BORELLI CONSULTING: Tactical Equipment Reviews

Guardian OC Grenade & Extraction Unit
Courtesy of Steve Forgues

Guardian Protective Devices is one of many pepper spray manufacturers. Last year while attending a Counter-Terrorism Conference, there were many law enforcement and military geared equipment manufacturers. Guardian Protective Devices was one of the companies represented. I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Herb Schreiber, President of Guardian Protective Devices. Herb certainly has a passion for providing equipment that helps protect those that go into harms way. Herb showed me several of their products, which I was itching to get my hands on. A few months ago, I finally did get my hands on some of their products. Herb was kind enough to send me several O.C. Grenades and Extraction Units.

O.C. GRENADE
The O.C. (Oleoresin Capsicum) Grenade is like a CS Grenade in that it disperses a chemical agent. That is really the only similarity between the two. The O.C. Grenade that Guardian Protective Devices is not a pyrotechnic device, which lends itself to being used in situations where it wouldn't be safe to use a CS Grenade, more about that later.

The Grenade is about the same size as an MK3 and is much like any other O.C. canister that you might use, except for the nozzle end. Although this isn't something that you're probably going to carry on your belt, due to its size, it will fit into a standard MK3 pouch, so whether you carry it on a drop leg platform or on your tactical vest, there will be a wide selection of pouches available. The canister comes with a protective top so you do not have an accidental discharge of O.C. Pull off the protective cap and you find the locking nozzle. This nozzle is much like you would find on a flea bomb for your home. With the top of the can pointed away from you, press the nozzle until you feel and/or hear the click of the nozzle locking open. At this point the O.C. is dispersing and time to get it into the target area. You can toss it or as Herb suggested, roll it into the room. If the flooring is a hard smooth surface like concrete, vinyl/tile or hardwood flooring, when you roll the canister it, it will be dispersing, but when it bumps into something such as a foot, table leg, etc., it will cause it to rotate/change directions, but then with the pressure of the contents coming out it will start to spin, dispersing the O.C. 360 degrees.

This Grenade would be useful in many applications, such as area denial. There maybe a time when you are searching a building or home and have cleared an office/room and need to deny entry to anyone that maybe hiding somewhere. Upon clearing and exiting the room, toss in an O.C. Grenade and move onto the next room. When it comes to conducting an arrest/search warrant on a methamphetamine lab, it can be very dangerous with all of the volatile chemicals. If you make entry and use a distraction device or CS Grenade, you will most likely have more than the bang of the device you just threw in, risking the lives of officers and innocent people. In a situation like this, an O.C. Grenade would be a great option. Introduce one or more O.C. Grenades into a lab, which may cause the suspects to come out to you, or at least incapacitate them enough for you to make entry and get control without the lab exploding. Many of us have seen or been involved in riots/disturbances and how tough they can be to combat. You see officers throwing CS Grenades and firing CS projectiles into the groups. Some people disperse, and I have seen on many occasions some of them return to the action after getting away from the CS for a few minutes. As all of us who have been exposed to O.C. know, it takes awhile to go away. O.C. Grenades I believe would be a good alternative or in addition to CS in riot situations.

I was very impressed with the Grenade, and will certainly add some to my duty bag. They certainly pack a punch, but much more affordable compared to CS Grenades.

EXTRACTION UNIT
The Extraction Unit is very similar to the O.C. canisters (MK3 size) that you carry on your belt now, except that it also has a clear rubber hose attached. The rubber hose is several feet long, and at the end of the hose is a hard plastic tube that is cut off at an angle allowing it to slip past or through things easily. Obviously this isn't something that you're going to carry on your duty belt, but kept readily accessible in your duty bag.

There is a wide spectrum of uses for this unit, and only limited by your imagination. One is to extract a subject from a vehicle. Many years ago I had been trained to spray O.C. into the fresh air vent of a vehicle in order to extract a person, but that only works if the ignition key is on. With the Extraction Unit, you can push the hard plastic tube through the rubber door seal and fill the inside of the vehicle with O.C. Doing so, you cause an extreme discomfort for the individual without having to take out a window, potentially causing cuts to yourself or the subject from the glass. If you need to extract a subject from a room, but don't want to make entry do to the circumstances, you can slip the plastic tube under the door of the office/room, and again making the subject very uncomfortable. We have all seen movies where they drilled a hole through a floor/ceiling and poked a flexible camera through to see the bad guys. Whether or not this is just movie stuff, or actually done by teams, doing the same sort of thing with the Extraction Unit is also an option.

Guardian Protective Devices is certainly coming up with some innovative products to keep all of us safe on the streets. After working with the O.C. Grenade and Extraction Unit, I am a believer in their products and would highly recommend them. You can visit Guardian at www.guardianpd.com.

I have a comment on or question about this article.

Don't forget to check out this week's Recreational Review about the SOG Knives SEAL Revolver - a knife, not a handgun.

This week's Training Article discussing necessary evolution in police response tactics for immediate response and counter-terrorism.

For a listing of all reviews in chronological order, GO HERE.

New American Truth eMagazine
Dedicated to ALL citizens who oppose terrorism and injustice.
Subscribe Today!

Subscribe To New American Truth