Newsletter March 2009
in this issue
Non-Lethal Force
Note Taking During An Interview
W.I.N. - What's Important Now
Top Ten

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In this issue we continue to bring you important training topics of current interest.

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ILEETA Use of Force Journal
with Rick Guilbault
 
Have you ever applied a technique or used a weapon on a suspect and found that it was not as effective as you hoped it would be? Of course you have. Perhaps a better question is, do you have a weapon or know of a technique that is effective every time? If you can answer yes to that one please call me because you know something I don't and we need to share that information with our fellow trainers. The fact is that nothing works 100% of the time. For this reason, officers should always have a backup plan, "Plan B", ready to go when "Plan A" fails. This seems like common sense and most of us would agree in principle that everyone should have a backup plan.

However, by focusing training on one tool and not addressing how it fits in with the officer's other options, many of us may be unintentionally training officers to be single-minded when deploying force.

When training officers on a new weapon it is appropriate to initially focus the training solely on the technical aspects and practical application of that weapon. But that training should also include the weapon's limitations and what to do if that weapon is not effective. All weapon training should include transition drills that teach the officer to recognize when a weapon is not being effective and the alternatives that are appropriate and available to them. Officers that are not trained to transition to other options will often continue to apply ineffective force that could result in injuries to both the suspect and the officer and make no progress toward control and custody.
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The foundation of a subject's nonverbal communication is his posture. How a person's body is positioned in a chair often dictates arm and leg movements and, in some cases, even eye contact. Three inferences can be drawn from a subject's posture: the person's level of interest, their emotional involvement and their level of confidence.

Dynamic vs. Static
An important assessment of a subject's posture is the extent of change within the posture over the period of a 30 or 40 minute interview. For a number of reasons, a truthful subject will exhibit a variety of different postures throughout the course of an interview. These postures will be appropriate given the content of conversation during the interview.

A deceptive subject, on the other hand, may assume an initial posture and never significantly deviate from that posture. It is theorized that the deceptive subject is exerting so much thought and energy to generate verbal responses to the interviewer's question, that nonverbal communication becomes frozen. A static posture clearly reflects a lack of confidence within the subject. 
 

ILEETA Use of Force Journal
with Larry Smith

My son, Randy, and I were SCUBA diving off the coast of San Diego, CA in the kelp beds at about a depth of 40 feet. We were looking for abalone and spear fishing. Randy was only 14 years old and already an accomplished diver, but he lacked the fears of what could happen if safety procedures were not followed. He was wearing a smaller air tank than I was, but it had an air gauge to determine the amount of air that he consumed during the dive. Being a watchful parent, I always kept checking his air supply as a precaution. Things progressed well and his air consumption was much less than mine. Randy just finished spearing a big link cod and put it into his "goodie bag" when I looked at this air gauge. His air tank was down to less that 200 PSI and we usually surface at 300 PSI. I gave him the hand signal to surface. He motioned that he wanted to spear one more fish. Then, he gave me the signal, finger across the throat that he was out of air.

Luckily, I had plenty of air my tank. I felt the onset of panic. We could both perish if I did not get air to him or he had to make a free assent to the surface from 40 feet, which is not an easy task for a sport diver. I momentarily slowed my breathing and grabbed his SCUBA tank harness. Randy knew from recent practice sessions that he should grab my SCUBA tank harness to connect us for buddy breathing. I would control the air regulator taking three breaths, and then he would take three breaths as we ascend to the surface.

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Top Ten Murphy's Laws of Law Enforcement: 
  1. 'Bullet Proof' vests aren't.
  2. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. They also punch, kick and choke harder too.
  3. The speed at which you respond to a fight call is inversely proportional to how long you've been a cop.
  4. Tear gas works on cops too, and regardless of wind direction, will always blow back in your face.
  5. If a large group of drunken bikers is "holed-up" in a house, the Department will send one officer in a beat car. If there is one  biker "holed-up" in a house, they will send the entire SWAT Team.
  6. Placing a gun back in a shoulder holster with your finger on the trigger will cause you to walk with a limp.
  7. Flash hiders don't really.
  8. If you have 'cleared' all the rooms and met no resistance, you and your entry team have probably kicked in the door of the wrong house.
  9. If a cop swings a baton in a fight, he will hit other cops more often than he will hit the bad guys he swings at.
  10. Domestic arguments will always migrate from an area of few available weapons (living room), to an area with many available weapons (kitchen).





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