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).
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...
There are records of many cases that has created controversies over reasonable or unreasonable searches and seizures. As stated in the fourth amendment,
The U.S Constitution came up with exclusive amendments in order to promote rights for its citizens. One of them is the Fourth amendment. The Fourth Amendment highlights the right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searches, and persons or things to be seized (Worral, 2012). In other words such amendment gave significance to two legal concepts the prohibition of unreasonable searches and seizures and the obligation to provide probable cause to issue a warrant. This leads to the introduction of the landmark Supreme Court case Mapp v. Ohio and the connection to a fact pattern (similar case). Both cases will be analyzed showing the importance of facts and arguments regarding the exclusionary rule and the poisonous doctrine.
To summarize the Fourth Amendment, it protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures. A search conducted by the government exists when the area or person being searched would reasonably have an expectation of privacy. A seizure takes place when the government takes a person or property into custody based on belief a criminal law was violated. If a search or seizure is deemed unreasonable, than any evidence obtained during that search and seizure can be omitted from court under
This decision requires that unless a suspect in custody has been informed of his constitutional rights before questioning anything he says may not be introduced in a court of law.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” –U.S. Constitutional Amendments
This is a less physical approach for an officer to control a situation. This is when the officer physically grabs the subject when they verbally resists or becomes abusive. This type of technique is used to prevent any further escalation in the situation. The officer will come into direct contact with the subject and will increase the probability that the subject will resist the officer. However, this type of force will most likely result in further escalation of resistance. Also during this phase, the officer will try to deescalate the situation by verbally controlling the subject with phrases such as “Stop” or “Don’t move”. Verbalization is key to try to calm the subject down, but if all fails the officer can use light force to subdue the subject.
Police tactics around the world are used on a daily basis while resolving the crimes that occur day by day keeping the officers themselves safe and taking down the suspect effectively. The police around the world deal with various types of crimes every day during their shifts in their jurisdiction. These crimes can vary from lethal to non-lethal depending what psychological problem is occurring in the suspects head. With these issues a lot of methods of training are necessary along with the correct tactical gear and weapons to take on whatever may come their way during their time on the job. These methods are called police tactics.
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.
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
Police are trained to demand control of all situations some officers even have problems separating their career life from their personal life. They "eat, live, die" police work. Their identity is defined by the uniform that they wear and any conflicts in their life are seen as challenges to their dominance (“The Misuse”). This training shows that the police are given the idea that they have authority over other citizens. The officers of the law are also trained to use force continuum which means to only use the amount of force necessary to control the situation and the person. It begins with officer presence, vocal direction and soft empty-hand techniques. If the person continues resistance, the officer may escalate to hard empty-hand techniques, chemical agents and upward toward lethal force the idea is to bring the person into compliance and under control without causing injury” (“The Misuse”). This system gives the police the idea of needing superiority and full control over the suspect in all cases also this gives the officers the permission to use the amount of power that they feel is necessary in order to gain the control of the situation. So when they stop somebody that has the predetermined negative connotation and fear of police will be scared of what is going to happen so they will be more likely to try to run or resist the officers commands and direction even if
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).
Officers of the law have obtained a substantial amount of discretion due to the profession they chose. Police officers are confronted with several situations which can be threatening or potentially lethal to them to which they must react rapidly but suitably. They have also been granted the authority to infringe upon any citizen’s rights and freedoms but with great power comes great responsibilities. The foremost growing concern in today’s society is shown when police officers decide to ‘test their discretion and apply the use of force or lethal force during their encounters. Klahm IV, C., Frank, J., & Liederbach, J., (2014) argue that the defining role of police is to control civilians and to ensure the peoples safety, furthermore
Technology over the years has improved in the criminal justice system. Ever since the 1960s criminal justice systems have used technology to advance and gain a better knowledge of the different issues and encounters officers may face. Technology is used to improve the day-to-day operations, decrease operation cost and increase strategic planning and tactical approaches.
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 ...