Officer Loses Job over Pepper Spray Usage

When it comes to devices such as pepper spray, many people would believe that those who own such tools would use them in the correct way; that being when an individual’s life is in danger, or could escalate to such a point.

Unfortunately, not everyone in possession of these self defense devices utilizes them in the correct manner, which was certainly the case when it came to a Milford police officer who used pepper spray on an emotionally disturbed woman while she was handcuffed to a wall inside a hospital.

As a result of the incident, the woman who was targeted suffered a seizure and had to be put on a ventilator to assist her breathing. She also claims that the officer in question sprayed the pepper spray down her throat; however the officer denies these charges.

Of course, everyone is aware of the affects that these devices entail, but we also take it for granted that when police officers are in possession of such weapons they utilize them in a way that helps to protect the innocent, while taking down individuals who are posing a threat to the community.

However, while this wasn’t the case in this instance, that isn’t to say that, everyone should automatically assume that police officers who do carry pepper spray are naturally going to use them in an abusive manner.

The objective of a police officer is to protect the innocent in a way that involves very little harm, while disabling an offender in a quick amount of time. The operation of a self defense device is naturally the chosen tool as it delivers quick results, thus helping to reduce tension in a situation that could otherwise escalate out of control.

A woman handcuffed to a hospital wall couldn’t have posed much of a threat and yet the officer in question took it upon himself to disable the woman whom he thought was causing a disturbance. Of course instead of wasting pepper spray on people that don’t require its use, these devices should be targeted at people who do; people that could potentially risk the life of someone else.

However, while there are some police officers who go out of their way to abuse their power on innocent victims, such as the woman handcuffed in a hospital, that isn’t the case for all of them.