Before the Badge: Lubbock Police recruits push through pepper spray

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Recruits are learning to fight through their pain at the Lubbock Police Academy. Recruits are nearly three-quarters of the way through their journey Before the Badge. But before they can wear the uniform, they have to prove they can serve and protect, even when they’re hurting.

Citizens, security guards, bouncers and other departments can all carry pepper spray, so it’s possible officers will be exposed to it out on the street. So to prepare recruits for that possibility, the academy pepper sprays them and sends them through a short obstacle course before letting them wash off.

“We want you to experience it in a safe environment so you can learn that you can still function and you are going to be okay, rather than the first time you’re experiencing it being a dangerous riot situation, or a citizen spraying you with it for the first time,” officer Jerry Mull said.

While it doesn’t happen every day, officer Mull says being pepper sprayed on the job isn’t totally out of the question. He reminded recruits of the time in 2019, when a Final Four celebration turned into a riot on Broadway, and special response teams had to use pepper spray for crowd control.

“We’re not just doing it because we want to see you endure pain, but that’s another benefit to this is that you’re going to gain some life experience. You’re going to learn that you can go through something very difficult and painful and be okay,” he said.

After cleaning up with some gentle soap, recruits celebrated the challenge they overcame with a photo and some encouragement from Sergeant Don Billingsley.

“We have to know as academy staff that you know when you’re not a victim. We have to do stuff when we get hurt out in the field, we have to do stuff if we get pepper sprayed, we have to do stuff that requires us to work through hard problems and hard things. How can we expect you to go into an active shooter situation, if you can’t do hard things,” he said.

Recruits also spent more time in the classroom, learning how to respond to dangerous dogs and taking another round of cumulative tests.

Then it was time for more scenarios - this time with airsoft guns and protective equipment.

Recruits practiced responding to things like a loud party, being tested on if they know the laws surrounding entering someone else’s home. They also practiced responding to and arresting someone for criminal trespass. In another scenario, they turned on their flashlight in what simulated a dark alley, with only seconds to respond to someone charging at them with a knife.

Over the last two weeks, the academy lost two more recruits. Class 2025 Alpha started with 16 and is now down to seven. KCBD NewsChannel 11 will continue following them for the next several weeks until graduation.