UC Davis Due to Release Pepper Spray Report Wednesday

UC Davis says it's set to release a report on Wednesday by the task force investigating the incident in which campus police pepper-sprayed seated student protesters last November. The report's release is subject to a court hearing tomorrow.

The report was delayed in early March after the union representing UC police filed suit, citing state laws designed to protect officer privacy in misconduct investigations. A judge then ruled that the report could be released with the redaction of 20 officer names other than Police Chief Annette Spicuzza and Lt. John Pike.

Pike became internationally notorious after video of him casually pepper-spraying students in the face was widely viewed on the Internet.

Here's the UC Davis press release:

The task force looking into the pepper-spray incident at UC Davis today (April 9) tentatively scheduled public release of its report and recommendations for the afternoon of Wednesday, April 11, at the University of California, Davis. The task force rescheduled the public release after attorneys for UC and the police union jointly asked an Alameda County Superior Court judge to lift a stay he had imposed.

Pending the judge’s ruling after a hearing scheduled for Tuesday, April 10, the task force now plans to outline its findings and recommendations to the UC Davis community – students, faculty and staff – on Wednesday, April 11, from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. in Freeborn Hall at UC Davis.

The downloadable task force findings, recommendations and background documents are tentatively scheduled to be available beginning at noon April 11 on the UC Davis home page, www.ucdavis.edu. A live webcast of the public meeting will also be accessible from the campus home page, and audio will be broadcast live outside Freeborn Hall.

Former California Supreme Court Associate Justice Cruz Reynoso, chair of the task force, postponed public release of the task force report and the accompanying report from the Kroll consulting group, originally scheduled for March 6, after the union representing UC campus police officers requested a court order to halt public disclosure of the report.

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo issued a ruling that cleared the way for public disclosure of nearly the entire report, except for names of some campus police officers, but imposed a stay until April 20 to allow police union attorneys time to prepare an appeal.

At the request of UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, UC President Mark G. Yudof formed the task force on Nov. 21, 2011, and named Reynoso, professor emeritus at the UC Davis School of Law, as the chair. In addition to Reynoso, the task force members are mainly members of the UC Davis community, nominated by relevant constituencies.