Opening Their Eyes to Safety : Self-Defense: Harbor College officials say post-riot jitters and concern about street crime have spurred enrollment in classes on the use of tear gas.

Steve Wu braced himself as the Q-Tip touched his face. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then he winced. “I’m starting to feel some minor burning,” he reported, closing his eyes hard. Tears began to trickle down his face. He struggled to open his eyelids and said, “It burns right away.”

Other students in the class on “Mace Self-Defense” watched Wu closely, some looking pained, others taking notes.

The lesson: Even a tiny amount of tear gas can cause stinging, burning and tears--more than enough discomfort to foil a would-be attacker.

Amid fast-growing demand attributed in part to fallout from the recent riots, the Los Angeles Harbor College extension program in Wilmington has increased the number of classes it offers in the use of tear gas, or Mace.

The college began with one nine-student tear gas class in the spring of 1991, expanding to three classes this spring and two this summer. In all, 125 students have taken the class.

“The popularity really spread,” said the course’s instructor, Police Officer Mario A. Casas.

Asked to explain the interest, school officials and students cite reasons including unease caused by the riots, press reports of gang violence and public concern that street crime is worsening.

Under state law, California residents can carry tear gas spray for self-defense only if they complete a state-certified class, pass a test and receive a state certificate.

In the Harbor College program, students pay $46 for the single-evening, three-hour course plus another $6 for state certification. They hear a lecture, watch a video and take a multiple-choice test.

The course is especially popular among women. Twelve women and four men showed up last Wednesday, representing a mix of age and ethnic groups.

Glenda Gingras, 58, said she wanted to learn to use tear gas because she walks to and from work daily.

Debbie Colman, 25, said she is worried about how to defend herself.

“More and more, you hear on the news (about) people getting attacked,” she said. “You hear about it so much that I finally said, ‘Hey, being a single woman, you’ve got to do what you can.’ ”

For some, the cause for concern is more immediate than media reports.

Someone broke into Wu’s car a few weeks ago, stealing loose change and a CB radio. In response, he installed a car alarm and signed up for the tear gas class, bringing along both his sister and his fiancee.

“It brought it up close and personal,” said Wu, 30.

Casas said several of his students have been victims of street robberies, purse snatching and pickpockets, but adds that post-riot jitters have also prompted residents to enroll.

“They realize now that the police can only do so much,” he said.

Adell Shay, director of the extension program, said enrollment was swelling even before the riots. “My guess is that it’s the gang warfare that has created a feeling of wanting Mace,” she said.

In last week’s class, students listened as Casas explained the legal and practical guidelines for using tear gas.

What if one of them was about to be assaulted in an office parking garage? The student could reach for his or her tear gas canister, spray the assailant directly in the face and run for a telephone to call the police.

And if the victim kicks the assailant in the stomach after the spraying?

“Have you crossed that line of excessive force? Yes, you have,” Casas said. “Mace is for self-defense only.”

The students peppered Casas with questions. One woman motioned at the small tear gas canister he held.

“Do you use it once and it’s gone?” she asked.

“It all depends on you, how lead-fingered you are,” Casas answered. But in an assault, he advised, empty the canister.

The Department of Justice’s Advanced Training Unit in Sacramento has seen a steady increase in demand for the tear gas certificates and now issues about 2,000 a month, a spokeswoman said. Certification classes are available at colleges, some police departments and security schools around the state.

Colman said after the class that she might enroll in self-defense courses in karate and how to handle a gun. But she particularly likes the idea of tear gas because “you’re not going to kill that person. You’re just going to get away.”

Wu, armed with his new certificate, planned to go shopping last week for his own tear gas canister--just in case. “By the time we become victims,” he explained, “it may be too late.”