A deranged Iowa woman attempted to spark a confrontation with police officers inside a coffee shop. Her total failure is an important reminder about police de-escalation tactics and the inevitability that such encounters will be video recorded for social media distribution.
During nearly eight minutes of “live streaming” on Facebook, the woman verbally assaulted officers who were called to a restaurant whose owners complained that she had been causing a disturbance. Iowa police — indeed, cops across the country — were squarely in the middle of mourning the ambush deaths of Des Moines Police Sergeant Tony Beminio and Urbandale Police Officer Justin Martin in separate but related ambush attacks.
Here vitriol was reprehensible. Her disdain for first responders was vividly displayed. The woman said at one point, “We got the popo wearing the black thing on her badge. I guess she’s sorry a coupla cops go whacked in Des Moines.”
However, despite all manner of provocation, the responding officers did not take the bait. They were patient and professional and the incident ended peacefully. Check out the video, and then proceed to my key takeaways below.
Key takeaways for law enforcement moving forward
This incident starkly demonstrates a handful of very simple principles. Before we delve into those, we must acknowledge the difference between simple and easy.
Dealing with a belligerent subject who is passively resisting is a simple problem, but in no way easy. Simply, officers must use verbal skills (like Verbal Judo, CIT, and other training) to gain compliance without having to escalate to some level of force. This is anything but easy and the responding officers in Iowa handled the matter with aplomb.
“Maam, I’m going to ask you to step outside for me,” one officer said. “I don’t want to go hands-on with you, so I’m going to request that you exit the premises.”
“Why don’t you go die laughing,” the woman replied.
Eventually, the woman was escorted from the premises without further incident, and those officers did a tremendous job to resolve the situation. They did not allow the woman to escalate the situation. They used their verbal skills and showed an extraordinary ability to remain calmly detached.
In viewing this video, I am reminded how the “Five Universal Truths” — first articulated by the late Dr. George Thompson, founder of the Verbal Judo Institute — can help officers successfully interact with belligerent subjects. Consider the following:
1. All people want to be treated with dignity and respect.
2. All people want to be asked rather than told to do something.
3. All people want to be told why they are being asked to do something.
4. All people want to be given options rather than threats.
5. All people want a second chance.
Even if these tactics ultimately prove to be ineffective and you have to go hands-on with a resistive subject, it will be clear that you were the good guy when the cell phone video inevitably surfaces after a confrontation.
In watching the video I was also reminded of two acronyms — QTIP and ATM — which can be keys to de-escalation:
• QTIP: Cops must “Quit Taking It Personally” when a subject attempts to create confrontation.
• ATM: Cops can successfully use the “Ask, Tell, Make” method to resolve situations.
In the Iowa video we saw officers use many of the above principles. Clearly they were well-trained in CIT or some other verbal de-escalation techniques. Training in Verbal Judo remains available nationwide, and many departments have benefited greatly from it. Whatever type of training you pursue, it is an investment that pays dividends when officers encounter a person like we saw in that Iowa coffee shop.
