SACRAMENTO, CA - Documents released in the wake of a controversial police pepper-spraying incident at the Occupy UC Davis rally Friday set out campus police procedures.
In a document effective March 2004 that detailed use of force policy, the UC Davis Police Department said,
"It is the policy this Department that officers will use only that amount of force that reasonably appears necessary, given the facts and circumstances perceived by the officer at the time of the event, to effectively bring an incident under control. "Reasonableness" of the force used must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene at the time of the incident. Any interpretation of "reasonableness" must allow for the fact that police officers are often forced to make split-second decisions - in circumstances that are tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving - about the amount of force that is necessary in a particular situation."
The procedures go on to say,
A. When determining whether or not to apply any level of force and evaluating whether an officer has used reasonable force, a number of factors should be taken into consideration. These factors include, but are not limited to:
1) The conduct of the individual being confronted (as reasonably perceived by the officer at the time).
The concern stemming from Friday's events is that two officers deployed pepper spray on students that many observers and participants say were peacefully protesting and non-violent. Those officers have been placed on administrative leave as well as Police Chief Annette Spicuzza. University Chancellor Linda Katehi has directed a task force to investigate what happened.
In addition, the board of the Davis Faculty Association has called for Katehi's resignation and the Council of UC Faculty Associations condemned the police violence.
In a noontime rally Monday on campus, several students who said they were pepper-sprayed described their experience as horrifying and that they were scared, in pain and in shock.
According to the university, 11 students were treated on site for the effects of pepper spray, with two going to an area hospital and being released. Ten students were arrested and cited for unlawful assembly and failure to disperse. Some students had erected about two dozen tents on the quad area and the university had issued an order for them to remove the encampment by 3 Friday afternoon. When the tents had not been removed, campus police in riot gear were in place to enforce the order.
Students were circulating a petition Monday, seeking the resignation of at least one of the officers.
"Pepper spray is something that is used for an attack or when someone is attacking you. Pepper spray is not something that is used to disperse people who are sitting peacefully protesting," said student Zack Began.
Related UC Davis police procedure documents
Arrest Procedures (July 2004)
Mutual Aid Procedures (June 2004)
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