Beyond Pepper Spray

Book excerpt: Veteran police officer Michael Conti presents the first complete coverage of chemical agents and equipment from the perspective of a street cop. In one comprehensive volume, readers can quickly and easily find pertinent information about modern chemical agents, how they are deployed, their effects and state-of-the-art protective gear. It includes the most common chemical agent weapons (from OC spray to gas launchers to thermal fogging systems), specialty impact munitions and military-class chemical agent weapons (from blood and blister agents to deadly nerve agents), as well as a concise history of their development and use. This allows the reader to better understand the role these devices have played in the past and the role they may play in the coming years, both by law enforcement agencies and terrorist organizations. This is a must-read for law enforcement, military and security personnel, or anyone with a responsibility for, or concern about, the use of chemical agents. Especially timely now is the section on how to ensure personal safety in the event of a chemical attack.