Controversial Crowd Control Weapon Tested in Calif. Jail

The first round of tests of a controversial crowd control energy weapon are set to begin at a Los Angeles County jail. The 7 1/2-foot-tall “Assault Intervention Device,” installed in a unit housing about 65 inmates, is controlled by a joystick and computer monitor and emits a CD-sized beam ... that just so happens to cause an awful burning sensation. The invisible beam, which can inflict pain up to 100 feet away, penetrates the skin ever so slightly—about 1/64th of an inch.

Deputies say no one can stand being in the beam's path for more than about three seconds. It's being tested for six months by the National Institute of Justice for use in jails nationwide. Read the full article at NBC Los Angeles. (More jail stories.)