Tactical Batons

Tactical batons have been a valuable piece of police duty gear for hundreds of years. Over time, as technology changes, the type of baton the police favor changes as well. The simple nightstick or club has given way to engineered tactical defense weapons that are well suited to modern law enforcement.

A hundred years ago, the most common type of tactical baton was little more than a club, shaped to be easily handled and useful in a variety of situations. The simple club design gave way to the T-shaped baton, a design that was heavily influenced by the tonfa, a tradition martial arts weapon of Japan. The tonfa, which features a small side handle just above the base, is a versatile weapon that can be used by trained agents to a much greater effect than a simple club.

Currently Popular Tactical Batons

Nowadays, expandable batons are slowly replacing the side-handle tactical baton. Expandable batons have a number of advantages over side-handle batons. Though they cannot be used in as many ways, they compress to a very small size, are much lighter than traditional side-handle batons, and may be outfitted as multi-purpose tools.

For example, some expandable batons are fitted with a small light on the handle end. When fully collapsed, the batons look just like normal flashlights. With a flick of the wrist, however, the flashlight can be flipped and extended from a mere six inches to between 16 and 31 inches.