Ohio Police Test Gun That Shoots Round Corners

It looks and fires like something out of Star Wars, but the latest weapon that Akron, Ohio Police have in their arsenal certainly appears to be from a galaxy far, far away. It's called "Corner Shot", and it allows officers to load their sidearm into an expandable arm that extends around a corner. Using a video monitor to see that target, the officer can fire a round at a 90-degree angle while staying protected behind cover.

"Expose a weapon, expose a lethal threat, without exposing any part of your body," said Akron Police Captain Mike Shearer. "So it's looks like a very nice weapon."

Shearer was the first officer to fire the system during a familiarization exercise in early December with the SWAT team. Shooting around a barricade, Shearer easily positioned the weapon so that he could engage multiple targets via a small television monitor instead of having to stick his head out around the corner.

"On the screen, there's a nice crosshair," Shearer said. "So you do have a nice clear picture, a nice crosshair to look through. This weapons platform is going to be a very, very useful tool for the Akron Police Department."

One Corner Shot system costs between $5-10,000 depending on additional attachments such as laser sighting or a flashlight. Akron officers are the first in the country to access the weapon system, which was sent to Akron by Corner Shot's executives in Israel. They met with Mayor Don Plusquellic during an overseas trip, where they discussed opening a distribution center in Northeast Ohio to provide the weapons to American police departments.



Source [LiveLeak]

Dutch Police Mad About New Rule that Bans them From Smoking Pot

Dutch police complain it is their right to smoke cannabis while off-duty

Banned: But Dutch police complain the ban against cannabis overrules their personal freedoms

Police in Amsterdam are complaining over new rules banning them from smoking cannabis while off duty.

Officers in the Dutch capital, famous for its liberal drugs laws, have been told they must set the public "a good moral example".

The ban, due to come into effect on January 1, will make the force the first in the Netherlands to bar officers from using drugs when not at work.

Frank Gittay, the city's police council chairman, said: "Until now police were only banned from showing up for work stoned or drunk.

"But now we are telling officers they should also behave like the police at all times.

"That means not taking drugs and not getting excessively drunk whether on or off duty."

But Dutch police union chairman Hans van Duijn said: "Many of our members are opposed to this.

"They are not paid for 24-hours a day. What they do in their free time is up to them."

Source [DailyMail]