One thing that helped avert bloodshed in New Haven last week was a small aerosol bomb, the "Chemical Mace," that is being put into use by some 2,000 law-enforcement agencies across the country and in time may well replace the head-cracking, bone-breaking billy club. Dubbed the "gentle persuader" by some policemen, the Mace fits inconspicuously in a belt holster—and looks about as persuasive as a can of shaving foam.
The resemblance ends there. With a range of from 12 ft. to 15 ft., the Mace's chemical stream (a tear-gas concentrate called phenylchloromethylketone) affects nerve ends and produces an instant shock...
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