24' Crowd Management 2 hrs'

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24. Crowd Management (2 hrs.)

• TCLEOSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• 08/01/04

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Objectives

• 24.5.11. Define crowd management.
• 24.5.12 Procedures for responding to crowd
  control situations.
• Unit Goal 24.6. To prepare the student to
  maintain the peace and safeguard lives and
  property during situations calling for crowd
  management.
• 24.6.1. Define selected types of crowds and
  mobs.
• 24.6.2. List the elements of the offenses
  relevant to crowd control.
• 24.6.3. Identify factors of responding to crowd
  control situations.

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24.5.11. Define crowd management.
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Crowd Management

• When conditions or circumstances warrant a high
  level of awareness, departments should gather
  information and provide advanced warning for
  civil unrest.

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Resources for gathering intelligence should
include but not limited to

• Civic leaders and organization
• Citizen and church groups
• Street rumors
• Arrestees, utilize information from all known
  offenders with criminal history in civil unrest,
  not just those known to patrol

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Department should be aware of warning signs
leading to civil unrest and take whatever action
necessary to prevent or prepare for it.
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Factors to be considered when organizing for
crowd management

• Court verdicts
• Union strikes
• Police shootings or incidents in a tense
  community

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24.5.12 Procedures for responding to crowd
control situations.
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• The first officer on the scene in response to any
  incident needing assessment of crowd management
  should consider the following objectives
  officer safety first, the protection of life and
  property, request for any assistance from other
  officers or agencies and EMS/AFD if needed.

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The first responder should assess the situation
and advise the dispatcher as soon as possible
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Information for the dispatcher

• Activity of the crowd (hostile or passive)
• Size of the crowd
• Weapons or objects known
• Safest route for other officers to get to the
  scene
• Most practical location for a command post and
  parking

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The first responder should also establish secure
perimeters and attempt to identify leaders or
agitators of the crowd
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• Proactive plans should be forwarded through the
  chain of command for any needed approval prior to
  implementation.
• After receiving approval from the departments
  chief or sheriff officers should then move in
  teams or squads to the troubled area and take the
  necessary steps to eliminate any problems.

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Key objectives

• Disperse crowds
• Arrest violators

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Discuss the organization or summoning of a rapid
deployment team
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Unit Goal 24.6. To prepare the student to
maintain the peace and safeguard lives and
property during situations calling for crowd
management.
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24.6.1. Define selected types of crowds and mobs.
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Crowds

• A crowd is a large number of persons temporarily
  congregated.
• Generally, the members of a crowd think and act
  as individuals and are without organization.

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Crowds may be classified as follows

• Casual crowd Has no unity of purpose and no
  leadership, i.e.. shoppers, on-lookers, or
  watchers who come and go, and will usually
  respond to direction by police.

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Cohesive crowd

• Usually assembles for a common purpose without
  leadership, i.e. spectators at sporting events,
  along parade routes, and other activities. They
  have a common interest but behave and think as
  individuals.

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Expressive crowd

• Are assembled for some purpose. They have
  leadership and the intention of expressing an
  attitude for or against some person or idea,
  i.e., political rallies and picket lines.

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Aggressive Crowd

• Is usually assembled for some purpose. They have
  positive leadership, are determined to accomplish
  a specific end, and move actively toward their
  objective. Usually high emotional tension is
  present. This type crowd can easily become a mob.
  Consequently, this type of crowd presents an
  acute police problem.

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Seek student input on crowds/mobs they have seen
or been a part of and what the circumstances
were.
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NOTE

• Most crowds the officer will routinely encounter
  include high school sporting events, music
  concerts, etc.
• Students should refer to local policy for
  specific procedures.
• Officers should remember that most persons in a
  crowd are not the "enemy".

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Mobs

• A crowd develops into a mob when all or most
  members of the crowd have been instilled with a
  purpose and an intent to carry out their purpose,
  regardless of the consequences.
• Transformation can be made, for example, by the
  urgings of a forceful crowd leader, the
  appearance of an individual of importance to the
  crowd, or the accomplishment of an act of
  violence.
• A mob reaches the hot stage when acts of violence
  are committed.

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Mob classifications
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Aggressive Mob

• An aggressive mob riots and terrorizes as in the
  case of race riots, lynching, political riots, or
  prison riots.

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An Escape Mob

• A mob in a state of panic. In their attempt to
  secure safety by flight, members of an escape mob
  may lost their power of reasoning.

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Acquisitive Mob

• A mob motivated by a desire to acquire something,
  i.e., food riots.

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24.6.2. List and identify the elements of the
offenses relevant to crowd control.
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Violations

• Trespass on School Grounds Texas Education Code,
  Sec. 37.107
• Disruptive activities Texas Education Code, Sec.
  37.123
• Exhibition of Firearms Texas Education Code, Sec.
  37.125
• Disruption of classes Texas Education Code, Sec.
  37.124
• Disruption of transportation - TEC 37.126 (see
  also Penal Code 46.03 and 46.035)

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• Riot Penal Code, 42.02
• Obstructing highway or other passageway Penal
  Code, 42.03
• Defense when conduct consists of speech or other
  expression Penal Code, 42.04
• Disrupting meeting or procession Penal Code,
  42.05

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• Dispersing riot CCP, Art. 8.04
• Officer may call aid CCP, Art. 8.05
• Means adopted to suppress CCP, Art. 8.06
• Officer may require aid CCP, Art. 8.01
• Officer may summon aid CCP, Art. 2.14
• Person refusing to aid CCP, Art. 2.15

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The right of the people to peaceably assemble.
(U.S. Constitution)
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Note Officers should refer to local ordinances.
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24.6.3. Identify factors of responding to crowd
control situations.
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Response factors for crowd control situation
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Agency policy concerning crowd control
procedures
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Manpower, equipment and tactical alternatives
usable in crowd/mob management.
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Recognize necessity of controlling crowd/mob with
minimum use of force. Police objectives are
different from those of the military in that
police officers may use only that amount of force
necessary to make an arrest. And this force
cannot, in any case, be disproportionate to the
degree of resistance offered.Refer to CCP,
Article 14.05.
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Identify factors which establish legality of a
demonstration, i.e., political rally, spectators
at sporting events.
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Recognize factors which determine identity of
leaders and agitators.
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The front and center of the mob is usually the
highest point of tension. The leaders and
excited individuals who areexercising unusual
influence upon the others will be located here.
The show of force (if necessary) should
beconcentrated at this point.
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Identify proper procedures for communicating with
crowd/mob.
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Identify circumstances when arrest of violators
is appropriate.
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UNIT CROWED MANAGEMENT

• Recommended procedures
• If an arrest is to be made, obtain an adequate
  number of officers to respond.
• it may be best to ignore minor violations
• physical harm to any person, including peace
  officers, cannot be ignored
• enter the crowd/mob quickly and as unobtrusively
  as possible, affect the arrest, and exit quickly
• do NOT get into verbal confrontations with those
  assembled

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Dispersing a crowd/mob

• If possible, allow the crowd/mob to drain itself
  of energy and disperse by itself.

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If dispersal is necessary, consider the
following

• assemble an adequate number of officers
• approach the crowd/mob as a unified group
• Present an inverted V of officers to the group,
  whereby the crowd can be moved to either side as
  officers advance if arrests are made, those
  arrested are placed inside the V, and handed
  off to waiting officers.
• Present a united line of officers placed
  diagonally to the crowd. As the line advances,
  the crowd is able to move away to either side of
  the line, much the same as the effect of a road
  grader on a dirt road
• When approaching a crowd, ALWAYS allow its
  members an escape route. People who are told to
  move away, and then are not able to comply, will
  ultimately resist.
• DO NOT give the crowd/mob an order that officers
  are not able to carry out. Similarly,allow the
  crowd adequate time to comply with
  orders/directions.

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NOTE

• re-emphasize the right of persons to peaceably,
  assemble, and the officers duty to protect such
  rights as well as enforce the law.

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Always do right. This will gratify some people
and astonish the rest. Mark Twain