Reporting Highlights
Harming Children: Kids were in cars, at home and walking to school when tear gas or pepper spray left them wheezing, coughing and struggling to breathe. The weapons are especially toxic to kids.
Excessive Force: Judges described the use of these “less lethal” weapons as excessive but had no power to curb them nationwide. Kids in other communities continued to get hurt.
No Uniform Standards: DHS policies on the weapons are less strict than those of some local police departments. The agency’s inspectors general found officers have historically been undertrained.
These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
