SmartRounds(.com) as illustrated in the "far out" animation-video below is
just one of many innovative efforts to build intelligence into ammunition.
Black Lives Matter has exposed the need and selected solutions ( joincampaignzero.org ) as well as an approach respectful of the urgent need to protect the living from victimization. This is not that. This is an open-ended, questioning diary hoping some people here might KNOW SOMETHING (useful to me) or be interested. For example, searching Google by [safe ammo] was interesting, but I am hoping to zero in on the cooler side (help me find it?).
Non-lethal rounds have been used in militarized riot control situations over the past few years. I'm sure regular Kossacks can remember pictures of beanbag and wooden round injuries, not to mention folks getting shot with tear gas canisters, sprayed with pepper spray, etc. Brutal ugly stuff. I would hope this is not that either. Not DARPA. Not bloody minded shoot-em-up stuff.
What if the first two rounds in every LEO's magazine were non-lethal? BUT what if those rounds were a new state of the art in innovative ammunition technology. For example, sending telemetry to body cams and activating forensic evidence gathering AND notifications to personnel. SHOTS FIRED would be smart and forensic-quality captured as data. It would be expensive. It should be expensive. For the first two rounds. After that whoever can just go blam blam blam and start pulling off their standard ammunition as they see fit because I personally am not going to stop them. Maybe they might need to do that. But those first two rounds would be recorded.
The SmartRounds concept in the animation is cool because of the sensor apparatus. I found These SmartRounds Biographies interesting. What would it take to put BAD CAMERAS IN BULLETS. For example, I once heard Eric Peters of AVID say that in the early days, digital video was bad video. Aside from its research interest, bad video could be good enough for many purposes, such as commercial surveillance gear. I'll bet a projectile could fire off some sort of radio transmitted imagery plus telemetry data (WHAT DO I KNOW?!?!?!).
If it is just the first two bullets, maybe they should cost $1,000 each. Maybe they should be cool camera-rockets. Maybe an ammo revolution could make pacifism into a workbench hobby. Each variation of safety specifications, each configuration of impact and/or data-gathering could be appropriate for varying situations. But it would be nice if the first two BLAM BLAMs didn't kill so many black lives. It would be nice if LEOs firing shots independently and autonomously triggered the appropriate investigatory and supervisory procedures within their departments. Including generating data that could be useful in situations where real abuses occur, for example by individuals with mental health issues, rage outbursts instead of deescalation, the inevitable and sad cases.
At a high price tag, maybe these could be bullets even an NRA meanie would love because they were just such cool ammo. Buck Rogers. Science fiction. Another good idea to chalk up next to resilient water utility infrastructure (Note Rachel Maddow's dad). Ask the unicorn with the ray gun?