Oh man what a day. Today I had the "pleasure" (input sarcasm font) of participating in a LEO Saber Red Instructor Course. Oh Lord Jesus, that stuff is wicked. Before we had the pleasure (sarcasm again) of getting sprayed with that delightful (dang sarcasm) stuff (in 100 degree heat outside mind you), we learned about the different potencies of the different sprays out there. Saber Red, is the only company on the market that employs chemists that confirm each and every batch of their product is a the level they say it is. For our contamination, we used the Level III law enforcement (1.33% Capsaicinoids) which is the highest they produce.

The last time I had been sprayed with pepper spray in training, was in the early 90's when I first became an LEO. I vaguely remember that day, but I remember it sucked. Fast forward 20 something years and man did it suck even more. I can't tell you what brand we had used back then but I don't think it was near as hot as this stuff is. The lead instructor did his best to keep our exposure to a minimum, but we did have to feel the effects as to what it does, specifically if we were to be subpoenaed in court in a use of force case as well as know what our students would go through. He stood about 3 feet away and did a swipe from ear to ear at our eyes with one quick motion. He used the gel product and then hit it with inert to run it into our eye. OH MY GOD!!! That stuff lit me on fire!!! Immediately I could not breathe, my eyes forced closed but they kept telling us to open our eyes (made it even worse), and the mucus membranes started running. I've seen many people get hit with this stuff before but man on man. It truly sucks. To help get us decontaminated, they used a product called Sabre Cleanse and Sabre Soothe. Highly recommended. 8 hours later, I still feel the effects of being sprayed but I think the decontamination products are worth the investment if you carry pepper spray. Oh an I think everyone should carry pepper spray and know where it fits in on the use of force chart (which is between a harsh word and hands on).