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European Policetrainer Conference 2008
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Don´t miss the European Policetrainer Conference March 12./ 13. 2009 in Nuremberg / Germany
In 2008 Nurnberg again hosted the European Police Trainer Conference. After a warm welcome to the delegates from Captain Eckhard “Ecko” Niebergall (President of the Polizei Trainer in Deutschland PiD organisation) the programme began.
Presenter - KHK Ralph Schmidt
Topic - Frankfurt am Main 29.06.99
Ralph Schmidt presented an important case study where officers were wounded on 29th June 1999 in Frankfurt am Main.
The basic facts are as follows. Two police officers spotted a car with three occupants in Frankfurt which they wanted to checkout, but as they approached the vehicle on foot from the rear they were shot without any warning by the rear seat passenger, Haji, who was armed with a HS2000 pistol of Croatian manufacture. The first pair of officers received gunshot wounds and whilst they are lying on the ground Haji callously fired at them again.
At this point two more officers arrived and gunfire was exchanged with Haji. In total more than 30 shots were fired. These two officers were also shot and Haji escaped from the scene. The driver of the subject vehicle was wounded, as was the co-driver.
Intelligence revealed that Haji was linked to terrorist groups as well as being involved in organised crime, such as human trafficking. He was arrested sometime later in The Netherlands.
Thankfully all four police officers survived. The lessons learned from this incident were that we must be prepared for acts of extremist violence in the homeland. Insurgency is not solely a problem experienced in conflict areas abroad.
Presenter - Bernd Pokojewski
Topic - Police Foot Pursuit - Verfolgung zu Fus
Whenever officers tell “war stories” they often recount foot pursuits they have been in. They are hectic, tense, adrenalin-filled minutes.
The dangers of pursuing a fleeing subject on foot were graphically demonstrated in an in-car video of a real-life chase in Los Angeles where an officer ran around a corner into the path of an oncoming car. The injured officer was given emergency care by his colleagues and received that all important reassurance – what Poko aptly described as “Psychological First Aid.” The lesson from this video was that although the actual confrontation at the end of the chase can be critical the pursuit itself can also be just as hazardous.
So what happens when we chase on foot?
The urge to get the prisoner is intense. It is the officer’s job, his/her duty to catch the felon. It becomes personal when the subject runs away after the officer has ordered them to stop.
There is an information gap. The subject knows exactly why he is running away. He may have committed a crime; have drugs or weapons on him; or he may be a wanted person. The uncertainty is in the officer’s mind. Often the officer only knows that the subject must have something to hide by running away, but is uncertain. There may also be trepidation in the officer’s mind about what will happen when the subject is stopped. “Will the subject give up and be compliant? Or will he fight back or be armed – or both?” Uncertainty is the mother or fear, “Der Angst-Faktor”. If we can convert raw fear into a sense of caution we can control this emotional response cognitively. It is essential therefore to keep thinking rationally. Poko mentioned the infamous Los Angeles vehicle pursuit involving Rodney King where it appeared that officers’ emotions had led them to lose their control.
On the topic of weapons. Poko explained that if the subject has taken the decision to carry one weapon (firearm or edged weapon) they are just as likely to carry two – or even more. So officers should remember this when finding a weapon and keep on searching to find all weapons. [This is called the “PLUS ONE” rule. You find one weapon on a prisoner - look for the next; you find one drug wrap - look for the next one; you find one intruder in a building – look for the next one.] Talking of weapons it is sobering to think that every encounter involves at least one firearm – the officer’s. And it is not only the officer’s firearm which may be the focus of the subject’s attention, they may also try and take the officer’s chemical spray, baton or handcuffs. [What about officers who openly carry knives or “multi-tools” in pouches on their duty belt? Very convenient to get to, but convenient for whom? The officer, or an attacker?]
Some practical tips then. Always carry a torch (flashlight) not just at night but also during the day. You never can predict where the pursuit will go. You may end up in darkened places inside buildings. [The low-light expert Mark Warren would even advise carrying more than one torch. Torches are mechanical. Mechanical things fail. His motto is “Two is one. One is none”. If you carry two maybe one won’t work. If you carry one it might not work.]
When does the hunter become the hunted? We think of the officer being the hunter, but what clues are there to indicate that the tables have been turned and the officer is the one being hunted? There was a case where the subject ran around the corner out of sight. The officer managed to look over a wall rather than running blindly around and saw that the subject was now waiting to ambush the officer. Also we know that when subjects abandon a car they run off in all directions [starburst]. So what would the officer think if all of the subjects ran off in the same direction? Are they leading the officer away to an ambush?
How about the physical impact of chasing after a subject then on the officer’s body? The pursuit normally starts with little or no warning. The officer’s system goes from 0 to 100 kph in an instant. Of course this is more difficult for older officers who are not conditioned, but it also affects young fit officers too. When the officer confronts the subject at the end of the chase a struggle can be anticipated. This struggle can sap the officer’s strength in seconds as exhaustion, the oxygen debt and injuries all take their toll. In fact the officer needs to gain compliance within 30 seconds. Poko refers to this as, “The 30 Second Factor”. Finish the fight in 30 seconds.
Research was conducted using ten 20 to 50 year old people. The people were not athletes they were just in average condition. The test simulated going from a standstill to maximum effort and they were monitored medically. In six of the cases the test had to stopped prematurely as abnormal ECG heart rhythms were detected. In fact it can take at least a day or so for you to recover fully from the hormonal cocktail and exhaustion from chasing after someone.
The link between increasing heart rate and the slowing of our reactions, loss of fine motor function and perceptual distortion, so-called “Tunnel Vision” and “Tunnel Hearing”, are well known. The danger of excessive heart rate could lead to panic and giving up. One tip to control your heart rate is to control your breathing. Obviously this is difficult when sprinting after someone, but it can be done when driving and to a certain extent when in a physical confrontation. [If officers get used to giving lawful commands, such as “Stop resisting!”, whilst in the struggle they will naturally have to breathe.]
Be prepared. Be ready for instant action without hesitation. [Reduce the reaction time through effective and ready officer safety training. Think to yourself, “What would I do if this person ran now?” Plan to win.]
Keep on your guard even if the subject appears to be compliant. [Be weary especially if the subject appears to be compliant!] Maybe the subject is just putting on a show of co-operating in order to get close enough to attack the officer. They may even put on a pretence of drunkenness to make themselves look less threatening.
Is it always necessary to chase? It might be better to discontinue. Remember to secure your vehicle if you bale out to chase someone. You can reduce the risk if you pursue as a team with other officers. [If you have a partner officer with you and two subjects run from a stolen car in different directions what would you do? Each run after their “own” subject? It might be better for you and your partner to run after the one subject you have the best chance of catching, normally the slower one. If that one just happens to be the driver of the stolen car – even better!]
Experienced officers know that subjects are very fast at the start of the pursuit, but hide [go to ground] as soon as they become short of breath – say 100 metres – if they think that the officers no longer have a visual on them. [You could think of blocking the escape routes as an immediate action then containing the area before calling for a dog unit or air support.]
The subject always invests 100 per cent in running away, but Poko advises that officers should only give two-third effort to leave themselves with the energy to finish the fight. This will also give officers the ability to detect and avoid hazards.
When it comes to catching up with the subject it is dangerous to tackle a running subject as it will be by chance that anyone would end up on top. It is fine for the sports field, but not on our streets.
The importance of practical training cannot be over-emphasised. Officers need to know what it feels like to receive multiple punches and, most importantly, to carry on and win the fight. Pumping iron in the gym is no substitute for contact sports.
The mindset officers should be in whilst pursuing, according to Poko, is “Permanent situational attention”. And if you have “gut feeling” for danger [or “intuition” if you are a female officer] you will then be able to expect the unexpected.
And ...
Never ever give up!
Presenter - Dr Rick Tovar
Topic - Tactical Emergency Medicine Support (TEMS)
As well as being a doctor, Rick is in the rare position of also being a sworn officer in the SWAT unit of the New Berlin Police Department, Wisconsin, USA and he described this role.
It is a sad lesson that history teaches us that a person can bleed to death from an extremity wound in a matter of a few minutes.
The physician/medic on the SWAT team needs to train the officers take care of themselves when injured. The role has benefitted from hard won lessons from the battlefields of Viet Nam in the 1960s and 1970s. This has been supplemented by more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as practical police experience.
The SWAT mission in Wisconsin includes raiding illegal drug production facilities – meth labs. These pose significant health hazards which the TEMS physician needs to be aware of.
The need for TEMS is that civilian Emergency Medical Support (EMS) are not tactically aware. Civilian EMS is characterised by noise and light. These are not permitted in a tactical environment.
TEMS is to ensure the success of the SWAT mission. The wounded police officers are treated as priorities, but injured bystanders and the subjects also can receive treatment from the TEMS before they have access to civilians EMS. The needs of the subject were illustrated by the law suit from the relatives of one of the two armed robbers in the North Hollywood shootout where, it is alleged, that one of the dying subjects did not receive treatment fast enough.
TEMS is the “medical conscience” of the SWAT , especially during training.
Rick talked about tactical ways of treating the wounded, without traditional ambulance support and normal techniques. Inside the inner cordon of a tactical situation the TEMS cannot violate noise- and light-discipline. Swift evacuation of the casualty is essential. Controlling haemorrhage and assisting breathing are key factors in a casualty’s chance of living. Once out of the inner cordon there can still be dangers such as those posed by sniper rifle from high-powered rifles or from other areas such as CBRN hazards.
Civilian EMS are often co-located with the command post which could be a mile or so from the incident. Potentially the TEMS needs to keep casualties alive and promote their recovery for a considerable length of time.
The priorities of the TEMS when a SWAT team member becomes a casualty of a gunshot wound is:
1.Return fire [Yes. Really!]
2.Direct the casualty to return fire if this is possible
3.Keep yourself from getting shot
4.Try to prevent the casualty from being shot again
5.Stop life-threatening bleeding
6.Once under cover manage the other medical aspects of immediate aid, such as Airway, Breathing and Circulation (ABC).
[It is at first peculiar to see the first priority of the TEMS to “return fire”. These people are doctors after all! This is a rich area for a philosophical, moral and ethical debate, but thinking about it the TEMS needs to stop the casualty being hurt anymore so shooting at the source of the danger is a rational response.]
The vexed subject of tourniquets was raised. The sides of the argument were presented. The dangers of leaving tourniquets on unsupervised was explained. In general though if it is a case of applying a tourniquet or watching a colleague bleed to death – it is a “no brainer”.
With all of the TEMS techniques they need to show that they can perform them in ideal conditions first. Then under stressful environments, under fire, in the dark and with no room to move about.
Dr Tovar highlighted the importance of chest compressions in emergency CPR. Cross-training is essential. SWAT officers must learn medical skills. TEMS are a moral, medical, legal and tactical necessity.
Presenter - Rudi Pfohs
Topic - Aspects of Modern Police Training
Rudi believes that new ideas are costly. They may fail. Trainers are seen, by some, as inconvenient and might be perceived as a danger. Maybe it is better to take a negative standpoint and just to criticise training.
A hypothetical case study was delivered for new training presentation in front of committee. These are the facts. Every year 2,000 incidents in Austria involve police firearms. In one case a stray bullet hit motorcyclist. In another case a bank robber shot. And in another a drug dealer was shot.
In one case the police officer accidentally shot someone with a “private” [non-issue] weapon. It was found that the “private” weapon was more difficult to fire than the official issued weapon. The gun fired when involuntary muscle pressure on the trigger caused it to discharge at the same time as the officer was opening car door.
There is need for expert defence counsel as well evaluation of training. Rudi also recommended a variety of training scenarios; need for inter-disciplinary training; and stress inoculation. It important for trainers to prepare students for stressful training.
A diagram (“Das System”) was explained to the delegates where the Administrator linked Hardware, i.e. Organisation and Logistics, and Software, i.e. Training Content. Although this should ensure better training outcomes Rudi warned that, “There are a thousand ways to boycott you.” Whatever happens it is also wise to, “Never fallout with your boss.”
There is no substitute for a trainer to have practical experience. It was suggested that fulltime trainers should divide their time 80/20 between the classroom and the streets. For part-time trainers it should be 50/50.
A system which records training is essential. In Austria all training for 27,000 officers is recorded. It was found that where high ranking officers attend training their sub-ordinates do too. Where bosses don’t train neither do their staff. And those are the bosses who are likely to be unsupportive of the training department.
Keep being inconvenient. If doors close – you know you are doing your job.
Presenter - Steve JOHNSON (IALEFI)
Topic - FIREARMS TRAINING IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Steve posed the question, “Have we learnt from experience?” One of his concerns was the periodic “qualification” shoot. Are we accepting mediocrity with only a 70 per cent minimum passing level?. If a health inspector gave a restaurant a 70 per cent score – would you want to eat there? It is sad that we accept 70 per cent mediocrity for qualifying firearms officers.
Qualification is a minimal level of competency. It is not to be seen as the end of training. It should merely be the start of it. The first step is static. Shooter stands still; the target stands still. The shooter is not placed in any danger; no stress is induced. No decision making is required.
Combat course – encounter courses. Steve suggested the benefits of interactive training with AirSoft weapons or Simunition. Reactive, real targets, evaluate the accuracy and the decision making.
Practice does not necessarily make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.
Repetitive actions – static. Emotive – learn to use cover, make self a small target ad shoot on the move.
Steve highlighted developments in firearm technology. So-called “Smart guns” have been talked about for years but up till now there have been more disadvantages than advantages.
Lasers have seen a significant price drop. They do give officers a tactical advantage in target acquisition in low light. Green laser more visible than red especially under stress.
Strobe lights have their uses too. They cause space and time distortions which can give the trained officer the tactical edge.
New technology can definitely help get on the target quicker.
Steve ended his presentation by equating police officers to The Thin Blue Line. “We are the peacemakers. We need to ensure officers have the training they need to do their job.”
Presenter - Dr Cindy Bir
Topic - LESS-LETHAL DEVICES IN RIOT CONTROL
Cindy described the testing facility for kinetic weapons. She also described the bean bag/sock rounds, ARWEN, 12-gauge and foam batons.
Some of the issues which cause concern are a lack of statistical data of the use of Less-Lethal Weapons (LLW); very little testing on impact biomechanics; no independent analysis; officers don’t know the effects so can’t tell if what they are about to do is proportionate.
There has been empirical research into baton round usage in 1999 in Northern Ireland. As a result the Attenuated energy projectile has replaced the standard baton round to reduce the possibility of fatal injuries.
Areas of concern for all kinetic LLW are impacts to the thorax, abdomen, head/face, eye and obviously any penetration of the body by projectiles. There are many variables however an impact in eye is going to have a, “negative outcome.”
Computer modelling has led to the development of surrogate rigs to rounds prior to trialling. A three rib structure – simulates the chest. Cadavers are also used for research purposes.
Accuracy is a big issue with the less-lethal projectiles - even in the laboratory. To obtain accuracy the range is very close in the lab. [This is a vital issue for operational officers too. Shot placement is essential to prevent tragic consequences.]
Presenter - Dr Mark Kroll
Topic - TASER EFFECTS ON THE HUMAN BODY
There are numerous myths (often hyped by the media) about TASER, such as “it affect the heart”, “dangerous with drugs”, “what about pacemakers?”, “medical examiners ruled against TASER”.
Mark gave an assessment of the physiology of the heart and an explanation of heart failure. He went on to prove that Amnesty International claims are unsupported.
He gave a fascinating expose of static shock. TASERs work by giving many static type shocks. Although TASERs are claimed to produce 50 kV on average only 400 V are administered at peak voltage. The X26 is the wrong wavelength to damage the functioning of the heart. Over 1 million uses and less than a handful of cases blamed the TASER as being a contributory factor in the death (2005).
Secondary trauma is often an issue. Head injuries from a fall can lead to serious injury or death.
ECD has never caused cardiac arrest.
This conference report has been prepared by Inspector Mike McBride. He is a British police officer and trainer. His comments appear in square parenthesis [].
From: "polizeitrainer"
Date: June 17, 2008 1:58:17 PM EDT
To: "'John'"
Subject: WG: European Policetrainer Conference 2008 in Nuremberg / Germany
John,
could you please transfer the following message to all TeamOne Network – contacts
and ask Mike and Gary G (PoliceOne) if they would put it in
the newsletters?
Thank´s
Ecko
Eckhard Niebergall
President
Polizeitrainer in Deutschland e. V.
Forsthausstr. 20
D-65527 Niedernhausen
Tel.: +49 (0) 6128 970 949
Fax: +49 (0) 6128 970 961
ecko@polizeitrainer.de
www.polizeitrainer.de
John
John T Meyer, Jr
620 Richards Ferry Rd
Fredericksburg, VA 22406
Office 540-752-8190
Fax 540-752-8192
www.teamonenetwork.com
http://www.policetrainer.eu/Home/Eintr%C3%A4ge/2008/6/8_European_Policetrainer_Conference_2008.html
