Hernando Today
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Deputies Take One For The Team
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Published: May 14, 2008
BROOKSVILLE - Deputies ditched their boots and checked their gun belts at the door for a little personal interaction with their co-workers on Monday.
How personal?
The face-squashed, nerve-pinched, breathless, tangled knot of arms and legs on a floor mat variety.
Naturally, the intimate positions drew their share of jokes (he didn't even bring me flowers!), but the defense tactics training was deadly serious.
The class inside the Emergency Operations Center was the refresher course required every other year for all sworn personnel at the sheriff's office. Just as they have to brush up on defensive driving and qualify with their side arms, deputies also stay up to speed with the latest control methods and any changes in policy.
For example, the recent surge in popularity of cage fights and mixed martial arts has exposed the public to a whole new way of brawling. A lot of the ground grappling in Monday's instruction was a response to that.
The trickiest part of reacting to resistance is keeping in line with policy.
As instructor Bill Boettger put it: "The bad guy has no parameters, but we do."
That simply means deputies are not allowed to punch, bite, kick or whatever else the suspect is dishing out. But there are ways to get around that.
To illustrate his point, Boettger yanked a deputy's head to the side and locked it in that position with both his arms.
Painful? You bet.
Is the move allowed under policy? Absolutely.
Most of the takedowns, grips and sweeps are intended to hold someone in place until backup arrives or the suspect can be handcuffed. Boettger demonstrated pressure points that will reduce most suspects to a whimpering ball regardless of their size.
Avoiding a physical situation altogether is the ideal situation. Part of the coursework involved "verbal judo" intended to deescalate a simmering situation. Deputies are also encouraged to use loud verbal commands to establish authority and announce their intentions if those commands are not obeyed. Read: Taser.
On a practical note, most deputies don't regularly find themselves in a life-or-death struggle that requires the fancy flips. But simple leg sweeps and arm bars are common tools, said Deputy Rick Kramer.
Kramer and many others have adopted an unwritten policy of simply staying back six to eight feet from anyone they speak to.
Some take offense, "but people don't understand it's just for officer safety," he said.
Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com.
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