PoliceLink

It happened to me when I was a CO. I remembered what I did but I'm more interested in what your friends did.

If someone spits in my face.....they will s**t teeth for a week! 

Be professional, like I think all my fellow correctional professionals out there would do.  Its easy to say I'd whoop up on em but we all know that in todays day and age the "rules of engagement" are different.  I have been spit upon before, all you can really do is follow your unit's policy on what to do with that inmate and then write them up.  Last week I was "gassed" by a local idiot in our seg unit.  (He got two officers in two days) I calmly called the Sgt. and told him of the situation, shut the water off to the inmates cell (SOP for that incident), and let the SGT and CERT team enter come and remove the property and move the inmate to the chair  while I wrote him up.  What else can we do other than what your policy states.  All areas of my facility are on camera and taped so if I had done something out of rage, not only would I probably be out of a job but also brought up on charges.....but by remaining professional, this knucklehead can now be charged with street charges for assault on an officer when he was only doing a few years for posession to begin with.

I always wear goggles, the fear of catching Hep or HIV is more than enough. A demeaning Spit hood, always works well too.

ODIN says ...

We had an incident like this happen on cameras at the jail, the handcuffed suspect turned and spit in the face of a police officer that was bringing him in, as the suspect spit ,the officer open hand slapped the suspect across the face causing the suspect to fall back on his ass, this event went to IA with the city, county and state, the officer was cleared because of his statement of seeing a sudden thrust from the suspect the officer reacted with an open hand to prevent a headbutt from the suspect and that the slap was not after the suspect spit but as the suspect was making a threatening motion towards the officer, so in fact ,the actions of the officer were not seen in a retaliatory nature by the act of being spit on, but in response of an aggressive motion towards the officer in question. Side note: the officer I am speaking of is as big as a bear and left a huge hand print of the suspects face for a few hours while the suspect cried like a little girl with a "skin't" knee.

Unfortunately, for those of us who work behind the walls regularly, this is the exception not the rule.......Kudos to the folks of that department who backed up the officer, in a perfect world all places would be like this but in reality its usually the opposite.

Sounds like the "customer" (inmate) got exactly the customer service he asked for by his actions.

Robocop33 says ...

This is probably why it is a good thing that I no longer am active. It is instinctive and natural for me to prevent the suspect from spitting again and he gets a face full of fist. Yes it has happened and yes I did get complaints both times but both times the people they complained to stated that they were luck that was all that was done to them as they deserved to have their jaw wired and fed through a straw for a few months. This was both from a Chief and a Judge. Again, that was 30 years ago.

Times sure have changed. I guess it's just not right to protect yourself in some areas of this country anymore.

GangMan says ...

kyle313 says ...

Be professional, like I think all my fellow correctional professionals out there would do.  Its easy to say I'd whoop up on em but we all know that in todays day and age the "rules of engagement" are different.  I have been spit upon before, all you can really do is follow your unit's policy on what to do with that inmate and then write them up.  Last week I was "gassed" by a local idiot in our seg unit.  (He got two officers in two days) I calmly called the Sgt. and told him of the situation, shut the water off to the inmates cell (SOP for that incident), and let the SGT and CERT team enter come and remove the property and move the inmate to the chair  while I wrote him up.  What else can we do other than what your policy states.  All areas of my facility are on camera and taped so if I had done something out of rage, not only would I probably be out of a job but also brought up on charges.....but by remaining professional, this knucklehead can now be charged with street charges for assault on an officer when he was only doing a few years for posession to begin with.

I agree. I too have been spit on and I did not retaliate.

Strong Suggestion:  You need to carry disinfectant gel with you, and get that fluid off of your face  ASAP.  Who knows what's in their bodily fluids.  Been there done that, it could take weeks, months OR years to find out if anything was transferred, and if anything did show up, you MORE THAN LIKELY NOT MAKE THE CONNECTION TO THAT SPECIFIC INCIDENT.

Thats funny, getting spit on is not. But really, thats my question?

Spitting from inmates causes an immediate response from the self defensive mode of our human  instincts, thusly causing our hand (left or right) to become a blocking device from further innapropriate actions. It is a reflective action and has no immense thought process, and who gives a damned if the violaters face was within arms reach.

Retired from D.O.C. and have been on the recieving end of this behavior numerous times, and numerous times responded the same way.....I hit the bastard, but my documentation revealed it was a self defense instinctive action to block further assaults from the inmate and not an intentional use of force........and I did retire as a Correctional Captain

I would De-jaw him making him unable to spit ever again, In reality I would pin him against the wall or take him down, then wait for back up to take control of him while I clean my face. you spit in my face im not gunna just hand you off Your gunna either kiss paint or floor.

Eventhough I am not a C.O.,  I have had this happen to me while placing someone under arrest. I simply reacted by spitting back...except not from my mouth, but my can of Capstun. Then afterwards I simply placed his shirt over his own face to ensure that he would not spit on myself or any other assisting officer. Standard procedure in my Dept. Capstun was justified because I had already gave a verbal command for him to comply, when he didn't, I used justifiable force. He complied. Don't worry EMS was called to take care of the Capstun exposure.

cntymnty says ...

Can of what?

CAP-STUNÒ founded Oleoresin Capsicum weapon technology in 1982. The success and recognition of CAP-STUNÒ by law-enforcement and its increasing demand created the pepper aerosol market.CAP-STUNÒ ‘s technology is a unique compound and dispersion method currently in an aerosol form used by police and military to incapacitate unruly subject(s). CAP-STUNÒ is comprised of Capsaicinoids ingredients. (Capsaicinoids are active ingredients within species of capsicum peppers (chili), which properly manipulated can become a potent medium to disable the target.)CAP-STUNÒ has clearly demonstrated its remarkable ability to instantly render aggressors incapable of resisting arrest or further violence for up to 45 minutes – with no harmful after-effects. CAP-STUNÒ has proven that it stops the toughest attackers – even those who are emotionally disturbed or violent due to alcohol or drugs. In contrast, tear-gases available to law enforcement such as CN (chloroacetophenone chemical used in brandname Mace) and CS (ortho-chlorobenzalmalononitrile), are lacrimatory agents that simply produce tearing of the eyes and irritation of the skin. It has also been proven that tear-gases cannot control individuals who are highly agitated or those under the influence of narcotics or alcohol. Unlike CN and CS, CAP-STUNâ is an inflammatory agent that causes mucous membranes to swell, producing an immediate closing of the eyes and uncontrollable coughing. These physiological effects precludes any further aggressive behavior, resulting in an immediate compliant subject. (See chart below for a quick comparison between CAP-STUNâ and Tear-Gases.)CAP-STUNÒ ‘s unique formulation and unmatched high performance record have been invaluable assets to law enforcement and military. Many incidents that previously would have led to violence have been prevented by the use of CAP-STUNÒ with a resulting decrease in injuries to subjects and officers and a reduction in civil litigation.

CAP-STUNÒ has a documented 95% effective rate, due to its unmatched Capsaicinoids content and dispersion technology. This is in drastic contrast to "civilian" pepper sprays with a 58% effective rate and numerous failures with documented injuries to subject and police officers.

Source: www.zarc.com/english/cap-stun/background.html

MaeWest131 says ...

If someone spits in my face.....they will s**t teeth for a week! 

He just fell getting out of the car Chief I swear :)

In self defense bust him in the lips and make sure they swell shut each and every time the turd spit at me.