The Pierce County Sheriff's Department recently showcased one of the more intense aspects of a deputy's training regimen: pepper spray day. A recent post on the department's blog delves into the grit required to not only endure a direct hit of pepper spray but also demonstrate the ability to persevere through its agonizing effects. Pepper Spray Day is a critical part of training, ensuring deputies understand the potency of the tools at their disposal.
According to the blog post, "All deputies are required to experience and demonstrate they can fight through a pepper spray exposure." The training is meant to prepare the deputies for real situations where control and composure are paramount, despite direct exposure to the incapacitating spray. Not all who elected to face the pepper spray kept their composure. While some faced the challenge with resolve, others grappled visibly with the intense burn and temporary blindness that is part and parcel of the substance's effects.
The Pierce County Sheriff's blog post makes it clear that this baptism by capsaicin is not for the faint of heart, detailing "These correction deputies handled it like professionals since this is not something you ever want to experience for fun. "
