Crowd Control
The Crowd Control topic focuses on the difficult task of controlling large groups of people with a limited number of police officers and resources. The police crowd control articles and tips in this section focus on strategy, policy, planning and tactics that can help quell a riled-up crowd and riot gear — helmets and shields — that will keep them safe in the process.
Law enforcement must be prepared for the worst when a controversial verdict is read, protestors become violent or a sports team wins a championship and the celebration spills to the streets.
From e-scooter scouts to paint-filled sprayers, here’s what officers are seeing on the ground during the LA riots
The protest playbook has changed — here’s what officers are up against now
A veteran leader shares a framework for managing high-risk incidents and community expectations
Demonstrators threw water bottles and rocks at officers and spray painted nearby buildings, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department stated
“Throw a brick, a firebomb or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at,” Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said
Metropolitan PD Officer Daniel Hodges and former Capitol PD officer Harry Dunn say they suffer from trauma “compounded by their government’s refusal to recognize their service”
“Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be arrested and held accountable to the full extent of the law,” Abbott stated
The suspect fled a restricted zone near an anti-ICE protest before crashing in South L.A. and trying to escape on foot
The deployment follows several days of protests that escalated to violence as demonstrators threw rocks and fireworks at law enforcement
Between 500 and 700 U.S. Marines are being mobilized to Los Angeles; the move comes after President Donald Trump deployed hundreds of California National Guard troops
LEOs were attacked with fireworks, and motorcyclists broke through a police line as protests intensified following President Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard
“The disregard for traffic laws, taking over our city streets, will be met with full force,” St. Louis PD said
Bill Scott, former SFPD chief and longtime LAPD veteran, will oversee officer hiring, training and security planning for the World Cup, Super Bowl and Olympics
Despite multiple warnings and an offer of a taxi, the suspect drove into a pedestrian-filled street, injuring one Laurel officer
UWPD and Seattle PD officers were able to clear the protest within hours with no reported injuries; damages to the engineering building totaled more than $1 million
Court affirms that tactics used to disperse unruly crowd did not violate protesters’ constitutional rights, dismisses excessive force lawsuit and grants officers qualified immunity
Video shows individuals smashing cruiser windows with cones and climbing onto NYPD patrol cars as officers responded to the unruly street gathering
Officers must have approval before deploying crowd-control weapons, and blast balls must be thrown underhand unless facing an immediate threat
Philadelphia police used mounted officers and emergency alerts to control the crowds after Eagles fans ignited fires and tore down traffic poles
In Balogh v. Virginia, the court held police have no duty to intervene to protect protesters from third-party violence during a rally
From dynamic entries to crowd control, see how Pepperball’s BURST and VK-SBL PRO PLUS are transforming non-lethal tactics for law enforcement
“During the scuffle...officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray. OSUPD is the lead agency for games & will continue to investigate,” the agency stated
The review found that body cameras and liaison officers helped the Portland Police Bureau increase transparency, but more improvements are needed to achieve compliance
While we don’t know what we will wake up to on Nov. 6, we must focus on professionalism, choosing to help, not acting as accelerant
With a comprehensive plan in place, your agency can face civil unrest with confidence, knowing the mental and emotional wellbeing of your team is a top priority
Leadership plays a critical role at every stage of civil unrest preparedness — from planning to execution and recovery
Police departments must prepare to use proven team tactics for crowd control to ensure demonstrations remain peaceful and lawful assemblies
Be cognizant of what is working – and what is not – and be flexible enough to change tactics quickly as needed
Both the public and cops have many misconceptions about police crowd control
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