NCJ Number
216494
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 33 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2006 Pages: 104,106,109
Date Published
November 2006
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes the methods and outcomes of training officers to respond more rapidly and effectively to various threatening scenarios that may occur during a traffic stop.
Abstract
The training was effective in reducing officer response time and accuracy in addressing various types of suspect attacks with pepper spray or a firearm (soft projectiles and protective clothing were used in the simulations). The more times scenarios were repeated, the more effective was the trainee's response. Further, the training program found that when an officer had knowledge about the vehicle and the persons in it, the appropriateness and speed of the trainee's response to the simulated attack scenario improved. The training was conducted by this magazine, "Law Enforcement Technology." The simulated suspect reactions in the course of designed traffic stops were divided into three categories consistent with the 2004 officer-assaulted traffic stop data published by the U.S. Justice Department. These were an empty-handed attack, attack with a firearm, and the suspect fleeing the scene. Based on the 2004 data, the training was developed under the principle that officer firearm use would be appropriate in at least one-fourth of the assaults, and less-lethal means would be appropriate in more than half of the simulated attacks. The trainees and suspects were informed of the options available and the parameters for safety, but apart from scenarios in which trainees were given prior information on the suspects in the vehicle, trainees did not know what scenario might develop from a given traffic stop.