A nightstick is a short, solid club that police officers carry as a defensive tool. Usually made of wood or hard plastic, it's about as long as your forearm and designed to help officers protect themselves or control dangerous situations without using more serious weapons.

Today, police often carry expandable batons made of metal instead, but the traditional nightstick remains an important symbol of law enforcement.

Officers receive special training on when and how to use a nightstick properly. The tool can stop an attacker or help an officer defend against physical threats, but its use is carefully regulated because it can cause serious injury if misused. In many police departments, the nightstick serves more as a visible deterrent: seeing an officer equipped with defensive tools can discourage people from starting trouble in the first place.

You might also hear nightsticks called billy clubs or simply batons. In movies set in older time periods, you'll often see police officers tapping their nightsticks against their palms as they walk their beats, a distinctive image of traditional law enforcement.