Think of it as a charley horse that hits your entire body, all at once. That’s the best description I can give you for what it feels like to take a hit from a TASER, Stinger or other electronic-control device (ECD). If you’ve been there, you know exactly what I’m talking about. In my classes for TASER instructors, about half of the class usually steps up to “take the ride.” Afterward, the sentiment is almost universal: “Wow, I’m sure glad I did that, but I’ll never do it again!”
The fact is, when officers use ECDs on the street, some will take the ride again, albeit unintentionally. No matter how careful everyone is with their weapons, if enough officers carry these devices, and they are used often enough, eventually an unintentional exposure will occur. That’s called the Law of Large Numbers, and what it means is that, statistically, stuff happens.
We all try to practice good personal risk management, of course. We train and practice with our equipment, we carry and handle it responsibly and we’re as careful as we can be during altercations when we put our weapons to the use for which they were intended. Part of this personal risk management, or PRM, is to not only do all of the above, but for those times when, despite your best efforts, stuff happens, have protective measures in place to reduce the harm.
A good example of PRM thinking involves your soft body armor. You do everything you can to prevent a deadly force assault from ruining your day. But, in the final analysis, there does exist a certain potential for things to go sideways. When that happens, if you’ve proactively worn your vest, you have reduced the severity of the injury, or at least the likelihood of a severe injury. That’s good PRM.
When dealing with your non-lethal weapons, you have much the same concern. Of course, if we’re talking about an impact weapon in the hands of a bad guy, then deadly force remains a viable consideration, but an impact weapon in the hands of a fellow officer is another story. Here, your best PRM method is to stay out of the way. Same thing with aerosols and ECDs. But, once in a while things do go sideways, and you get “hit” in the middle of the fracas. That’s when your proactive PRM comes into play.
With ECDs, it would help if there was some sort of shield to prevent you from taking the ride inadvertently. Good news! There is, in fact, such a shield.
Thorshield
A company called G2 Consulting has come up with a protective fabric called Thorshield that will reportedly prevent its wearer from feeling the effects of a hit from an ECD. I heard about this stuff a few months ago when a student in one of my TASER instructor classes showed me a video he’d downloaded from the Thorshield Web site. I have to say that although the idea sounded great to me, I was unimpressed with the demonstrations in the video. They just didn’t seem to be solid ECD hits. I contacted the company, and they sent me a sample of material for testing.
Now although I’m not against taking one for the team, I’ve already done that, so I wasn’t going to test the stuff on myself. Fortunately, I had an instructor class scheduled, and I knew there would be a few willing victims, er, volunteers there. That also gave me the chance to test Thorshield on multiple individuals.
The Tests
I conducted four tests of the Thorshield fabric. The methodology was simple: two drive-stuns, and two probe deployments. The drive-stuns were performed several times on each of two volunteers, while the two probe deployments were single-shot tests, one shot on each of two different volunteers.
I had each drive-stun volunteer lie on the mat, face down. I then draped the Thorshield fabric over their calf and delivered a hard drive-stun directly down into the calf muscle, actually putting most of my considerable weight into the maneuver. Both subjects reported no effects from the ECD at all. (They did squawk a little about the weight thing.)
The probe deployments went like this: I draped the sample of Thorshield down the back of standing volunteers, basically tucking one end into the back of their shirt collar, like a backwards bib. Standing off about eight feet, I fired a live TASER cartridge into each one’s back. Probe hits were thus about 12–14 inches apart, with one probe between their shoulder blades, and the other below that. Each subject took two full, 5-second cycles. Again, both volunteers reported no effects from the probe deployment. In fact, the first guy looked over his shoulder at me in the middle of the ride and said, “So…?”
Granted, this testing was non-scientific, but I think it was a legitimate test of the Thorshield fabric’s capabilities.
How It Works
ECD users know that the energy pulses from their ECD weapons travel through a circuit, with the energy passing down one wire, through a probe into the body, then through the body (subcutaneously) to the other probe. There must be a circuit with energy flowing for neuromuscular incapacitation to occur, and for the victim to feel pain. No circuit, no energy flow and no effect—it’s that simple.
ECD users also know that electricity follows the route of least resistance. The recipient’s body normally bridges the gap, completing the circuit. Picture a sandwich of material, with a layer of metallic netting placed between two layers of sheer fabric. The metallic layer in the fabric shunts the energy across to the other probe before it passes through the recipient’s body. Thus, the current can flow, but the subject is not affected.
This is true even if the probes actually protrude through the Thorshield fabric and into the body. Because the energy shunts across on the outside of the body, there’s no energy left to travel from the tips of the embedded probes.
G2 has focused on keeping Thorshield lightweight and comfortable, so the fabric is very breathable. The manufacturer’s tests indicate it stands up well to washing and dry-cleaning (the manufacturer says that we can expect the fabric to last for the normal life cycle of, say, a vest that the fabric might be incorporated into). G2 actually ran 30-day tests with agencies, and officers reported that the fabric was not uncomfortable at all.
Deployment
Sales of Thorshield are limited to military and law enforcement only; the product is available now from G2 Consulting. Cost remains relatively low: a 4'x3' piece costs $99. Smaller pieces are available.
We know ECD hits will work right through typical body armor, so it’s good to know negotiations are underway with a couple of unnamed body-armor manufacturers that are considering incorporating Thorshield into their vest carriers. Additionally, a glove manufacturer is considering including Thorshield in some if its offerings, and there’s some talk of lining a simulation suit for use in ECD classes. Some of these garments should be available during the first quarter of 2007.
By the way, although I was impressed with Thorshield and give it my provisional recommendation, there’s no endorsement at press time from TASER International. We experimented with it in one of my classes for them, but they haven’t yet taken a position.
Hopefully, Thorshield will live up to its initial testing. Having some additional, inexpensive protection from “incoming” is always a good thing. Stay safe, and wear your vest.
Contact Info
G2 Consulting
9237 E. Bent Creek Way
Tucson AZ 85747
Tel: 877/562-1935
Fax: 877/562-1935
Web: www.thorshield.com
