blast ball

The use of blast balls in riot control is controversial. Proponents argue they are less harmful than traditional riot control agents or physical force, while opponents argue they are used indiscriminately and are capable of harm.

• Illustration — A riot police officer aiming a riot gun loaded with blast balls in 2009 • Illustration — Blast balls being used against a May Day protest in Seattle, 2015 Blast balls can be used against aggressive crowds during situations in which rioters significantly outnumber police or prison guards. In this application, they are intended to frighten away and disperse "casual" rioters, or those who have been "sucked into" the contagion of the crowd, allowing police or prison guards to separate them from, and engage with, the remaining "hardcore instigator" element. One typical deployment of blast balls occurred during the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot and was described by a Vancouver Police Department officer: Blast balls can also be used to create "negative stimulus" by detonating in areas toward which police do not want the crowd to move, creating a herding effect.

Blast balls are marketed by AMTEC Less-Lethal Systems, Combined Tactical Systems, and Defense Technology, among other manufacturers. Blast balls manufactured by AMTEC weigh 212 grams and contain either 14 grams of OC gas or 12 grams of CS gas.

The use of blast balls as a riot control measure is controversial. Opponents argue that blast balls are used indiscriminately against peaceful protestors and that they are capable of causing physical harm. Proponents and police argue blast balls, when used properly, are less harmful than traditional riot control measures such as pepper spray, tear gas, or baton strikes, which would have to be resorted to without blast balls. In 2015, a Seattle woman sued the Seattle Police Department (SPD), alleging shrapnel from a blast ball penetrated her leg. The SPD denied her claims, alleging that tests show that a blast ball detonated at contact range against ballistic gel fails to produce trauma or tearing. In 2020, a judge found the SPD in contempt for frequent use of blast balls while attempting to quell the George Floyd protests in Seattle, finding that they were used "when no immediate threat to the officers' safety or public property could be identified".