I had a long discussion with the head campus police officer back when we taught at a local university. He said that when he was a street cop there were lots of times when he came home and the first words out of his wife's mouth were "Take off your clothes!"
Naturally, that did his ego some good until she said "You got pepper spray on you again."
The last time I got sprayed I took off the boots, duty belt and vest and got into the cold shower fully clothed..
The really telling one was during a demonstration by a pompous self-important cop. He was pushing OC as a dandy defense against rape, robbery and violent assault. He also makes a lot of money doing training courses on the stuff.
Some guys DO believe that is is a cure all...
I asked if he would use pepper spray if someone were trying to do that to him. Of course not, he said. He'd use a gun and went on about how only "highly trained police officers" should carry guns and the wonders of S-patterns and spray-and-retreat with the spray. Strangely enough he turned down my (private) offer of a fair test. He could use any kind of OC and only OC. I got a wooden knife. Two bucks a cut. Ten bucks a stab. No more than a thousand bucks.
"Only highly trained officers???" Give me a friggin break...Most of the OC groupies will not accept a challenge..Personally I would have loved to have seen that contest....If someone ever takes you up RECORD it and send me a copy...
That was about the time I stopped listening to any public advice a police officer gives on self protection. I still take careful notes about what they say in private after a couple beers because that's usually really good stuff.
Its jerks like that that make my job of teaching tough..Oh yes, you can learn a lot about someone by how they ramble on when in their cups..