Ferguson police are evaluating a new attachment to their guns that could give a suspect a chance to live in an otherwise lethal encounter with police.
This latest piece of weapons technology is called “The Alternative,” and it’s an orange-colored plastic device mounted on a gun barrel that turns the first fired bullet into a ping pong ball-sized projectile, designed not to kill.
Several officers have been trained on how to use it, but city officials have yet to decide on making the gear a requirement.
“It’s something we’re testing for ourselves and seeing if this is even something feasible or reasonable to use for law enforcement officers,” Ferguson Mayor James Knowles told CNN.
The testing began just a week shy of the six-month anniversary of the killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by then-Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson, who is white and has since quit the force. The August police shooting sparked an intense, sometimes violent reaction from Ferguson residents, and demonstrations spread across the country.
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So far, The Alternative has never been tested on the human body, and it has not been used in real-life situations.
Ferguson police have trained with the device on their shooting range, but it hasn’t been taken or used on the streets.
Mayor Knowles emphasized how his city continues to evaluate the technology.
“It hasn’t been used by anyone else, which is why we are doing all of our due diligence, making sure it’s properly tested, that it does not put anyone, especially our law enforcement, in any increased danger, and we’ll just make a decision based on that,” he said.
CNN’s Michael Martinez contributed to this report.
