Flashbang Grenades

There is debate and discussion about the use of flashbang grenades against a crowd of demonstrators in Portland, OR on August 4, 2018. Was it necessary? Was it excessive force? Was it legal?

In a 2015 report co-published by ProPublica and the Atlantic we learn more about the police use of flashbang grenades. Flashbang grenades can sever hands and fingers, induce heart attacks, burn down homes and kill pets, the investigation found, and there are few checks on officers who want to use them.

A 2013 article in the Huffington Post asks: "It’s one thing for the U.S. military to raid a compound in Kabul using incendiary grenades to secure and enter the premises. It’s quite another thing for U.S. police officers to execute a search warrant by throwing “flash-bang” grenades into a home, raining the place with rubber bullets, and kicking down every door in the house. Is that conduct necessary? Is it reasonable? Does the Fourth Amendment allow it?"

Is there a place for flashbang grenades in police tactics? Yes, absolutely against armed and violent subjects the flashbang grenade serves as a way for the police to gain control of a violent person using a less lethal device. Good for the police, and good for the bad guy who doesn't get shot.

Should these same flashbang grenades be used to raid homes and disperse non-violent crowds from public streets? Well, this is where the debate comes in...

If police do nothing to break up illegal demonstrations they can easily turn into riots. If police use excessive force against non-violent crowds it can case the crowds to turn violent, or to directly target the police themselves. The YouTube video "How to Stop a Riot" explains some of the problems police face when dealing with large crowds.

In this YouTube video we see flashbang grenades being used against a crowd of demonstrators in Portland on November 10, 2016.

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