Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Parsely]

In the grim darkness of the future there is only the space police, and lots of criminals to arrest. So how do you subdue someone in microgravity?

Do you tell them to put their hands up? Maybe. The whole idea is that it puts one's hands further away from the waist and chest, where weapons might be concealed, and in order to attack someone with one's fists one needs to place one's hands in front of one's torso before one can punch or grab the arresting officer (not that punching would ever be useful in microgravity). But if your hands are up, then that means you're not controlling where your body is, so you'll be floating around until the arresting officer can put the bracelets on.

Would you handcuff them? It certainly would prevent one from using one's hands to resist or interfere with the arresting procedure. Someone who's skilled might be able to move around with only their legs, but most people would just hurt themselves if they tried pushing around without the use of their arms to prevent collisions.

If you want to pat someone down (if you're in a pressurized environ—a space station or an asteroid base—the inhabitants would largely be wearing normal clothes) for weapons then either the suspect needs to be very cooperative by keeping himself steady with a handhold, or you need a second officer to hold him still while another officer gropes the suspect.

Is there a better way to arrest space pirates? Or do the space police need to suffer the traditional techniques in order to bring in the bad guys?

[GiglameshDespair]

Truly one of life's great mysteries.

[Puzzlemaker]

All you have to do is tell them to remove any jetpacks and gently push off the nearest surface.  Not much you can do untill you float next to something grabbable.  Unless they had a gun or something.

[wierd]

Like all potentially dangerous activities, you need the proper gear.

1) Magnetic boots.
2) Netgun with retracting tow line and built in taser function.

Activate magnetic boots to secure self against that nasty second law of motion.
Shoot netgun at POI, taze as needed to subdue individual, activate retracting tow line and bring them in.

[IronyOwl]

You throw space oranges at them until they're spinning. Their aim will be crap if they've got a gun, and any unsecured possessions will be spun away from them.

Once they've become sufficiently dizzy and disarmed, you throw oranges at them until they stop spinning, allowing you to gently place them in a Suspect Containment Box for transport to the nearest processing center.

[Graknorke]

Shoot them because they looked threatening to the officer.
Problem solved.

[Parsely]

All you have to do is tell them to remove any jetpacks and gently push off the nearest surface.  Not much you can do untill you float next to something grabbable.  Unless they had a gun or something.

That's a good point. Depending on how big the room is they'd eventually hit a wall, but until then they're helpless. Unless they have a firearm or a laser, then they're still dangerous.

Like all potentially dangerous activities, you need the proper gear.

1) Magnetic boots.
2) Netgun with retracting tow line and built in taser function.

Activate magnetic boots to secure self against that nasty second law of motion.
Shoot netgun at POI, taze as needed to subdue individual, activate retracting tow line and bring them in.

Real astronauts don't use magnetic boots because of potential interference with critical electronic systems, but there are some situations where the space police might not care about that... Hopefully the hull is actually made of ferrous metals, and not aluminum or titanium.

Tasers are a good idea. Once you shoot someone with the prongs, they're under your control, since they have to either obey or get zapped, and the wires don't have to be very long to keep someone from accidentally tearing them out by floating away. There's still a chance of people pulling out the prongs.

[Loud Whispers]

Shoot them because they looked threatening to the officer.
Problem solved.

Nah just chuck em into space

[wierd]

Strange question...

Does gecko tape work in vacuum?

If so, there's your alternative to magnetic boots. STICKY boots!

[Loud Whispers]

Strap geckos to your feet instead

[Frumple]

Harpoons. The answer to the initial question is harpoons. Hopefully by the point we have space police, we'll also have even more effective trauma medication. Probably, if the space cops are shooting people with harpoons to get them to hold still.

[Parsely]

Harpoons. The answer to the initial question is harpoons. Hopefully by the point we have space police, we'll also have even more effective trauma medication. Probably, if the space cops are shooting people with harpoons to get them to hold still.

Aha. Let's assume not.

Strange question...

Does gecko tape work in vacuum?

If so, there's your alternative to magnetic boots. STICKY boots!

In 2001: A Space Odyssey the stewardess has velcro shoes.

[Bohandas]

Shoot them because they looked threatening to the officer.
Problem solved.

That only works if they're black though

[Calidovi]

Shoot them because they looked threatening to the officer.
Problem solved.

That only works if they're black though

Woah there, friend. Try "African-American".

On topic, though, you might want to try a taser/direct-energy weapon for disabling, assuming that the cops in space aren't too Dredd-y and not just as violent as the pirates.

EDIT: Direct energy, however, could be extremely threatening to a ship's electronics.

[Frumple]

Aha. Let's assume not.

What about magnet-headed harpoons, in a scenario where the only viable outerwear has magnetic materials in it? Be kinda' like an upsized game of this, maybe. Only the fishing poles are rocket propelled or somethin'.