Pepper spray fallout: UC Davis campus police chief placed on leave following incident

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

UC Davis police spray seated protesters

(Credit: CBS Sacramento)

(CBS) DAVIS, Calif. - The chief of the University of California, Davis's campus police joins two campus police officers who have been placed on paid administrative leave after the officers used pepper spray on a group of Occupy UC Davis protesters last week, reports CBS Sacramento.

A video of the officers using pepper spray at point-blank range on demonstrators sitting peacefully on the campus quad was shown on CBS Sacramento Friday and quickly drew accusations of excessive force.

UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi released a statement Monday morning announcing that campus police chief Annette Spicuzza has been placed on leave.

"As I have gathered more information about the events that took place on our Quad on Friday, it has become clear to me that this is a necessary step toward restoring trust on our campus," read the statement.

The UC Davis faculty association called for Katehi's resignation, saying in a Saturday letter there had been a "gross failure of leadership." Katehi has resisted calls for her to quit.

According to CBS Sacramento, the pepper spraying prompted the president of the University of California system to ask for an assessment of law enforcement procedures on all 10 campuses.

"Free speech is part of the DNA of this university, and non-violent protest has long been central to our history," UC President Mark G. Yudof said in a statement. "It is a value we must protect with vigilance

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by mikeg151 November 22, 2011 1:37 AM EST

If you know a police officer or have ever been a police officer this is really not a story at all. Pepper spray is a much safer way to move people or to get them to comply than physically touching the person.
None of us know why he actually felt the need to use the spray but I can only say if they were asked to move and refused to comply then he picked the best alternative he had to help get the job done.
The public always wants to judge but none of us were there to know what really happened. Most of the times in these instances when the officers need to move a large crowd you see them with their batons in hand. I for one would much rather be sprayed than hit with a baton.
The pepper spray has no harmful effects. It hurts like hell for about 20 minutes and your mucus membranes run like crazy. If you can get to water or something to decontaminate the pain goes away even quicker.
Needless to say until we know all the facts in my view and with my past experience as an officer he has done nothing wrong!!!!

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by swell_swell November 22, 2011 11:43 PM EST: I disagree wholeheartedly. Pepperspray is intended to be a non-lethal means for responding to threats of violence. According to all reports, there were no threats of violence against this officer or any other officer. The students were sitting down with their arms interlinked. What this officer did was abuse of office and assault under color of authority. It's pretty cut and dried.

As for reports of other officers feeling threatened by "being surrounded by students and cut off from their support", they must not feel very secure in their jobs. Again, no violence was offered to the officers. A few words were exchanged, but no threats were made. So why did they feel threatened again? Because they were trying to threaten the students and expected them to respond in kind perhaps?