FERGUSON CROWD CONTROL AFTER ACTION REPORT
This is making the rounds and is definitely a timely and good read in today’s environment, found at the Daigle Law Group.
Review of DOJ Report of Ferguson Crowd Control
Your thoughts?
© 2015 DAVID A. LYONS
Excellent report which addresses many of the immediate concerns facing most mid to large police departments. Here are some additional concerns I also think are worth consideration.
Police should establish criteria for enforcement of these guidelines within its ranks. When policies are not followed, coming to the defense of every violator is not helpful, or professional, and sends the wrong message to the community who expects equal treatment for both police and citizen. Any other response borders on collusion and explicit support.
In larger departments every effort should be made to employ some level of actual civilian authority to advise top police management of community priorities and strategies to address them. I’m not speaking of a community police coordinator or officer, but someone with authority and direct access to the chief or deputy. There are just too many opposing influences for such a role to remain solely a uniformed asset, and at post conflict, resuming the status quo may not be the best option.
He or she should not have operational authority, but must be free to develop the crucial relationships necessary for the accurate, timely development of police responses from a source more closely aligned with the community. I know there will be resistance, but current realities demand greater transparency and building of trust. I assumed such a role in my large department and the results were not perfect, but established trust and legitimacy that went a long way to change policies and priorities.
Michael Stevenson
Interesting. You can bet the mopes who were doing the demonstrating didn’t have the computer savvy to get on the net and hack into the officers’ accounts, home security systems, and other things described in the reports. This information indicates a higher level of organization for these things that many originally supposed. Somebody briefed certain of the rioters to obtain names, badge numbers, and any other information they possibly could on the responding officers so others, working behind the scenes, could use this information to take harassment or endangerment of LEOs, and their families, to another level. This document isn’t an intelligence report but these two pieces of info gleaned from the Daigle report show this was a highly-organized protest and civil disorder exercise. There is a mention made in the report about the value of intelligence officers and information-sharing among agencies and truer words have never been spoken.
I should like to mention there has to be a way to very securely anchor a camera on an officer’s person so it’s not yanked off during a melee like this. Footage obtained during face-to-face confrontations like this can go a long way toward identifying professional rabble-rousers and agitators working to inflame the crowd, so they can be identified and tracked down for arrest at a later time. Those professional agitators, who keep things at fever pitch, keep the crowd whipped up, are almost certainly also the ones who are obtaining and forwarding that identifying info on the officers so their families can be endangered. Time to shut them down.
Larry Rosen
Have heard from multiple sources for a while that ISIS operatives were being encouraged to go after active and retired LEOs and military. Would imagine some of that might fall into their expertise. Also noted the entire report and recommendations are the “Police should.”
Maybe some of that paper and ink should have been dedicated to “the rioters should have”. I see there has still not been a single prosecution of anyone for theft, arson, or any other crime committed during this cluster.
Sandra Woodall
It’s actually hard to believe this is a serious report from DOJ. No disrespect, but most of what I read is common knowledge for a large police department. I agree with Michael that it is all about what the police “should do”. In the situation like Furgeson, every single LEO would have to be perfect for that situation. Community policing is a great tool, but when the people that are rioting and looting aren’t from that community, then what? Less than impressed with this report.
Michael Stevenson
Sandra is spot on. A great many of these rioters came from well outside the Ferguson/St Louis area, and many were white, and very young, and appeared with all the necessary gear to attempt to withstand bean bag rounds, tear (or other) gas, and impact-related weapons. Everything from hard hats to respirators to shin and elbow protectors to high-impact goggles. Now why would someone show up like this “spontaneously?” There is acknowledgement in this report, or practically none, saying the police departments in the area, and the state police as well, had to cope with an unprecedented level of orchestrated violent civil disobedience not seen since Watts or Detroit in the 1960s – and I know, because I saw the Detroit riots first-hand. This was an “initial engagement” in a new wave of violent protests that is temporarily on hold at this time but which I maintain will return in the spring after a cold and wet winter. It will be refined and will be on steroids when it reappears.
This is a lightweight assessment of a very serious and ominous event.
Re: what should be done for the officers on “break” during one of these things. During the 1950s and 1960s the USAF’s Strategic Air Command flew many long-duration “profile” missions with its aircraft and crews, that duplicated routes and timings for targets within the Soviet Union, Communist China, and elsewhere. SAC’s Commander, Gen LeMay, recognized the strain this put on his crews and, along with other measures to help with post-flight relaxation, saw to it they got a massage during the post-flight wind-down. I recommend the same be done here as well.
Gayle Lacy
A crowd is either demonstrating, or they are rioting. When fires, assaults (thrown objects) and property destruction or looting start, it is no longer a demonstration, it is a riot. At that point, use of non lethal force should be not just authorized, but mandated. Gas grenades, beanbag rounds, rubber slugs, and use of batons should be immediate. Fire department water hoses make very good improvised water cannon. Meet illegal acts with legal force, and their will be very few repeat performances.
Also every such response should have back up units ready with _lethal_ force, to be used in response to any shots fired or mass assaults toward police lines.
Make clear at the start of any demonstration that it is tolerated as long as it remains legal, but will be dispersed at the first sign of riot.
If we cannot do this, we cannot win.
Another recommendation should have been for the White House and Eric Holder to cease their inflammatory remarks about law enforcement. This serves no productive purpose other than to throw gasoline on the fire and I believe this was their intent. They should be ashamed for the damage “they” have caused to the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve. This is not the 60’s as much as “they” appear to wish it was.
Cut through all the bullshit……..have everyone OBEY LAW ENFORCEMENT….obey lawful commands and you avoid any problem ……..plain & simple……OBEY THE LAW!
Michael Stevenson
The lethal force needs to be warned to the crowd but kept out of sight and not “advertised.” For some of these mopes it’s just inflammatory; for others, like the professional agitators and those communicating with them via cell phones from motel rooms, orchestrating the mayhem, it’s a blessing in disguise and something to be manipulated if possible. Gayle’s threshold of shots fired or a sudden, overwhelming surge toward police lines while using thrown or swung objects is a good one and, as long as the action is somehow taped or recorded visually, should be capable of being defended without difficulty in court – and the court of public opinion as well.
One effective tool the Chicago PD used during the Democrat convention riots in 1968 was to gather as many of the different weapons as possible for display to the press, either from the ground or arrestees. I saw the photos – there was an amazing array of simple and improvised weapons on display, everything from hand-carried signs and heavy glass ashtrays stolen from hotels near the rioting (and some of which were dropped into police lines from above), to baseball bats embedded with 20-penny spikes, to molotov cocktails and jars filled with urine, tarantulas and black widow spiders as well. Someone needs to do this and ensure the press and public see the collection.
Gayle Lacy
Michael, good point about the video recording. Departments should have an “overwatch team” with high quality and hig zoom video cameras, able to watch the entire area, or zoom in to identify apparent leaders and agitators, or those using weapons. In addition, I think the Go Pro style cameras mounted to helmets of riot gear would give good records of individual views and actions by officers.
Serious students of riot control should reread Col. Applegate’s “Kill or Be Killed” chapters on the subject. Use of modern cameras and even drones can give much better identification of the instigators, and a good intell unit could monitor cell phone activity- as London police did a year or two back.
Federal Law should also be amended to allow Mayors or Governors to authorize use of suppression / jamming devices at any demonstration.Cripple the agitators comm links and they will have to risk coming out in the open.
The main point is to make demonstrators AWARE that force will be mandated if they cross the line into riot and looting. Give notice it will happen, then DO it. Tolerating barbaric law breaking is political pandering to the agents of chaos.
Stephen Conner
Some good and valid concepts. Some nonsense. In any case, actions have to be swift and decisive. It appears that it may not have been?
John Daly
We are talking riot. Of course action has to be swift and decisive. The report doesn’t say anything about so called community leaders communicating with the rioters and attempting to quell the situation. Much of the report states the obvious. The majority of it is a bunch of politically correct garbage.