During any period of civil unrest there is a significant chance of disaffected citizens taking to the streets, whether peacefully or otherwise. The initial choice of how to deal with this body determines the type of manpower and equipment used, a decision that must be made carefully by the attendant Governor or enforcement officer. Over-reaction would certainly crush any public opposition and disperse crowds, but at the same time has many negative effects on morale and public perceptions of Imperial law and rule. Too light a response allows such events to gather mass and actually become dangerous forces with the potential of disrupting government, as well as reflecting badly on the Governor.
The basic choice is between lethal and non-lethal weaponry. The decision is based on the perceived level of threat and the existing laws; under Imperial law a Governor is given carte blanche to deal with his citizens as he sees fit, as executor of the judiciary and legislative body he is granted total power over his respective area of control. However in order to maintain a stable government a careful choice must be made, one that will adequately deal with the situation, without long lasting negative repercussions.
Threat-dependent force deployment is easily visible, visibility being the key tool of crowd control. A visible enforcement presence acts as a barrier and a reminder, a warning and a means of control. On some occasions an enforcement presence may be incendiary and require careful balancing, but in most cases will break the morale and will of any crowd, dispersing it within hours and stripping it of much of its potential power.
The traditional mainstay of riot control are specially equipped Imperial enforcement officers with heavy armour and special weaponry. These officers use force and intimidation to subdue (overcome and incapacitate) rioters and subsequently allow less heavily armoured, more mobile officers to arrest people.
In face of a greater threat, the riot officers will be backed up with other officers equipped with slugthrowers to drop chemical rounds into a crowd, or perhaps sonic or stun weaponry to disable entire groups at a time.