Study Module 2 - Avoiding Criminal Attack

Probation Module 2 Study Guide

Conflict Resolution

Avoiding Criminal Attack and Controlling a Violent Encounter

7 - 2023

In this module you will learn police proven techniques of conflict resolution and how to manage aggressive behavior.

Pistol Safety Training is more than the safe mechanical operation of a pistol. It is the personality and mindset of the pistol operator. “ The person behind the gun” Some of the personality traits a safe pistol operator should have are: The ability to communicate with others. The ability to think and operate under normal and stressful events. The ability to deescalate and control potentially dangerous conditions. The person should not be prone to impulse decision making, or poorly thought-out actions. Don’t let peer pressure influence your decisions to do the right thing. This can be especially true in a group setting where the pressure is the greatest.

Module Three - Avoiding Criminal Attack 20 min video 14 pages

15 question written Est time 2.0 hours

Table of Contents: How to ---- Avoid – Evade -Escape – Respond to a criminal attack Space (Proxemics) Zones of safety from a potential threat How to use the police officer interview position to enhance your safety The police color code of preparedness Voice projection to help control the situation Fight or Flight syndrome The dos and don’ts of Personal Conduct to Minimize Violence Home Safety and Self Defense Controlling and intruder Physiological Reactions to A Life-threatening Encounter 15 question Test link on last page

A Law Enforcement Education Video that will help enhance your learning experience.

MOAB 18 min run Recognize signs of aggressive behavior. Learn verbal and nonverbal skills that will help you manage aggressive behavior.

AVOIDING CRIMINAL ATTACK AND CONTROLLING A VIOLENT ENCOUNTER

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THe Principles Of Personal Protection In Public Areas

AVOID—EVADE—ESCAPE—RESPOND Avoid the confrontation:

1. Be alert and aware of your surroundings. 2. Avoid suspicious situations 3. Avoid unlit parking lots and neighborhoods that are not well light 4. Jog or walk with a companion 5. Do not park in remote areas (including parking ramps) 6. use valet parking or have a store employee or security walk you to your car 7. Avoid ATM machines that are hidden from public view 8. In remote areas at stop signs always leave enough room between the car in front and the car in back of you in case you need to escape. 9. Keep car doors locked while driving.

Evade the confrontation: 1. Attempt to seek another direction of travel 2. Don’t allow yourself to be cut off (ambush) 3. Plan an avenue of escape Escape 1. Utilize any possible safe avenue of escape

This will……………….. 1. Buy time to set up a defensive position, if escape is not possible 2. Prepare you to use force if necessary to protect life 3. Help protect you from civil or criminal liability by having taken defensive and evasive measures before using force. 4. Responding When the threat of an attack or actual attack occurs; usually you the potential victim is the first responder at the scene to protect yourself. What you do at that time may be critical to your survival. 5. If you cannot escape: Create a reactionary gap by creating time to respond by (1 ) Creating distance (2) putting an obstacle between you and the attacker.

6. implement a self defense response: The proper response and use of tactics is important............... • Select the proper tactics by applying a legal response that works • Selection of proper self defense equipment that is legal and effective. • Skill with self defense equipment will allow you to use it to its optimum capability.

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Avoiding Criminal Attack and Controlling a Violent Encounter

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Space (Proxemics) and your safety zone

Gray area = Reaction gap

= Danger - stay out

Always be aware of how your distance from the other person affects him/her and your safety. Being in the other persons personal zone may make them uncomfortable and put you at risk of an unexpected attack with no time to react.

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Avoiding Criminal Attack and Controlling a Violent Encounte r

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Officer / Civilian Interview Position

Suspect

0

You do Not Stand Here

position 1

position 1

The Safest place to talk to a potential adversary is in front, 45 degrees off to the side and at least six feet away (position 1). Do not stand directly in front of this person and within arms reach ( position 0 ). This will leave you vulnerable to a sudden attack. Officer

In conducting a field interview, position yourself at an angle to the suspect and keep your gun side away from his immediate reach. Do not let people behind you or in any postion where you cannot see them and mantain a safe distance. Caution! There is a potential for danger to yourself if you are interviewing (or trying to con trol) more than one person at a time without backup or securing the other people. One person can present a dangerous threat

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Avoiding Criminal Attack and Controlling a Violent Encounter

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1. Tone 2. Volume 3. Cadence To run or to fight If you can avoid or escape the situation safely, do so! To run - variables are: • Are you running to a safer place? Are you familiar with your surroundings? • Are you dressed to run? • Will you be able to out run him? • If you run will you be assaulted from behind? To fight - variables are: • How prepared are you: knowledge, skills, confidence and self defense devices. To defend yourself you will need the right skills and tools and the confidence to use them. • Are you dressed to fight? Your goal is survive the confrontation with your life intact and as little injury as possible. If you have decided to defend yourself, make it a quick decisive strike and leave. Attempt to stop a confrontation (but don’t be confrontational) Avoid adding fuel to the fire COLOR CODING CONCEPT ( your mental color of preparedness) White - Unprepared (Not aware of surroundings, not prepared to recognize a threat to your safety ) Yellow - Relaxed alertness (aware of surroundings) Orange - Unspecified Alert (awareness of cover, lanes of possible escape, the body’s alarm reaction begins) Red - Encounter assailant (you are facing one or more persons who want to cause you harm or take your life ). Black - Assault in Progress (Normal response is counteracting with appropriate self defense measures and try to escape) Voice projection can help control the situation The three elements of “ controlled” communication

Don’t rebut claims to an angry person Don’t confront with counter aggression Don’t argue and don’t order Negotiate and conciliate

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Avoiding Criminal Attack and Controlling a Violent Encounter

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Personal Conduct to Minimize Violence Follow these suggestions in your daily interactions with people to de- escalate potentially violent situations. if at any time a person’s behavior starts to escalate beyond your comfort zone, disen gage and re-evaluate. DO

• Call a person by their name • Project calmness: move and speak slowly, quietly and confidently. • Be an empathetic listener encourage the person to talk and listen patiently.

• Focus your attention on the other person to let them know you are interested in what they have to say. • Maintain a relaxed yet attentive posture and position yourself at a right angle rather than directly in front of the other person. • Acknowledge the person’s feelings that you can see he or she is upset • Ask for small specific favors such as asking the person to move to a quieter area, if needed. • Establish ground rules if unreasonable behavior persists, calmly describe the consequences of any violent behavior • Use delaying tactics which will give the person time to calm down. For example, offer a drink of water • Be reassuring and point out choices, break big problems into smaller more manageable problems • Accept criticism in a positive way, when a complaint might be true, use statements like “You’re probably right” or “It was my fault “ If the criticism sounds unwarranted ask clarifying questions. Don’t • Use styles of communication which generate hostility such as apathy, brush off, coldness condescen sion, robotics going strictly by the rules or giving the run-around. • Pose in challenging stances such as standing directly opposite someone, hands on hips or crossing your arms. Avoid any physical contact, finger pointing or fixed eye Contact. • Make sudden movements which can be seen as threatening, notice the tone volume and rate of your speech. • Challenge threaten or dare the individual. • Never belittle the person or make him/her feel foolish. • Criticize or act impatiently toward the individual.

• Try to make the situation seem less serious than it is. • Make false statements Or promises you cannot keep. • Try to impart a lot of technical or complicated information when emotions are high.

•Take sides or agree with distractions. • Invade the individual’s personal space. Make sure there is a space of 3' to 6' between you and the person.

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HOME SAFETY AND SELF DEFENSE

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1. Retreat to a safe area / room 2. Secure the area / room 3. Do not protect anymore area than you have to 4. Call police 5. Stay in the safe area 6.You can help the police catch the intruder from the safe area / room What is your plan for surviving a home invasion ?? Do you know how to use Cover and Concealment to your advantage? If you cannot escape safely

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Home Safety and Self Defense Home Safety and Self Defense is based on the concept of:

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1. Prevention : Prevent a person from breaking into or entering your home with proper landscaping and security devices. 2. Escape: If an intruder is in your home, escape from your home if you have the opportunity to do so safely. 3. Retreat: If an intruder is in your home retreat to a safe area or room where you can protect you and your family, call the police, secure your area, do not engage the intruder unless absolutely necessary. 4. Stay on the phone with the dispatcher, you can help the police catch the intruder and stay safe at the same time. 5. If you must shoot to protect yourself, be sure you have properly identified the target as the intruder. Do not shoot through doors, walls or other objects at the suspected intruder 6. Because there is no duty to retreat in your home does not give you the right to shoot the intruder just because he is in your home. Your justification is self-defense. Remember your first and only requirement is the safety of you and your family not to catch the intruder . Target Identification Night or day, your decision to shoot someone must be based on the legal need to defend yourself (as described else where in this manual). Before you point your gun at someone and pull the trigger, you must correctly identify your target as the threat. Target identification must be visual . You must see the person who is threatening you and know that you have identified the threat. An armed homeowner or armed citizen may not be a threat to you even though he/she has a gun. To avoid shooting an innocent person, you must identify yourself, determine who the threatening person is, and give the verbal commands which are appropriate. A Criminal in Your Home Regardless of the steps you take to prevent someone from forcibly entering your home, illegal entries may occur. Plan your actions ahead of time so you will know what to do. Prepare for future emergen cies now by reviewing the options that you and your family have. To avoid a successful criminal attack

in your home: Be prepared: • Know the layout of your home and be familiar with all entrances. • Plan an escape route for you and for family members.

• Identify the room most likely to be your “safe spot” and have a telephone installed. • keep a flashlight near the phone and the police telephone number easily available. • If having a handgun is part of your master plan to avoid becoming a victim, know how it operates and how to use it. If a stranger is detected in your home: Keep your head, by remaining calm, you will make better use of the very short time you have to make critical decisions. Do not be complacent or deny that a criminal may be in your home.

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HOME SAFETY AND SELF DEFENSE

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Assess the situation. Where do you think the criminal is located? Where are other persons in your home located? If armed self-defense is inadvisable or impossible, review in your mind the exits of your home. If there is an exit that you and your family can use to escape the criminal, leave as quickly and as quietly as possible. However, you are under no legal responsibility to leave your home. Call the police. Whether from your own home or from a neighbor’s house, call the police. I f you are in your home, inform the police of your location and the location of other family members. Always tell the police if you are armed. Also, attempt to determine if the police will respond in uniform or plain clothes so you can avoid a confrontation with the wrong person. Answer all questions as calmly as possible and don’t hang up the phone until police arrive. Go to a safe place Try to go to a predetermined “safe spot” with a phone where you will take your stand. In many cases, it will be a bedroom. Lock the door. If you hear someone outside the door, yell that the police are on their way. And, if you have a gun, tell the intruder that you are armed. Keep the police informed throughout the ordeal. NOTE: Never search your house if you suspect someone is there unlawfully. “Clearing a house” is dangerous and requires extensive training. Leave it to the police. Your efforts should be directed toward avoiding contact with the criminal. Last Resort: Using Force Hopefully, you will never face a life-threatening situation wherein you are forced to make the “ultimate decision.” If an attacker, heedless of your warnings that the police are coming and that you are armed, enters the room and presents a reasonable threat of deadly danger to you or your family, you will be in such a situation. If you have made the decision to own a handgun for self-protection, you should have already determined to use the gun as a last resort to protect innocent lives. If an attacker puts you in a position where you must use force, be sure to identify the attacker positively.

YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN A SHOOTING INCIDENT Call Police Follow the directions of the police

Do not leave the scene/ run (except to get help or move to safety) Flight equals guilt Render Assistance? (Use extreme caution if attempting to approach attacker) Protect the scene (Do not change anything) Do not have handgun in hand when police arrive (unless you need to protect yourself) You are not required to say anything but identify yourself If you must say something say “I was in fear of my life and I shot to protect myself’

You may be arrested based on evedence at the scene You will be taken to the police station for questioning You are allowed an attorney to represent you Do not make or sign any statements unless your attorney is present

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Avoiding Criminal Attack and Controlling a Violent Encounter

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Controlling an intruder

Tips!!! 1. When you are covering a surrendered or downed attacker, back up against the wall and be sure to keep your assailant in view at all times. 2. Remember you are in the close proximity of a dangerous person. 3. Be sure you have called 911 before you get into this situation. 4.You should be able to call for help from your present location. 5. Do not put yourself in a situation you are not capable of controlling , which may mean shooting someone or possible having the attacker take the gun away form you.

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Avoiding Criminal Attack and Controlling a Violent Encounter

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Physiological Reactions To A Life-threatening Encounter No matter what your level of training or how capable you believe yourself to be in handling stressful situations; you will experience, to a greater or lesser degree, a number of involuntary physiological changes during a serious defensive situation. General Bodily Responses to Imminent Danger . In most cases, there will be a period of time be tween when you first perceive a threat and an attack actually occurs. This may occur, for example, when you awaken to hear an intruder breaking in downstairs. During this period you probably will experience a number of bodily responses to imminent danger. Your heart rate and respiration will increase (to provide more blood and oxygen to the muscles and brain), your pupils will dilate (to take in more light and see the threat better), and your muscles will be tighter in anticipation of sudden movement. Adrenaline Rush . One of the ways your body prepares you for flight or fight is through the release of the hormone adrenaline into your bloodstream. This powerful chemical heightens the senses and in creases strength, and can also cause trembling of the muscles. This trembling can make it more difficult to stand or sit still or, more important, to hold the firearm steady. This trembling can be mistaken for fear by both the assailant and victim. In reality, it is a physical reaction to the excess of adrenaline that has been dumped into the bloodstream in preparation for an attack. This is also what causes the uncontrol lable shaking sometimes experienced after a confrontation is over: the body is no longer utilizing all the adrenaline that was released. Note that although the heightened awareness caused by adrenaline may enable you to more readily perceive a threat, it may also predispose you to overreact to any sudden stimulus. Loss of Fine Motor Skills. Stress-regardless of its source-results in a loss of fine motor skills. This is often experienced in daily life. For example, it is much harder to unlock your front door with a key when you are rushing to get to a ringing telephone inside. In sports, too, it is common for many athletes to perform better in practice than under the stress of actual competition. During an attack, your loss of fine motor control will manifest itself in many ways. For example, you will find it more difficult to load car tridges into a pistol magazine or revolver cylinder, or to work the combination lock on a gun box or gun safe. To compensate for this loss of fine motor control, the NRA Personal Protection in the Home Course teaches gun handling skills that involve gross motor skills only. This is also why well designed defen sive handguns are simple to operate, and feature controls that are easily and naturally actuated by large muscle movements. Perceptual Changes During A Threatening Encounter Survivors of violent attacks-as well as those who have experienced certain other extremely stressful situations-commonly report that, during the attack or stressful event, their perceptions of visual and auditory stimuli, as well as the passage of time, were altered. These alterations-tunnel vision, auditory exclusion and time dilation-are involuntary, and may have evolved as a survival mechanism to better focus all of one’s senses and concentration on an immediate source of danger While these perceptual changes may have worked extremely well in enabling our ancestors to fight saber-toothed tigers, they do not always provide as much of a benefit when dealing with one or more intelligent, determined human assailants. Tunnel Vision . Under the stress of an imminent or actual attack, you will be focused almost exclusively on the perceived threat, and will be virtually oblivious to anything going on elsewhere in your visual field. This phenomenon is known as tunnel vision. Tunnel vision can be broken by developing certain training habits (such as lowering the firearm and assessing the area after firing at a target). It is important to avoid tunnel vision during a defensive shoot ing situation, because it can cause you to fail to recognize additional threats (or innocent persons) that may lurk just outside your immediate field of view.

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Avoiding Criminal Attack and Controlling a Violent Encounter Auditory Exclusion. During a violent encounter you will also undergo auditory exclusion, a condition during which extraneous sounds may be inaudible. Sounds emanating from outside your visual percep tion-and even those from within it-may go unheard. People involved in shootings often report that the sound of their own gunshots was no louder to them than a popgun. You can at least partially counteract the effects of auditory exclusion by screaming your commands to your assailant. Not only does this help break through the veil of auditory exclusion; it also serves to intimidate him. Keep in mind that you will not be the only one suffering auditory exclusion; your assailant as well as any family members; police officers or innocent bystanders who may be involved in the situation will experi ence it as well. Time Dilation. Time dilation refers to the perception of slowed time that occurs during extreme stress. You may see the movements of both your assailant and yourself as happening in slow motion, and you lose the ability to accurately determine the passage of time. A few seconds of actual time may seem to you to be much longer in duration. The phenomenon of time dilation is the reason why, when you are first alerted to strange sounds or other early warnings of a potential threat, you should wait much longer than you may initially think is necessary before you relax your guard or emerge from hiding. The aftermath of a defensive shooting Complete preparation for defensive firearm use involves more than practicing the shooting fundamen tals, shooting positions, and visualization exercises. True, when you are confronted by an assailant, your first concern is prevailing in the encounter, and the shooting skills you have learned are of paramount importance. When the shooting is over, however, you may experience emotional turmoil, social ostra cism and even legal sanctions. These are all common aspects of the aftermath of a defensive shooting, and require prior mental preparation just as effective shooting and gun handling require physical prepa ration. An important part of this mental preparation-indeed, a step that should be taken before you even decide to incorporate a firearm into your defense strategy-is to ensure that defensive firearm use is consonant with your own values. Ask yourself the following questions: Am I prepared to take the life of another human being to save my own life or that of loved one? Does my religion permit the taking of a life in self-defense? Do my personal moral standards permit the taking of a life in self-defense? Am I prepared to tolerate the judgement of my family, friends, and neighbors if I must defend myself with lethal force? Even when you are justified and forced to do so, shooting a predatory criminal is not a pleasant experience. Realize this and plan for it in your mental training. 011

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Avoiding Criminal Attack and Controlling a Violent Encounter

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Emotional aftermath of a Defensive shooting After prevailing in a violent encounter, you may experience a number of emotions. These emotions often occur in the order listed below, but are not universal; some people may not exhibit any of them, while others will experience some or all of the following emotional reactions, butin varying sequences. Elation. Often there is an immediate feeling of elation at having survived and prevailed in a life threatening encounter. In today’s social and political atmosphere, attack survivors may feel that they should downplay or ignore this emotion. The survivor who feels this elation is not cold bloodedly rejoicing at the death of another, however. Rather, it is a euphoria resulting from both a sense of relief at having survived, and an invol untary biochemical reaction resulting from the release of endorph ins and other sensory- and mood enhancing chemicals into the bloodstream. The feeling experienced by the victor in a defensive shoot ing is similar to-and just as uncontrollable as-the rush felt by a skydiver when the parachute opens. It is important to realize that there is nothing wrong with a momentary or lasting feeling of elation at having prevailed. Often this emotion is quickly followed by guilt at having felt elation in the first place. Revulsion. After the initial elation at having survived the violent confrontation, there often arises a feeling of revulsion at what has happened. The victorious victim may become nauseous, vomit, or even faint from the emotional shock of seeing the result of the confrontation. The absence of revulsion does not mean you are a bad or cold person. Your own experiences (such as military combat duty or work as an emergency medical technician) may have given you a greater tolerance for the unpleasant consequences of a shooting. However, in preparing for the aftermath of defensive firearm use, you must recognize that the scene of a shooting contains many distasteful and even sickening sights and sounds. While you cannot completely steel yourself to what you will see and hear, visualizing potential outcomes may decrease the distress you experience after a shooting. Remorse. Many survivors experience remorse at having killed an attacker. This has nothing to do with the moral justifiability of their actions. It is simply a normal feeling of sadness or sorrow at having been forced to kill.

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