Rosemount Police Explain Purchase Of 'PepperBall' Launchers

ROSEMOUNT, MN— The Rosemount Police Department announced Wednesday that it has purchased a new means of non-lethal force.

The department purchased two "PepperBall" launchers for $580 each in February, a non-lethal force option used by several law enforcement agencies across the United States, the department said.

Patch reached out to Rosemount police to learn more about the use of the launchers.

"It's a new thing that has become available to law enforcement," Rosemount Sergeant Shawn McMenomy said. "It's new on the market. We try to give our officers as many tools as possible to do their jobs as effectively and as safely as possible."

McMenomy told Patch that in the right situation, this device may be able to assist officers in resolving situations with less force.

He added that last summer's civil unrest played a part in deciding to purchase these devices, but there are other uses for it as well.

"There is a practical use for (the device) during unlawful riots or assemblies, or similar types of situations," McMenomy said. "Typically our goal in those situations is to get people to disperse and for the unlawful assembly to not be there anymore."

The launchers can also help officers arrest suspects while using as little force as possible, McMenomy said.

"If there's something out there that can help us do the job more effectively without having to use a high level of force, that's something we want to have," McMenomy said.

The "PepperBall" pellets contain a powdered chemical that irritates the nose and eyes, similar to pepper spray, the department said.

Rosemount officers recently were trained on how to use the new equipment, the department said.

A few officers went through a course to become certified to teach the other officers about the launcher, McMenomy said.

McMenomy said that during part of the training, officers are exposed to the chemical to understand what the people experiencing getting the PepperBalls launched at them feel.