CRYSTAL, Minn. — A recent string of violence is putting a renewed focus on school safety and how to stop it. Former Minnesota educator Jody Allen Crowe created REPULS, a new kind of irritant he says will stop criminals in their tracks.

He partnered with a chemist in 2014 after the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. The chemical is created mostly with water, unlike pepper spray, which uses a chemical derived from hot peppers. Crowe says pepper sprays also spread and can burn people's eyes and make it hard to breathe.

REPULS is still an oculate irritant, but it doesn't impact someone's breathing.

"It is the only one of its kind," said Crowe from his office in Crystal.

The handheld version is already successful - used by hundreds of police departments across the country. Security g

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