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LRPD explains SRO pepper‑spray policy after overspray complaints at Central High
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Summary
LRPD leaders told the school board that school resource officers carry standard department equipment and follow a resistance‑to‑response policy that allows pepper‑spray deployment in certain violent incidents; LRPD said pepper spray was used once in a school this year, and acknowledged overspray affected bystanders and ventilation.
Chief Dyer and LRPD officers answered board questions about pepper‑spray use, school resource officer (SRO) training and coordination with district security after parents reported overspray at Central High.
Dyer described a standard resistance‑to‑response protocol that escalates from verbal direction through soft and hard empty‑hand control and, if necessary, to chemical aerosol devices. "Every officer has gone through a significant amount of training in reference to these things," Dyer said, adding that SROs are fully certified officers assigned to schools and carry the same equipment a patrol officer would have.
Board members and the district security director raised concerns that pepper spray deployed inside a building can spread through hallways or ventilation and affect students not involved in a fight. Dyer said officers try to avoid collateral exposures, acknowledged that overspray occurred in the incident that prompted the briefing, and apologized that uninvolved students were affected. He said LRPD had used pepper spray in a school setting only once this year and emphasized that decisions are made at the moment to balance officer safety and student safety.
District and police leaders agreed to examine protocols for when security staff should handle incidents and when LRPD should be called, and to consider joint training and clearer communication to reduce the risk of unintended exposures.
What’s next: LRPD and district security said they will collaborate on written protocols and additional prevention and training steps; the board asked for continued updates.
