UC Names 12 To Pepper-Spraying Task Force

DAVIS (CBS13/AP) — The University of California has named a dozen people to a task force that will investigate the pepper-spraying of student protesters at UC Davis.

UC President Mark Yudof on Monday appointed 12 UC Davis students, faculty, alumni and staff to the panel, which will be headed by former California Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso.

"The whole idea was to take a fair, uncompromising look at what happened," said UC spokesman Steve Montiel.

Task force members were nominated by various campus organizations but some are questioning the value of it.

"It seems like a waste of time," student Emma Cox said. "I can tell you what happened. A hundred people can tell you what happened."

The fact-finding portion of the investigation will be conducted by a firm run by former Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton.

The task force will be responsible for assigning blame for the Nov. 18 incident and making recommendations on police protocols for handling campus demonstrations. They hope to have their recommendations by some time in January.

The pepper-spraying prompted large protests and calls for the Davis chancellor's resignation after online videos of the incident went viral.

Some students CBS13 talked to say it's time to get the attention back on cuts to education and increases to tuition.

"That's what needs to be investigated," Cox said.