The overuse of chemical agents is really pretty strange. I can maybe see using them in extreme situations; if people are in the process of burning down a building by throwing molotov cocktails through the windows, dispersing them with tear gas might be the only real option. But using chemical agents on people sitting on a lawn seems like a pretty poor balancing of force versus danger/urgency.
One question is whether this is primarily a matter of bad policy, or of bad training. Are police officers using pepper spray, for example, in situations that policy does not call for, due to some hotheads being angry at protestors? Or are they acting properly according to the policy, so it's the policy/superiors who are at fault?
One question is whether this is primarily a matter of bad policy, or of bad training. Are police officers using pepper spray, for example, in situations that policy does not call for, due to some hotheads being angry at protestors? Or are they acting properly according to the policy, so it's the policy/superiors who are at fault?