Twice each year, the Tactical Response Expo (TREXPO), in its East and West Coast versions, offers a showcase for the latest in equipment and services for tactical police operations.

March 22-25, hundreds of tactical officers from throughout the Southwest walked the aisles of TREXPO West in search of something to give their teams the edge in their next engagements.

Some of the show's most popular attractions were the next generation of police shooting simulators, including an impressive 360-degree simulator from VirTra Systems. Police will cover the latest advances in simulator technology in our June issue. So we have decided to reserve coverage of the simulators at TREXPO West until next month.

But simulators were not the only interesting products on display at TREXPO West. The following is a quick look at some of the newest and most innovative products on the show floor.

Heavy Wheels

Alpine Armoring had one of the more impressive exhibits on the show floor. The company displayed its line of armored police vehicles, including the Model FLT-800, the Bulldog 1, and the Bulldog 2. Each of these heavy-duty trucks is designed for transporting tactical teams into harm's way. But the top-of-the-line Bulldog can be modified to move a SWAT team into the 21st-century version of hell. The Bulldog 2 can be equipped with a complete chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive response package to augment its standard features, which include armor capable of stopping multiple AK-47 rounds.
www.alpineco.com

Nail Stopper

For any cop who's ever stepped on a nail in the line of duty or who worries about nails and broken glass being used as booby traps, KP Industries' puncture-resistant orthotic could be a godsend. The Pro Safety Sole is a poly­urethane foam insert for your boot, but with one important innovation, the bottom of this orthotic insert is a sheet of stainless steel that can protect your feet from nails, glass, and other common puncture and cut hazards. Anyone who dropped by the KP Industries' booth at TREXPO West could have been treated to the sight of one of the company's principles gleefully stepping on carpenter's nails to no ill effect.
www.kpindustries.com

Electric Touch

One of the more intriguing products at TREXPO West was the Aegis MK63 Trident. A combination impact and electromuscular disruption weapon, the Trident is essentially a polymer baton with a business end that can zap a bad guy with 50,000 volts to stunning effect. It's a little heavy for a patrol belt, but the Trident offers some capabilities not found in other less-lethal devices. For example, it lets the bad guy know that you mean business. The Trident's stun tip arcs with a loud, mean crack, and through a patent-pending technology, it can do so for some time. That sound and the visual effect of the current dancing between the electrodes is likely to back down all but the most determined or stupid miscreants.
www.aegispds.com