Officer Safety Participant Manual (Unit 10: Multiple Assailants)

Question 1

What is the goal of an officer in a multiple assailant situation?

Answer 1

With multiple assailants, we have to switch from an arrest and control mentality to a winning mentality. A winning mentality helps reduce anxiety and gives the drive an officer needs to get through the situation. We must not go into survival mode, we have to attack the situation with confidence and aggression.
(pg. 144)

Question 2

What are the threat cues for a multiple assailant situation?

Answer 2

1. Distraction
2. Flanking
3. Leader Identification
4. Non-verbal communication
5. Different language
6. Group contagion
   (pg.146)

Question 3

What are some of the pre-assault cues of a multiple assailant attack?

Answer 3

1. Raspy voice
2. Vocal repetition
3. Unusual sweating
4. Tightening of jaw/clenching
5. Breathing through mouth
6. Weight shifting
7. Fist clenching
8. Target glancing
9. Reaction hand distraction
   (pg.146)

Question 4

What are the 6 strategies for dealing with a group mentality?

Answer 4

1. Leader Neutralisation
2. Attack Management
3. Secondary Control
4. Weapon Selection
5. Empty Hand Technique
6. Avenues of Escape
   (pg. 148&149)

Question 5

What are the three major concepts we can use to apply the strategies for dealing with a group mentality?

Answer 5

1. Shielding
2. Cracking
3. Re-directing
   (pg.150)

Question 6

What physio-kinetic considerations should we have when dealing with multiple assailants?

Answer 6

We need to focus on
BALANCE (relationship between ears and hips)
POWER (shoulders and hips)
and MOBILITY (knees and hips)
when dealing with multiple assailants.

We need do try to affect those three areas of the subjects, while maintaining them for ourselves.

Consider what body parts you can use as weapons and what are the most effective targets on the subjects to make it hard for them to see, move, and breathe.
(pg.152/153)