Those giant floats used in parades are pretty intimidating. Why not capitalize on this? Instead of tanks, horses, battalions of shield bearing cops, deploy a huge inflatable float! One could probably retrofit Kermit or Underdog for crowd control or design a new and menacing float. Unless the rioters are armed with rifles, there is not much they could do against a float. The float would drift over the crowd and bestow all sorts of control on them. It might even settle down moistly on top of them for a sort of wet blanket effect.

As I type this I remember the malign parade floats from the Batman movie. However, in the movie I think the poison gas was subtle and the fact that the floats were evil was not immediately realized by the crowd. Riot Floats would instill a disinclination to riot from the getgo. Maybe, to this end, they should be funny or friendly - Holly Hobbie mounted with water cannons, or some such.
-- bungston, Mar 10 2008

neat, but I'm more of the "4 helicopters drop an immense net on the crowd" kind of guy.
-- FlyingToaster, Mar 10 2008


I don't think my imaginary helicopter pilot self would be comfortable flying carrying a net.

And if they're armed with rifles, I think that takes them out of the category of rioters and into the area of paramilitary strike force.
-- normzone, Mar 10 2008


//if they're armed with rifles//

then there's the option of "falling helicopter" crowd control
-- FlyingToaster, Mar 10 2008


Didn't that fail in Mogadishu, [FT]?

(Oh, my. Was that inappropriate?)
-- globaltourniquet, Mar 10 2008


"...settle down moistly..."?
-- phoenix, Mar 10 2008


//drift over the crowd and bestow all sorts of control on them.// hehe
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Mar 12 2008


Do you mean blimps? The giant balloons have many handlers beneath, holding tethers for control. Often, these handlers are not rioters, so they'll need to be intimidating, too. The floats are the wheeled flowery showcases in the parade, which don't float, but feature boy bands. Sorry to moisten your parade.
-- Amos Kito, Mar 12 2008


My parade has become very moist indeed at the thought of riot control by virtue of intimidating handlers, flowery showcases and boy bands.
-- bungston, Apr 27 2008



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