Beware the “new THANG” mentality

July 13, 2005 11:03 AM •

I recently attended the IALEFI Annual Training Conference in Reno , Nevada . In one of the many great classes, Larry Jones, a nationally known firearms expert, explained one of the problems he sees law enforcement facing.

“Have you ever noticed the way we always depend way too much on our newest ‘THANG?’” asked Jones. “You know what I mean, the newest law enforcement cure-all to subject resistance or assault. Right now, the latest THANG is the TASER. Before that came OC Spray, the side handle baton, and even earlier the XR 5000, one of the first electronic devices designed to solve all of our subject control issues.

“The reality,” said Jones, “is that any THANG is just an extension of the human being welding it.”

In Jones’ opinion, there are no dangerous weapons, only dangerous people. That person, he pointed out, can be either the officer or the offender. “Weapons can be useful in a fight,” he said, “but the bottom line is that the three most powerful weapons anyone has is their mind, their mouth, and their body. The person who uses all three most effectively will most likely be the winner.”

We need to spend a little less time finding the latest and greatest THANG and spend more time developing and using our minds, mouths, and bodies more effectively.

Yes, new technology can be useful but so is remembering how to make yourself most effective by remaining alert, being decisive, and having a preplanned, practiced response in mind. This response may use one of your THANGS, but there may be no time to access it. Always have your most powerful weapons loaded and ready for action. That’s the real THANG to do.

Corrections Officer Safety

Gary T. Klugiewicz

Gary T. Klugiewicz is the director of ACMi® Systems, and a member of the Team One Network that in cooperation with the Northwest Wisconsin Technical College provides defensive tactics, firearms, and tactical training throughout the United States. He is retired from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department after 25 years of service where he was promoted to the rank of captain.

Gary has a background in Knockdown Karate where he won national championships and fought several times in Japan. He brought this high impact intensity to law enforcement training.

Gary’s name has become synonymous with the development of safe but realistic, intense, dynamic simulation training. As former Street Survival Seminar instructor and nationally known defensive tactics instructor, Gary has impacted literally 100,000’s of law enforcement officers.

His training is an officer survival program in action. Gary is the developer of the Active Countermeasures System of Unarmed Blocking and Striking Techniques that is the cornerstone of High Level Control Tactics. He has developed programs for police, corrections, mental health, security, and military personnel.

Gary’s team tactics training for SWAT, CERT, and Crowd Management Teams are among the best in the world. His instructor training programs stress adult learning, sub-skill development, guided discovery, decision making simulation scenarios, and positive group debriefing techniques.

Even more importantly, as a righteous police officer use-of-force defense expert, Gary has defended scores of officers in legal proceedings. Currently, he is the lead instructor for Verbal Judo’s Tactical Communication for the Correctional Professional training program.