The Lakeville Police Department is deploying a new non-lethal weapon system that will provide officers with additional options during patrol operations, according to a department presentation.

Officer Mariah Kellington, a four-and-a-half-year veteran and member of the department's Defensive Tactics Team, outlined the implementation of Tactical Response Pistols during the briefing. The TRP system uses pepper ball rounds containing pava powder, a chemical irritant similar to pepper spray, to gain compliance from non-compliant individuals.

The department plans to distribute the pistol-style pepper ball systems to approximately half of its patrol officers, while the remaining officers will carry tasers. This approach ensures all officers have readily available non-lethal options during their shifts, according to the presentation. The department already uses rifle-platform pepper ball systems assigned to squad cars.

All officers receive training on the pepper ball systems, which operate at the lowest level of the use-of-force continuum. The weapons can be deployed when suspects demonstrate verbal non-compliance, delivering both kinetic impact and chemical agent through rounds that break on contact.

The TRP systems allow officers to carry the non-lethal weapons on their person throughout their shifts, making them immediately accessible during emergency responses, unlike the existing rifle platforms stored in patrol vehicles.