Riot shield

For other uses, see Riot.

A riot shield was a type of handheld physical shield or personal deflector shield that was carried by hand. It was primarily used by security forces, law enforcement, and the military. The primary use of the riot shield was to protect the user from lightly armed aggression in crowd-control by law enforcement, though on occasion they were also used in battle.^[1]

One such example of a riot shield being used in a military situation was at the Citadel prison during the Clone Wars, when the droid commandos that guarded the prison carried riot shields at the Battle of Lola Sayu. The clone trooper Echo attempted to use a riot shield to prevent the droid commandos from destroying the Republic squad's escape transport during the battle, but the riot shield was ineffective against the laser turret and he was nearly killed in the explosion that followed.^[2]

Though uncommon in all-out battles, riot shields were often granted to personnel assigned to security-related duties. During the Clone Wars, the clone riot troopers of the Galactic Republic's Coruscant Guard and the ranks of the Separatists' Commando Droids were given these to aid in their duties. Riot Control Stormtroopers and Shield Troopers of the Galactic Empire often used Riot Shields. After the fall of the Galactic Empire, at least one of its remnants was known to entrust riot shields to its Imperial Armored Commandos.