At a recent Force Science Certification Class, Ed Davis, a member of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit and one of the key players in the development of a groundbreaking study into the types of people who kill cops, made an interesting observation. He noted that some officers have a dangerous tendency to give suspects the benefit of the doubt when commands they issue aren’t followed. Initially, he noted, these officers will give a command like, “Stop and turn around!” and when it’s not followed, they’ll conclude that the subject simply didn’t hear them. So, they repeat the command, only louder. Then when it’s not followed again, they’ll conclude that he didn’t understand the command, so the officer will say it slower, or in another language. Then when it’s still not followed, he’ll conclude that the suspect is just being difficult, but probably isn’t going to become violent.
If you’re giving commands and they’re not being followed, don’t immediately assume it’s a communication problem. Certainly your commands should be clear and able to be understood, but if they’re not being followed, don’t assume the best. In the world of police work, it’s often best to assume the worst.
