Rethinking Police Response to Mass Demonstrations Flashcards
According to the FBI, how many homicides occurred in 2020?
Over 21,500.
What model should officers be trained in when facing complex situations in demonstrations?
Critical Decision-Making model
What is the “escalated force model” police used to address demonstrations in the 1960’s?
Police showed dominant force early on to deter criminality and civil disobedience.
What is the “negotiated management model” police used to address demonstrations in the 1970’s?
Police officers were trained to see themselves as helping people facilitate their 1st Amendment rights.
What was the watershed moment that police reverted back to an escalated force model during protests?
Seattle WTO in 1999
What should all commanders know to be prepared to handle large-scale demonstrations?
Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS.)
What does ICS and NIMS provide leaders?
Standardized vocabulary, structure and approach to handle a wide range of incidents.
According to PERF, should flash bangs be used in demonstrations?
No. Not at all
What are the five elements of the Critical Decision Making Model?
- Collect Information
- Assess Situation
- Consider police powers and policy
- Identify options and best course of action.
- Act, review and re-asses.
What were the three crisis of 2020, per Chuck Wexler?
- COVID 19
- George Floyd protest
- Spike in homicide and shootings
Why were the demonstrations of 2020 especially difficult for police to manage?
Because police conduct was the focus of the demonstrations.
How many major recommendations did PERF make about responding to demonstrations?
Nine
What is the #1 recommendation in the PERF report?
Reinventing the role of community. Police must rethink how they engage the community regarding demonstrations.
What is the main benefit to involving community membes as observers at protests?
It avoids the us-vs-them mentality
What are the benefits of providing the public with daily incident reports?
- Demonstrates Transparency
- Helps keep peaceful bystanders away from volatile situations
What platforms should be used to communicate with demonstrators?
- Whatever platforms the demonstrators are using themselves.
- Local Media.
Recommendation #2 says what about communication within the chain of command?
Police need to do a better job at communicating things like goal, tactics, and tools that are acceptable up and down the chain of command.
There should be concrete guidelines about appropriate and inappropriate responses to different types of behavior.
Recommendation #3 says what about training officers and supervisors adequately?
Recommendation #3 says what about training officers and supervisors adequately?
What mindset should be cultivated among officers who respond to demonstrations?
That they are “facilitating” the protest, rather than “policing” it.
Recommendation #4 says police should re-engineer how they think about less lethal weapons. How?
- There is currently little information about the capabilities, limitations, and risks of most less lethal systems beyond what the manufacturers say about them.
- The Justice Department should conduct thorough research on this topic and develop strong policy guidelines.
When should CS gas or chemical irritants be deployed?
Only to address a public safety concern like acts of violence or rioting.
What does PLAN stand for in relation to less lethal force?
Proportionate, Lawful, Accountable, Necessary.
What does Recommendation #5 say about communicating with crowds of protesters?
Crowds need to be warned before deploying less lethal munitions and given specific instructions on what they should do, with a deadline for that action.
We want to avoid situations where crowds are subject to force because they didn’t understand what they needed to do or didn’t have adequate time to do it.
Are live announcements or recordings preferred when communicating with groups of protestors?
Live announcements. They’re more humanizing and less intimidating, apparently.
