Class 13-16 Week #5
Week #5: Officer Survival, Use of Force and Defensive Tactics
In the normally quiet parking lot of the Council on Aging lessons were learned about how the Police Department responds to violent crimes. As with any learning experience there often comes a new word. This Thursday's word was "Simunition." The topic was Use of Force and Defensive Tactics and the simulation of challenging circumstances in which police have to react became the vehicle. With Sandwich Police officers acting the part of both victim and perpetrator this Thursday's class viewed incidents as they happened. Firearms were used with simunitions in the magazine and chamber. As the perpetrator became aggressive to the Police Officer, played by class members, they had to decide whether or not to use the weapon. They used it when the threat became obvious using Officer's judgment. To them the simulation became real and "shots" were fired. A truck being burglarized by a man with a gun, or a woman being thrown to the ground in a violent domestic dispute followed by the attack of the aggressor on the Police Officer (student) framed the tough circumstances for the Citizen's Police Academy student. When presented with the fearsome events the students displayed “Command Presence” and authority under pressure. They were shot at with simunitions and charged by fast running "simuperps" (simulated perpetrators). This was the perfect prelude to Use Of Force as the topic of the night.
Later, Sargent Lawrence warned the class of what was to come as he introduced some shocking videos of police action. But they were teaching tools that gave the students insight. The life of the Police Officer can move from boredom to terror and they have to remain in control and act in the way they were trained. As Sgt. Lawrence commented, and we paraphrase, “When you put the uniform on and leave the house to go on duty, you walk differently. The Officer dressed in the official dark blue uniform wearing a bullet-proof vest changes into an Officer of the Law.” “They are still civilians, just like everyone else”, Sargent Lawrence continued, “but their demeanor becomes serious, professional, and commanding. They might have to decide when it's appropriate to use force to protect the public.”
After the dinner break Sgt. Lawrence showed the class an extra vest the police wear: active shooter vest. It is worn over all other equipment for all active shooter calls, and is very heavy! He moved on to explain reasonable amount of force and when to stop using force, mentioning not to let force be a means of revenge.
He then delved into lethal vs. non-lethal force looking into instances where you do not want serious injury considering all the factors from the nature of the offense to risks involved to prior dealing with the suspects.
He then presented the totality triangle:
-perceived circumstances
-perceived suspect action
-reasonable officer response
Then he moved on to look at the use of force model and what was appropriate for each stage from strategic response to use of deadly force. Sgt. Lawrence talked about the fact that any application of force must be articulated with a separate form and its own narrative. He also explained to the class some self-defense circumstance not only for police officers but for citizens going into what he called the Castle doctrine which involved instances within your home/castle. The emphasis still remained on the fact that any person using deadly force must have reasonable fear of great bodily harm or death as a defense and the belief that no other means would suffice.
Contributing Editors John Vibberts and Sue Driscoll
Next week's class: Major Crimes with SPD Detective Division
Later, Sargent Lawrence warned the class of what was to come as he introduced some shocking videos of police action. But they were teaching tools that gave the students insight. The life of the Police Officer can move from boredom to terror and they have to remain in control and act in the way they were trained. As Sgt. Lawrence commented, and we paraphrase, “When you put the uniform on and leave the house to go on duty, you walk differently. The Officer dressed in the official dark blue uniform wearing a bullet-proof vest changes into an Officer of the Law.” “They are still civilians, just like everyone else”, Sargent Lawrence continued, “but their demeanor becomes serious, professional, and commanding. They might have to decide when it's appropriate to use force to protect the public.”
After the dinner break Sgt. Lawrence showed the class an extra vest the police wear: active shooter vest. It is worn over all other equipment for all active shooter calls, and is very heavy! He moved on to explain reasonable amount of force and when to stop using force, mentioning not to let force be a means of revenge.
He then delved into lethal vs. non-lethal force looking into instances where you do not want serious injury considering all the factors from the nature of the offense to risks involved to prior dealing with the suspects.
He then presented the totality triangle:
-perceived circumstances
-perceived suspect action
-reasonable officer response
Then he moved on to look at the use of force model and what was appropriate for each stage from strategic response to use of deadly force. Sgt. Lawrence talked about the fact that any application of force must be articulated with a separate form and its own narrative. He also explained to the class some self-defense circumstance not only for police officers but for citizens going into what he called the Castle doctrine which involved instances within your home/castle. The emphasis still remained on the fact that any person using deadly force must have reasonable fear of great bodily harm or death as a defense and the belief that no other means would suffice.
Contributing Editors John Vibberts and Sue Driscoll
Next week's class: Major Crimes with SPD Detective Division
Photos courtesy of Pauline Fortin and Bob Nichols