehicle, or turning out a suspect's pockets during a search (as a precaution against sharp objects).

Modern systems strictly prohibit hitting the skull, sternum, spine, or groin unless such an attack is conducted in defense of life, with many jurisdictions considering this deadly force.

Before the 1970s, a common use of the police baton was to strike a suspect's head with a full-force overhand motion in order to stun them or knock them unconscious by cerebral concussion, similar to the pre-baton practice of buffaloing with the handle of a revolver.

First, there was a high risk and incidence of death or permanent injury, as the difference in force between that required to concuss a suspect into non-resistance and that which would fracture their skull tends to be narrow and unpredictable.

[1] Second, there were problems with reliability, as resistance to cerebral concussion varies widely between individuals, and head strikes that did not disable the suspect were found to merely escalate the encounter.

[1] Officer Arthur Lamb, a well-known trainer on the baton, once stated: I've trained over 200 police departments, comprising over ten thousand men.

But if you hit him in the head and put him into a state of shock where he is almost immune to pain, and now enraged beyond reason, the only thing left for you to do is beat him into the ground.

[5] It consists of little more than a long cylinder with a molded, turned or wrapped grip, usually with a slightly thicker or tapering shaft and rounded tip.

At least four models were built with weapon-retention devices that would deploy "sharp spikes or blades" in case a suspect tried to grab an officer's baton.

While usually meant to stun or knock out the subject, head strikes have a high risk of causing a permanent, disabling brain injury or a fatality.

The terminology applied to these weapons can be imprecise, depends on the source and time period, and may refer to an improvised device accomplishing the same result.

Blackjacks have long been a favorite of the criminal element as a concealed carry weapon, and are illegal to privately own in many jurisdictions.

[10] The term "cosh" may also originate with this weapon, being derived from the Romani word kašt, meaning "stick" or "piece of wood".

[12] A type used by 19th and early 20th century sailors for both self-defense and aggression was weighted with a lead ball at one or both ends of a piece of baleen, which was then wrapped in woven or plaited marline or codline and varnished over.

[14] In the 20th century newer shorter (and more readily concealable) designs emerged that were predominantly made of stitched or braided leather, with a flexible spring inside the handle to impart a whip-like action to compensate for leverage and acceleration sacrificed to reduced overall length.

To balance forces and minimize unintended damage, this style came to employ a flexible material such as lead shot as a weight.

[1] Alternatively, some variants use lead shot, powdered metal, or even sand for the weight inside the head, usually called a "soft sap", which reduces the likelihood of bone fractures, particularly of the skull.

Blackjacks and saps were popular among law enforcement for a time due to their low profile, small size, and effectiveness in very close range, such as when grappling with a suspect.

By the late 1960s head-strikes with impact weapons in general were strongly discouraged by most police departments and trainers because of the risk of death or permanent injury, as well as questionable effectiveness.

[15] Stun batons are an unusual modern variation designed to administer an electric shock in order to incapacitate the target.

Many designs function like an elongated stun gun or a cattle prod, requiring the tip to be held against the target and then manually triggering a shock by a switch in the handle.

They are rarely issued to patrol officers in modern times due to their price and the other associated problems with electroshock weapons.

The jitte was a Japanese Edo period police weapon consisting of a round or octagonal metal rod about 30–61 cm (12–24 in) long with a hook-like guard above the handle.

This permits the officer to appear less threatening while having an impact weapon in hand and ready for instantaneous action, should the situation indeed turn violent.

Law enforcement officers often deliberately shine flashlight beams into the eyes of suspects at night to cause temporary night-blindness as a preemptive defensive measure, whether or not the individual is likely to behave violently.

According to Cap 217 (Weapons Ordinance), Laws of Hong Kong, any person who has possession of any prohibited items commits an offence, which includes expandable batons.

[18] In India and Bangladesh, police often carry a large bamboo stick called a lathi (Odia: ବାଡ଼ି, Tamil: குறுந்தடி, Hindi: लाठी) that is used during riot controlling or used when a person is arrested or for self or public defence.

[25] Section 46 of the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, passed in May 2019, prohibits possession even in a private dwelling (e.g. home, closed off building site, behind a sales counter, etc.)