ABSTRACT
Techniques have been available for many years to deal with civil disturbances and uncontrolled demonstrations – in particular methods involving the utilization of irritant chemical substances. Modalities used in riot control situations are intended to deter, disperse or render temporarily incapacitated those involved in disturbances using minimal physical intervention and reduction of face-to-face conflict between law enforcement or responding personnel and demonstrators. Nonchemical means of riot control and crowd dispersion include the use of water cannon and plastic/rubber bullets – other approaches such as the use of low friction polymers to hinder movement has been suggested as a potentially useful riot control technique. Chemically based means of riot control and crowd dispersion, either in use, under development, or proposed, include the following types of chemical intervention: (1) peripheral sensory irritants (i.e. “tear gases”, oleoresin capsicum (OC, “pepper spray”), (2) dyes, pigments or fluorescent marking paints, (3) persistent obnoxious odor causing substances (malodorants), and (4) nonirritant obscuring smokes (Swearengen, 1966; Pearlman, 1969; Deane-Drummond, 1975; Ballantyne, 1977). Riot control methods are diverse and some have obvious toxicological, medical, operational, or sociological disadvantages and have not been utilized in civil disturbances. Of the aforementioned chemically based riot control technologies, devices/systems based on the peripheral sensory irritants also referred to as “lacrimators,” “harassing agents,” “tear gases” (i.e. chloroacetophenone (CN), o-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS)), and “inflammatory agents” (i.e. OC), constitute the mainline riot control agents (RCAs) used by law enforcement and military personnel. A recently developed product for law enforcement use (i.e. CapTor®) contains nonivamide (“synthetic capsaicin”) as the active ingredient and is considered by the manufacturer as an improvement over established defense sprays containing CS, CN, or OC.
