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About
batons, truncheons, and nightsticks
A
baton or truncheon(nightstick or billy-club in
American English) is essentially a stick of less than arms-length,
usually made of wood, plastic, or metal, and carried by law
enforcement, correctional, riot control, and security personnel for
non-lethal self-defense or combat situations. A baton is used to
strike, jab, block, and aid in the application of armlocks.
In
the Victorian era, police in London carried clubs
about one foot long called billy-clubs or truncheons. The impact weapon
has developed into several varieties available today. The basic impact
weapon is a straight baton, approximately one and a quarter inches in
diameter, and from 18 to 36 inches long. It can be made from wood or a
synthetic material.
This
is also called a nightstick. The 36" and
longer batons are called "riot batons"; the handle end is sometimes
fluted to aid gripping. Sometimes wooden truncheons or batons are ornamented with
organization's coats of arms and suchlike and used for symbolic
presentation rather than as weapons.
This
baton is called a "traffic baton": it is red to
make it more visible when used as a signaling aid when directing
traffic. Until the mid-1990s British police officers carried
traditional wooden truncheons of a sort which had changed little from
the Victorian era, but since the early 1990s all forces have chosen to
replace truncheons with more modern side-handle and telescopic batons
for all but ceremonial duties.
Compare
mace and staff of office for the
marrying of defense and symbolism. Sometimes straight batons are made of
rubber. This results in a softer initial impact due to some of the
kinetic energy being used to bend and compress the rubber, causing it
to bounce off the object that was struck.
The
Russian police standard issue baton is rubber,
except in cold areas like Siberia where extreme winter cold makes the
rubber go brittle. Both types of batons have their advantages and
disadvantages.
Side-handle
batons are more flexible, enabling many more
kinds of strike and block, but they require more training to use than
straight batons, and they are very bulky. For the advantages of
expandable straight batons see below.
Telescopic
batons
Both
ordinary batons and side-handle batons are
available in collapsible variants.An expandable baton or telescopic
baton or telescope baton is an intermediate-force weapon often carried
by law enforcement and security professionals, used to gain control
over assaultive subjects.
The
expandable baton typically comprises a
cylindrical shaft that contains telescoping metal pieces that lock into
each other when expanded, and a solid metal tip at the end of the
extended shaft. When swung, the extended baton can cause substantial
damage because of the high kinetic energy imparted by its solid metal
tip upon striking a surface.
Most
strikes are done on large muscle
areas of the subject to avoid permanent injury. Expandable batons come
in various sizes, including 16, 21, 26, and 31 inches when extended.
The purpose of a collapsible baton is threefold:
1.
The collapsible shaft makes it easier for the officer
to carry it and to sit in a car seat wearing it, since when collapsed
it is between six and ten inches long.
2.
The baton can be psychologically intimidating to an aggressive suspect
upon seeing and hearing the baton being extended.
3.
Many police administrators think that it presents a
more peaceful image to the general public than the regular
non-collapsible baton.
As
of the end of the 20th century and the beginning of
the 2000s, a popular type of telescopic straight baton or friction lock
baton is made of steel tubing which collapse together for carrying, and
which slides apart to expand into the extended configuration. This
device is commonly referred to as a "teleton". A small metal knob on
the end adds weight when the baton was used as a bludgeon.
Competitor
Beats 2 With A Board
Charles was a 21 year old skate
boarder in California. He enjoys visiting the skateboard rings and
practicing his moves. The tourneys were fierce competition. Charles was
a good sportsman, but he hated too loose. Peter was his rival in most
of the competition. They would battle it out. Peter was not a good
sportsman. He wanted to win and he did not care how he did it. Most of
the time the competition officials monitored the 2 very closely to
ensure fairness. But they could not be everywhere.
The tourneys were
coming to a close for the season. Charles and Peter were tied for first
place. The winner received a championship trophy and bragging rights
for the whole year. The winner would also receive a sizable cash prize
and many endorsements. Charles and Peter had frequent confrontations
both in and out of the ring. They usually just exchanged words and went
on their way. The final competition drew near and things were heating
up.
Each practiced
every day, and the confrontations continued. One day when Charles was
on the way home he stopped by the local skateboard equipment shop to
get some oil for his board. He went in and chatted with the owner for a
few minutes and left as night was falling. The owner said, good luck in
the competition. I know you will win. As he left the store he was
approached by 2 guys. They said, you are not going to win the tourney,
we are going to make sure of that.
They pulled out
knives and started toward Charles. Charles started swinging his
skateboard to stop them. The owner of the store saw what was going on
and called the police. He also grabbed a stick and came out to help
Charles. The punks heard the police sirens and saw that they were out
brained, and tried to run for it. The cops surrounded them and took
them into custody. After lengthy questioning the police linked the
criminals to Peter. The Skateboard Competition committee banned Peter
from this and all future competitions and to this day Charles still
holds the trophy.
Competitions can
become violent. Many fans and competitors are injured every year
because of competition that went too far. Some fans and competitors do
not know how to control their emotions. They believe that you must win
at all cost. Many are doing jail time right now, because they did not
know when enough was enough. They harass competitors and their families
and go beyond the normal competitive practices.
There have been
reports of vandalism, stalking and all other types of personal
invasions. Winning is great but when it hurts someones family or lands
you in jail you have to wonder if it was worth it. If you are a competitor
be aware that the struggle for territory is a normal part the games.
When it escalates beyond that, it is time to report and steer clear of
the individuals causing the problem. Have a plan in case you are
confronted with violence as a fan or competitor.
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