Sheriff’s office personnel undergo Taser, pepper spray certification
Robbinsville – When summoned to the witness stand, it is crucial that an officer of the law can confidently state why a particular use of force was deployed in the apprehension a suspect.
There is nothing like first-hand experience to back up what is said while the officer is under oath.
For those who join the ranks of the Graham County Sheriff’s Office, the protocol is simple: to add a Taser or pepper spray to your belt, you must undergo a certification process. The two-step task requires a classroom course (which is renewed yearly), as well as being exposed to the weapons themselves.
Last week, several members of the office had the unfortunate duty of completing phase two in the process. Some were Tased or pepper sprayed March 18; others were stunned and stung Friday.
“Most agencies require exposure,” said chief detective Travis Brooks, who is also a certified trainer through Axon Enterprise – the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company that initially designed the Taser.
“If you’re called into court – to justify why you used what you did at a particular time – you know what it feels like. You’ve been exposed yourself.”
The zapping occurred inside the Robbinsville High School wrestling building. Three newcomers to the force were each clutched by a deputy on either side. Once Brooks pressed the trigger, the results varied. All three were slowly guided to the ground by the deputies, as the sticks were removed by a member of the viewing audience.
Pepper-spray exposure thankfully was held outdoors on the track, where five officers were tasked with running a short lap to increase heart rate, doused with the potent Sabre Red Crossfire spray, asked to recite an obscure statute, run another lap, contend with a “suspect” (deputy Justin Stewart, wearing a padded suit), then asked to handcuff deputy sheriff Randy Price – all while the pepper spray singed every single nerve in their face.
Brooks explained that the makeshift obstacle course was designed to simulate a real-life scenario, as a struggle with a suspect that would require the use of pepper spray could go eerily similar – and a deputy might even end up accidentally catching some of the spray.
“We want our guys to know that they can train themselves to fight through it,” Brooks said. “You have to make good decisions in those moments. You’ve got to get a suspect safely through it, cuffed and in the car. You’re responsible for them after you’ve deployed a Taser or pepper spray.
“It’s one thing to watch it on a video or to hear about it from somebody regurgitating that information: it’s another when you’ve felt it a couple of times. You know then that you can take care of a suspect and get them in custody.”