NBC News reports the Fairfax County Police Department took 800 12-gauge shotguns from its officers and gave them orange-colored shotguns that are designed to only shoot bean bags.
“That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard,” Randy Sutton, a former police lieutenant, tells AFN.
News stories about the swap give no explanation about the motive but a press release from the police department suggests a liberal policy. It says Fairfax residents deserve a police department that serves them with “utmost respect,” including using “de-escalation tools.”
Police officers are being trained to hit a suspect in the arm or leg with the beanbag, which Sutton says goes against police training and common sense.
“Whoever in command staff actually told the public that should be demoted,” he says. “You never shoot for extremities.”
