Phoenix police officers are moving away from traditional pepper spray and carrying a newer water-based irritant designed to stop a threat without creating the same lingering chemical cloud that can affect officers, bystanders, vehicles and enclosed spaces long after the initial spray.
FOX 10 Phoenix reporter Brian Webb said the department is using a product called REPULS, which is made mostly of water and contains no pepper. The department began introducing it to patrol officers in 2023, and by the end of 2024, every new recruit going into the field was carrying it.
The change reflects a longstanding problem with conventional pepper spray: it may work against the intended target, but in a tight space it can also spread far beyond that person and leave everyone nearby coughing, burning and trying to get away from the contamination.
Traditional Pepper Spray Can Affect Everyone Nearby
Lt. Marcos Rosales of the Phoenix Police Department told Webb that the department wanted an option that would be easier to control in crowded or enclosed environments…