Editor’s Note: The following article by PoliceOne Contributor Chuck Humes is culled from materials he and his training cadre will be presenting at the Critical Combative Concepts Seminar in March. Held at the University of Toledo’s Health Science Campus, sponsored by The Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association, hosted by the University of Toledo Police Department, and with all proceeds going to the Ohio Auxiliary of Wives Behind the Badge, it’s sure to be a great day for all involved. The last time Chuck presented such a benefit seminar, it drew officers from four states as well as Canada. For information on the March CCC Seminar in Toledo, click here.
“Be Nice,” Dalton told the roughs sitting around the dusty bar.
If you’re a younger officer, you may not recognize that very significant quote from the 1989 Patrick Swayze movie ‘Road House.’
Swayze portrayed a highly-trained and skilled bouncer named Dalton who was recruited by a bar owner to squelch problems at his out-of-control bar. Dalton was brought in to stop the unacceptable conduct of both the bar staff and patrons.. During a training session for his bar staff and bouncers, he gave what was arguably the best advice for police officers that ever came out of Hollywood. Let’s consider those rules for a moment.
Rule 1: ″Never underestimate your opponent — expect the unexpected.”
It’s a sad reality, and I wish it weren’t true. But in our line of work, everyone you encounter is a potential threat to your safety. Not everyone will be a threat, but anyone could be.
One of the early FBI studies on officers killed identified that many of the victim officers prided themselves on their ability to ″read people.″
This led to them dropping their guard with people they ″read″ as harmless, which likely contributed to their demise. In some cases they underestimated their opponents and paid the ultimate price for it. By accepting the fact that everyone is a potential threat, you will never underestimate any contact.
Rule 2: ″It’s a job — it’s nothing personal.”
I would hate to try and count the number of former police officers who have went to jail and/or lost their jobs, because they didn’t practice this gem of advice. One of my personal mottos is: ″Never speak ill of criminal stupidity. Because of it, I have a good job.″
Face it. The majority of criminal perpetrators who you’ll deal with aren’t going to be graduates of ivy-league colleges. Many will be pure evil. You’re the major roadblock to their goal of living at other people’s expense, so you’re not going to be held in high esteem by them. Some of them are going to try to push your buttons, get you to react emotionally and do something improper. Live with it.
Adopt my motto about criminal stupidity on this, and it makes it a lot easier to not take the criminal’s venomous blabbering personally.
Rule 3: ″Be nice — until it’s time to not be nice.”
An applicable axiom of unconfirmed origin that parallels this: ″Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet if necessary, because they may want to kill you.”
Being ″nice″ doesn’t mean you let your guard down, or are touchy-feely or let people walk all over you. It means act like the professional you are.
Treat people with courtesy, respect, and be nice — until/unless they choose to not be treated nicely. When they make the choice to not be treated nicely, you simply respond as appropriate. From verbal direction right up to deadly force, it’s always the contact’s choice on how the situation develops.
Once a violent suspect is subdued and under control, you go back to being nice again. Why? Go back to rule No. 2: Because it’s just a job. It’s nothing personal.
