Should officers consider wearing a protective vest during PepperBall system training?
PepperBall projectiles will leave welts or bruises on unprotected skin. Although hits to exposed skin are discouraged, much of the value of projectile-based training comes from the pain aversion associated with the sting of the impact from a PepperBall projectile. It is possible that by eliminating the sting and the “I’ve been shot” psychology inflicted by the projectiles, some of the training value of the PepperBall system is lost. Trainers should decide on how much pain penalty is permissible in their unique training environment and pad students accordingly. It may be advisable to pad role-players and training staff with protective vests since there is no training value in pain consequences to these personnel. Training staff should be careful to provide additional padding for officers to protect soft-tissue areas.
