Crowd Management

Use of Force

The amount of force used to quell any civil disturbance must be only that force necessary to overcome the actions of the crowd. It is through the controlled application of force that a crowd is dispersed or a disturbance ended. Indiscriminate use of force upon a crowd should never be tolerated or condoned. In dealing with crowds, officers should keep the following case law in mind. In Scott v. Henrich 39F.3d912 (9^th Cir. 1994), which reads in part, “Officers need not use the least intrusive force, but must not exceed that force which is reasonable under the totality of the circumstances.”⁹

Regardless of the type of demonstration, the amount of force used must be:
NOTE: Show slide, “Use of Force.”

1. Reasonable

2. Necessary

3. Lawful

The force should be applied only long enough to overcome the resistance of another person's force.¹⁰

Example: A riot may require an officer to use either a baton in a striking or thrusting motion, chemical agents or special impact munitions to move or disperse a crowd. On the other hand, passive/resistant demonstrations may require officers to physically carry the demonstrators away.

10. Additional Considerations

Large-scale disturbances utilize the same techniques as small-scale disturbances. The important point between the two is that large-scale disturbances require more control force personnel. Supervisors should never attempt to disperse a large crowd with a small number of officers.

If there are insufficient control forces on hand to disperse the crowd, efforts should be made to monitor and contain the crowd as well as possible until additional control forces are summoned. This level of activity will require the use of the following response plan:

1. Isolate the area. The primary goal and responsibility is to safeguard lives.

   1. Restricting access to the affected area effectively seals off the disturbance. The objective of isolation is to prevent the spread of the unrest to unaffected areas, to prevent the escape of individuals identified for arrest, and to evacuate the area of uninvolved persons and keep others out of the area.

   2. Building clearing - Control forces may be needed to “clear” buildings in the affected area, checking for trapped, non-involved persons and to identify possible hot spots or buildings requiring special attention, such as gun shops, hardware stores, etc.

2. Isolation techniques

There are several techniques for isolating a disturbance area.

NOTE: Show slide, “Isolation Techniques.”

1. Use of barricades- The use of physical barriers would deny or limit entry and exit from the disturbance area. They are usually only effective as long as the barricades are manned or are too difficult for rioters to move.

2. Roadblocks - To be effective, roadblocks must not be easily breached by vehicles. Example, 55-gallon drums filled with water or sand, sandbags, or heavy vehicles are all effective roadblocks.

3. Perimeter patrols that operate along the outer boundaries of the affected area can be effective. The purpose is to prevent entry to or exit from the area. Perimeter patrols can also help capture identified ringleaders fleeing the area.

1. Crowd Control Operations There are four (4) crowd control options available based on the desired objective. A prime consideration in selecting an option(s) will be the effect of the response in reducing the intensity of the existing situation.

NOTE: Show slide, “Crowd Control Options.”

1. Monitor

This option consists of watching the crowd’s progress and development by control force teams. Monitoring enables the agency to gauge the crowd’s activity and intent in relation to civil disturbance and possibly influence their actions through persuasive means.

This option is particularly appropriate for large non-violent demonstrations where more decisive action is not feasible because of the crowd size and where the intensity of the situation might escalate. This option is also appropriate as an interim measure pending arrival of additional control forces.
Techniques for accomplishing this option include passive observation of the crowd and communication with leaders on the intent or interest of the group. If the crowd is not out of control, officers should monitor the area to identify leaders and group actions, and to discover possible dispersal alternatives.

2. Containment

This option consists of restraining a large number of individuals within the area they are presently occupying, thereby containing any further aggressive activity. This option would be appropriate in college campus situations to prevent demonstrators from spreading out to surrounding communities and to prevent unauthorized personnel from entering the campus.

3. Blocking

This option consists of the physical denial of a crowd’s advance upon a facility, which is the potential or actual target to dissident activity. Crowd control formations (especially the “skirmish line”) and barricades are the most appropriate techniques for this option. Barricades such as vehicles, traffic barrels, and water or sand-filled barrels can be erected to block or channel the movement of crowds. These devices and water or sand-filled barrels can be erected to block or channel the movement of crowds. These devices, when used in combination with control forces and other crowd control techniques, are useful in accomplishing containment or blocking.

4. Dispersion

This option consists of action taken to fragment a crowd and is especially applicable to small crowd situations in a congested urban environment. This selection should include the consideration that such dispersion may increase and spread lawlessness rather than reduce it. Therefore, one should establish control over the dispersal routes; provide security for those facilities that might become likely targets for small groups; and then prepare to follow-up the dispersal operation with the apprehension of small groups still active in the area.

Techniques for accomplishing dispersal objectives would include the proclamation, show of force, use of crowd control formations, and the use of riot agents and saturation patrol techniques.

5. Post disturbance actions

Once the crowd has been dispersed, efforts must be employed to keep the crowd from reforming. Small formations, of no less than four officer teams, should be left to patrol the affected area and disperse groups that try to reform. Additional control forces may have to be called into the area if the smaller units cannot handle the situation.

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