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ACHIEVING THE
NEXT LEVEL
Not so long ago, two defensive tactics instructors were sitting around at their department, spit balling ideas about what would be the most ideal defensive technique to teach their officers. The senior D.T. officer said that the ideal move would be one which every officer could use without difficulty. The junior trainer agreed, adding that he believed the ideal move would also be one which could be learned by all quickly. Smiling, the senior officer, a sergeant, nodded his head and said that he would also like to see a technique that did not require the expense of sending personnel to training school and did not cause loss of manpower and a need for overtime. Both officers expressed that the ideal move needed to be one that could be hidden or concealed in order to increase its effectiveness. The two instructors played around with this concept a bit more. Each officer came up with additional points for their "ideal" move. One stated that he would like to see the technique be very simple to perform so that it would be well executed under stress. The other added that this move would have to be adaptable, so other techniques could be modified into it should an officer need to improvise in a given situation. Both trainers agreed that a move which did not appear aggressive would be desirable in order to minimize an officer’s exposure to civil liability. All conversation about the topic stopped momentarily , and the junior defensive tactics trainer chuckled and drummed his hands on the desk where they were sitting. "I’ve got the move, sir." The junior officer told his supervisor. "What is it?" The supervisor asked. The junior officer pointed past his senior. "That’s it, sir." The senior officer turned and saw nothing. He turned again to the junior officer and once again the junior officer pointed past the senior. "That’s it." the junior officer said again, and once again, the supervisor turned and saw nothing. "I still don’t see what you are getting at." The senior officer said as he turned to the junior officer again. When he turned, the senior officer found that the junior officer had moved around the desk a few feet toward him. "It’s simple, sir," the junior officer said, smiling, "and you just fell for it. Twice." At times, officers have found in their duties that the most effective means of dealing with a situation is the most simple one. The same can be said of tactical movements that an officer may use during his/her tour of duty. One of the most effective tactics that an officer has at his/her disposal is oftentimes overlooked. It is one that almost everyone responds to automatically, requires little to no effort to perform, and is one that each of us use daily almost reflexively. This technique is pointing, and when an officer points in a tactical manner, he/she is provided with a technique which has multiple applications and has been proven effective over many years. Before you, the reader, begin laughing at this concept, briefly consider this point. Since the time that each of us were small children, we have been conditioned to respond to an authority figure, which at that age is a parent, pointing at an object or at us as kids. Our parents used this gesture for various reasons; discipline, warning, an attention getter, or to gain our interest in something. How many times have we seen our parents point at something and say "That’s hot. Don’t touch that.", and we, of course, looked to find out what they were referring to? If you have children, how many times have you done this with your kids? Pointing is an action which all ages respond to, and we all have been conditioned to react to it. Basically, this common, shared memory is the basis for this tactic. How can this idea be applied to law enforcement? That question has a simple answer. People are conditioned to respond either positively or negatively to authority figures in their lives. More often than not, people will initially respond positively to a law enforcement officer’s gestures rather than their commands. We point and motion to motorists while directing traffic at accident scenes, and we point in the vicinity where lost motorists should go while giving directions. During movements to surround a suspect or to search a building, we even point directions out to other officers. Usually, the response is positive- the officer gains compliance to what he wants from a subject. Pointing can also be used in similar fashion as a personal defense tactic. When utilized tactically, pointing can result in a variety of benefits for the officer who is dealing with questionable subjects encountered during duty. First, pointing can be well utilized by officers as a distraction technique. Since we have been conditioned to respond to someone pointing, an officer can use this gesture to cause a subject to change his focus briefly. This momentary change in a suspect’s focus can allow an officer to reposition himself in a more safety conscious way, to draw a defensive tool for immediate use, to distract a suspect in order to employ a subject control tactic ( such as an arm bar ), or simply to move a subject a few feet by telling him to go over by an object in the room, for example, in order to gain some space ( a safety gap ). Most people are going to at least look where you are pointing, which will provide the officer a second or two to move or to get these other potentially necessary measures under way. In order to maximize this conditioned response, officers need to use this gesture with subtlety. To use pointing most efficiently, the officer would have to be a bit vague about what is to be focused on, and a bit more specific about what is desired in the order given to a subject. For example, an officer approaches a subject on the street who has an active warrant for his arrest. Afterthe subject’s identity is confirmed and the warrant is verified, an officer can point to a nearby light pole and tell a suspect to turn and face the pole and then to place his hands on "that small sign" on the side of the pole. When the suspect turns to see the pole (vague ) and to find the small sign that the officer is referring to ( specific ), the officer can close in on the suspect from a safe angle or move away if needed, find the suspect’s hands, and change the suspect’s focus from the officer to the sign, even if the suspect’s focus is change for only a few seconds. If the officer finds that the suspect’s focus does not break, the officer then benefits from another bit of insight that pointing provides. When a suspect in this situation does not respond to the officer’s pointing, the point becomes a danger indicator. At this time, the officer has been made aware that the suspect is focused intently upon him. We, as officers, are taught to look for and to recognize any danger cues exhibited by subjects we encounter on duty. A casual distraction which each of us are conditioned to respond to that goes unnoticed should be regarded as a danger cue. The suspect may be " sizing up " the officer for an impending attack. Officers should consider the presence of illicit drugs and alcohol as well as the potential of a "dedicated" suspect who just intends to attack and/or fight due to whatever unknown motivation. In this way, a pointing gesture is a measuring stick for officer safety, and when this subtle clue presents itself, officers should think about what they can do should an attack result in this encounter, and their available options to deal with it or to prevent the situation tactically beforehand. Finally, the point can be used as a defensive maneuver. When an officer is pointing, he/she should use the defensive side, or the reaction side, so that it can be used to fend off an attack. Pointing provides a camouflaged initial defense. The arm is already extended, so a safety gap can be established and a "bump" can be given with the extended hand to keep that space in tact. From pointing, an officer can quickly close his fist if so needed. The pointing hand can also be used to block a punch or a kick. The officer also keeps the offensive side, or gun side, open in this manner and away from the assailant. Another added bonus to doing this is the tendency of the person pointing to put the side that is pointing before the opposite one. As we all know, the reaction side should go first, being the side closest to the threat. When we point in this manner, the body tends to go this way automatically, which keeps the officer in good tactical body position. The point can also maintain the focus of a suspect as the officer moves, so while moving, he can also be doing something else, such as unholstering his/her sidearm or removing an aerosol spray for use. For this purpose, the one hand may be viewed as non-threatening by the suspect while the other hand, the hand which the suspect may not be watching, is moving to control him. What is viewed as being commonplace by the public is often overlooked as an option by law enforcement officers. This is the case of the act of pointing. It is a simple tactic which we all have used, and it is an action which most seem to understand. We as officers often utilize this maneuver without forethought, and because we do, we should learn to use this easy gesture to our advantage. It can be modified to incorporate other tactics. It can be performed without effort under stress. Best of all, pointing is an act which most everyone responds to. When it comes to subtlety, pointing can be the defensive tactic which is best hidden, and that is what makes it a very effective defensive tool. When practiced, pointing can be our most useful defensive tactic, and anyone can perform this regardless of size or ability. A point well taken by a suspect may give you, the officer, the window of opportunity which you may need the most. When seconds count, the point that you make may point the way to you going home safely at shift’s end. Stay safe. |
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