Mob and Riot Control (1964)

[Music] [Applause] [Music] God [Music] riots and civil disturbances are on the increase everywhere press reports from around the world show that many such demonstrations whether peaceably intended or not have developed in into riots with resulting police casualties loss of life and property there are professional agitators who can inflame tempers and turn peaceful assemblies into bloody riots with resulting Anarchy it can happen here wherever you are it's a police problem once such a civil disturbance has broken out there are tactics based on planned employment of necessary minimum force that can be used to bring it under control what you are about to see are the most basic important and effective techniques the only unalterable fact about civil disturbances is that they are caused by and involve people as always the police are on the spot and have to dominate the situation crowds at sports events have rioted people at the scene of an accident can get out of hand especially if local or national tensions are involved but one of the most potentially dangerous situations is the demonstration even if the demonstrators themselves are disciplined the crowd that gathers can easily become unruly or aggressive a skilled agitator can quickly whip this kind of a crowd into a murderously destructive mob such a m should not be approached except by a welld disciplined organized uniformed unit of Law Enforcement Officers performing as a team and not as individuals police are usually outnumbered however the Tactical Force should be large enough to deal with the situation properly an assembly area near the disturbance but out of sight of the riers should be designated the individual officers and their vehicles should be directed to this area which can also also serve as a communication command [Applause] [Music] [Applause] post the empty police vehicle should be guarded and the area sealed off if possible [Applause] when the riot unit has formed it is ready for that first important psychological move the show of force the surprise appearance of a specially equipped disciplined police unit early in the action will often be sufficient to dump at the situation the first official act will usually be the order to disperse it is best Amplified with a bullhorn system the form of proclamation varies from state to state this is Lieutenant Childers a police officer of this city I hereby declare this to be an unlawful assembly I command you to disperse or be subject to arrest the order should be given clearly several times if the mob refuses to comply there are a number of possible courses to follow first there is the employment of the special tactical Force there are three basic types of formations the line the diagonal and the wedge if possible your Force should consist of three squads two in action and one in reserve the success of the formations depends on the field Commander's experience and [Applause] judgment the wedge type formation is used for breaking a mob into segments it is also used to enter a mob to rescue a wounded officer or seize an agitator or ring leader [Applause] when an agitator is taken it is imperative that he be removed from the scene immediately without their leader the mob will be confused and more easily broken [Applause] up the line is a formation useful in denying an objective to a crowd for example blocking an entrance or gate it can also be used in clearing a mob from an area the diagonal is used in turning a crowd away from a wall or fence or diverting a moving crowd in a different [Applause] direction the weapons used in controlling the mob are buried Firearms are necessary but should be held in reserve and used only as the very last resort their premature ill-advised use can further complicate the situation raising the all too familiar charge of police brutality today mobs are of both sexes and all ages against such groups an effective weapon is the long baton all departments should be equipped with this versatile special issue weapon men trained in its correct use will face the mob with confidence it's full length is used in offense and defense and in restraining or handling crowds the tip and butt end of the riot Paton can be used to deliver thrusts Jabs and [Applause] smashes the prime objective in any disturbance is to confuse and break up the mob in the first critical stage one of the most effective weapons is obscuring smoke it can be released by a grenade or by a handheld projector the best delivery technique for smoke or tear gas is the line of release a number of grenades are placed in a line for example across the street Away From the Mob so that air currents will carry the cloud into the scene of action white obscuring smoke does not stain or contaminate it is non-toxic and like tear gas must be used with favorable winds the police usually do not have to come into physical contact with the riers or enter the Gast or obscured area this cuts down the possibility of police casualties an Escape Route must be left open to the Mob obscuring smoke confuses and demoralizes what once was a cohesive group with a unified purpose becomes a collection of panic-stricken individuals open open open the door open [Applause] the open the doors and get out of [Applause] town [Applause] smoke is also highly effective in dispersing the passive lie down sit down demonstrators eliminating the need of carrying them [Applause] away hey [Applause] the more violent phases of riots can best be countered by the use of tear gas [Applause] protective masks should be worn if [Applause] available police should try to employ tiar gas up wind of the mob if [Applause] possible if the wind is blowing against you use a gas gun to drop long range CN projectiles behind the crowd so the wind will carry it through the the [Applause] mark [Applause] [Music] [Applause] visible type tier gas from a continuous discharge grenade is probably the most effective Humane means for controlling critical situations in spite of propaganda to the contrary tear gas has no lasting ill effects under normal field conditions a heavy concentration of tear gas will have a strong psychological effect but when you use it use enough the physical irritation and discomfort will force most riers to vacate the area a grenade that separ Ates into three sections is effective against Loosely dispersed rities in a no wind condition it is often advisable to use an instantaneous blast type grenade when in close contact with the mob use the short range blast shell remember present a disciplined United uniformed front a show of force is sometimes all that is necessary employ only only men who have been drilled in the Tactical formations you can usually rely on the Progressive employment of your Riot formations the vuon smoke and tear gas to break up most civil disturbances use Firearms only as a last resort break up the crog keep it moving when the mob's dispersed keep it that way and the is [Applause] over even though you think it can't happen in your community be prepared train now civil disturbances and mob violence are an everpresent threat anytime anywhere the reputation of your department and its support by the public is at stake in the balance is the preservation of Law and Order itself [Music] l