Do Shotguns Have a Crowd Control Role?

Even if your firearms experience begins and ends with watching the John Wick series—which would be surprising, given this newsletter's topic—you probably have no problem recognizing the sound of a shotgun being racked. As retired Lt. Frank Borelli, OFFICER Media Group's editorial director, describes it: "It is a sound that clearly imparts one thing: terrible force is ready to be engaged."

But what about less-lethal force? In a world of 37mm or 40mm special munitions launchers, does the ubiquitous 12-gauge pump-action shotgun still have a place for police crowd control?

Frank examines the benefits of this versatile law enforcement tool when it comes to handling large crowd control, especially for small agencies.

Other stories this month include:

• What's the "flanker effect," and why do officers need to understand it so they don't miss critical threats in real-world, high-stress calls.
• Reviews of the Rost Martin RM1C Comp and ASP Plus Cuffs.
• Frank and I look at recent domestic calls and discuss the need for agencies to re-examine how they handle these responses.

—Joe Vince
News Editor