Road Sentry Improvement

• NCJ Number: 209560
• Author(s): Brad X. Boyer
• Date Published: November 2004
• Length: 55 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2002-LT-BX-K009
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Best Practice/State-of-the-Art Review

Annotation

This report describes developmental engineering work performed on the Road Sentry device, a less-than-lethal technology designed to immobilize commercial motor vehicles.

Abstract

Developmental work was performed by Non-Lethal Technologies, Inc. to improve the effectiveness of the Road Sentry’s ability to immobilize commercial vehicles. The main objective of the current project was to modify the design in an effort to improve the capacity of the Road Sentry to carry out a “hard kill” during an initial encounter with any type of commercial motor vehicle; the goal was an 85 percent improvement. A “hard kill” is described as rendering a vehicle incapable of moving under its own power due to electrical disability. The field-testing of the Road Sentry that was conducted in 2000 revealed it had a 44 percent effectiveness rate at achieving “hard kills.” The report includes a technical description and summary of the engineering design goals. A summary of the work performed is provided and future activities are presented, including the field-testing of the improved Road Sentry device at Kirkland Air Force Base. Photos, appendixes