Police departments across the country are turning to less lethal weapons, like the high-pressure pepper spray gun used in Boston on Lansdowne Street, to control crowds or dangerous suspects. But the weapons are raising concern because they are sometimes doing exactly what they are designed not to, causing death or serious injuries. Since 1999, the high-pressure guns that fire pepper spray or pepper-powder-filled plastic balls have been adopted by more than 2,500 of the nation's police departments. "There is certainly a safe range for these, but they can cause irreversible damage," said Glenn Shwaery, director of the University of New Hampshire's Nonlethal Technology Innovation Center, speaking about nonlethal weapons in general. "It does give you an option between using nothing and lethal force, but the technology is not where we want it to be."

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From:
Aftermath News
Top Stories - October 25th, 2004



Red Sox Fan Victoria Snelgrove Killed by Policeman's 'Non-Lethal' Weapon
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/377678/