By Sergeant Marinus Jorgensen
Teaching new recruits to make sound use-of-force decisions in real time is one of the most challenging aspects of law enforcement instruction. They arrive eager to learn, unaware of the life-altering decisions they may soon face. Explaining the process is difficult — unfair, even. Words cannot capture the chaos and unpredictability of our profession. I can show videos, break down the process, and hope they understand, but comprehension only truly comes through experience.
To grasp decision-making in the field, we must first understand the science behind it.
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Understanding the human element
Physiology and neuroscience are rarely associated with law enforcement training. When I first began exploring these topics, I earned the affectionate nickname “nerd.” I didn’t mind. Understanding the human body and brain under stress reshaped my perspective on use of force.
For the first 15 years of my career, we never discussed human function. Officers who performed well received a generic “atta boy” letter. Those who didn’t were often ignored or criticized into silence. This approach failed both the officers and the profession.
A new era of understanding has since emerged: we are all human and respond as such under pressure. While some still dismiss this as a passing trend, I can say from experience that understanding human physiology is indispensable. Knowing case law and force continuums isn’t enough. Being an expert in quantum of force theory or a certified instructor doesn’t suffice either. Without understanding how the human mind and body operate under stress, training remains incomplete. Failing to teach this is a disservice both to your agency and your officers.
Hick’s law and decision-making
Unfamiliar with the Hick–Hyman Law? In the 1950s, psychologists William Hick and Ray Hyman developed a principle that describes how decision time increases with the number of available choices. Simply put: the more options we have, the slower our decision-making becomes.
However, the more trained an individual is, the faster they can process information and respond effectively. Still, the law holds true — an overload of options can bottleneck the brain, delaying action.
In law enforcement, decision-making can literally mean survival. Officers are required to make split-second, life-altering judgments amid overwhelming sensory input. Our task is to filter millions of bits of data, identify the few that matter, act decisively, and later justify those actions. It’s no surprise that new generations hesitate to enter this profession.
While bankers and analysts make decisions in predictable environments, law enforcement officers face ever-changing stimuli where every outcome must be correct — an impossible standard.
Reaction time reality
A skilled attacker can strike or fire in one-tenth of a second. The fastest human reaction to stimuli is roughly two-tenths of a second. We begin every encounter at a deficit. To compensate, we narrow our options — focusing on a limited set of techniques to avoid cognitive overload.
This patterning allows for quicker response times, but it also risks tunnel vision. Real-world encounters are unpredictable. Training must prepare officers for that unpredictability by overloading them safely and helping them learn to filter and prioritize under stress. The most prepared officers are the safest officers.
Breaking the cycle
In corrections, changing ingrained habits can feel impossible. When we began revamping our approach, the phrase “we’ve always done it this way” was a constant obstacle. By improving our use-of-force reviews, we opened the door for peer-led instruction — officers training officers. No one understands the job better than those who live it.
First, we addressed the obvious: officers are human. They experience fear, hesitation, doubt, and stress. Acknowledging these realities removes their stigma. Once officers realized training was focused on understanding behavior rather than punishment, they became more engaged and honest about their reactions.
The human brain processes roughly 11 million bits of information per second yet can consciously manage only about 30 to 50 bits. This filtering process explains why you may remember every accident you’ve had but not every commute. We train to ensure critical information is retained — stored in long-term memory — so it can be retrieved under pressure.
When learning becomes engaging, it becomes memorable. When it’s memorable, it becomes legacy.
Training in real time
Traditional training models often separate skills into disconnected blocks, leaving officers to assemble them on their own. I call our alternative approach “Marrying Ideologies in Training” (MIT) — integrating physical, cognitive, and emotional skills into unified, realistic scenarios.
In our agency, officers complete four hours of response-to-aggression training every other month. The sessions vary:
- Scenario-based drills simulate encounters shaped by officer behavior – rewarding effective de-escalation.
- Chaos drills immerse officers in unpredictable environments to test instinctive reactions.
Report writing under stress exercises cognitive recall after high-adrenaline events. Officers often find their first reports shaky, revealing the neurological impact of stress. We teach that within 48–72 hours, recall improves significantly — a critical lesson for post-incident reporting.
Finally, we conduct a full-scale “incident gauntlet” combining all learned elements from the year. Officers handle an evolving scenario from start to finish, complete follow-up documentation, and evaluate their performance.
Over time, we’ve seen confidence and composure grow. Officers react faster, think more clearly, and operate more safely.
Conclusion
I don’t claim this to be the way — only a way that works. Our results have been outstanding, and most of it can be conducted during shift hours with creative planning.
Understand and apply Hick’s Law in every facet of your training. Teach your officers how the human mind truly functions under stress. In doing so, you will prepare them not just to survive, but to think, act, and lead effectively under pressure.
The next article in this series will explore the Cynefin Framework and its application to law enforcement decision-making.
Special thanks to the Force Science Institute, Dr. Bill Lewinski and their outstanding team of instructors for their groundbreaking work. My gratitude also to Sheriff Chad Sheehan, whose leadership and belief in his people continue to inspire excellence.
Tactical takeaway
Use Hick’s Law as a framework for scenario design. Limit options, simulate overload, and help officers practice filtering and prioritizing under stress to improve real-time decision-making.
Training discussion points
- How can scenario-based training replicate the stress and speed of real-world encounters without compromising safety?
- In what ways can understanding human physiology improve officers’ split-second judgment under pressure?
- What strategies can agencies use to replace punitive review systems with peer-led learning environments?
What’s one change that’s made your training more realistic? Share below.
About the author
Sergeant Marinus Jorgensen is a 26-year veteran of one of Iowa’s largest law enforcement agencies. He holds a 6th-degree black belt in TaeKwon Do and instructs in nearly every major discipline within his department. He frequently provides training to smaller agencies at no cost.
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