Criminal Justice Defensive Tactics

What is Defensive Tactics?

A system of controlled defensive and offensive body movements that officers use to respond to a subject’s aggression or resistance.

Which 3 things are defensive tactics techniques a combination of?

Martial arts, wrestling, and boxing.

Which 5 things are vital to developing the physical skills needed in defensive tactics?

Fitness, strength, agility, balance, and flexibility.

What is the primary role of defensive tactics?

To assist the officer in restraining or arresting a person.

Why is it so important to understand when and how to use appropriate techniques?

Because any defensive weapon or technique has the potential to cause injury, great bodily harm, or death.

Which type of exercises should each session begin and end with?

Stretching exercises.

How do warm-up sessions help the body prepare itself for physical activity?

By raising the heart rate and increasing blood circulation to the muscles, saturating them with oxygen.

How do cooldowns cause the body’s metabolic rate to decrease?

Cooldowns redistribute blood flow within the body.

Which process helps the muscles relax and prevents them from tightening and is vital for the body to recover?

A cooldown.

What usually begins with a warm-up, such as running in place, jumping jacks, push-ups, or any calisthenics exercise that lasts for 15 to 30 minutes?

Stretching

Stretching does 4 things for the body. What are they?

Warms up the muscles, increases heart rate, increases respiration, and increases perspiration.

Identify 6 of the 9 Warm-Up Stretching Exercises That Are Recommended for Defensive Tactics Training:

Lunge and twist, knee raises, high kicks, arm swings, arm rotations, and jump squats.

When are falling techniques generally utilized?

When a subject attacks, pushes, or hits you with enough force to send you to the ground, or if you trip over an obstacle.

What helps you assume an effective defensive position while also reducing the potential for injury and minimizing the stunning effect associated with falling?

Falling properly.

What does returning to a defensive stance after falling do?

Puts you in a position to defend yourself against further attack or allows you to control the subject.

What is the 1st step of each defensive tactics technique?

Use loud, clear verbal commands throughout the application of the technique.

What is a Prone Position?

Lying on the stomach, facing down.

How do you perform a FRONT FALL?

1. Extend your bent arms slightly in front of your chest.

2. Fall forward into a prone position with your head turned to the side.

3. Contact the ground with your palms, forearms, and feet.

4. Exhale on impact.

How do you perform a REAR FALL?

1. Tuck your chin to your chest.

2. Squat and roll backwards.

3. Hit the ground with your palms at a 45 degree angle on impact.

4. Exhale on impact.

How do you perform a SIDE FALL?

1. Tuck your chin to your chest.

2. Squat and roll back at an angle to one side.

3. Relax your body as you fall.

4. Don’t land flat.

5. Roll.

6. Hit the ground with your palm on impact.

7. Exhale on impact.

What is the Foundation Position?

This position allows you to be ready to engage the subject on the ground or allows you to recover to a standing position.

How do you get into the Founding Position after a side fall?

1. Use an extended arm to prop the upper part of your body off of the ground.

2. Bend the knees while both of your feet are on the ground

3. Keep your free hand up in a defensive position to protect vital areas.

How do you recover to the Standing Position after the foundation position?

1. Stand up from the ground

2. Use an appropriate technique to gain distance and protect your vital areas

3. Maintain an appropriate stance.

Which position is used to gain time and distance between you and the aggressive subject?

The Standing Position.

Which technique/position prepares you to get back on your feet while protecting your face, head, body, and weapon from an aggressive subject?

The standing position prepares you.

What do Hip Escapes allow you to do?

Move from side to side to avoid or defend against an attack.

What is Shrimping?

The side to side movements done in a hip escape that allows you to escape from certain ground positions.

How do you perform a Hip Escape?

1. From the foundation position, tuck your chin into your chest to protect your neck and the back of your head.

2. Straighten one leg and bend the other leg.

3. Turn your body to the opposite side of the bent leg and force your hips up.

4. Push the ground with the bent leg while turned sideways.

5. Imitate a pushing motion with your hands.

How do you perform a Sprawl?

1. Shoot legs backwards, driving one hip down, which stops the subject’s forward momentum.

2. Your chest will make contact with the subject’s shoulder blades and drive the subject down.

Identify 6 of the 12 Recommended Cooldown Stretches.

Neck Stretch, Butterfly Stretch, Spinal Twist, Straddle Stretch, Seated Bent Knee Stretch, and Modified Hurdler’s Stretch.

What is Pummeling?

A grappling technique used to gain the double underhook position.

What is the Double Underhook Position?

A dominant control position that can be used in a variety of takedowns and grappling techniques.

What is an Overhook?

Placing your arm over the subject’s arm and controlling it.

What is an Underhook?

Placing your arm under the subject’s arm and controlling the subject’s upper body.

How do you perform a Pummeling Drill?

1. Both partners have an overhook with their right arm and an underhook with their left arm.

2. Both partners move their overhook arm to an underhook position at the same time.

3. Continue this process and switch from overhook to underhook alternating sides each time.

4. Gradually increase resistance while both partners attempt to gain the double underhook position.

What is the Arm Drag Drill?

A technique where you pull the subject’s arm across your body to gain a dominant position.

What can the Arm Drag Drill be used for?

This drill can be used to set up a variety of grappling and takedown techniques.

How do you perform an Arm Drag Drill?

1. While facing the subject, block and grab the subjects right arm with your left arm, and bring the subject’s arm across your centerline.

2. Use your right hand to reach across the subject's body and grasp the back of their right arm just above the elbow.

3. Continue the drill in the same manner and alternate the target arm.

What is Cardiovascular Training?

Any exercise that elevates the heart rate to a range of 60% to 85% of the maximum rate.

What range must your heart rate be elevated to in order to be training in a cardiovascular or aerobic state?

60% to 85% of the maximum rate.

What are 4 health benefits that come with Cardiovascular Training?

Burning calories, eliminating body fat, strengthening the heart, and strengthening the lungs.

What is the leading cause of premature death and can be prevented by performing cardiovascular exercises?

Heart disease.

Identify 7 examples of cardiovascular exercises:

Walking, jogging, running, jumping rope, bicycling, swimming, and step aerobics.

What are the 3 Essential Nutrients in Food?

Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats.

What does protein do?

Provides energy, builds and repairs body cells, and is part of various enzymes, hormones, and antibodies.

Identify 11 sources of protein.

Meat, poultry, eggs, legumes, milk, milk products, vegetables, nuts, seeds, seafood, and grains.

What do carbohydrates do?

Provide energy needed for the brain, nervous system, red blood cells, and other cells.

Identify 8 sources of carbohydrates.

Breads, cereal grains, pasta, rice, fruit, vegetables, milk, and sugar.

What do fats do?

Provide energy and essential fatty acids, carries other fat-soluble nutrients (vitamins), and is part of cell membranes, membranes around nerves, hormones, and bile (for fat digestion).

Identify 11 sources of fat.

Meat, poultry, fish, milk, milk products, nuts, seeds, oils, butter, margarine, and salad dressing.

Which Chapter of The Florida Statutes Governs All Use Of Force By Criminal Justice Officers?

Chapter 776, F.S.

Which 2 situations identified by the Florida Statutes justify an officer’s use of force?

Apprehending and arresting a subject, or defending yourself or others.

Which section of the Florida Statutes addresses the issue of an officer using force to make an arrest?

Section 776.05, F.S.

Identify 1 of the 3 things that justify an officer’s use of force according to Section 776.05 of the Florida Statutes

When the officer reasonably believes their use of force is necessary in order to defend themself or another from bodily harm while making an arrest

Identify another one of the 3 things that justify an officer’s use of force according to Section 776.05 of the Florida Statutes

When recapturing an escaped felon.

Identify the last justification out of the 3 things that justify an officer’s use of force according to Section 776.05 of the Florida Statutes

When trying to arrest a felon fleeing from justice.

When is the use of deadly force justifiably necessary according to Section 776.05 of the Florida Statutes?

When the officer reasonably believes that the fleeing felon poses a threat of death or serious physical harm, or has committed a crime involving the infliction or threatened infliction of serious physical harm to another person.

Which chapter in the Florida Statutes addresses the use of force specifically for state correctional and correctional probation officers?

Chapter 944, F.S.

Which chapter in the Florida Statutes establishes that the Department of Corrections has jurisdiction over the supervisory and protective care, custody, and control of inmates and offenders?

Chapter 945, F.S.

Which section of the Florida Statutes provides 8 justifiable instances for the use of force by correctional and correctional probation officers?

Section 944.35, F.S.

Identify the 1st of the 6 justifiable instances that justify an officer’s use of force according to Section 944.35, F.S.

To defend himself or herself or another against such other imminent use of unlawful force.

Identify the 2nd of the 6 justifiable instances that justify an officer’s use of force according to Section 944.35, F.S.

To prevent a person from escaping from a state correctional institution when the officer reasonably believes that person is lawfully detained in such institution.

Identify the 3rd of the 6 justifiable instances that justify an officer’s use of force according to Section 944.35, F.S.

To prevent damage to property.

Identify the 4th of the 6 justifiable instances that justify an officer’s use of force according to Section 944.35, F.S.

To quell a disturbance.

Identify the 5th of the 6 justifiable instances that justify an officer’s use of force according to Section 944.35, F.S.

To overcome physical resistance to a lawful command.

Identify the 6th of the 6 justifiable instances that justify an officer’s use of force according to Section 944.35, F.S.

To administer medical treatment only by or under the supervision of a physician or his or her designee when treatment is necessary to protect the health of other people, or when treatment is offered in satisfaction of a duty to protect the inmate against self-inflicted injury or death.

How is Objective Reasonableness used in court?

The courts use objective reasonableness to decide whether an officers use of force is an appropriate response to a subject’s resistance.

What is appropriate force?

The amount of force reasonably necessary to make an arrest.

What did the US Supreme Court state in the case of Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S 386 (1989)?

The reasonableness of a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of how a reasonable officer on the scene would respond, rather than from the 20/20 perspective of hindsight.

How do the courts determine if an officer's actions were objectively reasonable?

The courts look at the facts and circumstances that the officer knew when the incident occurred.

What do courts recognize about situations involving the use of force?

Criminal justice officers must make split-second judgments about the amount of force needed in a particular situation under circumstances that are tense, uncertain, and quickly changing.

What must an officers reasons for using force be consistent with?

Constitutional and statutory law, as well as their agencies policies and training guidelines.

Which governmental body made it clear that using force counts as a seizure under the Fourth Amendment?

The Supreme Court.

Which constitutional amendment could a correctional officer’s use of force violate?

The Eighth Amendment.

Who decides and establishes the specific techniques, tactics , and applications that an officer may use in an encounter with a resistant subject?

An officer’s agency.

What may be established by an officer’s reasonable belief or reasonable suspicion, that a crime has been, is being, or is about to be committed?

A law enforcement officer’s authorization to use only the force reasonably necessary to accomplish lawful objectives.

Which type of decisions may escalate and de-escalate rapidly in relation to a perceived threat?

Force decisions.

What is the goal of an officers use of force?

To achieve subject compliance.

What is Compliance?

The verbal or physical yielding to an officer's authority without apparent threat or resistance or violence.

What are 3 important concepts in making legally and tactically sound, reasonable responses to resistance?

Escalation, de-escalation, and disengagement.

What is Escalation?

Increasing the use of force or resistance.

What is De-escalation?

Decreasing the use of force or resistance.

What is Disengagement?

Discontinuing a command or physical use of force.

What are officers legally permitted to do during use of force situations?

Escalate their use of force as the subject escalates their level of resistance.

What are the officers choices determined by during a use of force?

By the subject’s actions and the risk of physical harm imposed to the officer or others.

What must the officer do once control or compliance is obtained?

The officer must de-escalate the use of force.

Identify Three certain circumstances where disengagement may be the best tactical option:

When the officer is waiting for back up, when the officer is injured or outnumbered, or when the suspect has superior firepower.

What should the officer do if the subject is placed into a prone position when applying restraints?

Remove them from the prone position, and place them into a position of comfort as soon as practical.

Why is it important for an officer to assess the subject?

In order to make sure that they are responsive and not in distress.

What is important for officers to remember when employing defensive tactics?

The subject’s safety is their responsibility.

What are the Force Guidelines?

Provide a framework for making decisions involving the reasonable use of force by criminal justice officers.

Which 2 things is the structure of the force guidelines based on?

Constitutional considerations and case law.

What provides guidance for appropriate decision-making in a fluid and dynamic situation?

The structure of the force guidelines.

What considers the relationship between subject resistance and various situational factors in determining the officer’s response options?

The force guidelines.

What is Passive Resistance?

A subject’s verbal or physical refusal to comply with an officers lawful direction, causing the officer to use physical techniques to establish control.

What is Active Resistance?

A subject’s use of physically evasive movements directed toward the officer, such as bracing, tensing, pushing, or pulling to prevent the officer from establishing control over the subject.

What is Aggressive Resistance?

Hostile, attacking movements that may cause injury, but are not likely to cause death or great bodily harm to the officer or others.

What is Deadly Force Resistance?

Hostile, attacking movements, with or without a weapon, that create a reasonable perception by the officer that the subject intends to cause and has the capability of causing death or great bodily harm to the officer or others.

Which Two Things will often diffuse many volatile situations?

Command presence and verbal communication.

Which 3 things are involved in physical force?

Physical control, using less lethal weapons, and deadly force.