UC Davis pepper spray cop once lauded

University of California-Davis protesting students being pepper sprayed Friday / AP Photo/The Enterprise

DAVIS, Calif. - The riot-clad police officer who pepper sprayed a row of peaceful Occupy Wall Street protesters at a California university last week is a retired U.S. Marines sergeant twice honored for his police work on campus.

Lt. John Pike started working for the University of California, Davis police force in 2001. Now, as one of four lieutenants, he supervises more than one-third of the force including the investigations unit.

Pike has been honored twice for meritorious service, including a 2006 incident when he decided against using pepper spray against a patient in the campus hospital who was threatening his colleagues with scissors.

But an alleged anti-gay slur by Pike also figured in a discrimination lawsuit a former police officer filed against the department, which ended in a $240,000 settlement in 2008.

The footage of Pike pepper spraying students has set off a debate about how far law enforcement can and should go to disperse peaceful demonstrators.

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Many students, lawmakers and even the university's chancellor have called the officers' actions a horrific example of unnecessary force. But some experts on police tactics say, depending on the circumstances, pepper spray can be more effective to de-escalate a tense situation than dragging off protesters or swinging at them with truncheons.

"Between verbalized commands and knock-down, drag-out fights, there's quite a bit of wiggle room," said David Klinger, a former Los Angeles Police Department officer and instructor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who reviewed the pepper spray footage.

The university announced Monday that it has placed the police chief and two officers on administrative leave to restore trust and calm.

Pepper spray is an inflammatory agent that derives its active ingredient from chili peppers. When the spray is deployed, it causes nearly instant inflammation, resulting in dilation of the capillaries in the eyes, paralysis of the larynx and a burning sensation on the skin.

Pepper spray and its many (painful) discontents

The protest at UC Davis was held in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement and in solidarity with protesters at the University of California, Berkeley who were struck by police with batons on Nov. 9.

The UC Davis footage shows two officers spraying students with the chemical agent as the crowd cries out, then a slight delay before police start hauling off some of those seated while other protesters cough violently and try to crawl away.

The spray the officers used ranked about halfway between the highest and lowest concentrations of the commercially available substance.

Nine UC Davis students hit by pepper spray were treated, two were taken to hospitals and later released, university officials said. Ten people were arrested.

Since the video began circulating Friday night, UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi said she has been inundated with calls from alumni, students and faculty to speed up an investigation. Students and faculty have called for her resignation.

[DynamiteUtah]

I think protesters and administrators need to learn more about how the use of force is applied in policing.
http://alanmurdock.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/a-primer-on-policing-for-anarchists-activists-dancers-artists-and-other-undesirables/

[JustSayin9070]

War veteran and 18 years of Law Enforcement. I have spent my adult life protecting our Country. I have been put down, spit at, called names and things I will not mention. Try and get all the facts before you pass judgement on the Police. I understand California is liberal but is it lawless? The students were being passive resistant. Which is fine. But they were still breaking the law and there will be action taken if you do not respond to a lawful order. Don't know if they were warned of the pepper spray but I'm going to guess they were. If they were not warned, then yes action should be taken against the police. If they were, well that is the price of civil disobedience. In my many years of training, you go through steps when dealing with crowds. Pepper spray is just a tool. And once it is used you become responsible for those affected. So again, don't be quick to judge and please remember laws are here to keep us safe. Just my opinion not saying its perfect.

[joy88888]

The guy who invented pepper spray says it's not supposed to be used this way and is upset about it.

[waldosan]

totaly agree with you, justsayin. if a guy makes something like pepper spray then sells it he has no right in the say of it's use. i agree when it's said that if they were properly warned then it's their own fault for getting pepper spray in the face.

[Rayan7500]

A bunch of pimply-faced college kids blocking a campus sidewalk is not a threat. Law enforcement ******* can spin it any way they want, but they know that spraying a bunch of kids with a crowd fogger was done because Officer Fatazz got a new canister of the stuff and was just waiting for the opportunity to use it. While there's always a need to de-escalate legitimate threats using force that matches the situational context, this wasn't one that warranted kids being sprayed, in the face, at point-blank range. If you say it was, obviously never made it past high school, and therefore have no idea that protesting on a college campus is almost a rite of passage for students. It's so expected, it's considered a cliche. If Lt Pepper Spray wants to be a real bad azz how about going in to South Central and breaking up a gang related melee (of grown men), using his Jesus-in-a-can? No, this Chuck Norris of the UC Davis Poolease Dept would rather test his mettle on a bunch of babies barely off the teat. Just an all-around p***y move. By the way, Officer, lose some f-ing weight. You look like a garbage bag filled with soup.

[[e-mail]]

i read from one of the UCD students that the day before the pepper-spraying, john pike was specially friendly and supportive to the protesters. we wonder if he was criticised for talking to the students and forced into demonstrating his loyalty to his bosses by being the one chosen to commit this atrocity? i don't think it's fair or wise to focus all our blame on those near the bottom of the hierarchy. the ones who give the orders and hide behind the scenes are the real villains we need to expose. and that means going right up to the top. have you read naomi wolf's article about how to win the hearts of the cops? it is an excellent idea and will benefit us all greatly. let's not vilify those who are most powerless in the police force. let's make sure we reserve our ire for those who most deserve it.

[Rayan7500]

Not necessarily. Typically, only Lieutenants have the authority to use crowd-level foggers for crowd control and dispersement.

[Lee_Colin]

Occupation is a horrible, international crime. Though this is an awful name for the protest, the fact that there are so many brave and caring people in this country is encouraging. They are bringing widespread attention to injustice which is an important first step. I thank those of you standing up for what is right. At some point we need to bring everyone together and solve our problems. In the meantime perhaps we can arrest those who ordered the spraying and those cruel enough to do it. Those officers were hired to PROTECT the people they intentionally injured. Shame on them!

[SoCal_Gridlock]

Selective law enforcement is what you are suggesting. The protesters were breaking the law and defying police orders. Do you want to live in a country with laws or do you want to live in one without them?

[rationalcrank]

CBS
Did you happen to report how much it cost cities to provide security at all the Tea Party rallies the last three years? And while you're at it, can you tell me why you chose to used the word "truncheons" to describe one of the tools available to the police. Well at least we can be thankful the police are not swinging billy clubs...oh wait.

[USMCMAGGOT84-88]

I'm a VETERAN and that's not how we do it in AMERICA. For God's sake it's the campus of UC-DAVIS not IRAN. Those were KIDS,not goons and they had more balls than that cop will ever have.
FREEDOM of SPEECH & EXPRESSION maybe if you cowards who agree with the vops actions would take your blinders off and see how AMERICA is being screwed up not by OBAMA but by the men lighting thier cigars with $100 bills....they did what you P***IES are afraid to do MAKE A STAND for what they believe in!

[noloyalisti]

I guess that is what happens when you are a brainwashed right wing reactionary. You never know when you might flip out if some heat starts bothering your lizard brain.

[Widower1955]

From viewing the video, Lt. John Pike is nothing more than a thug in police clothing. He should be charged with use of excessive force and spend time in jail. He should also loose his pension from the university.

[noloyalisti]

I agree totally, we cannot allow criminal assaults on our citizens, no matter who does it. And in this case, these are our children who are going to someday run the country, hopefully for the better. Protesting and the 99% being out in the streets is the first step.

[wtf1948]

The chancellor should be fired and the police involved should be prosecuted and jailed. I don't hear much from out cowardly politicians regarding this incident.