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By Michael Winter, USA TODAY

The pepper-spraying of University of California-Davis students in November during a campus police operation to remove an Occupy encampment was "not reasonable use of force" and should have been prevented, a task force has concluded.

The 190-page report was especially harsh on UC-Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehidid and her leadership, but it did not recommend any disciplinary actions against administrators or police. However, the task force urged systemwide changes in policing at the 10 campuses of the University of California.

The methodical spraying by a UC-Davis police lieutenant Nov. 18 was captured on video and went viral through social media and YouTube. Two protesters were taken to the hospital and nine others were treated.

Pepper-spray was "not reasonable use of force," the report concluded, noting that officers had not been trained to use the larger canisters deployed and that there were alternatives. The review said the use of pepper spray "should have and could have been prevented."

The report found that university officials believed that most protesters were not students and that they were concerned about violence by "non-affiliates," or what used to be called outside agitators.The task force, headed by former California Supreme Court Associate Justice Cruz Reynoso, determined that "these concerns were not supported by any evidence obtained" by Kroll Consulting, a firm specializing in police procedures hired to interview officers and review policies and procedures.

The report faulted UC-Davis administrators and the campus police for weak or confusing leadership and communications, as well as poor understanding of the law and legal rights.

The report also found a "considerable lack of leadership" and "many breaches of protocol" in the way police handled the eviction of demonstrators from the Quad.

Officers "apparently felt that they were surrounded by a hostile mob" and that pepper spray was necessary to get them and those arrested out safely. But the report found officers could removed students non-violently.

The report had harsh words for the campus police.

"The command and leadership structure of the (campus police) is very dysfunctional. Lieutenants refused to follow directives of the chief," it said.

Campus Police Chief Annette Spicuzza was put on leave after the confrontation.

Read the full report (pdf).

The Sacramento Bee has an extensive report.

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