American jail gets Lasers!

**onearmedbandit** · 17th February 2011, 12:27

Guards at the Los Angeles County jail complex in Castaic will start using a newfangled weapon that produces a deep burning sensation -- which is not to be confused with a "warm fuzzy feeling" -- in whomever it is aimed at.

The 7 1/ More..2-foot-tall "Assault Intervention Device," which sheriff's deputies demonstrated Friday at the Pitchess Detention Center, emits an invisible beam that causes an unbearable sensation, reported the Daily News.

The device will be mounted near the ceiling in a unit housing about 65 inmates, sheriff's Cmdr. Bob Osborne of the sheriff' Technology Exploration Program told the newspaper.

"We hope that this type of technology will either cause an inmate to stop an assault or lessen the severity of an assault by them being distracted by the pain as a result of the beam," said Osborne. "So that we have fewer injuries, fewer assaults, those kinds of things."
Deputies have tested the device on themselves and say the invisible beam is painful -- especially when it's not expected.

"I equate it to opening an oven door and feeling that blast of hot air, except instead of being all over me, it's more focused," said Osborne.

The pain stops when you move out of the beam's path, which people do instinctively.

The device, developed by Raytheon, is controlled by a joystick and computer monitor and emits a beam about the size of a CD up to distances of about 100 feet.

The energy traveling at the speed of light penetrates the skin up to 1/64 of an inch deep. No one can stand being in the beam's path for more than about three seconds, Mike Booen of Raytheon told the Daily News.

The device is being evaluated for a period of six months by the National Institute of Justice for use in jails nationwide.

Sheriff's deputies are getting to try it out for free.

About 3,700 inmates are housed at Pitchess, where 257 inmate-on-inmate assaults occurred in the first half of the year

**EJK** · 17th February 2011, 12:40

If it can "pinch" those fat white guys, then it will be nothing but just a tickle for those big black blokes.

**mashman** · 17th February 2011, 12:56

damn that sounds like it's hurt... although perhaps a moat with some of the below in might be a little better for disposing of the evidence

**Mental Trousers** · 17th February 2011, 13:38

I wonder how many fuckwits will object to it because it could be used to torture prisoners (like tazers).

**cc rider** · 17th February 2011, 13:41

So if one in-mate wants to torture another in-mate, they could hold their face infront of it & let the laser hit their eye

What happened? Did all the Yank guards break their batons?

**slofox** · 17th February 2011, 13:45

"is controlled by a joystick and computer monitor and emits a beam about the size of a CD up to distances of about 100 feet.

The energy traveling at the speed of light penetrates the skin up to 1/64 of an inch deep. No one can stand being in the beam's path for more than about three seconds,"

Sounds like a good video game for guards to play in their bored moments..."Hang on - just let me get this bastard again and then it's your turn..."

**SlashWylde** · 17th February 2011, 15:51

Hmm, I was wondering when this product would be deployed on US citizens.

Not a Fricken LASER as such. LASERS are based on the stimulated emissions of photons - i.e. light. This technology operates at millimeter wavelengths and as such is a basically a microwave emitter at frequencies below the visible spectrum - 30-300GHz.

Can't watch the video at work as it is blocked but I remember reading about the technology a few years ago here.

The version being deployed in the jail is a tame version of that which would be deployed in the field by any government with the balls to try it. To quote the above article:

"...anyone in the beam's path will feel, over their entire body, the agonising sensation I've just felt on my fingertip. The prospect doesn't bear thinking about."..."I have been in front of the full-sized system and, believe me, you just run. You don't have time to think about it - you just run," says George Svitak, a Raytheon executive.

It's a scary age we live in folks...

**mashman** · 17th February 2011, 17:22

Originally Posted by SlashWylde

The version being deployed in the jail is a tame version of that which would be deployed in the field by any government with the balls to try it.

It's a scary age we live in folks...

the tame version

... wonder where they keep the painful versions... nope, actually I don't wanna think about it anymore... la la laaaaaaa can't make me...