Police Batons
Expandable • PR-24 Side-Handle • Tire Thumper • Tactical Pen • Less-Lethal
The complete impact-tool catalog for law enforcement, security, and lawful self- defense use — from 16", 21", and 26" expandable telescoping police batons in the classic ASP pattern through the PR-24 side-handle training baton, traditional polymer and mahogany tire thumpers, the iconic Cold Steel Brooklyn Slammer unbreakable polypropylene baseball bat, the American Tomahawk MP and Trench batons, kubotan- style tactical pens, compact keychain batons, and Fiocchi 12-gauge rubber baton rounds for less-lethal shotgun deployment. Every baton from $12.95 keychain through $60.90 trench-pattern — covering modern police duty, historical trench-club reenactment, and lawful private impact-tool ownership.
About Police Batons at Keep Shooting
Keep Shooting's Police Batons category covers the full modern impact-tool catalog — expandable telescoping batons in the three industry-standard sizes (16", 21", 26"), the PR-24 side-handle baton pattern, traditional fixed-length nightstick and trench-baton designs, less-lethal- ammunition options for shotgun-deployable rubber baton rounds, and compact kubotan-style tactical pens for everyday carry. The baton is the oldest non-firearm weapon in continuous law-enforcement service — police forces have carried truncheons, nightsticks, billy clubs, and their modern descendants from the founding of the London Metropolitan Police in 1829 through the present day.
The expandable baton — ASP and the modern police standard. The expandable telescoping baton — a steel cylinder that collapses to roughly 6 – 9 inches for belt carry and rapidly expands to 16, 21, or 26 inches with a wrist-flick motion — is the dominant 21st-century police-baton pattern. The design was commercialized starting in 1976 by Armament Systems and Procedures (ASP), founded by Kevin Parsons in Appleton, Wisconsin. Parsons' insight was that a duty baton needed to be carried constantly to be useful, and a 24-inch fixed nightstick on a Sam Browne belt was simply inconvenient enough that officers often left it in the cruiser. ASP's collapsible design — typically called the "F" or friction-loc pattern — solved that problem and became the worldwide police standard from the 1980s onward. Three sizes are universal: the 16" for plainclothes, detective, and EDC use; the 21" as the most common patrol-officer length; and the 26" for riot, transport, and corrections use where extended reach matters. Our 16", 21", and 26" expandable batons are the generic-pattern equivalent — same operating principle, same length range, substantially lower price point. The compact expandable keychain baton in our catalog is the smallest format — roughly 5" closed and 9" expanded, designed for keychain carry rather than belt deployment.
The PR-24 — Lon Anderson and the Okinawan tonfa legacy. The PR-24 side-handle baton was designed in 1971 by Lon Anderson and commercialized by Monadnock Lifetime Products of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire. The PR-24 — the designation stands for "Police Rotary, 24-inch" — derives explicitly from the Okinawan tonfa, a traditional martial-arts weapon with a right-angle perpendicular grip that allows the main shaft to be used in three modes (forearm block, swing strike, and rotated thrust). Anderson, a martial artist and police trainer, recognized that the tonfa's geometry gave officers a more controllable defensive weapon than a straight nightstick, and the PR-24 was adopted by major US police departments — most prominently the LAPD and Chicago PD — through the 1970s and 1980s. It remained in service through the 2000s before being substantially displaced by the expandable baton and (in many departments) by less-lethal alternatives like TASER. Our PR-24 side-handle white foam training baton is the foam-padded training version — identical in geometry and balance to a duty PR-24 but constructed of EVA foam over a fiberglass core, so force-on-force training partners can practice strikes and blocks without injury. This is a teaching-and-practice tool, not a duty weapon.
Fixed-length and historical batons. Beyond the modern expandable and side-handle patterns, our catalog includes several fixed-length and historical-pattern impact tools. The American Tomahawk MP Baton ($60.90) and American Tomahawk Trench Baton (OD green) come from American Tomahawk Company — the same Vietnam-era US Special Forces contractor that produced the SOG Vietnam Tactical Tomahawk for MACV-SOG units in 1966 and continues to produce military-grade impact tools today. The MP Baton is a modern military-police-style fixed baton; the Trench Baton draws directly from WWI trench-warfare designs (close-quarters trench- clearing tools were essential in the 1914 – 1918 trench fighting and have a continuous lineage to modern tactical impact tools). The Cold Steel Brooklyn Slammer ($32.59) from Cold Steel is the legendary polypropylene "unbreakable" baseball bat — same length and weight balance as a youth-league bat but constructed of high-impact polypropylene that will not splinter, crack, or break under any reasonable force. The Brooklyn Slammer has a cult following for home/vehicle defense use as a clearly-identifiable baseball-bat-shaped tool that avoids any "tactical weapon" legal characterization in jurisdictions where impact-weapon laws are ambiguous.
Tire thumpers — the dual-use tool. The tire thumper — a short, weighted billy-club-shaped striking tool — has a specific legitimate purpose: commercial truck drivers and motorhome owners use them to check pneumatic-tire inflation pressure by striking the tire and listening to the resulting tone (a properly inflated tire rings; an underinflated tire thuds). The technique pre-dates electronic tire-pressure monitoring systems and remains common in commercial trucking. The dual-use reality is that a tire thumper is also a legally-purchasable impact tool in most US jurisdictions where formal billy-clubs or saps are regulated. Our polymer tire thumper ($15.95) is the lightweight molded version; the mahogany tire thumper ($19.95) is the traditional hardwood version. Both are legitimate trucker tools and both are also functional impact weapons — buyers should verify their state and local impact-weapon regulations before purchase.
Tactical pens and kubotans. The kubotan — a roughly 5-inch metal or hard- plastic cylinder, often with a pointed end and ridged grip — is the smallest practical impact tool and was developed by Soke Takayuki Kubota in the 1960s as a keychain self-defense weapon. The modern tactical pen is a kubotan in pen form — a functional ballpoint pen constructed of aircraft-grade aluminum or steel with a striking end designed for lawful self-defense in jurisdictions where carrying an obvious impact tool is restricted but a writing instrument is not. Our Schmeisser Tactical Pen ($16.95) is a working ballpoint with a hardened striking cap, suitable for office and EDC carry. The kubotan/tactical-pen category is favored by frequent travelers who pass through airport security and wish to carry a lawfully-permitted self-defense tool on the destination side.
Less-lethal — Fiocchi rubber baton rounds. The Fiocchi 12-Gauge Rubber Baton Rounds from Fiocchi Munizioni — the 1876-founded Italian ammunition house — are 12-gauge shotgun-deployable rubber projectiles for less-lethal force applications. Less-lethal baton rounds (also called "rubber bullets" or "bean bag rounds" in related variants) are used by police and military forces for crowd control, prison and corrections deployment, and dangerous-animal repulsion. The rounds chamber and fire from any standard 12-gauge shotgun. Less-lethal does not mean non-lethal — these rounds can cause serious injury and have caused fatalities at close range — and deployment requires the same legal use-of-force justification as any other defensive tool.
Carry, accessories, and legal context. The USAF ABU Tiger Stripe Baton Pouch in our catalog is a genuine US Air Force issue carrier in the Airman Battle Uniform pattern — designed to mount on a duty belt and carry a folded 21" or 26" expandable baton. Note that baton legality varies substantially by jurisdiction: some US states (notably California, Massachusetts, and New York) heavily regulate or prohibit civilian possession of expandable batons and billy clubs; others (most of the Southern and Mountain US) place no meaningful restriction on possession. The federal LEOSA (Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act) extends some carry rights to qualified active and retired officers across state lines. We ship to all US states without restriction at the federal level, but buyers are responsible for compliance with their state and local laws.
Training and the use-of- force continuum. Police baton use sits on the use-of-force continuum between empty-hand techniques and firearms — typically considered intermediate force, on par with OC pepper spray and TASER deployment. Effective baton use requires substantial training, not just the physical tool: knowing when to deploy, the targeting zones that minimize lethal-injury risk while incapacitating a threat, the verbal commands that accompany deployment, and the post-incident reporting and medical-evaluation requirements that follow any baton strike. For training tools see also our Tactical Training Gear category. For complementary less-lethal tools see Pepper Spray and TASERs. For broader law-enforcement gear see Handcuffs, Body Armor, and Tactical Vests in the broader Tactical Gear department.
Keep Shooting ships all police batons from our Pennsylvania warehouse with free shipping on orders over $49.95 and hassle-free returns. Whether you are a sworn officer replacing a duty baton, a security professional equipping a new uniform, an EDC practitioner carrying a kubotan tactical pen, a commercial-vehicle operator looking for a legitimate tire thumper, a private buyer sourcing a Cold Steel Brooklyn Slammer for home defense, or a less-lethal-trained operator stocking Fiocchi 12-gauge rubber baton rounds — every product in our Police Batons catalog is from a respected manufacturer with genuine professional-grade design, priced from $12.95 keychain through $60.90 military-pattern.
Frequently Asked Questions — Police Batons
Keep Shooting carries a wide selection of Police Batons products from trusted brands. Browse our catalog to see the full range, and use the filters on the left to narrow by brand, price, or product type.
Yes! All orders over $49.95 qualify for free shipping, including Police Batons products. Orders typically ship within 1–2 business days.
Keep Shooting offers hassle-free returns on Police Batons products. If you're not completely satisfied, contact our customer service team for a return authorization. All products must be in original, unused condition.
If you need help choosing the right Police Batons product, our team is available to assist. Check individual product descriptions for detailed specifications, or contact us directly and we'll help you find the best fit for your needs.