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

DATE: MONDAY, June 19, 1995                   TAG: 9506190036
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES                                LENGTH: Medium

ACLU WANTS PEPPER SPRAY CONTROLS

Warning that 27 criminal suspects have died in police custody in California in the past 2 1/2 years after being subdued with pepper spray, the American Civil Liberties Union Sunday petitioned the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to regulate the use of the device nationwide.

The Southern California branch of the ACLU said the use of pepper spray by police officers is becoming increasingly indiscriminate despite written expressions of ``grave scientific concern'' by the state Environmental Protection Agency about its safety.

The ACLU also cited warnings by the product's largest manufacturer that it can be fatal to high-risk subjects if improperly used.

Local ACLU Public Affairs Director Allan Parachini said that, when used properly, pepper spray may be an appropriate method of subduing violent suspects. But, he said, ``When used improperly and along with other dangerous types of police restraints, it is clear that fatal outcomes can result.''

The group's report urged special restrictions on the police use of hobble restraints, known as ``hogties,'' on prisoners who have been pepper-sprayed. In the procedure, officers handcuff a prisoner's hands behind the back, shackle the ankles and then connect the bound ankles to the handcuffs with an elastic cord.

Use of the ``hogtie'' procedure following a pepper spraying is particularly dangerous for suspects on drugs such as methamphetamine or suffering from respiratory problems, the report said. If a suspect, particularly an obese one, is lying face down, the body's full weight presses down on the lungs and chest cavity, possibly causing ``positional asphyxia,'' it said.

The ACLU recommended new warning labels, expanded training for police officers and for civilians who carry pepper spray for self-defense, and a requirement that police summon paramedic backup after a high-risk subject is sprayed.

by CNB