With 2008 coming to an end and 2009 right around the corner, Corrections1 editor Rachel Fretz asked me to take a look at some of the training issues uncovered in the news headlines highlighted on the site. Here, I look at examples and identify some possible solutions.
- Complacency is still killing us – How to keep yourself safe.
For an officer to respond properly to an assailant, an officer has to remember three simple rules.
- Remain alert. If you aren’t paying attention, you will never see the assault coming. The ultimate equalizer is a baseball bat from the blind side.
- Be decisive. If aren’t able to make quick decision under stress, you have given control of the incident over to the assailant.
- Have a pre-planned, practiced response in mind. Your response had to be more than a theory. An untrained plan may be a tragedy waiting to happen. Practice Coach Bob Lindsey’s “When/Then Thinking": When something specific bad thing happens, then I will respond in this specific manner based on physical practice of my response.
4 COs attacked; Calif. state prisons locked down
Mich. inmate throws microwaved water and Vaseline at CO
- Tactical Civility – The importance of initial medical assessment
Dr. George Thompson, president and founder of the Verbal Judo Institute, had coined the phrase “Tactical Civility” that explains an officer has to “be nice, until its time not to be nice, and then you have to be nice again.” This concept helps to explains why it is so important to provide proper medical care for a subject on whom you’ve just used force and taken into custody. Your professional demeanor not only protects you from charges of failing to render aid to a prisoner in your care and custody, but also helps to dismiss charges of officer brutality because you showed no malice to a person who has tried to harm you.
Ohio jail lacks formal drug policy
Texas police revamp policies on use of force
- Concealed Weapons – The importance of a proper search
We are still missing concealed weapons on subjects that we stop, detain, and arrest. Maintaining your safety means always conducting a visual search of people that you approach. It means knowing when and how to conduct a frisk search, when to conduct a full search of the subject, and how to conduct a custodial and/or strip search at intake, at turnover, or when the prisoner is left in a non-sterile area.
Inmate pulls ‘shank’ on bus at Chicago federal courthouse
Fla. inmate assaults CO with knife, rapes
- Officer Dragged by Cars – Threat Assessment / Tactics / Knowing when to let go
Although mostly a street officer problem, it can happen to correctional personnel when dealing with visitors on detention facility property and on prisoner transportation assignments. Avoid reaching into a vehicle to deal with an uncooperative driver. When you do so be ready to either neutralize the drive or disengage from inside the vehicle if the driver attempts to drive off. Don’t attempt to stop a moving vehicle; if you are being dragged, all bets are off and anything goes. Stop the threat.
Mass. officer dragged by fleeing suspect
N.C. cop dragged by car, shoots suspect
- Prisoner Transportation Safety – Application of the “contact/cover”
When transporting a prisoner, two officers are best when, and only when, both are alert, watching, and ready to act. Use the “contact/cover” concept. When the vehicle is in motion, one officer drives, and the second officer closely watches the prisoner. When the prisoner is being removed or placed into a vehicle, both officers need to be with the prisoner, watching both the prisoner and scanning the surrounding area for threats.
When allowing a prisoner to use the bathroom, both officers need to be present – there is no right of privacy for a prisoner going to the bathroom under these circumstances. Consider using a second pair of handcuffs or leg irons to attach the prisoner to support railing in the handicap stalls when available.
‘Houdini’ inmate loose again in S.C.
Colo. court bulks up ‘prisoner transport’ entrance
- Firearm Assaults – Guns and unrestrained prisoners don’t mix
Whether during prisoner transportation, hospital visits, or in court, firearms and unrestrained prisoners don’t mix. This is an extremely unsafe combination. Having officers armed with firearms in close proximity to unrestrained prisoners is a tragedy waiting to happen. Don’t allow non-custody armed officers to mix with your prisoners. These officers often equate prisoners in custody with a safe environment, even though they are still armed. Think about unarmed officers performing the contact function with other armed officers performing the cover function when you need to take off restraints in hospital or courtroom situations.
S.C. inmate disarms CO, shoots self during hospital stay
Md. hospitals to limit inmate patients after violent escapes
Ga. courthouse shooting trial opens: Suspect beat deputy, stole gun, went on shooting spree
- Weapon Assaults – OC Aerosol Spray and TASER Weapon Control
The good news: we’re seeing more prisons and jails permitting officers to carry OC aerosol spray and/or a TASER while working inside the confines of a correctional facility. What’s the bad news? Nothing, as long as officers get the necessary weapon control training. They should be aware at all times that they are susceptible to a disarming attempts. They should know the best tactics to avoid these weapon assaults, how to physically defend their weapons from assault and how to disarm an inmate who does get control of an officer’s weapon.
Utah inmate faces charges in attack on officer
Wis. woman accused of trying to disarm officer
- Biting Assaults – Preemptive tactics for controlling biting, spitting and head-butt assaults
Too many officers are getting spit on, bitten or head-butted. Rather that dealing with post assault responses, let’s focus on preventing the assault. Keeping your hands up with in close proximity with a disruptive prisoner is a good start. Know how to disengage, if possible, or how to quickly stabilize the head to prevent the spitter, bitter, or head butter from assaulting you.
Inmate’s HIV results ordered in Pa. ‘spitting’ case
Ex-arena football player bites off Ga. CO’s finger
- Videotape – Why it doesn’t always accurately depict what the officer saw
An increasing number of correctional facilities are providing video coverage for high threat areas that include intake areas, mental health areas, and disciplinary areas. We need to educate both our administration, the criminal justice system, and the public that a videotape is not always an accurate representation of what the officer saw or what actually happened.
According to Dr. Bill Lewinski, president of the Force Science Research Center, there are several reasons that the videotapes of a duty incident may not accurately depict what actually happened or what the officer actually saw at the point of impact. These factors include:
- Videotape only shows two dimensions so distance is hard to accurately estimate.
- The video camera may not show the officer’s point of view, i.e., the video may not be showing what the officer is able to see.
- The video may not show what the officer is focusing on or is actually able to perceive based on existing light conditions so the officer may not “see” what would be visible to the camera under normal circumstances.
- The video can be reviewed over and over in “slow motion” while the officer is experiencing oftentimes extremely life threatening traumatic events with no chance to slow down events and/or utilize “instant replay” capabilities.
Acquitted Pa. CO will return to work
Tenn. officials clash over inmate fight
- Report Writing / Testimony – Officer still finds it difficult to justify his /her force response.
Although your force responses are evaluated by your supervisors, trainers, and the courts, the way that you write your report and testify in court often makes the difference in the finding that you acted righteously. Understanding how force is evaluated can assist you in explaining why you did the right thing. When evaluating the use of force, justifiable force must be evaluated as being one of the following:
- A “trained technique” (Performed when appropriate based on the “totality of the circumstances” known to the officer at the time of the incident.)
- A “dynamic application of a trained technique” (Performed when appropriate based on the “totality of the circumstances” known to the officer at the time of the incident.)
- “Not trained, but justifiable based on the circumstances” (Performed when appropriate based on the “totality of the circumstances” known to the officer at the time of the incident.)
Former inmate sues over Fla. deputy’s use of force
Corrections1 is going to focus next year on these training issues in our efforts to keep you safe. Check Corrections1 regular to keep up on new threats, find out what is happening nationally and internationally, and the latest in defensive measures. Please use the member comments section to let us know what new training issues you have identified.
Best wishes for a safe and successful new year
Gary T. Klugiewicz
Corrections1
