South Texas Police Chief Gets All Officers Less-Lethal Weapons to Help Save Lives

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New less-lethal beanbag shotguns were introduced to the Rockport Police Department on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019 (photo:  Courtney Sacco/Caller-Times).

December 31, 2019 | Originally published by Date Line: December 31 on

A South Texas police department added another weapon to its arsenal. Only this one was designed to cause less harm than a typical firearm. 

Rockport Police Chief Gregory Stevens showed off a 12-gauge shotgun, parts of which were bright orange, during a training session for the city”s police force.

When fired, a bean bag-filled round comes out at a velocity that can disable someone while potentially sparing the person”s life.

“Law enforcement is facing a lot of calls where we deal with people that live with behavior health needs,” Stevens said. “If, for whatever reason,s they face that mental health crisis and have a weapon. We have to come up with ways to (deal with that) without taking human life.”