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.
Host cities for the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2026 like Atlanta are leveraging federal, state and local partnerships to strengthen riot control units, foster technology collaboration and implement joint intelligence gathering
Firing your weapon to stop an imminent deadly threat may be the most difficult decision you ever have to make
Unraveling the strategy and impact of protesters using “sleeping dragons,” and the nuanced law enforcement approaches to safely manage these challenges
Authorities denounced the unrest as vigilantism and said some people were reacting to information that had not been proven in the case
Andrew Jackson’s history of violence against Native Americans, notably the Trail of Tears, has made the statue a target for protesters
A man sustained non life-threatening wounds, according to a spokesperson with an area hospital.
Policies limiting the use of pepper spray and banning tear gas have left officers with very few options to disperse large crowds
This setup maximizes firepower, mobility, efficiency and safety
Charlotte council members have blocked the police department from purchasing chemical agents normally used in crowd control or dispersal
An officer who has met with and walked with demonstrators a number of times was approached by a male protester and shoved
From voicing support to raising officer safety concerns, here’s a roundup of responses
The suspect then got out of his car, gun in hand, and made his way through demonstrators toward a line of police before he was taken into custody
Portland mayor Ted Wheeler ordered the city to stop using a common type of tear gas except as a last resort
The officers are accused of taking steps that led a 75-year-old activist to fall backward, striking his head on the sidewalk
Video from WBFO shows the man appearing to hit his head on the pavement, with blood leaking out
As the nation grapples with widespread civil unrest, moments of connection have emerged
Police officers need to be able to apply the right combination of tactics to maintain or restore peace and personally survive while doing it
At one point, a Washington crowd booed when a protester climbed a light post and took down a street sign. A chant went up: “Peaceful protest!”
“Something has to break, and it’s not going to be us,” said one demonstrator
A vehicle plowed through a group of cops in NY, and two people were killed during unrest in a Chicago suburb
At least one appeared to go under the vehicle’s wheels
Trump said he was recommending that governors deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers to “dominate the streets”
City and state officials had deployed thousands of National Guard soldiers, enacted strict curfews and shut down mass transit systems, but that did little to stop unrest
A large crowd on a bridge quickly parted as a tanker truck approached at full speed
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she and police Chief Erika Shields made the decision after reviewing body-camera footage
A rare citywide curfew expired as dawn revealed broken shop windows, demolished security gates and graffiti along entire blocks
Protesters threw projectiles at officers, surrounded patrol vehicles and shouted threats, and damaged police property
Continuing civil unrest saw protesters torch police cars and burglarize stores while clashing with lines of officers
At least a dozen major cities nationwide imposed overnight curfews ranging from 6 p.m. in parts of South Carolina to 10 p.m. around Ohio
Fox’s Leland Vittert was rattled following the Washington attack he said was clearly targeted at his news organization
A pickup truck drove through a crowd of protesters Saturday in Florida’s capital, sending some running and screaming
No matter what anyone says, one good cop has always been able to make a difference in any bailiwick
Gov. Tim Walz said he was moving quickly to mobilize more than 1,000 more Guard members, for a total of 1,700, and was considering the potential offer of federal military police
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