Doing More With Less: How Non-Lethal Tools Help Departments Protect Officers and Communities

Law enforcement agencies across the U.S. are navigating one of the most challenging environments in modern policing. Staffing shortages, heightened public scrutiny, and the increasing complexity of everyday patrol situations have raised the stakes for every officer in the field. Police Chiefs and Sheriffs are being asked to do more with fewer resources. In this episode of Officer Roll Call, Bob Plaschke, CEO of PepperBall®, makes the case for why non-lethal technologies like PepperBall can be a tactical force multiplier that helps officers change behavior and gain compliance while protecting those officers and civilians from injuries and as such reducing liability for their agencies. As CEO of PepperBall, Plaschke has spent five years working alongside law enforcement agencies in more than 60 countries, giving him a front-row view of how non-lethal systems are changing the equation in modern policing. He addresses the challenges chiefs know firsthand: solo officer response, close-quarters danger, officer mental health, and the mandate to reduce use-of-force incidents without sacrificing effectiveness in the field. The conversation also tackles the agency staffing challenges directly. With most U.S. agencies still running 10 to 30 percent below pre-2020 staffing levels, Plaschke explores how non-lethal tools can serve as a force multiplier, extending the capability of smaller teams while reducing the physical risk to individual officers. Central to his position is a simple framework: distance affords time, time provides options, and options reduce risk. He cites real-world data, including the finding that in agencies where PepperBall is widely available to patrol, roughly 90 percent of compliance is achieved simply through presence, before a single projectile is deployed. With millions of deployments across thousands of agencies over 20 years and no reported fatalities, PepperBall’s record speaks for itself. This episode is a must-listen for police chiefs, command staff, and training officers looking for practical, evidence-informed approaches to use-of-force policy, officer safety, and the modernization of their departments' less-lethal capabilities.