Mental conditioning and tactical thinking go hand in hand. Mental conditioning can prepare officers for any encounter, and help them cope with the stress before, during, and after the incident. Mental conditioning is a behavioral process where a response becomes more frequent or more probable in a given environment as a result of reinforcement, with reinforcement typically being a stimulus for a wanted response. Tactical thinking builds on the mental conditioning, and allows officers to confidently approach situations with a course of action (Remsberg, 1986). Tactical thinking is an active process where the officer must consider all the options and tactics available, when faced with a potentially dangerous situation. The officer must …show more content…
While training or dealing with on the job experiences it is normal for officers to have feelings of panic, frustration, confusion, uncertainty, and even depression (Remsberg, 1986). Officers need to recommit themselves and strive with serious effort and enthusiasm to improve. This later on will help them master their survival tactics. The saying “Practice makes perfect” isn’t 100% correct, but “Perfect practice makes perfect” is more suitable (Remsberg, 1986). One of the situations that officers deal with that use mental conditioning and tactical thinking is when clearing a building. In these situations officers have two aspects that deal with their tactical competence. The physical mechanics of muscle memory learned during metal conditioning training, and the decision making portion know as tactical thinking. Builidng on these two aspects allows officers to overcome infinite variables when searching any building (Remsberg, 1986). No buildings are alike, and suspects have the upper hand whether they are a known or unknown threat. Taking time to properly train and mentally conditioning yourself to a standard tactic will help officers overcome the larger threat when presented to them by having a mindset of attack, and expect to be attacked (Remsberg, 1986). With this
Gilmartin begins by describing the typical rookie officer. Most are energetic, idealistic, enthusiastic and very driven. Quickly this enthusiasm can change from one of positivity to one that is very cynical and emotionally charged. These behaviors and thoughts over time if not corrected become exacerbated leading to noticeable mental and physical changes. The author, Gilmartin, uses personal experiences and other real life stories effectively so that many officers can relate and identify with the topic of the book.
The Army requires its members to adhere to prolonged training and learn specialized skills. From the moment a soldier transitions from the civilian sector into the Army, he is indoctrinated with training. Regardless of rank, the Army demands each soldier to be technically proficient and mentally competent in order to be qualified in a respective Military Occupation Specialty. As a soldier progresses in his military career, he is required to continue his education and training. Army leaders are expected and required to continue developing their skills through academic studies, operational experience, and institutional training. An opposing view argues that anyone can learn these skills; however, statistics show less than 0.5% of the population serves in the armed forces, indicating a soldier is a rare mix of intelligence and character.1 These lessons are necessary qualifications to achieve what General Martin Dempsey describes as “effectiveness rather than efficiency.”2 Much like the profession of medicine which must heal, the media which must provide truth, and law which must provide justice, the profession of arms must provide secur...
For the guards “brutality was a “natural” consequence of being in the uniform of a ‘guard’ and asserting the power inherent in that role”.The Milgram Experiment took place in 1961. It was members of the “general public” mostly men who volunteered to take part in the study. This scientific study was a “study of the memory”. In this experiment there were two roles administered. The two roles being; the “Teacher” and the “Learner”. The role of the Teacher was to administer “shocks of increasing magnitude (from 15 V to 450 V in 15-V increments) to another man (the ‘‘Learner’’) every time he failed to recall the correct word in a previously learned pair”. Without the knowledge of the teacher, the Learner was “Milgram's confederate, and the shocks were not real”. Also rather than being more interested in the memory like the study specified, Milgram was more engrossed upon how far men would actually go to carry out the task. At the end of the experiment it was to him and others shock that, “the answer was very far”. By very far it was proved that the Teachers were “willing to administer shocks of 300 v and 65% went all the way
This aspect makes officers feel like they can handle anything that comes their way, but something couldn’t be so wrong. It encourages individual strength and independence, which together can make a simple situation turn deadly. As an example: “ On Tuesday, April Seventh, Two Thousand and Fifteen, New Castle Police Officer Justin Warren arrived at a house fire, he tried to go in through the thick smoke to save the two boys were inside the fire that tragically passed. Officer Warren without even thinking rushed in there, two officers found him lying unconscious in the living room, and had to transport him in the back of their cruiser to the hospital.” (New Castle
By teaching police officers alternatives to shooting to kill, they experience higher risks with their lives. Police Commissioner, Ray Kelly, said, “It would be "very difficult" to train officers to shoot to wound” (Jacobo, 2016). Police officers are viewed as “predators” and “an occupying army” rather than allies (Valey, 2016). This is a perception that needs to change because it counteracts the mission of police officers
First, stress in the lives of police officers often result in poor performance from sleep deprivation and panic. Sleep deprivation is one effect that stress can have on officers. The fatigue that stress causes can very literally kill the affected officer. Many times, officers hold anxiety inside them. When they are in bed, they are oftentimes let alone to think, which leads to many “racing thoughts” and “what if’s” (Koeling). Thinking about such things can keep officers awake for hours, leaving them fatigued and sleep-deprived when they report for work the next day. More causes of sleep deprivation are due to stressful, long shifts and odd hours (Casey). As a third-shift security guard for four years, Carl Koeling has had his share of sleep deprivation. In a recent interview, he said that when he stood a sleep-deprived watch, he remembers feeling “lightheaded and woozy” (Koeling). As a psychologist for thirty-eight years, Koeling also knows that fatigue caused by stress can also affect officers’ judgement, balance, and physical health (Koeling). It is vital that these three things be working properly for those in law enforcement, as the work they do often depends on good decision-making, decent balance, and high levels of physical fitness and well-being (Miller “Law Enforcement”). Panic is another effect that stress can have on police officers.
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
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...
Some officers will probably not follow this part of training because of them thinking they can take the inmates because they are in charge over them. But you need to think about your safety and what you have outside of your career. An important ability to have is situational awareness, ability to monitor others, read body language and prepare for an attack. All of this is crucial to this profession because you just don’t know what you will run into that day. Textbook self defense scenarios leave the attacker lying on the ground, unconscious, crippled and bleeding.
In the NAVY, initially our technical rate training utilized more of the Behaviorist learning theory. As learners our teachers were focused on changing our behaviors and modifying them from the civilian way of thinking to building a solid military foundation from which to build upon. It was John B. Watson an American psychologist who codified and publicized behaviorism that said, "Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I 'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select - doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations and the race of his ancestors” (Mcleod, S. 2008). This is exactly what was taking in place in boot camp, we were those infants. After mastering those basic skills and learning from all the trial and errors we transitioned into the progressive learning philosophy. The Progressive philosophy enabled us to pass on the knowledge learned from all our trial and errors to others. We started solving problems, as our equipment broke down we started trouble shooting and repairing the equipment ensuring our submarine was able to stay underway and complete the mission. With the downsizing of our military our leaders were constantly looking for new ways to do our jobs with fewer personnel more ...
While going through training, I began to realize this is a career that is can be emotionally overwhelming. You must be able to cope with mental stress, and stay prepared at all times. Just the fact that you don’t know what you are going to encounter throughout one day can be stressful. Knowing this you must learn how to deal with your emotions, whether it’s through group therapy or just relaxing after work. People are going to depend on you when they’re in a dangerous situation and you must be strong and help them when they are in need. To help others you must also be physically and menta...
It’s no question that the military has changed over the years. Basic Combat Training has not changed for 30 years until the millennial generation, but why? The older generation says that the newer generation has become too soft and they made Basic Combat Training easier; the new generation thinks otherwise. Basic Combat Training Is still hard and the military never did get weaker but something did happen.
Before I describe to you some of the “routine” and specific situations, investigations, and actual cases and dispositions I encountered I feel I should outline some of the training that that I received starting with the Military Police and Basic Training. Looking back I see the importance of the initial Army training that centered on physical conditioning and the discipline necessary to obey and follow orders to become part of a team. We learned that what was good for one was good for all and of course the reverse. Each morning we stood inspection outside of the barracks with our field packs on. Part of our required equipment during the inspections was a razor. We found out why one morning at the beginning of our training cycle when one of
Throughout the ages, humans have had an inherent interest in studying the complex area of human behaviour, even before psychology was established as a science. Because the study of behaviour is so broad and multifaceted, its scientific study poses particular challenges. Therefore, it can be beneficial to approach the scientific study of human behaviour from the perspective of cognitive psychology. This is the study of cognition, the mental processes that underlie human behaviour (Ling & Cattling, 2012).