NCJ Number
78767
Date Published
Unknown
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This videocassette is designed as a training guide for soldiers who are learning the principles of controlling civil disturbances.
Abstract
Types of civil disturbances encountered in recent years include the planned, peaceful demonstration; a spontaneous gathering; a festive group that turns into a violent mob; a group that is worked up by a professional agitator; and a full-scale riot in which looting and arson occur. Forces that motivate people who take part in a gathering or civil disturbance include contagion (curiosity about what is happening), numbers (enjoyment of being lost in a crowd), imitation, and novelty. In a civil disturbance, individuals are ruled by emotion, not reason. Principles for controlling various types of civil disturbance, as developed by the U.S. Army, are demonstrated by actors. The main principle emphasized is that only the minimum amount of force necessary to control the disturbance and disperse the crowd should be used. In some situations, a saturation patrol should be used in keeping a mob dispersed, as this has proved to be an effective followup measure.