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ACLU/SC Denounces Proposed use of "Inhumane" Heat Ray Device against Inmates
Recently, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced its intention to begin using an “Assault Intervention Device” that fires an invisible heat beam capable of causing unbearable pain on inmates at the Pitchess Detention Center‟s North County Correctional Facility.
On August 26, the ACLU of Southern California and the ACLU National Prison Project sent a letter to Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca demanding that he not employ this high-technology device, built for the military, against prisoners at the Los Angeles County jails.
The ACLU letter highlights the fact that the military incarnation of the device was briefly fielded in Afghanistan in June and then withdrawn in July without ever being used. While the device was being tested by the Air Force, a miscalibration of the device's power settings caused five airmen in its path to suffer lasting burns, including one whose injuries were so severe that he was airlifted to an off-base burn treatment center.
