Tintreach Incorporated

Raio SA

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Law enforcement equipment and technology
Founded	2002
Headquarters	Dinsmar, Temuair
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	CEO:
Products	Electroshock weapons
Revenue	229 million (2018)
Parent	TOPSA

Raio SA is a Dinsmar-based firm which develops technology and weapons products for law enforcement and civilian uses. They are part of the TOPSA group, which is dedicated to providing law enforcement with equipment, training and technology. Raio is most known for the conducted electrical weapon which shares its name. The Raio is in use by law enforcement departments around the world and is the most widely used conducted electrical weapon worldwide.

History

Work on an initial conducted electrical weapon was begun by researcher Juan Arra who was seeking a force compliance device for use by corrections officers against unruly prisoners. Developed in 1974, the original device, which was simply known as the Arra Arma Eléctrica, or AAE, was tested by the Imperial Ministry of Justice's Department of Prisons. the original design used gunpowder as the propellant for the electrical barb and, as such, was classified as a firearm.

Products

Raio

The Raio was introduced in 2002 as a less-lethal force option for police to use to subdue fleeing, belligerent, or potentially dangerous subjects, who would have otherwise been subjected to more potentially lethal force options such as empty hand techniques, baton strikes or lethal force, and provides better range than OC spray. A 2012 study commissioned by the Imperial Ministry of Justice found that officer injuries drop by 76% when a Raio is deployed against a threatening individual. Data released by Raio SA and TOPSA has stated that police surveys show that the device has saved 90,000 lives, including suspects and officers, since 2005 when Raio devices were believed to be in common enough usage in Temuair and abroad to develop a statistically significant sampling.

The Raio is a small handgun sized device which fires two small barbed darts intended to puncture the skin and remain attached to the target. The darts are connected to the main unit by thin insulated copper wire and deliver electric current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles, causing "neuromuscular incapacitation.”. The current is delivered upon the initial press of the trigger after the darts connect with the target and lasts for approximately five seconds. Additional triggering of the weapon will discharge another five-second burst of electricity into the wires, and the target. Because of the intensity of the shock, the manufacturer does not recommend that total exposure should not exceed 15 seconds for any subject.

The Raio A2 was developed and released in 2012 and features a three-shot capacity before cartridges need to be reloaded. In addition, the newly designed cartridges for the Raio A2 are significantly thinner than previous versions.

All versions of the Radio have a maximum range of 35 feet. The electrodes are pointed to penetrate clothing and barbed to prevent removal once in place. The original version of the Raio device had significant difficulty in penetrating some clothing, such as heavy coats or other thick articles. The Raio A2 featured redesigned projectiles which are far more capable of penetrating through protective clothing.

It is important to note and understand that while the Raio is classified as a less-lethal weapon, fatalities can occur due to the use of a Raio device. Because the projectiles are sharpened for penetration purposes and electricity are in use, there is always a danger that either misuse, abuse of the weapon, or other unforeseen events, could cause a lethal reaction from the subject. Further, children, pregnant women, the elderly, very thin individuals, persons with known medical problems such as heart disease, history of seizure, or those with a pacemaker, are considered at higher risk for permanent injury or death when a Raio device is deployed. The manufacturer suggests law enforcement departments develop alternate training for officers when confronted with subjects who fit the above criteria.

Cartucho de Raios

A 12 gauge shotgun visually modified to show it is for use with CarRai rounds only with a Raio device attached to the pump. In addition, a CarRai shotgun round is shown as it would appear after being fired.

The Cartucho de Raios, often abbreviated C-Raios or CarRai, is a special 12 gauge shotgun shell issued to law enforcement officers in Temuair as well as available for civilian purchase. These transparent shotguns shells contain an electronic projectile weighing 3.4 grams. These rounds are able to be fired and cycled in any standard 12 ga shotgun, such as the Espingarda 2005, and were intentionally made transparent to assist with visual identification. Unlike the Raio and Raio A2, this device does use gunpowder as its propellant charge and are spin-stabilized in flight.

The CarRai projectile has two main sections. The nose of the projectile has four sharpened electrodes. These electrodes pierce the clothing and skin of the subject and serve as the main point of contact for the electric charge. Before impact, the nose and second stage of the projectile move as a single unit. A pair of wires tethers the nose to the second half of the projectile. The second half of the projectile contains the electronics that allow the round to transmit voltage to a target. This includes a battery, a transformer and a microprocessor that acts as both a trigger and a monitoring device. The battery stores the electricity the round uses upon deployment. The transformer's job is to convert the electricity from the battery into voltage high enough to induce neuromuscular incapacitation in the target. To keep the round from becoming a lethal weapon, the round limits the amount of current flowing through the system to a few milliamps.

Controversy

In 2008, deputy wardens with the Crathie County Warden's Department were engaged with Tristán Banda following a traffic stop on E-10 outside of Fife. Deputy Wardens had initially stopped the vehicle for a moving violation, but a NEID check revealed Banda had an outstanding warrant. When Deputy Warden Irene Garces attempted to arrest Banda, he became combative. Deputy Garces deployed OC spray against Banda to no effect, discharging spray into Banda's face no less than three times, and exposing most of his upper body to the mist. Garces' partner, Deputy Warden Luis Mercado then deployed his Raio device and struck Banda in the chest. Banda's torso immediately erupted into flames following contact with the Raio device. Deputies attempted to extinguish Banda, but were not able to approach him quickly. Banda suffered severe burns to his face and upper body and was taken to a local hospital by the officers shortly after the fire was extinguished.

Deputies Mercado and Garces were placed on leave during the investigation of the use of force. It was found that the OC spray used by Deputy Garces was an oil-based product, and so when it came into contact with the electric spark from Mercado's Raio device, it combusted. The officers were cleared of any wrongdoing by the internal investigation and returned to duty. The Crathie County Warden's Department immediately changed to a different brand of OC Spray, and Saradall, the maker of the oil-based spray, issued a recall for its products and began changing its recipe.

Banda filed suit against the Crathie County Warden's Department, Deputies Mercado and Garces, as well as Raio SA following his recovery, suing for both the cost of his medical expenses and the emotional damage suffered following the attack. During the trial, The Ebroa Division Courts ruled that there was no culpability on the part of the deputies involved or the Crathie County Warden's Department as the officers could not have reasonably been aware of the consequences, and the Crathie County Warden's Department had already initiated a program to prevent a repeat issue. Further, Raio SA was also not liable in the situation as their product had not malfunctioned in any way, and it was merely a confluence of circumstances that lead to the unfortunate event.