There was a time when TREXPO was primarily a trade show and conference for SWAT officers, but as it has evolved TREXPO has become more of a general interest law enforcement exposition.
Both TREXPO's roots and its evolving focus were both evident in the product offerings at the West Coast edition of the conference held Feb. 19–22 in Long Beach, Calif. On the show floor of the Long Beach Convention Center, several new products made their debut and several others made their TREXPO debut.
Mk-IX Technologies
SenZur Meth Detector
Methamphetamine is the drug plague of our times, and one of the problems that law enforcement faces in the fight against this scourge is identifying meth in the field. Enter the SenZur. A handheld digital meth detector, the SenZur looks an awful lot like a flashlight, and it's just as easy to use. All an officer has to do when operating SenZur is point it at a suspected quantity of meth and pull the trigger. A high-frequency light scans the suspected meth, stimulating the chemicals and instantaneously analyzing them for meth content. If the $1,999 device detects meth, it vibrates in the operator's hand and displays a hit on a built-in LCD screen. There are no indicators that the suspect can see that will reveal what the operator has discovered. SenZur is not a replacement for forensic laboratory testing; it is intended as a replacement for field testing kits that require disposable swabs.
Protection Development International
Tac-Cat Armored Vehicle
Departments needing a small tracked vehicle for overcoming barriers and smashing through barricades may want to look at Protection Development International's Tac-Cat. The Tac-Cat is armored with NIJ Level III or Level IV armor. More importantly, it has a hydraulic boom that can be fitted with jaws, a ram, and even a cutting tool. The boom can also be fitted with a video camera for recon and surveillance.
Veritas Tactical
Less-Lethal Weapons
Veritas Tactical's line of less-lethal weapons includes a pistol and a rifle that both use CO2 to fire .68-caliber paintball-type rounds. Ammunition for the weapons includes PAVA rounds, glass-breaker rounds, rubber rounds for impact, plus inert and clear gel rounds for training. The Veritas MK-IV rifle looks a lot like an M4, has a muzzle velocity in excess of 400 feet per second, and holds 15 rounds. It has a range of 25 meters to point of aim and an area range of 100 meters. The Veritas VT-P8 pistol also has a point-of-aim range of 25 meters and a muzzle velocity in excess of 400 fps. It holds eight rounds in an easily loaded and exchanged magazine that also holds a CO2 canister. Need FREEInfo? Use #15319
Ordia Solutions
Mobile Tactical Collaboration System
Perhaps the easiest way to explain Ordia's MTCS is in terms of a computer-based interactive planning and force allocation tool. It's essentially a computerized version of one of those maps with all the pins on it showing where your officers are operating. To use the MTCS, you have to have a GPS tracker in your patrol cars or other emergency equipment. This gives an incident commander real-time intel on the positioning of his or her officers via a PC or a smart phone like a BlackBerry. It also allows multiple commanders to plan the allocation of their assets from different agencies. The commanders can communicate via the system by dragging and dropping assets on the real-time map until they agree on positioning. Once the units are in the field, commanders can use the system to make sure they are in the right place. They can also use MTCS to tell the units to reposition. MTCS has already been used to plan and supervise police operations in Richmond, Va., Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pittsburgh, and other locations.
Miltner Adams
Tactical Knives
In six years as editor of POLICE, I have seen a lot of knives, but I've never seen anything like the tactical knife line from Miltner Adams. Available in folding and fixed-blade versions, the Miltner Adams knives are triangular-shaped knives with an innovative blade grind that the company has trademarked as the HollowFlat Blade. The HollowFlat Blade is similar to a chisel grind blade, except the flat side is hollow ground, producing a raised flat bevel that makes it possible to sharpen the blade on the flat side. In addition to the unusual blade design, the Miltner Adams knives have innovative handle designs with multiple finger positions. Miltner Adams says the design improves the user's grip over the traditional knife handle design.
Pine Harbor Holding
ShadowShield
Distributed by U.S. Armor, the ShadowShield is an innovative idea in ballistic shielding and camouflage. The acrylic shield has a mirror finish that reflects the countryside around it. Anything behind that shield is virtually invisible. It can also be used in an urban setting or even inside a building to disorient a suspect. Should the suspect decide to open fire, the ShadowShield has inserts that offer NIJ Level IIIA and even Level IV protection.
Maxpedition
Volta Battery Case
It used to be said that a soldier traveled on his stomach. Today's military or law enforcement operator travels on batteries. Just about everything that a cop or soldier uses in the field—weapon optics, lights, all kinds of critical equipment—runs on batteries. This is why one of the coolest products at TREXPO West was the Volta Battery Case from Maxpedition. The MOLLE pouch has a non-conductive plastic case that can hold up to eight CR123, AA, or AAA batteries and separate spent and new cells. Available in black, OD green, khaki, and foliage green, the case sells for $15.99, $16.99 for DFC.
