Agents have new weapon in defense of the border

Posted: Feb 13, 2008 04:26 PM PST

Tucson Border Patrol agents have a new tool in their belt and they're using it in the name of safety.

Agents are assaulted, or there is at least an attempted assault at all times of the day on the border. At least once a day, said Agent Dove Haber, "In this sector we've had 81 attempted assaults so far just since October 1."

Last week, an agent was working along the border just before dawn, when smugglers started throwing rocks. Haber tells us, "A situation like that really demands that an agent stay calm and collected."

The agency covers some of their vehicles with metal screening. They're called ‘war wagons.'

Agents can spend up to ten hours a day in a vehicle, and at any given moment someone can start rocking them.

Supervisory Patrol Agent Jeff Tanner has been an agent for seven years. "We don't want to have to resort to deadly force when it's not absolutely necessary. This gives us another option to end the assault as quickly as possible."

That's why the Border Patrol is now using the FN303. Tanner describes the newest weapon: "It's a tool designed for stopping assaults. It's here to protect agents and let them go home safe every night."

Agents also use a pepper ball launching system. "It makes your eyes, makes your nose burn, it makes it difficult to breathe. Other than that, it's not harmful," said Tanner.

Both are easy to fire and effective at far range. The FN303 impacts 16 to 24 pounds of pressure.

Tanner said, "You've seen the damage on our vehicles. You've seen the damage they're doing to the international boundary. These items will help put an end to that."

Since the agency introduced the FN303 in October, it has been used twice: once in Nogales and once in Naco.

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