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October 27, 2004
Expert Analysis On Why the TigerLight® Non-Lethal Defense System Is More Effective Than Pepper Spray
Vince O'Neill, an expert witness at the federal level in Use-of-Force has taught defensive tactics instructors in all 50 states and has instructed D.T.I.'s from 28 foreign countries. Mr. O'Neill is currently employed by the State of Oklahoma as a Firearms Instructor with the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training. He is also a Master Instructor in defensive tactics and is certified both nationally and internationally
Mr. O'Neill has this to say about why the TigerLight® Non-Lethal Defense System is so much more effective. "The two most important points that differentiate the effectiveness of the TigerLight® from other systems carried on the belt are its inherent stealth and efficient spray pattern. Even if you use the exact same spray carried on the belt as you use in the TigerLight®, you will see a significant difference in overall effectiveness in a wide variety of incidents as is evident from officer feedback. The primary reason is the stealth nature of the TigerLight®."
"When using a TigerLight®, a resistant subject will not see the spray coming and therefore, does not have the opportunity to duck, cover, hold his breath or close his eyes, all of which can lessen the effect of the spray. With the stealth TigerLight®, the subject's eyes are likely to be wide open when the spray hits. In the vast majority of cases the subject is focused directly at the officer and may be breathing heavily when the spray hits. The harder the subject is breathing, as is the case with excited, nervous and aggressive subjects, the more effective the spray. When the blinding light is shined into the subject's eyes prior to spraying him, in all likelihood, the resistor will not even see the spray coming. It catches the subject completely by surprise, greatly enhancing the effect of the spray.
According to Mr. O'Neill another significant aspect of the TigerLight® is that the spray is already in the officer's off-gun hand when approaching every situation. The officer is in a position to deploy OC spray in many situations where other officers may not have time to access the OC spray located on their duty belt.
"The second factor is that of the spray pattern. Although the TigerLight® accepts most major brands of spray, the cone spray pattern has a very distinct advantage, especially when combined with the advantage of stealth deployment. Although there are admitted advantages to a stream spray, the critical disadvantage is that stream sprays are primarily a pain deterrent, not to mention, inaccurate. They are not as effective on drug impaired, mentally ill and highly motivated individuals.
"A TigerLight® equipped with a cone spray system changes all that. It's one thing to be pain resistant, but it's quite another to have all your breath taken from you. This is an especially good feature of the TigerLight® because it catches subjects while they are breathing rather than holding their breath, ducking or covering their face. When officers are able to deploy OC directly into the face of a combative subject, the effects are such that the OC takes the fight right out of them immediately." Mr. O'Neill believes the TigerLight® Non-Lethal Defense System is a good enough piece of equipment that it may become standard issue for many agencies once they realize how effective it is.
Detective Martin Elphick, a Detective with Passaic County Sheriffs Office and officer Joe Zughbi, a trainer at the police academy, have been in many use-of-force situations. When two three hundred pound criminals attacked Detective Elphick, it didn't take him long to realize that he had something special in his hands. He credits the TigerLight® Non-Lethal Defense System with saving his life during this encounter. (See this report and others at www.tigerlight.net.)
Defensive Tactics Instructor, Joe Zughbi, was "absolutely astounded" at the effectiveness of the TigerLight® against subjects on drugs like PCP, especially compared to the spray he had been using. "The first time I saw the TigerLight® used, nobody even knew what happened, not even the other officers. All of a sudden this extremely aggressive guy was on the ground. He didn't know what hit him. Neither did we. This was a complete shock because, in the past, whenever we've encountered guys on PCP, which is extremely often, it's nearly impossible to stop them from fighting. They just don't stop. Someone always ends up in the hospital...always! The TigerLight® was the first time I saw pepper spray incapacitate a guy on PCP. I called the company to ask them what they had in the TigerLight®. I thought it must be something much more potent than regular pepper spray. They explained that it wasn't just the spray, but the element of surprise combined with the respiratory affect of the cone spray, " said Zughbi.
"The other thing was the incredible reaction time. It was like a nanosecond and this guy was incapacitated and on the ground. We were standing there saying, 'what happened?' It was extremely impressive. At the academy we are doing all our firearms training with a flashlight in hand, so this is perfect. Now we have a stealth, non-lethal weapon in one hand and a lethal weapon in the other. It gives us options we never had before," says Zughbi.
"This tool is going to save a lot of lives and help avoid a lot of unfortunate outcomes, " says Zughbi. "Half the time I sprayed someone with my regular spray, I still had to fight him. Not with this TigerLight®. After that first incident with Detective Elphick, I noticed time and again that whenever he sprayed someone with his TigerLight®, no additional force was necessary. They dropped to the ground and became 100% compliant. No additional use of force was ever required," says Zughbi.
Marshall Luton, a 10-year veteran of the Tulsa Police Department and owner of The Defensive Shooting Academy of Tulsa (tdsa.net) couldn't agree more. "This is the best tool I've seen in law enforcement in a long while. I believe it is far more effective than any other non-lethal device. It completely changes the dynamics of a use-of-force situation and reduces the level of force necessary in many situations."
Luton tells us of an event that took place just a few nights ago. "While assisting the Tulsa Police Special Investigations Division with a high-risk search warrant, we approached the subject's apartment with our firearms drawn and ready. Of course, the difference this time was I had a less-lethal option in one hand and lethal force in the other. Every use of force option was at my disposal. I didn't have to holster anything to enable me to go to another level of force."
"Unlike some tools on the market today, the TigerLight® doesn't force an officer to commit to one level of force and not have the option to go to another. I also liked the fact that I had an extremely bright light to blind the subject if necessary enabling other officers to move around the light curtain without being detected. More importantly the TigerLight gave me the option to deploy OC spray if the occupants became combative, all the while maintaining the ability to go to lethal force if the situation warranted. With a Taser® or other similar device, I am left with only one option."
"The TigerLight really changes everything", says Luton. "I strongly believe it should be issued equipment for every police officer. It makes absolutely no sense to carry just a flashlight when you can carry a light like the TigerLight® Non-lethal defense system. The TigerLight® allows an officer to combine a non-lethal weapon such as OC with an incredible illumination device, and keeps both ready to deploy with just one hand. The options that the TigerLight® allows officers to have, will not only save officers lives, it will inevitably save the lives of citizens too."
"We don't consider the TigerLight® to be a flashlight," says Teig. "That's like comparing a Cessna 150 to an F-18. They both fly, but they don't do the same thing."
For more information on the TigerLight® Non-Lethal Defense System go to www.tigerlight.net.
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