L.A. County Sheriff’s gadget master
Charles Sid Heal of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department takes a look at Raytheon’s “Silent Guardian,” a non-lethal device that stimulates pain sensors without damaging tissue. As head of the Technology Exploration Unit for the last decade, Heal has tested hundreds of such high-tech gizmos -- sometimes using himself as the guinea pig. (Al Seib / LAT)
Heal demonstrates a less-lethal projectile fired from a 12-gauge shotgun while Sgt. Brian Muller protects his ears. Heal’s ultimate goal is to help cops avoid deadly confrontations through advanced technology. (Al Seib / LAT)
Muller demonstrates how the Climb Assist helps an officer scale a spiked fence. It was created by a veteran member of the Hawthorne Police Department and is one of Heal’s favorites. (Al Seib / LAT)
Heal with a throwbot called the Recon Robot. A throwbot is a remote-controlled device mounted in a hard casing so strong it can be fired out of a mortar or tossed into a building during a standoff. (Al Seib / LAT)
Heal says the throwbot “is simple and practical and avoids a deputy being in harms way.” It weighs less than 2 pounds but is sturdy enough to survive a fall from a three-story window. (Al Seib / LAT)
Heal holds the SkySeer, an unmanned aerial vehicle that can send video of a scene to deputies on the ground. He was excited about the device, but the Federal Aviation Administration has grounded the program because the agency has yet to write regulations for use of drones by non-federal agencies. (Al Seib / LAT)
Rubber bullets are a well-known device used by authorities. (Al Seib / LAT)
Heal shows one of the most widely accepted less-lethal options in law enforcement, the “stun bag,” which uses a soft, lead-filled nylon projectile fired from a conventional shotgun. (Al Seib / LAT)
Lead shot sewn into a nylon “stun bag” has become a staple at most law enforcement agencies. (Al Seib / LAT)
These projectiles disperse a small dose of “pepper dust” and are fired from a paintball gun. But of all the devices he tests, Heal is particularly fond of so-called olfactory agents stink bombs that officers can use to clear out an area. Heal says there is nothing better than the smell of something dead and funky to get people moving. (Al Seib / LAT)
