Pepper Spray On Training Day

A female friend of mine who served several years in law enforcement kept a journal of many of her experiences, including training.

After sharing with her that I am in the business of marketing pepper sprays, personal alarms, and high voltage stun guns to the general public, she asked if I would be willing to share her stories with others. Obviously I said YES.

These stories are great educational tools because over and over they prove the value and effectiveness of pepper spray for keeping people safe.

I know you are going to like this story.

The first day of training at the Law Enforcement Bureau was exhilarating, truly a once in a lifetime experience. Combat training along with weapons and tactics was at the top of the agenda.

A a three mile run, pushups, sit-ups, and mountain climbers to the point of exhaustion were part of a warm up in preparation for the head to head combat and scenario exercise planned for the evening.

The first scenario included entering a building under construction to search for a defendant who was known to be armed and dangerous.

Six minutes later, in the darkness of the building, sweat was running down my face due to the extreme heat.

My heart was beating a million miles per hour. It was so intense I could hear it. My partner and I were both experiencing tunnel vision and exhaustion. Between the vest and the body armor we were packing heavy, but it was time to slice the pie and move forward.

The first room we entered was ominous and chaotic. After a speedy inspection we were no closer to finding the bad guys. Over 5,000 feet needed to be scanned and cleared prior to finishing the scenario. It was riveting to say the least and the stress level heightened by the minute.

We made it through the first stage without getting tacked.

Suddenly I got a whiff of what smelled like cologne drifting in from the next room. I knew that we were getting close to finding something… or someone.

My partner kicked the closet door open. I noticed an entry leading down into the basement.

I took the lead with my eye glued to my front sight and my weapon ready to fire. Just as I took a step… A dark shadow grabbed me from behind. In the intensity of the scuffle, I lost my gun. Almost instantly I reached for my pepper spray and deployed it for five seconds into the face of the attacker. He immediately began to cough heavily and I was able to take control of his arms and restrain him.

The scenario ended at that point. However, I had made one big mistake. As I took the lead going down into the basement, my partner was taken out and the bad guy followed me down the stairs without me knowing it. That is when he made his move.

As a result I learned some valuable lessons about always being aware of my surroundings, leadership, and the incredible effectiveness of pepper spray.

The pepper spray did it’s job of distracting and causing extreme discomfort to my assailant, which allowed me to take control of the situation.

Training day was successful!