Oleoresin Capsicum!
What does that mean?
It means....Ohhhhh Crappppp! (family version)
This week we got to experience being OC sprayed. For those of you unfamiliar with what that means, it means RUN!
It is pepper spray in your eyes, nose, and mouth. OC, like taser, was an experience like no other in the academy.
Each of us had an "escort" or a "buddy" to assist after being sprayed as we each completed required tasks consisting of a little bit of physical work and apprehending a suspect using our arrest control techniques. The purpose of completing a required task immediately after being sprayed in the face with OC was to overcome the pain and prove that a task can be completed while enduring extreme pain.
I went first.
My 40 classmates anxiously awaited what is to come their way. The looks on their faces were anxiety, nervousness, and curiosity. Once they started chanting "Schwartz, Schwartz, Schwartz" it was on! I had no choice but to put my game face on and take the spray like a champ.
There we were. The instructor...the OC....and me, staring directly at the canister. I said, "okay," and before I knew it there was spray shooting in my eye. It was like slow motion as the spray shot from the canister.
"Ohhhhhhh Crapppppp," (family version) was going through my head.
My initial reaction was to run out of my skin. The staff immediately put a stop to that nonsense. Adrenaline shooting through my veins the OC did not hit me until about 20 seconds after. After that I remember thinking, "this is worse than being tased," and if you have read any of my prior blogs you will know how much I disliked being tased. Each recruit handled OC day like warriors!
Some of the recruits compared the feeling of being OC sprayed to:
"putting peroxide on a cut, but on your face for an hour"
"pouring gasoline on your face then lighting it on fire for an hour"
"the worst sunburn you have ever had"
"the worst carpet burn ever on the side of your face."
I pulled an Ace Ventura and drove home with my head out of the window to let the air decontaminate my eyes.
The best and only advice I will give to bad guys, anyone who is becoming a bad guy, or any of you who know a bad guy...COMPLY.
This week we also did a CrossFit workout that is a gut check WOD (workout of the day). The best advice I can give to good guys or future recruits....CROSSFIT. Start now.
The OC experience was a team bonding experience. We literally leaned on each other and literally needed each other. The things we have gone through together in this academy are a very special experience than many will never have the chance.
Next week...our final week. Much of the academy experiences have been bittersweet. This one might fall into that category as well.
Bitter because we will not see every day the people we have gone through these life lessons and experiences together. We have gone through all the ups and downs, we have overcome obstacles together, we have been irritated to no end with each other, we have laughed at and with each other, we have cried together, we have grown up together.
Sweet because we are on to the next chapter in our careers. We are excited. We are proud. We feel accomplished. We are ready to put to use our skills, education, and abilities. We are ready to give back. We are ready to make a difference.
