One of the difficult characteristics in a biting attack is the nature of the force needed to dislodge the attacker. Surrounding officers who try to push or pull on the attacker or injured officer may very literally magnify the force exerted by the attacker. In their attempt to assist, officers may, in essence, pull body parts or chunks of flesh off the attacked officer. Given the nature of a biting attack, it is not unreasonable to believe that an officer would sustain serious injury and infectious agent exposure. In this case, an LVNR/carotid control type hold is imminently reasonable.
When responding to a bite attack:
- Officers should target baton or body weapon strikes to the suspect with maximum force, upon his jaw or mouth joints or jawbone in order to make the suspect open his mouth.
- Body weapon strikes to the temporal mandibular joint are not excessive, especially in an attempt to make the suspect unable to bite or to render him unconscious.
- In biting attacks, assisting officers should practice working singly and as a team. It’s crucially important that the suspect’s movements be limited and that they be forced to release their bite hold as soon as possible.
- The injured officer may find it necessary to clamp his hands onto the clothing, hair, ears, jaw line, or neck of their attacker in order to limit the movement of the attacker’s head.
- Most importantly, an officer should rely on instinct and reaction the first time an offender’s mouth opens and his head comes towards the officer. It’s much easier, after all, to avoid a bite than it is to get loose from it.
Excerpted from a Law & Order article by Dave Rose, a retired Lt. from a Northern California Sheriff’s Dept. and twenty-eight year veteran of law enforcement. He s also a Use-of-Force Instructor Trainer.
Copyright 2004 Hendon, Inc.
Copyright 2004 ProQuest Information and Learning
All Rights Reserved