This is the second article in a two part series (please see Part I entitled “Just Slow Down”) inspired by several recent high profile cases where use of deadly force has brought the involved officers under scathing public scrutiny, and facing investigation, civil litigation and even criminal charges. While not judging the guilt or innocence of involved officers at the very point they used force – none of us can ever know, absent a great deal more information than we are generally privy to, what an officer sees, perceives, experiences, or fears at the moment of deciding to use force and what kind – it is absolutely appropriate and sometimes necessary to engage in “Armchair Quarterbacking” using what facts we do know, with the framework of training, accepted best practices, policy, law, and simple common sense to guide us. And while most of us will never find ourselves under coast-to-coast scrutiny this still applies equally to the less high-profile incidents involving countless decisions and force of various levels which we ALL will be a part of and have to answer for, repeatedly, over the course of a career.
In Part I we wrote: “The calls you go on and preexisting attitudes of the people involved are beyond your control; the public summons, the police respond, and the nature of any individual encountered when you arrive is of their own creation. How you respond to anything that happens once there is entirely in your control, and your potential influence over the outcome is great. Bad outcomes result when we move too quickly, speak or act impulsively or without considering all the possible consequences, become impatient, or let ego have any part in the decision making.”
Of course there are times when the actions of a suspect forces our hands, demanding immediate response to protect ourselves and others from harm, and we have no choice but to act quickly and with minimal finesse. We get that and those times are (generally) not what this article is about. But when time is on our side, “expecting the unexpected” and planning for it is realistic, and we have every opportunity to avoid the pitfalls of complacency, ego, and hot-running emotions, we owe it to ourselves and everyone around us to just slow down. Here we’ll look at some strategies and disciplines to overcome the impulse to act in haste.
ALWAYS have a plan. Have a backup plan, and a backup for that one
In the academy we are drilled to develop plans of action, to think (and then think again) before acting, and of all the ways the world and the worst of its denizens conspire to kill us if we don’t. Our FTOs back it up, questioning, challenging, offering BETTER plans to our half-baked if well-intentioned efforts, insisting we don’t do anything to get them or other veteran officers hurt, killed, or fired because of some silliness springing from our naïve, sloppy minds. Finally, after several months having our brains honed to think like cops, we are turned loose on the streets. And all we learned is carefully applied… for awhile, anyway.
Complacency is built on a foundation of repeated successes across time. Most traffic stops we make are actually routine, most calls proceed and end somewhat predictably and safely. In fact, as we mature into our jobs, getting better and better at them, our history of successful outcomes grows and defines us, and our confidence soars.
And that’s when complacency sets in.
Complacent officers rest on expectations, rarely planning for dangerous outlier events. They get sloppy, expecting the expected, until their expectations crumble in a panic. And panic is an absolute bear on good decision-making.
Whether it’s your 5000th traffic stop, your 500th domestic dispute, or your first armed hostage taker, take the time develop a plan. Consider possible contingencies and how you’ll react (Backup Plans), and then stick with the plan unless and until circumstances dictate change, or someone arrives with an objectively better plan.
So, what’s the operative word? PLAN! The mere act of taking time to plan ahead forces you to slow down just a little, the key point of these articles.
Anticipate “Worst Case” scenarios
There is an old saying you’ve probably all heard: “If it can be predicted, it can be prevented.” Well, not always, but usually, and anticipating (predicting) worst case scenarios is one good way to manage and survive them, even if we cannot actually prevent every one.
Maybe you’re a streetwise tac officer with many years’ experience in some of your city’s hardest beats, adept at handling the worst gangbangers, drug dealers, shooters, and thieves. Stopping a grandmotherly octogenarian for blowing a red light to make sure she is alright is nothing, but are you any less dead if she sticks a pistol in your face and pulls the trigger? It can – and has – happened.
People who don’t “look the part” are some of our most dangerous threats, as are those with whom we’ve had a lot of benign experiences. Our senses are on high alert serving a warrant on a career criminal but more relaxed talking to a depressed CPA whose wife just announced she’s leaving after a dozen arguments you’ve mediated. But what if the frequent flyer has decided to just go with the program as a cost of doing business (as they actually often do) while Mr Milquetoast is pocketing a pistol this time, set on suicide by cop?
Go into every stop and every call ready for the worst case scenario, do what you can to mitigate it as much as possible up front, and then have a plan to how you’ll react that may evolve as circumstances evolve.
Practice visualization and mental rehearsal
For a lot of cops, training and skills practice is something that only takes in formal settings and under the tutelage of a departmental or outside trainer. They devote themselves fully to it while it’s going on, only to tuck it away in the back of their minds until the next refresher or it’s actually needed. That is simply not enough.
It is possible to practice physical and tactical skills between calls and in downtime, while sitting in your squad or even kicking back and “resting your eyes” (at home and NEVER at work, right?), without so much as twitching a muscle. Visualization and mental rehearsal has great value and can be applied to all aspects of police work, but especially the physical and tactical. Even when running hot to a call still take time to plan your arrival, where you’ll park and how you’ll approach, what your initial tasks and observational foci will be, and how you’ll direct others coming to help. Once there, note and rehearse how you will use escape paths, cover and concealment, and tactical positioning when things go sideways. Split your attention between what is right in front of you and what lies ahead, switching between them as needed and safety allows.
I am a member of my department’s Crisis Negotiation Team. We practice monthly to keep skills sharp, but each of us has come into the practice of, while on duty and listening to citywide radio, paying attention to calls that might possibly turn into CNT callouts. When one is obvious, we start rehearsing possible roles and how we’ll meet needs should our services be demanded. It is a discipline we’ve all developed in the course of practice and actual incidents.
The practice and discipline of mental rehearsal – especially when contemporaneous to the call – is another way of forcing ourselves to slow down.
Don’t forget the reactionary gap
Creating space and distance allows for a broader field of vision and more time and space to react for favorable outcomes. Personally, I’m not fond of strangers in my personal space or, for that matter, within about eight feet of me when I’m working. It cannot always be avoided but I do my best to respectfully keep them at a sasquatches arm’s length.
From adequate distance, body language is better interpreted, threats are better seen, and options are increased. When you see someone pull a gun or knife from his waistband while you are “not too close and not too far” you will see it sooner and have more choices (Attack? Move? Draw? Retreat?) than if you are right on top of him.
Check your ego!
Police officers need a strong ego. One cannot navigate the working world of a cop, nor long survive it, without a healthy self-esteem, an abundance of confidence, and even a bit of a belief when walking into a roiling mess that “now this here is one ______ up situation. It’s definitely good I’m in charge!” The problem lies in how quickly we can go from comfortably in control to dogpaddling in a sh*tstorm, especially when an overdeveloped sense of confidence is what led you into the mire in the first place.
Never forget there is always someone bigger, badder, tougher, madder, and highly motivated to win. You may not have met that person yet, but you will, and when you do don’t let your ego be taken by surprise. And never, ever underestimate your opponent based on size, age, gender, or appearance of weakness.
Control your breath
Practitioners of yoga are well aware of the importance of breath control and its positive effects. Pranayama is the practice of regulating breath by using certain techniques and skills to slow and control it and, in the process, promote concentration, reduce stress, and calm the nervous system. Using controlled breathing techniques are shown to have numerous physical and emotional benefits, and the breathing techniques associated with meditation may positively change the body’s autonomic nervous system controlling heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and stress responses. Slow and steady breathing communicates messages of wellbeing to the brain.
Under stress, most people revert to a rapid, stunted breathing. This is a natural response to danger as adrenaline dumps into the body preparing it for fight or flight; we take rapid “gulps” of oxygen, our heart rates soar, and fine motor skills diminish as our primitive brain takes over to either escape or destroy the threat.
And that’s when things go awry. Badly awry.
We need to stay controlled, focused, thoughtful. Learning and practicing breathe control when stress is low can make it our default mode when the world goes sideways. Being able to breathe through a crisis might be the difference between an appropriate, well-considered response and panic. It might mean the difference between life and death.
---------------
Each of the practices we’ve suggested are designed to alter the way you think going into a potential critical incident, specifically to force your mind to slow down and embrace a broader view of an incident and the threats it may pose. By adopting and practicing disciplines, you will be less likely to be caught unaware, without a plan, and at risk of making impulsive or dangerous mistakes.
