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.
Law enforcement agencies must carefully balance the optics of providing public safety during protests while preparing for the potential of violence
Police responses to public protests and unrest have varied over time
Different police tactics yield different responses from protesters: tactical mismatches are likely to influence escalation as well as who joins or desists from protest events
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
One person was charged with assaulting a police officer
Long Range Acoustic Devices are being embraced by law enforcement agencies as a powerful and versatile instrument of communication
Michael Sandford asked the cop about receiving an autograph from Trump before attempting to grab the officer’s weapon
Chaos erupted after Spirit canceled nine flights
No one was hurt
Demonstrators in Portland threw smoke bombs and Molotov cocktails at police
Many young LAPD officers have a child’s memories of the riots, or no memories at all; yet these officers work in a department profoundly shaped by its missteps during that time
This time, police said they took a new approach, including a large deployment of visible officers and a low tolerance for violence
There were no major confrontations reported, largely because of a significant police presence
As the officers got out of the car, two officers were attacked by several people and beaten on the ground
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