HOT PEPPER SPRAY USED TO COOL DOWN CRIMINALS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, January 21, 1992                   TAG: 9201210203
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: KARI PUGH POTOMAC NEWS
DATELINE: MANASSAS                                LENGTH: Medium
HOT PEPPER SPRAY USED TO COOL DOWN CRIMINALS
Jim Horton dropped to his knees when the police officer wielding a tiny black canister sprayed a cayenne pepper solution over most of his face.
Horton had trouble catching his breath and could not open his eyes as he staggered in the Manassas Police Department's back parking lot.
He was in no condition to fight.
If Horton, a city police officer, had been a violent person battling with officers, the spray would have done its job.
Ten or so city officers attended a training session recently on the new spray, but did not enjoy learning firsthand how it works.
Each city police officer must take a shot of the pepper spray in the face as well as attend five hours of training on its effects before the department begins using the spray for self-defense.
The spray, directed toward the eyes, left an orange film over the officers' faces.
After getting a blast, they ran for the hoses.
"I want a pay raise," Horton said as he ran cold water over his eyes.
Officer Vernon Bortz said he could still feel the effects the next day.
"That stuff burns," he said.
The spray does not have any harmful or long-term side effects, but it brings a criminal to his knees, said Officer Doug Keen, an instructor in the use of the new spray.
The active ingredient, cayenne pepper, forces the eyes closed, burns the skin and causes shortness of breath, he said.
Keen said the cayenne pepper spray, called CapStun, works better than Mace and other chemical vapors, especially on drug users taking PCP, cocaine or heroin.
"It has no lasting effects," he said. "It doesn't deform any body parts. The effects are over within 45 minutes. It seems to work on everyone. Some chemical sprays don't work on certain people."
Manassas police have never carried chemical sprays, Keen said.
Keen and Officer Bryant Arrington should complete training the officers within six weeks.
Officers said they look forward to the day Police Chief Sam Ellis takes the training session and tests out the spray.
"Oh, he'll do it," one officer said. "He tries to keep close to the streets."

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB