Officer Who Sprayed Inmates with Pepper Spray is Reinstated

An officer has been reinstated by the Sheriff’s Merit Board after being long under fire for employing his self defense pepper spray on inmates.

The officer’s future with the department came under question and the basis of a discussion between the Lake County Sheriff and the then-candidate. As a result of the close ties to the candidate, the sheriff sought to have the officer in question fired.

However, after a number of months a new board voted to reinstate the officer to his present post.

When it comes to the utilization of pepper spray, it is often seen as part of police personal equipment. The simple reason being that it provides the necessary protection and is safe to employ.

Not only that, but many members of the public have also turned their attention to the device because of its effectiveness and because of its size. This means that regardless of where a person may be they will always have the reassurance that they are protected.

Of course, before police are first permitted to use these tools they are required to undergo a period of training first. This is to ensure that they know how to employ the device they may need to rely on.

When it came to this officer those on the board deemed it right to reinstate him. However, this is not the first nor will it be the last time that an officer will be called into question because of these non-lethal devices.

But what needs to be remembered is the fact that they offer a safe alternative to other weapons available to police departments.

Since the introduction of these devices police departments have noticed a greater decline in the number of injuries sustained by its officers when they are confronted by individuals they are trying to arrest.

But with the assistance from self defense devices such as pepper spray those risks are eliminated giving more room for officers to continue with their jobs in the knowledge that brute force is no longer a requirement.

In this day and age anything that can better police and public protection is certainly a step in the right direction which was clearly believed to be the case in this situation.