MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Staff Writer
Posted: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 11:13 am

Most of the Citizens Police Academy has been dedicated to increasing our understanding of the Murfreesboro Police Department’s role in the community and what it’s like to patrol the streets. On this note, Tuesday night was dedicated to defensive tactics, like the use of pepper spray, batons, handcuffing and what not. Back in September we had a primer on MPD’s “force continuum,” or why police officers do the things they do. Sgt. Don Fanning explained how MPD officers use force with interactions with the public, ranging, at the least, from physical presence and verbal commands to collapsible batons and deadly force. Oleoresin Capsicum spray (a.k.a., pepper spray) falls in the middle of the force continuum, which Fanning called “hell in a can. When you use this it feels like someone has set your face on fire.” Just smelling some from a cup tickled my throat, but didn’t set my eyes ablaze. The pepper in the spray used by MPD ranks around 5 million on the Scoville heat scale, which is used to rate the heat in peppers. In comparison, the common jalapeño rates between 2,500 and 8,000 Scoville units. Habanero chilies and Scotch Bonnet Peppers rate between 100,000 and 350,000 depending on the pepper. So you can imagine what it would be like to get pepper sprayed in the eyes. Fanning called it one of best tools he’s been given in all his years as a police officer because it allows him to subdue a subject without getting too close or causing severe harm. But not all officers agreed. Officer Kevin Dunn said he’s only sprayed two suspects in his career at MPD and neither time did the spray have the desired effect. “It’s a great tool to have available to us, but I just don’t use it much,” he said, explaining he doesn’t like to use it because he still has to touch the suspect to handcuff and the spray ends up on his hands. Like all MPD officers, Dunn has been sprayed with the potent pepper juice as part of training. On a side note, Dunn also said he’s glad MPD doesn’t have Tasers because he doesn’t want to get shocked by one. Just remember, if you cross MPD, you won’t get tased. But you’re likely to get a face full of pepper. Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com.