Law enforcement and military intelligence centers have issued an officer safety warning about a covert attack tool called the Strike Spike.
It’s a black aluminum disk, about an inch in diameter, that features half a dozen small but “ultra sharp” barbs rising from one of its flat sides. Available for less than $20 online, it is advertised as a self-defense, “counter-attack” item. But it’s potential threat to officers is obvious.
For example, a promotional blurb at one site suggests: “Attach to back strap of your cap. If confronted...raise your arms... Grab bill of hat, whipping it off and striking your assailant.”
The disk can also be attached to a shoelace, heightening the danger of a suspect’s kick, as well as to a watchband, a bracelet, or other clothing accessory, “ensuring that the weapon is easily accessible to inflict injury.”
The disks are commonly sold in packets of three, so a suspect may arm him/herself with multiples. Strike Spikes are “designed to blend in with a person’s clothing or accessories, and therefore could pose a threat to the safety of law enforcement personnel,” warns the U.S. Army Criminal Intelligence Operations Center and the South Carolina Fusion Center.
