Editor’s note: This series of articles is intended to be used as quick topic discussions at the beginning of any meeting. They are meant to create discussion among your teams and to get your officers thinking on their feet about training topics, in order to encourage learning and training.
Take on the tough guys. Don’t pick the weak detainee, or the “mouth.”
Use Interrogative statements:
What’s going on?
Sit down; keep your hands at your side- lower your voice
Turn around a put your hands behind you back
Face down on the floor now
Orders that give you information about the mental state of the Detainee, whether they follow the order or not and sets you up for a correct force escalation
At what level of force are you required to write a report?
Any Force that goes beyond cooperative handcuffing (or detainees offering passive resistance) in which you use force to gain compliance (i.e. a wrist lock, with pressure, muscle power to lift or push) requires a written report.
Example:
Deputy: “HEY Dude, STOP – what’s going on?”
Detainee: “Nothing” (walks away)
Deputy: “STOP. Look at me, dude! You look all kinds of funky. Turn around and put your hand behind your back. I’m handcuffing you for your safety and mine.
Detainee: “Fuck that, I didn’t do anything wrong.” (or detainee physically refuses the order by not turning around)
Deputy: “FACE DOWN ON THE FLOOR NOW!” (Call assistance on the radio. Point to the floor with your hand)
Detainee: (Is physically refusing the order by not getting face down on the floor, no matter what the detainee is saying)
Deputy: “YOU HEARD WHAT I SAID. GET ON THE FLOOR NOW!” (Point at the floor; listen for responding deputies; demonstrate to the cameras that the detainee is refusing an order)
Write reports often when handling known problematic detainees. Cooperative handcuffing and basic custodial escorts shouldn’t require reports but anything above and beyond that should be documented.
