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Police want to bean bad guys

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DES MOINES, Iowa, July 31 (UPI) -- The newest addition to the Des Moines police department's crime-fighting arsenal is full of beans.

The department will spend about $4,000 for 12 specially designed shotguns that fire beanbags -- small packets of lead pellets -- designed to knock down suspects with what police described as "less lethal" force.

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Sgt. Todd Dykstra of the Des Moines police say the beanbag guns will complement 12 Taser guns already in use, the Des Moines Register reported Thursday. Such weapons give officers another option when they are confronted at close range.

The Tasers fire darts that penetrate the skin and deliver an electric jolt. Police fired Tasers eight times last year and five times so far this year.

The Taser has a 21-foot range. A beanbag shotgun can be accurate at 60 feet, Dykstra said.

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