( CNN ) -- The pepper-spraying of student protesters at the University of California-Davis was an `` objectively unreasonable '' use of force by campus police , a state review of the incident concluded Wednesday . Scenes of UC-Davis police Lt. John Pike spraying seated demonstrators with the irritant at near point-blank range went viral on the Internet and triggered widespread criticism of school authorities . A 190-page report by a University of California task force concluded that the incident `` should and could have been prevented . '' The report spreads blame for the events that led to the confrontation across several members of the UC-Davis leadership but said Pike was primarily responsible for the `` objectively unreasonable decision '' to pepper-spray the demonstrators . `` On balance , the evidence does not provide an objective , factual basis for Lt. Pike 's purported belief that he was trapped , that any of his officers were trapped , or that the safety of their arrestees was at issue , '' the report states . `` Further , there is little evidence that any protesters attempted to use violence against the police . '' But while criticizing Pike , the report also cites `` systemic and repeated failures '' among campus administrators it said `` put officers in the unfortunate situation in which they found themselves . '' UC-Davis Campus Police Chief Annette Spicuzza has been on administrative leave since November , along with Pike and another officer who has not been identified . Neither Pike nor Spicuzza agreed to be interviewed for the investigation , largely conducted by an outside risk-management firm , the report notes -- but Pike provided `` a lengthy statement '' to the firm . University administrators were worried that nonstudents from the Occupy movement in the city of Davis and other California cities would take part in the on-campus encampment that student demonstrators had set up . But they failed to determine whether that was true or whether `` other reasonable alternatives '' should have been used to ensure security before sending in police to break up the encampment , the report found . The scope of the police operation was `` ineffectively communicated , '' the report found . UC-Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi apparently believed that no force would be used , while the police operations plan called the use of force `` highly likely in this type of situation based on past events . '' The report found the campus police command structure `` very dysfunctional , '' with Spicuzza 's lieutenants refusing to follow orders and getting into `` heated exchanges '' with the chief during the protests . Pike became an object of scorn after the protest . Pranksters across the Internet inserted the image of the helmeted officer into famous paintings , photos and movie scenes , while the hacker 's collective Anonymous published his home and cell phone numbers online . Attempts to contact him for comment were unsuccessful Wednesday evening . The report accuses him not only of using unreasonable force , but of misusing his now-iconic weapon . The type of pepper-spray canister he carried was `` not an authorized weapon '' under campus police guidelines , and the officers `` were not trained in how to use it correctly , '' the report found . `` And Lt. Pike did not use it correctly , '' the report notes . The model he carried `` is a higher pressure type of pepper spray than what officers normally carry on their utility belts , '' and is designed to be used at distances of six feet or more .
NEW : The report criticizes `` systemic and repeated failures '' by UC-Davis leaders . It calls police use of pepper spray on demonstrators `` objectively unreasonable '' The November incident drew widespread criticism of UC-Davis authorities . There was `` little evidence '' that police faced violence from protesters , the report states .