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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.

In a year that brought relentless challenges, these are the five events the P1 team and our readership viewed as having the most significant impact
The public needs to be told what to expect should non-permitted protests erupt and disrupt traffic
A riot has many moving parts and to quell one, police must have many moving options
Charlottesville residents asked whether the city and police had been properly prepared and could have prevented the deadly attack
A separate hate group that organized the initial rally pledged on social media to organize future events that would be “bigger than Charlottesville”
James Alex Fields Jr. of Ohio faces charges of second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding, and one count related to leaving the scene
During an April 6 demonstration, students and others ignored temporary barriers and blocked entrances to a building where Heather MacDonald was scheduled to speak
Yvonne C. Felarca, 47, was arrested Tuesday on charges of inciting and participating in a riot and assault likely to cause great bodily injury
Police officials say they opted not to make any arrests so tensions would not escalate
One officer was injured and two police cruisers were damaged
Dane Powell pleaded guilty in April to felony rioting and assault on a police officer
She hopes her experience as a black woman whose life was saved by police at a Black Lives Matter protest helps bridge the gap
An officer was hurt when he was shot in the forearm by a stun gun
Black-hooded protesters attacked a police vehicle with bottles and bricks, breaking its window
200 protesters began marching and at one point, staged a die-in
The ACLU says LEOs acted improperly by using OC spray and flashbangs without warning or justification, among other actions
Twenty-five squad cars were sent to break up the party, but police were outnumbered
A rally at the state Capitol on Friday led to a march that shut down a stretch of interstate and resulted in 18 arrests
After six homicides in less than 24 hours, Police Commissioner Kevin Davis announced all officers and detectives will be required to work 12-hour shifts
Police say she hit a state trooper’s horse in the neck with a flag pole that had a nail protruding from it
The controlled obstacle course focused on how to maintain a crowd during events such as festivals and civil disorders
Police used flash-bang grenades and pepper balls to disperse the crowd after protesters hurled bricks and other objects at officers
Larry Barton, a threat assessment instructor for the FBI, said the strategy saves lives, but people need to make decisions quickly
The agents had to call NYPD for backup
Police said they’ll examine what appears to be the extremist ideology of a man accused of fatally stabbing two men when they tried to stop him from yelling anti-Muslim slurs at two women
An NAACP leader and the ACLU of Nevada have called for Las Vegas police to stop using a neck restraint that can render suspects unconscious
The 30-year-old man was found to be in possession of three handguns, a shotgun, a knife, ammunition, and a variety of other handheld weapons along with wearing body armor
Police are investigating the MCI as a possible terrorist attack
After his arrest, Richard Rojas told police he was “hearing voices” and expected to die
The driver, a 26-year-old U.S. Navy veteran, told officers he was hearing voices and expected to die
The proposals would also make it a misdemeanor to block roads and a felony to carry a dangerous weapon while rioting
The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services is making $7 million available