Every couple of weeks we link to articles that we recommend. The topics are similar to those on our blog, mostly about use of force but some about general police issues. Right after the link we discuss our thoughts about the article.
Keeping SWAT safe by Sgt. Glenn French
I have been pretty impressed with Sgt. French’s knowledge of tactics and operations and have linked to his articles frequently. I have never attended his training but if it is as good as his articles, it should be very good. So if you live in or are willing to travel to Michigan, check out the training he offers at Detroit Special Operations Group.
This particular article discusses research into SWAT officer deaths from operations and training. French gives his thoughts on what can be done to reduce the numbers of deaths. To access this link you will need a Police One logon for restricted users.
Safety First: Two components of a safe training environment by R.K. Miller
This article gives good suggestions for safety in training. He gives a personal experience at the beginning of the article about how lack of these protocols almost cost him his life.
The first article in this post by Sgt. French discusses how 12 SWAT officers lost their life in training incidents while only 5 lost their life in operations and asks the question, how can we make training operations safer. This article is an excellent start. It leads me to believe that SWAT teams should consider a permanent safety officer position that follows the guidelines that Miller proposes. Large departments could also add a permanent safety officer position to their training divisions for the same purpose.
If you are interested in further literature in this area, check out Ken Murray’s book, Training at the Speed of Life, Vol. 1: The Definitive Textbook for Police and Military Reality Based Training
Training without force continuums: Learn to love the law by John Bostain
We attended a debate about whether force continuums should be used in law enforcement where John Bostain took the side against force continuums. (You can buy the DVD of the debate if you are interested in seeing it. It is on disk 4.) He gives some good arguments against using them and the same points he made in the debate are in this article.
The trend in departments is definitely toward moving away from force continuums. The problem I see is a lack of information about what is reasonable. The law gives little guidance and that is a recipe for poor decision making which is not going to help our industry.
Monitor you habits by Betsy Brantner Smith
“Remember, all repetitions are training, whether intentional or not. Frequently review your own performance, and check your own habits to make sure that they will save your life, not endanger it.”
Force Science News #117: New Study: When civilians would shoot…and when they think you should
Scientific proof that we need to do a better job educating the civilian population on the realities and necessity of force.
Unintended Consequences and Unintended Consequences Continued by Brian Willis
These two articles discuss some unintended consequences from popular use of force training techniques, boxing and groundfighting.
Three Battles by Brillianter
I just found this blog recently. The author claims to be a private contractor for military, law enforcement, and private citizens, so I assume he teaches. Most of his info seems pretty good.
This particular article discusses the three battlefields when force is used. Most training is focused on the physical battle but the legal battle along with the moral and ethical battle are just as important for winning the war. I have often thought of it as a delayed attack that you have to defend against. If you win the first battle but get in trouble because you violated the law or policy to do it or have stress symptoms because what you did doesn’t reconcile with your personal beliefs, then your force was not as effective as it should have been.
A brief history of violence by tgace
Interesting video that gives broader picture of violence over the years in our society.
Do we still need batons?: Have TASERs and OC made the handheld weapon obsolete? by Dean Scoville
No. But most officers and administrators are afraid of them because of the injuries they cause and negative images (Rodney King) they bring up. Scoville does a comprehensive job explaining the contemporary issues surrounding the first police less lethal weapon.
Standardizing SWAT by Bob O’Brien
I agree that there needs to be some standards for SWAT that are fairly consistent between departments otherwise there will be some officers that fancy themselves able to handle some of the traditional SWAT missions that in reality are not.
Standardization would pressure departments to bring team selection, equipment, and training up to a minimum level the same as building codes do for structures. Without good building codes, you can let anyone in a deathtrap that you have labeled “safe for occupation”. You can sue when it collapses on your cranium but it would have been nice to keep it from being built crappy in the first place.
That is state of some SWAT teams I have seen. They label themselves SWAT but they will most likely get themselves hurt when they go up against an adversary with moderate ability because of poor selection, equipment, and training.
Shots Fired: West St. Paul, Minnesota by Dean Scoville
A good case study about Sgt. Brent Nagel, an officer that understood windows of opportunity and had enough confidence in his ability to take advantage of one.
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Thanks for the link and the kind words and the link.