Every time someone brings up pepper spray around a new recruit, there’s always a discussion that involves the recruit asking the certified officer how bad it was, and the certified officer making some lame ass remark about “I’d rather get TASER’ed because it’s 8 seconds and done.” Everyone is so afraid of OC, and it’s kinda embarrassing.
I’ve been in the ass-kicking business for 28 years. As of graduation from my Corrections academy in mid 2026, I have been sprayed a total of ten times. And that’s just in training; it’s not including the countless times I’ve been exposed in the field, either as an instructor, or spraying combative subjects in the ghetto, or when a teammate sprayed someone and I was cross-contaminated.
And truth be told: it’s not all that bad. I’m not saying it’s pleasant — it sucks. It’ll burn your face, you’ll have a hard time opening your eyes, you’ll probably cough some, and your nose will open up and flood your face with enough snot to lubricate a small car engine. But it’s nothing to be scared of.
And still I run into recruits (and some certified officers) who are shaking in their boots at the thought of getting punched in the face with pepper spray. So here are three of my best tips on how to get through Spray Day like a pro.
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Relax. The more you tense up, the worse it’s going to be. Don’t let the fear of the unknown fuck with you. Think of it like this: nobody has died from being pepper sprayed in training before; if they did, you can bet your entire paycheck that Administration would immediately stop doing it. So you’re going to be fine. Probably.
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Running water, Air, and Time. That’s all you need. Milk won’t help. Coating your face with lotion beforehand won’t help. Get to some running water and rinse the fire off your face for as long as you can. And then spend some quality time in front of an air conditioner or strong fan. That’s how you make the spicy face sauce stop burning.
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Suck it up and get through it. You’re an adult doing adult things. It is what it is. Keep moving, don’t wimp out, and it’ll be over before you know it (that’s what he said!).
Every academy runs their spray day differently. Some line recruits up in a squad and gas the shit out of them. Some spray them individually and then send them from station to station to punch, kick, and block foam pads. I used to spray an officer and then try to take his training weapon from him while he tried to retain it and handcuff me with OC on his face.
Regardless of your academy’s methods, relax, get some water and air on your face, and wait it out. It gets better with time. Until then, stay safe, stay caffeinated, and try not to become tomorrow’s Daily Cluster.
-D. Mathena
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