A
baton or
truncheon (also called a
cosh,
billystick,
billy club,
nightstick,
sap,
blackjack,
stick) is essentially a
club of less than arm's length made of wood, rubber, plastic or metal. They are carried for forced compliance and
self-defense by law-enforcement officers, correctional staff, security-industry employees and (less often) military personnel. Other uses for truncheons and batons include crowd control or the dispersal of belligerent or non-compliant people.