Riot police often use special equipment called
riot gear to help protect themselves and for offensive use in riot control. Riot gear typically includes
personal armor,
batons,
tactical shield,
riot shields, and
riot helmets. Many riot police teams also deploy specialized
non-lethal weapons, such as:
baton rounds,
sponge grenade,
pepper spray,
tear gas,
riot guns,
rubber bullets,
stun grenades,
water cannons, and
Long Range Acoustic Devices. Through the 1900s and into the 2000s, riot gear technology has advanced with the help of the militarization of riot police organizations. Some riot gear technology, including
tear gas, was originally created for its use in the military, specifically the First World War. In the United States in 1969, it was recorded that the riot police had extensive militarized gear including bulletproof vests, multiple-purpose grenades,
water cannons, helicopters,
batons, radio communication, barbed wire, police shields, and riot vehicles. In 2017, economic and political protests in Venezuela brought upon a new era of Venezuelan riot police gear with military vehicles that included features like
tear gas launchers and
water cannons. The military vehicles were used as perimeter defense lines to contain the protests, and provide the riot police with enough power to inhibit the advancing violence. These military vehicles used by riot police around the world are commonly sourced from military product companies including
Norinco, a Chinese military product manufacturer. In the United States, the federal 1033 program allows for police departments, including riot police units, to request military equipment for circumstances that have arrived or that may arrive in the future. Because of this program, police militarization has expanded across each state allowing state riot police to receive military style gear similar to that of the
Special Weapons and Tactics teams. The police departments that received 1033 program funding are primarily smaller police departments. Riot gear became the key tools for police forces to combat large demonstrations, including political and economic protests and labor demonstrations, that sought change without the explicit consent of the presiding government. == Riot police duties ==