Use of Force

Posted by: Blue

On Monday, twelve of us were pepper sprayed.  We spent the morning on drawing out our OC spray, practicing in a static environment.  Then at 1300 hrs, we were "exposed".

My goodness.

What a terrible thing for someone to invent to use on another human being.  I felt like I was going to go blind.  Seriously.  They told us over and over before we were sprayed that it would feel terrible but that we could fight through it, but when that Oleoresin Capsicum hit my eyes, I thought it was all over.  Somehow I managed to find the volunteer "suspect", and give him a flurry of knee strikes while telling him to get on the ground.  When he finally proned-out, I was able to draw my training gun and give instructions, and then somehow recite the circumstances where an intermediate weapon is justified.

When I finished my tasks, an instructor took my arm and led me into the academy building, down the satirs and into the showers, but not before tripping outside and walking into a wall inside.

The water did nothing but temporarily soothe the burning.  The tearless baby soap that I poured into my eyes was useless.

Finally, after 20 minutes of splashing cold water on my face, I bit the bullet and dried my face, accepting the burning until the effects wore off another 25 minutes later.

It is the most pain I have ever experienced.  I have cut the tip of my thumb off on a table saw, cut a gash in my leg from ankle to knee with an inner-tube valve stem, exposing my ankle bone, and stepped on a rusty nail that punctured an inch into my foot.  Those were nothing compared to pepper spray.  I hate pepper spray.  The only thing on earth that might cause more pain and discomfort than pepper spray might be giving birth sans-drugs with two shattered femurs.

Tasering, on the other hand was like a quiet stroll on a warm spring day in the park compared to the OC spray.  Not that it didn't hurt, but it was over as soon as it started.  We were all drive-stunned on Wednesday.  Our Service didn't have authorization at the time to give us the full 5 seconds of "riding the lightning".

I'm planning on requesting to re-do the tasering in six months when the next recruit class is doing their taser "exposures".  They should have authorization by then.

Thank God that we are on to computer week.  No significant chance of grievous bodily harm or death.