riot shield

A modern shield used by police and some military forces in riot control to protect against melee attacks and thrown projectiles, or non-lethal weapons such as rubber bullets and water cannons. Riot shields are typically made out of transparent polycarbonate and are designed to be shatter resistant, but are generally not bullet resistant.

Riot shields can come in two main variants, one that is one-handed that affords less protection but allows the user to use the other arm, generally to wield a baton. It has two handles, the left-most of which is held on to while the other keeps the arm in place. The other, two-handed variant requires both arms and provides full protection.

Not to be confused with ballistic shield, which has an opaque, metallic appearance and often a narrow viewing port.

Examples

Non-examples

Ballistic shield

See also

• Rioting
• Riot police
• Shield wall
• List of armor

External links

• Wikipedia: Riot shield

This tag implicates shield (learn more).