The UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident occurred on November 18, 2011. The Occupy Movement had engaged itself in a protest demonstration against tuition hikes at the university level.
Some news reports indicated that the protestors refused to comply with the lawful order to remove their encampment from school property. This eventually led to the arrest of at least one of the protestors. According to the UC Davis Chief of Police, the protestors had surrounded the officers and would not let them leave with their prisoner.
This stand off lasted for an extended period of time during which officers repeatedly asked the protestors to break down their encampment and remove themselves from the area. The protestors lack of compliance eventually led to several of them being pepper sprayed.
According to the Huffington Post (9/26/12), the pepper spray incident led to a lawsuit where a settlement was reached for $1 million dollars. Of this amount, $31,000 was awarded to each of the 21 students who were peppered sprayed.
The remaining balance went to attorney fees and other miscellaneous expenses. ACLU Attorney Michael Risher stated, "What happened on November 18 was among the worst examples of police violence against student demonstrators that we've seen in a generation."
Some reports indicate that an internal affairs investigation concluded the Lt. Pike acted reasonably. Also, the Yolo County DA's office declined to file charges against him. He was later relieved of his duties and awarded a $38,000 workers compensation claim due to the incident. Lastly, the tuition hikes were still approved despite the demonstration.
Now answer the following: must be complete answer no short answer
Keeping in mind the obligation an officer has to uphold the law and the current wave of criticism from the public pertaining to use of force incidents, (shootings, taser, physical altercations, and pepper spray).
What do you think the officers could have done differently, or not done to address this situation?
Please be specific in your answers and consider the officer safety concerns.