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.
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
Failure to plan is planning to fail, and that’s glaringly evident when large-scale civil unrest breaks out
One city seeks to hold organizers financially responsible after the city spent $25,000 on police overtime and cleanup
Police said thousands of beachgoers refused to disperse as “countless fights broke out”
Police were responding to a shooting that left one person dead and four others injured
The day ended in sporadic skirmishes, with some people throwing rocks at officers, LAPD said
The officers’ use of force was “absolutely legitimate,” wrote arbitrator Jeffrey Selchick, who added that the protester was “definitely not an innocent bystander”
As the officer circled the crowd in his cruiser to disperse a car meetup, people began kicking and vandalizing the vehicle
Court refused to dismiss county liability allegation that sheriff tacitly authorized pattern of unlawful bean bag deployment
The group “doesn’t represent spring breakers. These represent criminals,” said Panama City Police Chief Mark Smith
Last year, Chief James White implemented a similar plan targeting the city’s “party atmosphere”
“Officers are EXHAUSTED,” said the Miami Beach FOP. “The party needs to end”
Most of Cleveland’s bomb squad resigned in February after officers accused a supervisor of bringing a live pipe bomb to training
A man wanted on multiple felony warrants pulled out a gun as officers tried to arrest him, police said
This report is a hard read, but necessary for police leaders around the country
Guard members will not carry firearms or take part in law enforcement activities, the Pentagon said
Jury trial required to determine liability for mass arrest, alleged excessive force and supervisory indifference
“We are in this until it is over,” said interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell
A protest involving dozens of semi-trailers has gridlocked Canada’s capital city for three weeks
Most were charged with criminal mischief related to a week-long demonstration that blocked one of the busiest U.S.-Canada crossings
Ottawa’s mayor has called in more police to handle increasingly rowdy demonstrations against vaccine mandates
Demonstrators had alleged that police used excessive force at a protest site in North Dakota in 2016
One of the officers drew his weapon after being bitten on the head by an irate passenger
Agencies from small to large faced the challenge of how to allow for the freedom of speech and protests, while maintaining the peace and protecting the rights of all involved
If you wish to prepare your agency for unrest it would behoove you to read the entire report
The rioters broke windows, threw objects at police and talked about burning down the Justice Center
A criminal investigation into the deaths at last week’s music festival is underway
Even if you are responding to an urgent call, running in uniform in a crowd can cause panic
More than 20 lawsuits have been filed, accusing organizers of failing to take appropriate crowd-control steps
The rapper had previously been charged in 2015 and 2017 for causing riots at his concerts
Tragedies like the one in Houston that left eight people dead on Friday have been happening for a long time
The order temporarily bars police from enforcing a law that Judge Mark Walker said is too vague
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