Editor’s Note: This is a repost of a popular article I wrote during the first few months of this blog. Since our site has grown drastically, many of you may not have seen it when it was originally published.
Have you ever wondered if your bulletproof vest could defeat a TASER? Since our agency began issuing the TASER X-26, we have conducted many voluntary exposures. Recently, we had an officer take a hit while wearing his full uniform which included his concealable body armor from Point Blank. Everyone was interested to see if the TASER would penetrate the vest.
In this test, the volunteer was shot in the back and both probes impacted him in the rear panel of his vest. Both probes penetrated the body armor and the officer received what he described as full incapacitation. The instructor observed the officer’s legs moving, as if he were trying to run, so the instructor administered a drive stun on the officer’s leg. After the exposure, the officer advised that he did not feel the drive stun because he was already locked up. Both probes had to be removed from the body armor with a pair of pliers. The officer advised that he could feel the sharp points from both probes sticking into his skin, indicating that the probes went all the way through the layers of bullet resistant material.
In late 2007, Gregory Schultz (with G2 Consulting in Tucson, Arizona) received a U. S. Patent for his invention “ThorShield”. ThorShield is a 3-layer fabric that consists of outer layers of non-conductive material, with a conductive layer in the middle. Basically, the inner layer of conductive material completes the connection between the two probes and dissipates the electricity so the wearer is not incapacitated. This works because electricity follows the path of least resistance, and the conductive material passes the current much easier than the human body.
ThorShield is flexible and lightweight, so it can be used to make any type of clothing, but recently G2 entered into an exclusive agreement with Point Blank. Point Blank is sewing ThorShield material against the inner lining of their vest carriers, giving your vest the ability to defeat a Taser. Of course, Point Blank is offering this protection as an upgrade. PACA Body Armor products are also available with ThorShield under this agreement.
While ThorShield is currently only available to law enforcement and military, I have already seen websites sharing the “secrets” of this technology to criminals. Everything from putting aluminum duct tape on the inside of a jacket, to sewing metal screening on the inside of a jump suit, to the wearing of chain mail under clothing. This seems like a lot of trouble for a criminal to go to, just to protect against the chance of an officer using a TASER on them. Maybe all of this extra weight will keep the criminals from jumping so many dang fences during a foot chase!
TASERs offer a good option for officers, but remember that even without a suspect equipped with ThorShield, your TASER may fail. Whether it is due to the suspect wearing thick clothing that keeps the probes far enough from their body to keep the electricity from arcing or just one of your probes not connecting, at some point your TASER will fail. Be prepared by training for failure and being ready to transition to another force option.
For more information about TASERs, check out our previous posts on this subject:
Riding the Lightning
The TASER Generation: Issues for New Police Officers
Before the Storm: My decision making process for taking a TASER hit
The TASER Generation: Solutions for New Police Officers
Defeating the Taser in Combat
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