Hi OCT,
Just wanted to ask if you saw the recent dog attack/deputy shooting incident in central Florida. A Pasco County Florida patrol deputy answered a alarm call at a farm property.
2 large Rottweiler dogs ran up to the deputy as he walked towards the house.
One of the large dogs was extremely aggressive and the deputy shot the animal, wounding it(sidearm brand and caliber: unknown).
The property owner who later stated the alarm was fake. She was upset and demanded the sworn deputy kill the wounded dog on the scene.
The Pasco County Sheriff said the deputy's acts were prudent and within policy.
What do you as a industry insider think the deputy could or couldn't do to deal with this critical incident. I don't think OC spray could have worked fast enough.
The videos of the incident describe what happened, it's not easy to watch but it's worth discussing.
Rusty,
Wow, what a disturbing event. I try not to Monday morning quarterback these types of situations because everything happens so quickly, but the little information that I was able to find definitely raises a lot of questions. Facts are hard to come by and if some of the info that I've read turns out to be factual then this incident needs to be dealt with properly. Until then, I will just stick to whether or not OC would have changed the outcome any.
To your question: To be honest, I do not think that OC spray (as it is currently carried by police departments) would have been effective in this situation. Here's why...
Assuming the deputy even had OC on him (I wasn't able to confirm this either way), the strength of the spray and spray pattern used by the majority of departments would have been all wrong for trying stop an animal who may or may not have been charging. Generally speaking, the standard issue OC spray that police carry is on the weaker side of the scale and (most importantly) is a stream pattern. There is a reason that bear spray, for example, only comes in a large, conical pattern; it is very difficult to hit a moving target accurately while under duress. However, if the deputy would have had bear spray and chose to use it, I am 99.999% certain that this incident would have turned out differently.
For the record, I hate dog deterrent OC. It's weak and the spray pattern is the opposite of the "right tool" for the job. I have been lobbying for years to switch the patterns on these from stream to cone. The USPS always complain that they can't connect with the little ankle biters that attack them. It's because they can't accurately spray the target area. Lack of training plays a part, but mostly it is due to the needle-like stream of OC. They simple can't use it properly. Conversely, bear spray is everything that is right. Large spray pattern, sufficient pungency. Switching over to a "smaller version" of bear spray would solve the problem.
Bottom line: if you look at this specific incident in FL, I think a case could be made for arming all police with bear spray. In my opinion, police should have a less than lethal option in these situations. The dog in this incident did nothing wrong, it was protecting its home and owner against what it believed was an intruder. It died for nothing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsgvUohhpqc
OCT
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