Police use of pepper spray had spotty record in Berkeley last year

http://www.insidebayarea.com/oakland-tribune/ci_19673502

Berkeley police used pepper spray on combative people nine times last year, but officers found it effective in just five of those cases, according to reports published on the city's website.

Policy makers in Berkeley declined to talk about the reports, but the police department defended its use, saying anecdotal evidence over the years shows it can be an effective tool in crime fighting.

Although the police department has been required to submit reports on the use of pepper spray, a concentrated version of cayenne pepper, to the City Council and the Police Review Commission since 1997, the city only recently began publishing them on the Internet.

In Berkeley, pepper spray is prohibited for crowd control and "incidents involving passive resistance," according to a 2009 training bulletin.