A quintessential element in the field of law enforcement is the potential for suspects whom officers contact to become resistive and combative. When instances like this occur it is highly probable that officers will have a need to use force. With the ever growing skepticism of law enforcement and the frequent Monday morning quarterbacking that happens with police incidents, many agencies are teaching their officers about tactical communication and how to disarm and diffuse certain situations with the use of words. Tactical communication is not a new notion, but it is a concept that has been revisited and revised and it appears that in this day and age it has reached a much more compelling form. But just how truly effective is tactical communication when higher levels of force are not appropriate? It is my goal through my research paper to shed some light on a police tactic that is not as critically noted but is equally if not more so significant to use in daily police operations.
Tactical communication, verbal self-defense, verbal judo or verbal aikido is defined as the use of dialogue to prevent, scale down, or end an attempted physical or verbal assault. It is a way for officers to employ words as a way to preserve intellectual, emotional and physical safety. It is a type of conflict management which engages and involves the distinct use of posture, body language, tone of voice, and choice of words in such a manner that it has the potential for calming a possibly volatile situation before it can erupt to a level of physical violence. This technique often requires officers to take split second to time-out, deflect the current conversation to a lesser argumentative topic, or even readdressing the conversation to other individuals...
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...fies the 4th Amendment right all people have to know why they are being detained by the police. Thompson then states that officers explore if there are any justifiable reason why they violated the law. Lastly the officer should request identification and other forms of information.
Dr. Thompson follows up this tactical approach by teaching words and phrases to avoid. He states certain words and phrases allude to an evasion of responsibility and carry with them a harsh sense of sarcasm. Dr. Thompson prefaces that verbal judo, tactical communication, is only one way. It is a more gentle way. The engagement into tactical communication or contact professionalism is an effective an efficient way of life. It is not just for sales, not just to make money and not just to dominate people. It is a way to liv and work with dignity, power and assertiveness (Thompson, 2004).
Stetser, Merle (2001). The Use of Force in Police Control of Violence: Incidents Resulting in Assaults on Officers. New York: LFB Scholarly Publishing L.L.C.
The use of force, particularly with correlation to officer morale and/or inadequate education/training, has become particularly problematic. Measures should be taken to reduce the injury to suspects, particularly physical injury resulting from poor officer tactics or malicious intentions not related to upholding the law. These are problems, which, if properly handled and rectified, will result in improved officer morale, improved relationships with the public as well as ensure a continued upstanding reputation for the oldest police force in the nation.
Law enforcement officers are in constant dangerous situations while out doing their responsibilities. When in these threatening situations, police officers typically have little to no time to determine the right precaution. These precautions may lead to the death of a suspect or even the officer themselves. The media has recently shed light on police brutality with use of force. Use of force could be defined as the amount of effort an officer must use in order to make an unwilling subject compel. Police officers are usually trained to enable the proper responsible to a dangerous situation they may be put in. In this paper I will go through the guidelines that a police officer must obey when considering a certain degree of use of force. Within each guideline there will be the pro and cons with that situation and also a recent case that happened. This paper will also talk about how this topic can be addressed more properly. These guidelines that officer are taught during their training are called Use of Force Continuum.
This class will be hands-on and some parts may be considered physically intensive. Students will learn and practice self-defense and law enforcement defensive tactics. The training will include strikes, blocks, and control holds. The class will also incorporate use of force and weapons retention.
Police brutality is a very real problem that many Americans face today. The police carry an enormous burden each day. Police work is very stressful and involves many violent and dangerous situations. In many confrontations the police are put in a position in which they may have to use force to control the situation. There are different levels of force and the situation dictates the level use most of the time. The police have very strict rules about police use force and the manner in which they use it. In this paper I will try to explain the many different reason the police cross the line, and the many different people that this type of behavior effects. There are thousands of reports each year of assaults and ill treatment against officers who use excessive force and violate the human rights of their victims. In some cases the police have injured and even killed people through the use of excessive force and brutal treatment. The use of excessive force is a criminal act and I will try and explore the many different factors involved in these situations.
The police forces in every community are deemed law enforcement officers and have to take necessary precautions in executing their job. Individuals that police officers encounter may at any time threaten the security of the officer or others. Police officers have to follow procedures that are necessary to maintain control of situations that can cause harm to others or property. The three topics that will be discussed in police use of force are; the explanation and background of use of force, limitations of use of force, and disputed court cases dealing with police use of force.
Waddington, J. A. P., Adang, O., Baker, D., Birkbeck, C., Feltes, T., Gabaldon, G. L., Machado, P, E., Stenning, P. (2006) ‘Singing the same tune? International continuities and discontinuities in how police talk about force.’ Crime Law and Social Change. 52, 111-138
Recently in the United States there has been in increase in deaths that have come from police officers using deadly force. The use of force is inevitable as a police officer, many times their own lives or the life’s civilians are at risk when it comes to determine what type of force a officer should use. There are many incidents where police officer have to react in a matter of seconds and has to choose between his own life or that of the individual causing the disturbance. When a Police Officer uses deadly force has caused outraged with the public, stirring up protests and creating a scandal for the police officer and the Police Department. Many do not know when it is right for an officer to use deadly force and what constitutes it, or what happens when the officer does not use the appropriate amount of force that is required to control the situation. There has been many changes in Police Departments around the country to try to reduce the use of deadly force in response to the issues that have occurred because of it.
As taught in the lectures, it is impossible for police officers to win the war against crime without bending the rules, however when the rules are bent so much that it starts to violate t...
Police officers have trained and developed trained tactics over the years of them becoming a police officer; they use those skilled tactics t...
It is a myth to believe that an officers job is spend fighting dangerous crimes, in reality officers spend more time handing smaller cases. For example, police officers spend a lot of time doing daily tasks such as giving speeding tickets and being mediators in disputes (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). Handing out speeding tickers and handling minor disputes are far from fighting crime. Police officers spend more time doing preventive measures (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). Preventive measures involve officers intervening to prevent further altercations. Victor Kappeler and Gary Potter discussed the myth of crime fighting as invalid and misleading notions of an officer’s employment.
Everyday law enforcement personal have the possibility to face dangerous events in their daily duties. In performing such duties a police officer could come by a seemingly ordinary task, and in a blink of an eye the event can turn threatening and possible deadly. When or if this happens to an officer they won’t have
Communication is essential in education, training and everyday life. It's a means by which a thought is transferred from one person to another. Effective communication occurs when the intended meaning of the source and the perceived meaning of the receiver are virtually the same, Schemerhorn (2005).
Gul, Zakir, Hakan Hekim, and Ramazan Terkesil. “Controlling Police (Excessive) Force: The American Case.” International Journal of Human Sciences 10.2 (2013): 285-303. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
Communication in social environments is necessary for police officers because they have to make fast decisions about interacting with victims, witnesses, and suspects. Specifically, the better communication that the officers ...