Training for Law Enforcement Officers
Monday, April 13th, 2009
While police are often criticized for having inadequate training, the truth is, even police officers performing the most standard tasks (like issuing parking tickets) have to go through a rigorous training phase. While films like Police Academy have lampooned the process by which police officers are trained, the training is quite strenuous, and many candidates don’t pass. Even qualifying for law enforcement training can be quite a chore, as police officers have to pass stringent background checks and jump through several hoops before being accepted.
While training, future law enforcement officers learn hundreds of valuable skills, and must pass tests that test their physical and mental limits. In addition, future police officers sometimes must test the weapons they would use on others on themselves, to understand how the weapon works and how to overcome the same threat should the situation arise. For example, it’s common for law enforcement officers to be hit with a burst of police pepper spray during training. They experience the stinging sensation and learn how to compensate for it, and also recognize how it will affect a potential attacker.
Inflicting bodily harm on another person is a crime, just as taking a life. Both aren’t felonies or misdemeanors however, when done in self defense. Self-defense is defined as the act by which an individual protects himself from physical harm that is brought about by another person. This is accomplished with a counter attack or an offensive move that is meant to thwart the assailant.
Pepper spray is an excellent deterrent to an attacker, as it has immediate and severe reactions. It’s an inflammatory, and will cause immediate closing of the eyes, difficulty breathing, a runny nose, and coughing. According to the European Parliament Scientific and Technological Options Assessment, the chemical will cause temporary blindness which can last from 15 to 30 minutes, and create a burning sensation on the skin which can last 45 minutes to one hour. It also leads to upper body spasms, which will force the attacker to bend forward and cough uncontrollably, making it difficult to talk or breathe for three to 15 minutes.
