It’s natural to want to immediately bend over to retrieve something that’s dropped to the ground, like a license or insurance paperwork, during a traffic stop. It’s equally natural to reflexively reach down to grab something that’s fallen out of the hand of (or been intentionally dropped by) someone you’ve stopped on an FI.
Allowing that tendency to dictate your movements during an encounter with someone who could potentially pose a threat to you can have serious consequences.
Bending over to retrieve a dropped item can expose the back of your head and neck, and can put you in a position of potentially-compromised balance, which can be extremely dangerous if traffic is zipping past you on the stop.
Depending on how you bend over, it can also divert your attention away from the subject you’ve engaged.
Make a conscious effort to practice resisting the immediacy of the “pursuit of falling objects” instinct and work instead to maintain focus on the individual you’ve encountered. Take a few moments to consider why the object has been dropped. Was it actually an accident or is he trying to lure you into bending over in front of him so he can hit you in the back of the head or kick you in the face or push you off balance so you stumble in to traffic?
Next, consider whether retrieving whatever has fallen is even necessary or worth it. If on a traffic stop, for example, you have all the paperwork you need to finish your business, and the likelihood that the piece of paper that fell to the ground is harmless and completely irrelevant to your work is high, skip it for now.
Finally, if you feel retrieval is necessary at that moment, consider exactly how you’re going to position yourself to safely pick it up. Don’t just rush in to bending down.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
You pull the trigger, nothing happens. What now?
You respond to a domestic disturbance in a residential neighborhood and to your surprise you’re confronted by a middle-aged man standing in the driveway, pointing a shotgun at your marked unit.
You bail out to cover and draw down on him with your .45 H&K pistol. Repeatedly you command him to lower the shotgun. He doesn’t.
Your life at risk, you squeeze your trigger. The hammer drops — but your weapon does not fire.
Now what?
When that scenario played out in real life in Virginia a while ago, the threat never escalated further because the suspect at the pivotal moment belatedly decided to comply and peacefully laid down his weapon. Later, the involved officer’s agency said a department armorer had “failed to replace the handgun’s firing pin spring during routine maintenance.”
That’s a freak happenstance — other causes of stoppages arise more frequently, even though, in the opinion of well-known trainer John Farnam, “today’s law enforcement pistols tend to be the most reliable guns ever made.”
In training, Farnam sees officers unexpectedly unable to fire their semi-autos because of an empty chamber, a dud round, a slide out of battery (not completely forward), a manual safety that’s “on,” a decocking lever that’s inadvertently depressed...
In law enforcement, as Farnam reminds us, “There are things you can’t imagine but nothing that cannot happen.”
If a stoppage suddenly befalls you in a critical confrontation like the Virginia standoff, are you well-practiced in how to clear the problem and get your gun running again?
And if your clearing procedure fails, do you have the option of a backup gun?
“Now and then, an officer will ask why stoppage-reduction drills and transition-to-second-gun drills are necessary,” Farnam says. “But you need those procedures down pat. The possibility of a stoppage — not in the relative calm of the range but in the desperate fury of a gunfight — is easy to brush off... until it happens to you.”
He acknowledges that backup guns are disfavored by some administrators because of their “throw-down gun” connotation. But he considers the matter an officer-safety issue.
“No patrol officer should be out there without a second gun,” he told PoliceOne. “If you have one gun that’s not working, it’s unlikely you’ll have two that don’t work.”
The serial number of the backup should be recorded, to lessen the concern of it becoming a plant, Farnam suggests. And you should be required to qualify with the spare, the same as with your primary sidearm.
As for where to carry a backup, “a hide-out holster that attaches to your vest is a popular option,” Farnam says. “In any case, it should be carried concealed. Anything offenders can see, they can plan around.”
John Farnam, president of Defense Training International, can be reached at (970) 482-2520 or via email at: jsFarnam@aol.com.
You bail out to cover and draw down on him with your .45 H&K pistol. Repeatedly you command him to lower the shotgun. He doesn’t.
Your life at risk, you squeeze your trigger. The hammer drops — but your weapon does not fire.
Now what?
When that scenario played out in real life in Virginia a while ago, the threat never escalated further because the suspect at the pivotal moment belatedly decided to comply and peacefully laid down his weapon. Later, the involved officer’s agency said a department armorer had “failed to replace the handgun’s firing pin spring during routine maintenance.”
That’s a freak happenstance — other causes of stoppages arise more frequently, even though, in the opinion of well-known trainer John Farnam, “today’s law enforcement pistols tend to be the most reliable guns ever made.”
In training, Farnam sees officers unexpectedly unable to fire their semi-autos because of an empty chamber, a dud round, a slide out of battery (not completely forward), a manual safety that’s “on,” a decocking lever that’s inadvertently depressed...
In law enforcement, as Farnam reminds us, “There are things you can’t imagine but nothing that cannot happen.”
If a stoppage suddenly befalls you in a critical confrontation like the Virginia standoff, are you well-practiced in how to clear the problem and get your gun running again?
And if your clearing procedure fails, do you have the option of a backup gun?
“Now and then, an officer will ask why stoppage-reduction drills and transition-to-second-gun drills are necessary,” Farnam says. “But you need those procedures down pat. The possibility of a stoppage — not in the relative calm of the range but in the desperate fury of a gunfight — is easy to brush off... until it happens to you.”
He acknowledges that backup guns are disfavored by some administrators because of their “throw-down gun” connotation. But he considers the matter an officer-safety issue.
“No patrol officer should be out there without a second gun,” he told PoliceOne. “If you have one gun that’s not working, it’s unlikely you’ll have two that don’t work.”
The serial number of the backup should be recorded, to lessen the concern of it becoming a plant, Farnam suggests. And you should be required to qualify with the spare, the same as with your primary sidearm.
As for where to carry a backup, “a hide-out holster that attaches to your vest is a popular option,” Farnam says. “In any case, it should be carried concealed. Anything offenders can see, they can plan around.”
John Farnam, president of Defense Training International, can be reached at (970) 482-2520 or via email at: jsFarnam@aol.com.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
You pull the trigger. Nothing happens. What now?
You respond to a domestic disturbance in a residential neighborhood and to your surprise you’re confronted by a middle-aged man standing in the driveway, pointing a shotgun at your marked unit.
You bail out to cover and draw down on him with your .45 H&K pistol. Repeatedly you command him to lower the shotgun. He doesn’t.
Your life at risk, you squeeze your trigger. The hammer drops — but your weapon does not fire.
Now what?
When that scenario played out in real life in Virginia a while ago, the threat never escalated further because the suspect at the pivotal moment belatedly decided to comply and peacefully laid down his weapon. Later, the involved officer’s agency said a department armorer had “failed to replace the handgun’s firing pin spring during routine maintenance.”
That’s a freak happenstance — other causes of stoppages arise more frequently, even though, in the opinion of well-known trainer John Farnam, “today’s law enforcement pistols tend to be the most reliable guns ever made.”
In training, Farnam sees officers unexpectedly unable to fire their semi-autos because of an empty chamber, a dud round, a slide out of battery (not completely forward), a manual safety that’s “on,” a decocking lever that’s inadvertently depressed...
In law enforcement, as Farnam reminds us, “There are things you can’t imagine but nothing that cannot happen.”
If a stoppage suddenly befalls you in a critical confrontation like the Virginia standoff, are you well-practiced in how to clear the problem and get your gun running again?
And if your clearing procedure fails, do you have the option of a backup gun?
“Now and then, an officer will ask why stoppage-reduction drills and transition-to-second-gun drills are necessary,” Farnam says. “But you need those procedures down pat. The possibility of a stoppage — not in the relative calm of the range but in the desperate fury of a gunfight — is easy to brush off... until it happens to you.”
He acknowledges that backup guns are disfavored by some administrators because of their “throw-down gun” connotation. But he considers the matter an officer-safety issue.
“No patrol officer should be out there without a second gun,” he told PoliceOne. “If you have one gun that’s not working, it’s unlikely you’ll have two that don’t work.”
The serial number of the backup should be recorded, to lessen the concern of it becoming a plant, Farnam suggests. And you should be required to qualify with the spare, the same as with your primary sidearm.
As for where to carry a backup, “a hide-out holster that attaches to your vest is a popular option,” Farnam says. “In any case, it should be carried concealed. Anything offenders can see, they can plan around.”
John Farnam, president of Defense Training International, can be reached at (970) 482-2520 or via email at: jsFarnam@aol.com.
You bail out to cover and draw down on him with your .45 H&K pistol. Repeatedly you command him to lower the shotgun. He doesn’t.
Your life at risk, you squeeze your trigger. The hammer drops — but your weapon does not fire.
Now what?
When that scenario played out in real life in Virginia a while ago, the threat never escalated further because the suspect at the pivotal moment belatedly decided to comply and peacefully laid down his weapon. Later, the involved officer’s agency said a department armorer had “failed to replace the handgun’s firing pin spring during routine maintenance.”
That’s a freak happenstance — other causes of stoppages arise more frequently, even though, in the opinion of well-known trainer John Farnam, “today’s law enforcement pistols tend to be the most reliable guns ever made.”
In training, Farnam sees officers unexpectedly unable to fire their semi-autos because of an empty chamber, a dud round, a slide out of battery (not completely forward), a manual safety that’s “on,” a decocking lever that’s inadvertently depressed...
In law enforcement, as Farnam reminds us, “There are things you can’t imagine but nothing that cannot happen.”
If a stoppage suddenly befalls you in a critical confrontation like the Virginia standoff, are you well-practiced in how to clear the problem and get your gun running again?
And if your clearing procedure fails, do you have the option of a backup gun?
“Now and then, an officer will ask why stoppage-reduction drills and transition-to-second-gun drills are necessary,” Farnam says. “But you need those procedures down pat. The possibility of a stoppage — not in the relative calm of the range but in the desperate fury of a gunfight — is easy to brush off... until it happens to you.”
He acknowledges that backup guns are disfavored by some administrators because of their “throw-down gun” connotation. But he considers the matter an officer-safety issue.
“No patrol officer should be out there without a second gun,” he told PoliceOne. “If you have one gun that’s not working, it’s unlikely you’ll have two that don’t work.”
The serial number of the backup should be recorded, to lessen the concern of it becoming a plant, Farnam suggests. And you should be required to qualify with the spare, the same as with your primary sidearm.
As for where to carry a backup, “a hide-out holster that attaches to your vest is a popular option,” Farnam says. “In any case, it should be carried concealed. Anything offenders can see, they can plan around.”
John Farnam, president of Defense Training International, can be reached at (970) 482-2520 or via email at: jsFarnam@aol.com.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Staying Hydrated in every season
Falling behind with your drinking?
We’re talking water here. And it’s an officer safety issue.
Just because we’ve traversed the ‘dog days of summer’ and are rapidly approaching the beginning of autumn doesn’t mean that the dangers of dehydration have passed. Cooler temperatures can lull you into a false sense that you’re not prone to dehydration dangers which were so obvious in July and August.
New research findings from the University of Connecticut’s Human Performance Laboratory confirm that even mild dehydration can have a significant impact on your vigilance, concentration, working memory, tension and anxiety levels, and degree of fatigue—all important elements in staying alert for threat cues and being capable of fast reactions on the street.
Although both sexes are affected, researchers report that females may be even more susceptible to the loss of water and salts essential for normal body function. And the adverse effects can occur whether you’re sitting at a computer or involved in heavy physical exertion. It’s all a matter of sufficient fluid intake.
UConn researchers led by international hydration expert Dr. Lawrence Armstrong tested two groups of young, healthy, and active volunteers: 25 women with an average age of 23 and 26 men averaging 20 years old. After walking treadmills in a warm room to induce water loss, the subjects were put through a series of cognitive tests measured by the study team. Outcomes were later compared to results obtained when the same participants remained well-hydrated via mineral water during their exercising.
The comparisons showed that even mild dehydration—as little as 1.5 percent loss in the body’s normal water volume, about the amount that may make you feel thirsty—had a significant impact on energy level and the ability to think clearly.
Specifically, the females especially tended to experience fatigue, confusion, and difficulty concentrating, while among the males “difficulty with mental tasks, particularly in the areas of vigilance and working memory,” was noted, along with increased fatigue, tension, and anxiety.
“Adverse changes in mood and symptoms were substantially greater in females than in males, both at rest and during exercise,” the researchers stated, although they could not explain why. In any case, performance notably suffered from dehydration in both genders.
Other university studies have found that dehydration also affects muscle strength, by as much as 10 percent to 20 percent. In addition, some researchers say that chronic improper hydration may also be related to depression.
You may think about drinking water only when you’re thirsty, but “our thirst sensation doesn’t really appear until we are already one or two percent dehydrated—too late,” Armstrong explains. “By then dehydration is already starting to impact how our mind and body perform.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Dehydration occurs when you lose more fluid than you take in, and your body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. You can usually reverse [or prevent] mild to moderate dehydration by drinking more fluids.”
Daily Health News points out that “it’s easy to know when you’re really dehydrated—your mouth is parched, you’re likely overheated, and all you can think about is chugging a giant glass of ice-cold water. But knowing when you’re mildly dehydrated—far more common—is much harder, because the signs aren’t always as apparent.”
To stay properly hydrated, even if you’re largely sedentary, Armstrong recommends that you regularly drink about 2 liters of water—approximately eight 8-ounce glasses—during a normal day, “and not just during exercise, extreme heat, or exertion.”
With greater exposure to dehydrating circumstances, drink more and more often.
He says you can check your hydration status by monitoring the color of your urine. If you’re properly hydrated, it should be a “very pale yellow.” Dark yellow or tan suggests dehydration.
In the past, experts have cautioned that caffeinated drinks can contribute to dehydration. But researchers at UConn and the University of Nebraska Medical Center have concluded that water, caffeinated, and non-caffeinated drinks can all provide similar levels of hydration.
However, alcohol does tend to dehydrate the body because of its diuretic effects. Research has shown that the amount of water lost in urination is in direct correlation to the percentage of alcohol contained in what you drink. In short, the higher the alcohol content, the less hydration you’ll be able to maintain.
We’re talking water here. And it’s an officer safety issue.
Just because we’ve traversed the ‘dog days of summer’ and are rapidly approaching the beginning of autumn doesn’t mean that the dangers of dehydration have passed. Cooler temperatures can lull you into a false sense that you’re not prone to dehydration dangers which were so obvious in July and August.
New research findings from the University of Connecticut’s Human Performance Laboratory confirm that even mild dehydration can have a significant impact on your vigilance, concentration, working memory, tension and anxiety levels, and degree of fatigue—all important elements in staying alert for threat cues and being capable of fast reactions on the street.
Although both sexes are affected, researchers report that females may be even more susceptible to the loss of water and salts essential for normal body function. And the adverse effects can occur whether you’re sitting at a computer or involved in heavy physical exertion. It’s all a matter of sufficient fluid intake.
UConn researchers led by international hydration expert Dr. Lawrence Armstrong tested two groups of young, healthy, and active volunteers: 25 women with an average age of 23 and 26 men averaging 20 years old. After walking treadmills in a warm room to induce water loss, the subjects were put through a series of cognitive tests measured by the study team. Outcomes were later compared to results obtained when the same participants remained well-hydrated via mineral water during their exercising.
The comparisons showed that even mild dehydration—as little as 1.5 percent loss in the body’s normal water volume, about the amount that may make you feel thirsty—had a significant impact on energy level and the ability to think clearly.
Specifically, the females especially tended to experience fatigue, confusion, and difficulty concentrating, while among the males “difficulty with mental tasks, particularly in the areas of vigilance and working memory,” was noted, along with increased fatigue, tension, and anxiety.
“Adverse changes in mood and symptoms were substantially greater in females than in males, both at rest and during exercise,” the researchers stated, although they could not explain why. In any case, performance notably suffered from dehydration in both genders.
Other university studies have found that dehydration also affects muscle strength, by as much as 10 percent to 20 percent. In addition, some researchers say that chronic improper hydration may also be related to depression.
You may think about drinking water only when you’re thirsty, but “our thirst sensation doesn’t really appear until we are already one or two percent dehydrated—too late,” Armstrong explains. “By then dehydration is already starting to impact how our mind and body perform.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Dehydration occurs when you lose more fluid than you take in, and your body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. You can usually reverse [or prevent] mild to moderate dehydration by drinking more fluids.”
Daily Health News points out that “it’s easy to know when you’re really dehydrated—your mouth is parched, you’re likely overheated, and all you can think about is chugging a giant glass of ice-cold water. But knowing when you’re mildly dehydrated—far more common—is much harder, because the signs aren’t always as apparent.”
To stay properly hydrated, even if you’re largely sedentary, Armstrong recommends that you regularly drink about 2 liters of water—approximately eight 8-ounce glasses—during a normal day, “and not just during exercise, extreme heat, or exertion.”
With greater exposure to dehydrating circumstances, drink more and more often.
He says you can check your hydration status by monitoring the color of your urine. If you’re properly hydrated, it should be a “very pale yellow.” Dark yellow or tan suggests dehydration.
In the past, experts have cautioned that caffeinated drinks can contribute to dehydration. But researchers at UConn and the University of Nebraska Medical Center have concluded that water, caffeinated, and non-caffeinated drinks can all provide similar levels of hydration.
However, alcohol does tend to dehydrate the body because of its diuretic effects. Research has shown that the amount of water lost in urination is in direct correlation to the percentage of alcohol contained in what you drink. In short, the higher the alcohol content, the less hydration you’ll be able to maintain.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
4 keys to searching for suspects
Manning a line of police officers and volunteers sweeping through a field as a helicopter hovered low overhead we were relieved to hear that the suicidal female had been found, alive, beneath the stairwell in her basement closet. A happy ending but for the tremendous drain on resources that could have been prevented with a more thorough house search.
A missing persons report can spread panic among family and friends whether that person is a suicidal adult or a child that seems to have wandered off. While stranger abductions are nightmarish and generate zealous press coverage, the actual occurrence is exceptionally rare in the context of all missing person reports or other crimes against children and at-risk adults.
This worst-case scenario thinking can result in the missaplication of resources in critical cases. While not disregarding the possibility of abduction, many missing persons cases are resolved by the individual being located in their own homes or very near. First responding officers are tempted to work a spiral search that takes them farther and farther from the home. Volunteers and family members often launch their own efforts, uncoordinated with the police response.
While command posts, perimeters, and alerts are being used, don't forget the place where the person was last seen or normally stays.
Some Keys
1.) Have an officer or victim advocate stay with the closest relative to keep them calm and on site for further information. That person will have to be convinced that they are of more value there than running around in a panic. 2.) Try to get a single point of contact for all volunteers and family so they can be briefed not to pick up anything that might be of evidentiary value, to report frequently back to the contact point, and to have a list of names and cell numbers of volunteers. It's not a bad idea to get an ID and photo of all the volunteers since if there is foul play your suspect may be "helping" in the search. Be wary for the person who wants to help but doesn't want a team or partner. Officers should identify anyone claiming to be searching who hasn't checked in with everybody else. 3.) Keep at least one officer or team searching in and around the house and immediate area. Look again at places that have already been searched. Don't think of looking for a person, think of looking for a gallon milk jug because that's how small a sick or frightened person can get. Remember that small children can be frightened by all the attention and try to hide or change hiding places while you're calling for them! 4.) Look everywhere. Look in kitchen cabinets, refrigerators, under buckets, in closets, between mattresses, under laundry, in the dog house, under furniture... then look AGAIN!
A missing persons report can spread panic among family and friends whether that person is a suicidal adult or a child that seems to have wandered off. While stranger abductions are nightmarish and generate zealous press coverage, the actual occurrence is exceptionally rare in the context of all missing person reports or other crimes against children and at-risk adults.
This worst-case scenario thinking can result in the missaplication of resources in critical cases. While not disregarding the possibility of abduction, many missing persons cases are resolved by the individual being located in their own homes or very near. First responding officers are tempted to work a spiral search that takes them farther and farther from the home. Volunteers and family members often launch their own efforts, uncoordinated with the police response.
While command posts, perimeters, and alerts are being used, don't forget the place where the person was last seen or normally stays.
Some Keys
1.) Have an officer or victim advocate stay with the closest relative to keep them calm and on site for further information. That person will have to be convinced that they are of more value there than running around in a panic. 2.) Try to get a single point of contact for all volunteers and family so they can be briefed not to pick up anything that might be of evidentiary value, to report frequently back to the contact point, and to have a list of names and cell numbers of volunteers. It's not a bad idea to get an ID and photo of all the volunteers since if there is foul play your suspect may be "helping" in the search. Be wary for the person who wants to help but doesn't want a team or partner. Officers should identify anyone claiming to be searching who hasn't checked in with everybody else. 3.) Keep at least one officer or team searching in and around the house and immediate area. Look again at places that have already been searched. Don't think of looking for a person, think of looking for a gallon milk jug because that's how small a sick or frightened person can get. Remember that small children can be frightened by all the attention and try to hide or change hiding places while you're calling for them! 4.) Look everywhere. Look in kitchen cabinets, refrigerators, under buckets, in closets, between mattresses, under laundry, in the dog house, under furniture... then look AGAIN!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Body-worn camera: Inclusion against litigation
Everybody out there on the street has a video camera in their mobile phone, recording police officers’ interactions with subjects in all manner of scenarios. In many cases, those videos get posted to YouTube, and more often than most people realize, those videos have been carefully edited with a ‘the truth be damned’ attitude, showing not what actually happened, but what might make the officer look bad. PoliceOne Editor-in-Chief Doug Wyllie discusses briefly the notion that body-worn video cameras are an inoculation against litigation for officers and agencies. Such videos help to ensure that officers are protected against frivolous — and often times totally fictional — claims of officer misconduct.
Friday, August 10, 2012
5 Universal Truths About Home and Street
Most cops are reluctant to bring the street home with them when they go off duty, but PoliceOne trainer Gary Klugiewicz believes there are certain rules of the street that you should post prominently on your family refrigerator, just as he has done.
These are what he calls the “Five Universal Truths” for interacting successfully with suspects, victims, and witnesses on the job — and with the occupants of your own household and others you encounter in your personal life.
First articulated by the late Dr. George Thompson — founder of the Verbal Judo Institute — “these principles are a powerful tool to help protect you on the street by making you more effective in de-escalating volatile confrontations, reducing complaints, and increasing compliance, cooperation, and collaboration,” Klugiewicz says.
“And they’ll make you more persuasive and influential in preventing or resolving conflicts off-duty as well, because they reflect the ways that all people like to be treated, regardless of their status or circumstances.”
Klugiewicz explained the concept during an officer safety/conflict resolution presentation at the annual ILEETA training conference earlier this year and elaborated on it during a recent interview. He is the director of the PoliceOne Training Network and teaches about Universal Truths in the Verbal Defense & Influence Training Program, the revised, updated, and expanded version of Thompson’s internationally acclaimed Verbal Judo course.
Here’s how he describes the truths that, recognized and used skillfully, can give you the edge in person-to-person interactions.
1.) All people want to be treated with dignity and respect. “Many officer assaults occur in situations where people perceive that they’ve been treated disrespectfully, through taunting, belittlement, abusive language, unnecessarily rough handling, and so on,” Klugiewicz says. “Regardless of race, gender, age, social standing, or cultural background, people behave differently when they feel they’ve been disrespected, and that behavior generally won’t be to your advantage.
“In some situations, suspects may be so dangerous or disruptive that words are not appropriate and you may have to take immediate physical action against them—they need to get knocked down. But afterwards, respectful treatment—helping them up, brushing them off—can help you calm them and keep them under control.” In other words, “you’re nice until it’s time not to be nice, and afterward you’re nice again.”
The first Universal Truth — treating people with dignity and respect — is unconditional in all situations, Klugiewicz emphasizes. As for the other four truths, you act in harmony with them “whenever you can. And that depends on whether it seems safe for you to do so, based on your reasonable perception of threat.”
2.) All people want to be asked rather than told to do something. “A request is much more palatable than an order,” Klugiewicz says. “The subject saves face by appearing to make his own decision to comply rather than being pushed around and forced against his will. Commands often set up an escalation of conflict. Not only the words are different, the voice tone and facial appearance tend to be different too and they send a whole different message.”
3.) All people want to be told why they are being asked to do something. If a subject questions the reason for your request, “Because I said so” is not a useful answer, Klugiewicz says. “That only tends to deepen resistance. You may need to explain the law and the purpose behind the law, but your tone of voice needs to be matter of fact—devoid of emotion. You are merely explaining the rule, policy, or law that justifies your request. An angry response is evidence that you’re losing control.”
4.) All people want to be given options rather than threats. “If verbal resistance continues, now you need to move into salesmanship. You need to “sell” why they should comply with your request or direction. Start with the good options—what they’ll gain by cooperating with you. Then if necessary, move into negative options, like going to jail if they don’t comply. And end with a positive twist (‘But I don’t want that to happen’), which allows you to remind them of the possible positive resolution if they comply.
“People generally have their self-interest at heart. We all listen to radio station WII-FM — What’s In It for Me. Use the Greed Principle: If someone has something to gain or lose in a situation, you have something to work with.”
5.) All people want a second chance. If things appear to be headed unalterably toward your telling a subject what to do and backing it up with assertive action, give him/her one last opportunity to comply if that’s safely possible. Maintaining a collaborative tone, ask whether there’s “anything I can say at this time” to gain cooperation, repeating “in very specific terms” what you want the person to do.
“If you can’t persuade them to cooperate, this confirms their noncompliance and justifies your taking whatever action is appropriate,” Klugiewicz says.
The Five Universal Truths don’t require extensive conversation or argument; “You can move very quickly through them,” Klugiewicz explains. Even if the dialog ultimately proves ineffective, “you look good doing it.” And in today’s ultra-transparent world of cell phone cameras and media saturation, that can be vitally important in justifying your enforcement actions.
“If you don’t want to end up on YouTube, act professionally. Where officers tend to go off the rails of decency and common sense,” he says, “is that they make the mistake of treating people in the same disrespectful ways that people sometimes treat them. That only makes things worse.”
The same mistakes that heighten conflict on the street can heighten it at home, he says. That’s why he has posted the 5 Universal Truths on the refrigerator in his kitchen. “It’s a reminder to the whole family that respect benefits everyone by producing much better results.”
For more information on Verbal Defense & Influence training, contact Gary Klugiewicz at: gtKlugiewicz@cs.com.
These are what he calls the “Five Universal Truths” for interacting successfully with suspects, victims, and witnesses on the job — and with the occupants of your own household and others you encounter in your personal life.
First articulated by the late Dr. George Thompson — founder of the Verbal Judo Institute — “these principles are a powerful tool to help protect you on the street by making you more effective in de-escalating volatile confrontations, reducing complaints, and increasing compliance, cooperation, and collaboration,” Klugiewicz says.
“And they’ll make you more persuasive and influential in preventing or resolving conflicts off-duty as well, because they reflect the ways that all people like to be treated, regardless of their status or circumstances.”
Klugiewicz explained the concept during an officer safety/conflict resolution presentation at the annual ILEETA training conference earlier this year and elaborated on it during a recent interview. He is the director of the PoliceOne Training Network and teaches about Universal Truths in the Verbal Defense & Influence Training Program, the revised, updated, and expanded version of Thompson’s internationally acclaimed Verbal Judo course.
Here’s how he describes the truths that, recognized and used skillfully, can give you the edge in person-to-person interactions.
1.) All people want to be treated with dignity and respect. “Many officer assaults occur in situations where people perceive that they’ve been treated disrespectfully, through taunting, belittlement, abusive language, unnecessarily rough handling, and so on,” Klugiewicz says. “Regardless of race, gender, age, social standing, or cultural background, people behave differently when they feel they’ve been disrespected, and that behavior generally won’t be to your advantage.
“In some situations, suspects may be so dangerous or disruptive that words are not appropriate and you may have to take immediate physical action against them—they need to get knocked down. But afterwards, respectful treatment—helping them up, brushing them off—can help you calm them and keep them under control.” In other words, “you’re nice until it’s time not to be nice, and afterward you’re nice again.”
The first Universal Truth — treating people with dignity and respect — is unconditional in all situations, Klugiewicz emphasizes. As for the other four truths, you act in harmony with them “whenever you can. And that depends on whether it seems safe for you to do so, based on your reasonable perception of threat.”
2.) All people want to be asked rather than told to do something. “A request is much more palatable than an order,” Klugiewicz says. “The subject saves face by appearing to make his own decision to comply rather than being pushed around and forced against his will. Commands often set up an escalation of conflict. Not only the words are different, the voice tone and facial appearance tend to be different too and they send a whole different message.”
3.) All people want to be told why they are being asked to do something. If a subject questions the reason for your request, “Because I said so” is not a useful answer, Klugiewicz says. “That only tends to deepen resistance. You may need to explain the law and the purpose behind the law, but your tone of voice needs to be matter of fact—devoid of emotion. You are merely explaining the rule, policy, or law that justifies your request. An angry response is evidence that you’re losing control.”
4.) All people want to be given options rather than threats. “If verbal resistance continues, now you need to move into salesmanship. You need to “sell” why they should comply with your request or direction. Start with the good options—what they’ll gain by cooperating with you. Then if necessary, move into negative options, like going to jail if they don’t comply. And end with a positive twist (‘But I don’t want that to happen’), which allows you to remind them of the possible positive resolution if they comply.
“People generally have their self-interest at heart. We all listen to radio station WII-FM — What’s In It for Me. Use the Greed Principle: If someone has something to gain or lose in a situation, you have something to work with.”
5.) All people want a second chance. If things appear to be headed unalterably toward your telling a subject what to do and backing it up with assertive action, give him/her one last opportunity to comply if that’s safely possible. Maintaining a collaborative tone, ask whether there’s “anything I can say at this time” to gain cooperation, repeating “in very specific terms” what you want the person to do.
“If you can’t persuade them to cooperate, this confirms their noncompliance and justifies your taking whatever action is appropriate,” Klugiewicz says.
The Five Universal Truths don’t require extensive conversation or argument; “You can move very quickly through them,” Klugiewicz explains. Even if the dialog ultimately proves ineffective, “you look good doing it.” And in today’s ultra-transparent world of cell phone cameras and media saturation, that can be vitally important in justifying your enforcement actions.
“If you don’t want to end up on YouTube, act professionally. Where officers tend to go off the rails of decency and common sense,” he says, “is that they make the mistake of treating people in the same disrespectful ways that people sometimes treat them. That only makes things worse.”
The same mistakes that heighten conflict on the street can heighten it at home, he says. That’s why he has posted the 5 Universal Truths on the refrigerator in his kitchen. “It’s a reminder to the whole family that respect benefits everyone by producing much better results.”
For more information on Verbal Defense & Influence training, contact Gary Klugiewicz at: gtKlugiewicz@cs.com.
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