Evaluation of Pepper Spray

Evaluation of Pepper Spray discusses the implementation process and field test results of a project to evaluate the effectiveness of pepper spray in police confrontations with humans and animals. A research team analyzed Baltimore County Police Department policies, implementation training, and use of pepper spray. Key issues include: whether OC spray can effectively incapacitate humans -- including those who are intoxicated, drugged, or mentally disturbed -- in confrontations with police and whether OC spray can reduce the number of assaults against police attempting to subdue or arrest hostile/aggressive subjects. The research showed that OC spray successfully incapacitated humans in 156 out of 174 (90 percent) confrontations.