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LA Sheriff’s Office Has A Gadget Guru

by Darren

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LEO these days loves their gadgets. Some of their high tech gizmos are turning catching criminals into fishing with dynamite. And Charles “Sid” Heal of the LA Sheriff’s Department knows his gadgets hands-down.

But for the last decade, Heal has dedicated himself to helping cops avoid deadly confrontations. As head of the sheriff’s Technology Exploration Unit, he has tested hundreds of high-tech law enforcement gizmos — some backed by huge corporations, others the brainchild of garage inventors.

The 32-year veteran of the department is not a scientist, and he doesn’t develop products. But a bad review from him can doom or delay an invention, while endorsements can have buyers lining up at the maker’s door. Some, such as Tasers and pepper-spraying flashlights, are now a part of deputies’ everyday lives.

It is Heal’s job to look at the untold number of gadgets that people want to pitch to LEO every day. For that reason he’s developed a keen eye on whether the devices will actually make everyone’s job easier, or will end up being expensive flops.

So the next time you hear of a wacky gadget catching criminals, remember that its someone’s job to find them.

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