Posted by laguardianangels on Jan 11, 2012 in Featured, Psychology, theory | 0 Comments and 0 Reactions
This article from the LA Guardian Angels site was written specifically for the Guardian Angels, by one of the most respected authors in law enforcement training: Dr Steven Albrecht.
One of the many advantages of working in teams is that you can change the ratios of confrontation very quickly. However, there are times when too many people make things worse. When there are “more of us than there are of them,” it can cause suspects to escalate their behavior, either for their own sense of survival, or more likely, just to save face for themselves or in front of their friends.
Because you work in groups of varying size, it’s critical that you use your knowledge of group dynamics to your advantage. Spacing, positioning, and distance are all part of your tool kit. We know from studies of human communication and experience that standing too close to people raises the emotional temperature of the contact. In some cultures, closeness means trust, but in western culture, too close is too close and getting nearer than arm’s length plus a few extra feet, is almost never a good idea, until or unless you have to put hands on the person.
Remember that standing face-to-face has a lot of historical significance attached to it. Boxers box, gunfighters gunfight in the old west, and rams in the forest bash their heads against each other, all starting in the face-to-face position. It’s always better to stand at a 45 degree angle to the other person, adjusting as necessary, to stay out of the face-to-face danger zone. There are just too many bad things that can happen there, including head butts, groin kicks, or having something snatched off your belt.
In group situations that grow tense, we may have the desire to protect our partners by standing directly behind the suspect, in an attempt to see what’s going on. Again, the 45 degree rule applies even more here. Standing in back of anyone, even if they are mostly cooperative, raises his or her tension level instantly. Better to go to a 45 degree angle and watch your partners and the person from that side view.
It’s important to read every situation in the context where you find it. Male suspects will almost always lash out, even if they didn’t plan on it at first, if we embarrass them in front of their pals or their women. That doesn’t mean we have to kiss their butts, just that we have to be careful not to give them a reason (defending their egos in front of their crew or their girls) to fight back to save face.
In situations where you have to contact several people in a group, it can help a lot if you can separate the parties and talk to just one of them away from the others. A quiet conversation out of the hearing of the others can give you the chance to use my favorite phrase, “You can’t do that if you want to stay here.” This sentence, used for suspects who are trespassing, drinking, tagging, or bothering normal people, can be effective because it gives them a choice: comply or split. And the phrase is said in such a way that they can make their own choices.
People hate being told what to do, especially by people younger than them, authority figures, or anyone else they perceive as trying to ruin their good time (just ask the Occupy Movement groups). If you can use space and distance effectively (too close is too close, always use 45 degree angles of approach and conversation); be aware of their need to save face (see who they’re with and try to have a side conversation with the one person in the group who seems to be the smartest, the most sober, or has real influence on the others); and help them make what seems like their own decisions about when to go (“if you leave now, we won’t have to call the cops”), you can have better success.
Dr. Steve Albrecht, PHR, CPP, is a San Diego-based security consultant and former police officer. His 15 books include Contact & Cover , Surviving Street Patrol , and Tactical Perfection For Street Cops .
This article from the LA Guardian Angels site was written specifically for the Guardian Angels, by one of the most respected authors in law enforcement training: Dr Steven Albrecht.
One of the many advantages of working in teams is that you can change the ratios of confrontation very quickly. However, there are times when too many people make things worse. When there are “more of us than there are of them,” it can cause suspects to escalate their behavior, either for their own sense of survival, or more likely, just to save face for themselves or in front of their friends.
Because you work in groups of varying size, it’s critical that you use your knowledge of group dynamics to your advantage. Spacing, positioning, and distance are all part of your tool kit. We know from studies of human communication and experience that standing too close to people raises the emotional temperature of the contact. In some cultures, closeness means trust, but in western culture, too close is too close and getting nearer than arm’s length plus a few extra feet, is almost never a good idea, until or unless you have to put hands on the person.
Remember that standing face-to-face has a lot of historical significance attached to it. Boxers box, gunfighters gunfight in the old west, and rams in the forest bash their heads against each other, all starting in the face-to-face position. It’s always better to stand at a 45 degree angle to the other person, adjusting as necessary, to stay out of the face-to-face danger zone. There are just too many bad things that can happen there, including head butts, groin kicks, or having something snatched off your belt.
In group situations that grow tense, we may have the desire to protect our partners by standing directly behind the suspect, in an attempt to see what’s going on. Again, the 45 degree rule applies even more here. Standing in back of anyone, even if they are mostly cooperative, raises his or her tension level instantly. Better to go to a 45 degree angle and watch your partners and the person from that side view.
It’s important to read every situation in the context where you find it. Male suspects will almost always lash out, even if they didn’t plan on it at first, if we embarrass them in front of their pals or their women. That doesn’t mean we have to kiss their butts, just that we have to be careful not to give them a reason (defending their egos in front of their crew or their girls) to fight back to save face.
In situations where you have to contact several people in a group, it can help a lot if you can separate the parties and talk to just one of them away from the others. A quiet conversation out of the hearing of the others can give you the chance to use my favorite phrase, “You can’t do that if you want to stay here.” This sentence, used for suspects who are trespassing, drinking, tagging, or bothering normal people, can be effective because it gives them a choice: comply or split. And the phrase is said in such a way that they can make their own choices.
People hate being told what to do, especially by people younger than them, authority figures, or anyone else they perceive as trying to ruin their good time (just ask the Occupy Movement groups). If you can use space and distance effectively (too close is too close, always use 45 degree angles of approach and conversation); be aware of their need to save face (see who they’re with and try to have a side conversation with the one person in the group who seems to be the smartest, the most sober, or has real influence on the others); and help them make what seems like their own decisions about when to go (“if you leave now, we won’t have to call the cops”), you can have better success.
Dr. Steve Albrecht, PHR, CPP, is a San Diego-based security consultant and former police officer. His 15 books include Contact & Cover , Surviving Street Patrol , and Tactical Perfection For Street Cops .