[coloradan]

Ditto sonic and microwave pain fields, beanbags, barf gas, sticky foam, water cannons, pepper spray ... stuff to make the rabble go home and stop complaining. Officers would never use any of these methods indiscriminately - or for the purpose of oppression of legitimate political dissent.

[Scruffy]

" - or for the purpose of oppression of legitimate political dissent"

Exactly my point. The police know that pepper spray can be lethal when applied directly to a person's face, yet, in Seattle, let few people go stupid and riot and all the other peaceful people get sprayed 6 inches from their with pepper spay full blast. Stun guns were used on people simply watching the mayhem. Police used "less than lethal force" on many people undeserving of any force, and the police used such "less than lethal force" in lethal ways.