Carrying Pepper Spray? Better try it first

Officers in La Joya, California are recovering after going through a training course provided by the department. Before being certified to carry pepper spray officers in the local police department are required to attend a class. Guess what an obligatory part of the curriculum is? All officers must get sprayed as part of the process.

As if getting sprayed by pepper spray directly in the eyes isn’t insult enough, officers then have to negotiate an obstacle course while blinded and tearing profusely. The goal is to teach officers how to react if they get pepper spray in their own eyes while engaged with a perpetrator.

While the temporary loss of eyesight is frightening to some, learning how to deal with it prepares officers to function even while impaired. The experience was invaluable.

Female officers are not exempt from the training. If they want to carry pepper spray, they too must undergo the same procedure. The department is striving to teach it’s officers not only how powerful a weapon pepper spray is, but also how to function when under duress and in pain. It is hoped that the officers' personal experiences will cause more restrained in using pepper spray.

Pepper Spray is Potent
There is no question that pepper spray can help control a mob, ease the police’s job in crowd management and improve compliance in unwilling individuals. It works on contact and can be a very effective way to subdue violet offenders.

Officers involved in the training agreed unanimously that getting sprayed is painful, but survivable. None expressed regrets about the experience. Rather, they seemed to have a greater appreciation for the tool and its uses.

When confronted with violent or non-complaint individuals police officers must have access to as many tools as possible. With pepper spray police have the upper hand, which can diffuse serious situation in a minute.