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From: leonard@qiclab.UUCP (Leonard Erickson)
Newsgroups: alt.cyberpunk,rec.arts.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Future Police Speculations Needed
Message-ID: <864@qiclab.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 22-Nov-87 19:54:55 EST
Article-I.D.: qiclab.864
Posted: Sun Nov 22 19:54:55 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 26-Nov-87 21:56:32 EST
References: <1463@haddock.ISC.COM> <1824@trex.rutgers.edu> <23473AE4@PSUVMA> <21598@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <3173@ihlpl.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: leonard@qiclab.UUCP (Leonard Erickson)
Distribution: alt.cyberpunk,rec.arts.sf-lovers
Organization: Qic Laboratories, Portland, Oregon.
Lines: 37
Xref: mnetor alt.cyberpunk:195 rec.arts.sf-lovers:9339

The first mention of a taser-like weapon that I ever saw was in _Gallagher's
Glacier_ by Walt & Leigh Richmond. The inhabitants of a "company planet"
mining colony stage a revolt. They have built the weapons under the eyes
of the company without raising suspicion.

Double-barrel motorized squirtguns as toys for the kids. Add a simple 
circuit and fill it with salt water and you have a short-range taser that
uses twin streams of water instead of wires. (all you need it for is long
enough to zap one guard [company cop] and take his gun...)

As for the anaesthetics etc, I recall reading of several workable alternatives
developed during the 60's. The weren't fast acting, but their effects were such
that they would "sneak up" on you. 

First was an agent that would lower your blood pressure. You feel a bit light
headed so you'd sit down, a bit later you start feeliing light headed again.
This increases until you either lie down or pass out. In most cases it would
level off at around this level. You can lie there, but if you try to get up
(or get excited) you'll pass out. Real hard to fight in that condition.

Second was a muscle relaxant. It was also slow acting. It worked its way up
spinal cord. First the feet, then the ankles, and so on up the body. Since it
only affected voluntary muscles, there is no danger of suffocation or the like
(unless they wind up in some odd position when they fall down).

Then, of course, we have the things that were developed for riot control.
"liquid banana peel" and the isolation foam. The foam is a non-toxic,
opaque foam. It deadens sound nicely.  Visibility is around 2 inches.
No good for stopping hostage situations, but they *would* be used
for crowd control in a typical cyberpunk world. After all, they don't
cause property damage the way tear gas and water cannons do....
 
-- 
Leonard Erickson		...!tektronix!reed!percival!bucket!leonard
CIS: [70465,203]		...!tektronix!reed!qiclab!leonard
"I used to be a hacker. Now I'm a 'microcomputer specialist'.
You know... I'd rather be a hacker."