Crowd Management

Police Counter Action from Sniper Attacks

NOTE: Show slide, “Sniper Attacks.”
Officers may encounter hidden assailants or snipers. Most law enforcement agencies are not equipped to deal with large-scale anti-sniper operations. A police agency paralyzed by sniper fire cannot effectively prevent mob violence from spreading out of control. Specialized units such as SWAT or SRT counter sniper teams must be used to counter this threat. A skilled sniper, using high velocity, scope-sighted firearms, can operate from a distance of 300 yards or more. The range effectively eliminates the sound, leaving only the impact of the round or the sound of the projectile passage to indicate an approximate position.

1. Control forces

When officers are fired upon, they should immediately:

1. Seek cover and attempt to determine the sniper’s position.

2. Summons SRT/SWAT supervised counter sniper units to deal with the threat.

3. When withdrawing from the area, officers should remember this key point: avoid bunching up. Groups of officers bunching together behind the same cover make an excellent target.

Note: Sniper as used in this text means any hidden, armed threat. “An expert rifle marksman is a person who can consistently hit, with his first shot, a target as small as a man’s head (approximately 10 inches) at a distance of up to 300 yards, under varying conditions of light and weather.”¹³

2. Returning fire

Officers must not indiscriminately return fire due to the danger to innocent civilians and other law enforcement personnel. The National Commission on Civil Disorder’s study after the 1960's riots found that most deaths in reported sniping incidents were from bullets fired by either police or National Guard personnel (180). This is not meant to distract from the seriousness of sniping incidents. It is only to note that the potential overreaction to such an incident can further endanger police personnel and innocent bystanders.

3. Officer down

In the event an officer is wounded during a sniping incident, he/she should be evacuated as soon as possible. However, any reckless attempt to rescue a downed officer may result in additional casualties. Special Response Teams using protective equipment should be used for such rescues. If unavailable, a rescue should only be attempted with proper equipment and a plan of action. Two or more officers being down does little to help the situation.

16. Withdrawal of Control Forces

Inevitably there will be times when patrol forces must withdraw from an area because they are overwhelmed by the size of the mob. In doing so, every effort should be made to:

1. Withdraw

   1. Make a tactical withdrawal from an area.

   2. Do so in an orderly and deliberate fashion. The mob may view a quick withdrawal as a rout or victory.

No one advocates, “fighting a last stand”; however, a retreat can be a morale boost to the mob whose activities can become more intense because they feel “the power of the group.”

2. Re-enter

Control forces should re-enter the area only when sufficient personnel have arrived to deal with the situation or employ more tactically advanced methods or special purpose tactics. If unable to re-enter, isolation of the area is the best option.

17. Mobile Tactics

Traditional crowd control tactics were developed in the 1960's to meet the threat of civil unrest in large urban areas. This was also a time of limited mobility of the populace, which meant officers had to keep up with the foot pace of the crowds. In today's fast moving society, traditional slow moving, highly predictable tactics make control force personnel vulnerable to attack and flanking movements. These tactics also fatigue officers who must cover great distances on foot, often carrying up to 30+ pounds of equipment, not to mention the heat retention of body armor. The tactics can also be effectively countered by small groups and groups using "guerrilla" tactics. Mobile concepts are designed to help overcome these obstacles. This concept allows for a rapid, organized, and disciplined response in sufficient numbers to handle most situations quickly and decisively.

1. Current mobile tactics systems in use today:

There are two schools of thought involving the mobile concept being used in the United States today. They are the Miami Model and the L.A. County Sheriff's Model.

1. The Mobile Response Field Force Concept - the Miami Model

NOTE: Show slide, “Miami Model.”
This system is designed to provide for the rapid, organized, and disciplined response to civil disorder and crowd confrontations. Vehicles move field force personnel from one point to another as rapidly as possible in a unified manner. With this model the parade of patrol units arriving into the areas is effectively the first show of force. This parade may encourage some participants to leave the area, or it may enrage the crowd to act, so the officer should be prepared to deal with either situation.

1. Advantages

   1. Isolation of the area

   2. Control and dispersal of unruly crowds by a single unified control force

   3. Ability to arrest multiple offenders

   4. Rescue of officers and citizens by a large number of officers

   5. Rapid coordinated movement of the control force from one point to another

   6. Use traditional crowd dispersal tactics

   7. Excellent blocking deployment techniques

2. Disadvantages

   1. Requires personnel to be taken from control force personnel to safeguard equipment

   2. Use slow moving conventional tactics once officers dismount from their vehicles

   3. Control force must travel on foot, towards the crowd and back to their vehicles before redeploying to another area

   4. Limited response area, once dismounted

   5. Requires large numbers of officers to be effective

1. Integrated Mobile Tactics - The L.A. Model

NOTE: Show slide, “L.A. Model.”
This concept allows for more flexibility and rapid movement of personnel. Vehicles are used to not only move officers; they are an integral part of the formation and supplement their numbers. Commanders now have more flexibility to cover larger areas, using fewer personnel to achieve the maximum effect quickly. This concept is not a 90 mph approach; rather it is a deliberate movement of patrol cars, driving at speeds of 10 to 15 mph. These speeds give the officers the ability to cover ground quickly, yet it allows rioters time to disperse. Once officers are deployed on foot, the vehicles can move only as fast as the slowest person can walk, usually only 1 to 3 mph.

1. Advantages

   1. Rapid response

   2. Protection from rocks and bottles

   3. Built in rest periods

   4. More control

   5. Cover larger areas quickly

   6. More flexibility

   7. Requires fewer officers

2. Disadvantages

   1. More police vehicles may be damaged

   2. Greater risk of accidents

   3. Requires more training.

   4. Takes officers off the line and puts them in the vehicle

1. Mobile tactics are built around squad, which is the basic element of crowd formations, traditional or mobile. Each squad is supervised and controlled by a sergeant. Squads should have twelve (12) members, with the sergeant, driver, and two officers in one unit; the other units have four (4) officers each.

Variations can be tailored to meet the manpower of an individual agency or the situation; however, no fewer than two officers per unit should be used. This approach is functional with as few as two (2) officers per patrol unit. This forms squads of four (4) to six (6) officers. Doing so limits the capabilities of your units to disperse crowds without the assistance of tactical enhancement weapons/chemical systems.

3. Procedure

NOTE: Show slide, “Vehicle Rescues.”
The squad is the smallest element that should confront a crowd. More units or squads should be available to support the initial squad as needed. They can also be used to secure flanks and parallel the contact squad as it moves the crowd, thereby preventing them from being out flanked.

1. When commanded to move forward, the initial squad moves toward the crowd with siren, emergency lights, and all other lights on. Speed should be rapid, but slow enough so officers can control their own responses. Units should operate at recommended speeds of 10-15 mph.

2. As the squad of vehicles approaches the crowd, the squad leader gives out a dispersal command, such as "skirmish line, move." This is the signal for the lead unit to break to the left and stop, the second unit pulls straight forward, with the third breaking to the right. As the units roll to a stop, parallel to each other, the sirens are turned off and officers quickly dismount to form a skirmish line in front of the patrol units. If the confrontation occurs at night, the headlight should be turned off at this point, so as not to backlight the skirmish line. The blue lights will make the number of officers appear to be moving or may give the illusion that there are more officers than there are. As the officers advance, the drivers of the patrol units move slowly forward with the skirmish line.

1. Leapfrog technique

NOTE: Show slide, “Leapfrog Technique.”
This technique is used to exploit the initiative gained by the first squad, should the crowd retreat. This procedure requires a minimum of two squads, with one in direct contact with the crowd and the second in support. In order for the second squad to advance, the first squad must create an opening. A command might be “Break! Break! Break!” or a blowing of the siren or horn to signal the front quad to break open.
Note: When officers are deployed on foot in conjunction with the mobile units, they need to stand between the units and not in front of them. This maneuver requires the center of the skirmish line to move to one side, with the center unit advancing until they can pull to one side. This opens the way for the second squad to move forward, until they deploy. The first squad then enters their patrol units and moves forward in a column behind the second squad. This method can be repeated as many times as is necessary to disperse the crowd.

5. Pitchfork technique

NOTE: Show slide, “Pitchfork Technique.”
This technique utilizes a full field force and is designed to clear larger areas. Two squads focus on the crowd, while two other units are positioned to each side to flank the center squad. Coordination is a key to the success of this technique.

6. Rescue technique

   1. Three unit rescue (L.A. Model)

NOTE: Show slide, “Three Patrol Car Rescue.”
Mobile tactics can be used for rescue of officers and citizens in hostile encounters. This technique calls for the squad to advance forward in a column, then forming a horseshoe or open box formation around the victim, where officers dismount, some picking up the victim, with others using chemical munitions or specialty impact munitions to ward off the crowd. Once the victim is placed in the nearest unit, officers remount and withdraw to safety.

2. Two patrol unit rescue

NOTE: Show slides, “Two Patrol Car Rescue (A, B, C, D).”
A second technique is the two-unit approach. Position the first unit at the front of the “stranded” vehicle, at a 45-degree angle--this is the contact unit. The driver and driver’s side passenger cover the flank, while the passenger side officers act as the rescuers. Position the second unit at a 45-degree angle at the rear of the “stranded” vehicle or scene, with officers deploying to cover the rescue. The vehicles then back out of the area, keeping the crowd/rioters in front of them.¹⁴

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