DIGHTON — Chief George Nichols is pleased to share that several Dighton Police Department members have completed training to use new beanbag shotguns that can reduce potential harm to the public during a response.
On Tuesday, April 16, the Dighton Police Department deployed two 12-gauge Less-Lethal Beanbag Shotguns. Six department members including supervisors and patrolmen have undergone the requisite training to possess and operate the shotguns.
The 12-gauge Less-Lethal Beanbag Shotgun allows officers to utilize a tool that has a lesser risk of causing serious physical harm when responding to calls for service. The shotgun deploys a beanbag round, called a super sock, that is designed to disorient the subject long enough to gain compliance and safely place them into custody without using a higher level of force.
Department members completed both classroom and in-field training on Sunday, April 14. Patrolman Kenneth Almeida, a Firearms and Less-Lethal Instructor Trainer for the Massachusetts Police Training Council, oversaw the training.
Funding for the new equipment was allocated from the department’s annual budget.
Use of the equipment is governed by existing Dighton Police use-of-force policies and procedures as well as Massachusetts law.
“I would like to thank Patrolman Almeida for organizing this training for our department,” said Chief Nichols. “Our hope is that this equipment will provide our officers with another resource to use while responding to service calls in an effort to keep the Dighton community safe.”
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