The Los Angeles Police Department’s own rulebook shows cops face tight limits — and scrutiny — when firing “non-lethal” launchers.
An internal document obtained by The Post shows Los Angeles police officers are operating under strict internal controls when it comes to firing so-called non-lethal weapons.
The rules sharply limit their use, ban them against most non-violent suspects and trigger a mandatory review if officers step out of line.
According to LAPD policy, officers are only allowed to deploy 40mm “less-lethal” launchers when there is an immediate threat to public or officer safety, or when failing to act risks a situation spiraling into deadly force.
The department’s Use of Force directive for the launcher, issued in September 2023, makes clear the weapon is not a tool for punishment.
Officers are barred from using it against unarmed civilians who are passively resisting or merely refusing commands, stating clearly that verbal threats alone don’t justify pulling the trigger.
The rulebook also clamps down on where officers may aim. Targeting the head, face, eyes, neck, spine, groin or kidneys is forbidden unless lethal force is already justified. Officers are told to aim for the navel or belt-line, reassess after every round and abandon the weapon if it’s not working.
The policy warns against using the launcher on children, pregnant people, the elderly, or anyone on elevated surfaces or in moving vehicles, citing the risk of catastrophic injury. Even during protests or crowd control situations, officers are restricted to firing at specific individuals, not into groups.
Before firing, officers must give a clear verbal warning — ordering the suspect to stop and warning that the 40mm launcher may cause injury. If no warning is given, the officer must later spell out exactly why, with vague claims like “officer safety” explicitly rejected as insufficient.
Every single discharge — hit or miss — is treated as a reportable use of force, and anyone struck must be taken for medical treatment before being arrested.
While the directive doesn’t spell out automatic punishments like suspension or firing, any deviation from approved tactics must be documented and justified, with serious departures requiring officers to explain themselves under LAPD’s “objectively reasonable” standard.
Every use of the launcher is subject to supervisory review, and officers who witness excessive force are required to step in and report it.
The policy also opens the door to administrative investigations, internal discipline and legal exposure under broader department and federal use-of-force rules.
An internal warning attached to the directive underscores the risk: even in fast-moving, chaotic encounters, officers are expected to stick to training — or be prepared to answer for it.
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