Tanzini was born in Trenton, N.J., in 1926. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943. He was one of the American servicemen who landed on Normandy Beach in France a few weeks after D-Day. Several months later, he fought in the Battle of the Bulge, a decisive victory for the allies. When the war ended, he attended the Nuremberg Trials in Germany.

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After the war, he arrived home in New Jersey, got married, and moved to California where he became an upholsterer. Within a few years, he owned his own upholstery business called G.J. Custom, which he operated for 32 years.

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In 1957, he was asked by a training coordinator at the local criminal justice college to repair their punching bags. After repairing them annually for a couple years, Guido asked if there would be a need for a more realistic baton target in the shape of a real suspect. The coordinator said, "Absolutely."

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Within a few months in 1959 and 1960, Guido developed the Numb John baton training dummy. The original Numb John consisted of a sewn canvas dummy with arms, legs, head, and torso, all stuffed tightly with cotton. A rope around his arm pits suspended him from the ceiling. This glorified piñata flailed from side to side just like its predecessor, the hanging strike bag.

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By 1965, Guido had developed a steel frame for Numb John that allowed him to be free standing. To add to the realism, Guido made Numb John's right arm and hand project forward to simulate a weapon attack His feet were attached to a wheeled platform that also made him a movable and transportable training aide that could be used indoors and out.

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In the mid-1960s, polyurethane foams were developed and had proven themselves as a replacement for traditional padding. In 1969, the first molded Numb John was created. This version was outfitted with a nylon-reinforced vinyl suit that was sewn in a way so it didn't show a single wrinkle.

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In the mid '90s, expandable batons with a small steel ball at the tip were taking their toll on Numb John's exterior surface. In 2003, Guido, his son Phil, and 18-year-old grandson Nicolas, developed a durable yet flexible coating that's soft enough to punch and durable enough to tolerate all batons as well as the evolving development of the less-lethal ballistics market. This product was called Numb John XT (Extra Tough) and sold via the company Dummies Unlimited.

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Numb Johns have remained popular because they allow officers to develop motor memory from repetition, according to Phil Tanzini, the company's director of operations.

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"Since most agencies only train once per year with their baton, very little skill is retained by the officer," according to Tanzini. "Having Numb John available in a training room, briefing room, or sally port on the divisional level, allows officers to develop motor memory without costing the agency any additional training time or money."

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