in this issue . . . Building Rapport During An Interview   Top 5 Character Traits Of Successful Interdiction Officers   The Difference Between Rookie Cops and Veteran Cops   Officer Down! A First Aid Primer for the Patrol Officer

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John E. Reid and Associates

Interviews in the popular television show Dragnet were often preceded with the admonition, "Just the facts ma'am." The emotional detachment displayed by Sgt. Friday, however, is generally not conducive to eliciting meaningful information from a subject. People are more comfortable telling the truth to someone whom they trust and can relate to. This is precisely why an investigator should spend the first several minutes of an interview developing a rapport with the subject. For the purposes of an investigative interview, rapport can be defined as "a relationship marked by conformity." If proper rapport has been established, a subject should feel comfortable discussing the issue under investigation in a question and answer format. Questions addressing the issue under investigation should not be asked until the subject's behavior reflects this relationship. Some behavior symptoms that indicate rapport are an uncrossing of the arms, a forward lean or comfortable posture in the chair, longer, more detailed responses and head nodding in agreement with the investigator's statements.

Identifying the purpose for the interview

Upon first meeting a subject the investigator needs to identify the issue under investigation. While the following introduction accomplishes this goal, it may create other problems: "Because of the prevalence of insurance fraud and the suspicious nature of this fire I need to question you to find out if you had anything to do with starting it." A truthful claimant would likely be offended by this very direct approach whereas the deceptive claimant would predictably become guarded. A more tactful way of introducing the purpose for the interview would be, "I'm really sorry about your loss and I want to process this claim as quickly as possible. As part of that process I must ask you some questions concerning the fire. Is this a convenient time to or would you like to schedule a time to come in to see me?" This approach is much more likely to set the stage to develop rapport for several reasons. First, there is no implication of involvement on the part of the subject -- the interview is perceived as a required formality in processing the claim. In this regard, an investigator should avoid using the phrase "I need to ask you some routine questions" when introducing an interview because it arouses suspicion in many subjects. Substitute phrases to consider using include, "to clarify circumstances", " to assist in our investigation" or "to help process your claim." The stated purpose for the interview should be perceived as either beneficial to the subject (to help resolve the subject's status) or as a required act by someone other than the investigator, e.g., "before we can close this case the department requires us to interview anyone with possible information."

As a second point, the proper introduction offered the subject a choice of being interviewed now or later. All innocent subjects, and the majority of guilty ones, will agree to be interviewed at the present time (a suspect who puts off the interview without good reason should be viewed suspiciously). The principle of offering the subject this choice is that it diminishes the investigator's perceived control over the subject. Rapport is difficult to establish if a subject believes that he has no choice but to answer an investigator's questions. Psychologically, by offering this choice, the investigator is delegating some power to the subject, which is an essential element of rapport.

Asking introductory questions

Once the purpose for the interview has been identified, it would be the unusual subject who would immediately feel comfortable responding to questions concerning the investigation. Therefore, the the investigator should proceed by asking non-threatening questions. As previously stated, the purpose in doing so is to get the subject accustomed to the question/answer format of the interview. This will also provide the subject an opportunity to assess the investigator's personality and demeanor. Subjects will feel most comfortable talking to someone who appears pleasant, organized and non-threatening. At the same time, the investigator should make assessments of the subject. These would include the subject's normal level of eye contact, his communication skills, intelligence and general nervous tension.
Introductory questions should appear to have some relevant purpose. For example, it may be suggested by the investigator that he needs to establish some basic information about the subject. From that point the following questions may be appropriate:

"How long have you lived at this address"
"What is your marital status"
"Do you have any children"
"Where do you presently work"
"What do you do at work"

These questions are actually topical areas designed to spawn further conversation. When appropriate, the investigator should ask sincere follow-up questions to draw out the subject's response. Using a few of the above questions, the dialogue may go as follows:

Q: "How long have you lived at this address?"
A: "We've been here for almost 15 years now."
Q: " This is a nice place. Did you build it?"
A: "No. I think it was about 5 years old when we bought it."
Q: "And you are presently married?"
A: "Yes."
Q: "What is your wife's name?"
A: "Barbara."
Q: "She's not here now?"
A: "No. She works second shift at Johnson Controls so she won't be home until about 11:00."

This conversation should continue for a minute or two until the investigator recognizes that the subject is comfortable with the interviewing process. It is recommended that the investigator avoids asking introductory questions which do not appear to have any relevant bearing on the investigation. Under that circumstance the suspect may become suspicious that the investigator is attempting to force rapport. Examples of these questions would be, "What kind of movies do you like?" "Who is your favorite author?" or, "Who do you like for the super-bowl this year?" The suspect, after all, knows that the investigator wants to discuss a crime with him and it is inappropriate to get into these unrelated areas.

 

Many officers have trouble understanding the psyche of a successful drug interdiction officer.  Interdiction officers may get wrongly stereotyped as “cocky” or “a suck up” or “too Gung Ho” by other officers.  This has to do with the fact that many officers don’t understand what makes an interdiction officer tick, what it is that drives them to find that next big load of dope, so to speak.  So to help their cause, below, I have outlined what I believe to be five essential characteristics of successful interdiction officers.  It is the presence of these traits that fuels the interdiction officer to be a successful combatant in the war on drugs.  If you possess these traits, perhaps you are not “cocky” but rather an officer that is totally committed to justice and the defense of our country against the war on drugs. VIGILANT.    Abraham Lincoln once said, “….But with energy, and sleepless vigilance, go forward and give us victories.”  The vigilant spirit is the art of keeping watch, always avoiding danger.   Being vigilant means always being on the hunt for drug haulers, around every turn and down every stretch of highway, using your trained eye and gut instinct to track down and apprehend the next drug hauler.   RELENTLESS.  Interdiction officers are known to never, ever, give up trying to catch drug traffickers.  The art of refusing to accept defeat, refusing to be discouraged is what drives the successful drug hound to catch his/her next criminal.  Interdiction is hard work.  Often we come up empty handed, traffic stop after traffic stop.  With a relentless attitude, these empty stops should only fuel your desire to try and try again until you succeed.   INTEGRITY/ETHICS.  The common drug trafficker knows that the odds of not getting caught are in their favor.  They also know that law officer’s have a code of conduct they must follow, rules and regulations state and federal laws that must be adhered to.  Interdiction officers must carry themselves with the highest ethical and moral standards, never compromising the laws that they have sworn to uphold, including preserving everyone’s civil rights.  The pride that comes with an ethical, by-the-book felony arrest will only fuel your desire to succeed and to watch these traffickers end up in prison.   PASSION.  Passion is quite simply believing in something with your whole heart.  To be a successful interdiction officer, one must believe that he/she is making a difference in the war on drugs; you must believe that there is no greater calling in law enforcement for you other than interdicting the flow of illegal narcotics into the hands of your fellow Americans.  When you have passion for what you do, you will become the best at it, and you will love every minute of it.   COMPETITIVENESS.  Lastly, but certainly not the least, is the characteristic of being competitive.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with officers competing to be the best at what they do.  The competitive spirit is what built our great country.  If the competitive spirit within officers is channeled properly and positively, two officers working the same stretch of road can positively influence each other to work very hard to interdict the flow of drugs.  It can also allow them to build strong comradery and it also allows them to watch each other’s backs, building an even stronger brotherhood than by being just fellow officers. Next time you have the opportunity to critique your own work ethic, examine yourself and ask yourself if you possess any of these character traits.   If you are lacking in any of these, use this as a guideline in your quest to be a successful interdiction officer. Get to know a successful interdiction officer, sit back and watch these traits in action, because I can guarantee they will be present.  Then in the years to come, when you have aged into that veteran officer you never thought you would become, you too can pass these on to the new generation of officers that will come after you. As always, stay safe and happy hunting. Andrew G. Hawkes Author, Secrets of Successful Highway Drug Interdiction.

  
The Difference Between Rookie Cops and Veteran Cops

A Rookie loses his lunch at a homicide scene.
A Veteran eats his lunch at a homicide scene.

A Rookie uses McDonalds drive thru so he won't miss a call.
A Veteran spends 45 minutes drinking coffee at Dunkin Donuts.

You can't read a Rookies name plate because it's polished so brightly.
A Veteran doesn't wear one for liability reasons.

A Rookie puts too much in reports.
A Veteran doesn't put enough into reports.

A Rookie loves foot pursuits.
A Veteran makes the rookie do foot pursuits.

A Rookie is given 40 hours training on communications at the academy.
A Veteran was given 40 rounds of ammunition when he left the academy.

A Rookie wants everyone to know he is a cop.
A Veteran doesn't want anyone to know he is a cop.

A Rookie loves to find stolen vehicles.
A Veteran doesn't care about stolen vehicles unless someone is in them.

A Rookie can spot an expired tag at 50 yards.
A Veteran can't spot anything at 50 yards.

A Rookie spends 2 hours on a follow up.
A Veteran gives the follow up to detectives.

A Rookie thinks every death is a homicide.
A Veteran thinks every death is a suicide.

A Rookie calls the brass by their rank.
A Veteran calls the brass by their first name.

A Rookie carries a laptop computer.
A Veteran writes on his hand.

A Rookie checks out deserted spots in hope of finding a drug deal in progress.
A Veteran checks out deserted spots in hope of finding a place to sleep.

By Scott Sheldon  www.thesertgroup.com

 

“Officer down, I need backup and an ambulance!”  The two words we dread hearing or saying most. Unfortunately it is a reality that you may have to face sometime in your career. How you react, and what you can do to help that officer will largely depend upon your training. “As we train, so shall we fight” is as true today as the first time those words were said, and any experienced officer can attest to that.  This article will deal with the emergency medical skills that you need to learn in order to buy a fellow officer time before the ambulance arrives, and may actually save his or her life. It has been my observation that most officers don’t like to use the first aid skills they were taught in the Academy, preferring to leave it to the medics to provide medical care, and normally that is fine, but this is one instance when waiting for the ambulance to arrive on scene is unacceptable Remember you may already be at the scene, or the first car to arrive. Would you want someone to wait if the downed officer was you? The first order of business is a quick review of the basics.

 

But First a Reminder: Planning is not Training!

 

It is a common albeit extremely dangerous mistake to think, “it will never happen to me”. Most likely every officer killed or wounded on the job had the same perception. Ask yourself these questions:

1.      Am I prepared to give first aid to a downed officer? To myself?

2.      Do I practice these skills, or “war game” them in my mind?

3.      Do I have a survival mindset?

4.      Can I do more to prepare even if it’s out of my own pocket and time?

 

Why do tactical and military Special Operations teams train so hard? The answer is that the ability to survive and prevail in a tactical situation is a direct result of training and mindset, which includes the capability of providing immediate, lifesaving first aid skills to a casualty. If you fail to plan you are planning to fail. Take a first aid or tactical medical course, even if you have to pay for it. Buy your own first aid kit that is designed to be personalized and portable. Just like shooting, these skills are perishable if you don’t review or refresh them. Plan in your mind (“war game”) what you would do if you were injured, or if you arrived as the first officer on scene of a downed officer situation. Avoid the “it can’t happen to me” mindset. Remember, the goal is to go home after the shift is over!

 

Scene Safety

It is imperative that you assess the tactical situation before you begin to help the officer, or else you stand a very good chance of becoming a victim as well. Obviously, if you are under effective hostile fire your priorities will be to maintain, or quickly seek good cover and engage the suspect as circumstances and policy dictate until help arrives, or the situation changes in your favor. If you are able, pulling the wounded officer to cover may be the most you are able to accomplish until the tactical situation changes. Under extreme hostile circumstances “the best medicine on the battlefield is fire superiority”. Remember you will not be able to help anyone if you become a casualty.

 

The ABCs of Lifesaving

This primary survey will quickly identify whether or not the victim has life threatening injuries. What we are primarily concerned with here is head injury, respiratory compromise, and shock.

    

Airway- this quick assessment will determine if the victim is breathing. If you can see him moving or hear him making any sound his airway is open, but that’s not to say it’s not obstructed and in jeopardy of closing fully. This needs immediate attention. If you can reach the victim by staying low or crawling, if a threat still exists, identify yourself or just say, “Rescue”. An important note: when a person’s airway and breathing are not adequate they will quickly become disoriented from lack of oxygen and may perceive you as a threat, so it is important to use a nonthreatening word to ID yourself. Once you’ve contacted the victim staying, as low as necessary, ensure an open airway by listening for breathing while placing your hand on his chest to feel for movement. If you hear gurgling or noisy breathing use the jaw thrust maneuver taught in CPR courses to open the airway. Once done, quickly secure the officers weapon. Remember the disorientation possibility? A reminder, this is tactical field care, which is a completely different circumstance than what most first aid and CPR courses teach.

    

Breathing-There are only two things you need to know under these circumstances. The victim is either breathing or not breathing. Depending once again on the tactical situation, you may be able to intervene if there is no breathing. A pocket mask would be the most probable device you would carry, but in reality, having the foresight to exit your vehicle, in this type of situation, carrying it is another story. If you are prepared to breathe for the officer, administer 2 breaths. We will return to this later. Also remember that a penetrating injury to the chest is an airway problem. Immediate intervention with a Vaseline dressing or occlusive dressing can help stop lung collapse.

    

Circulation-Once again we are looking for two things. Does the officer have a pulse? Placing two fingers alongside the victim’s throat just below and to the side of the Adams apple while lightly pressing for 10-15 seconds can determine this. If there is no pulse CPR may be of some benefit. Secondly, is the victim bleeding? Profuse bleeding must be stopped! Major blood loss will rapidly lead to shock. Direct pressure over an injury and kept applied, or a tourniquet placed just above an extremity wound, can be life saving. Case in point: the North Hollywood (CA) Bank of America shootout where a severely injured officer was able to save his own life by using his belt as a tourniquet before he was rescued. Now that we’ve gone over the basics I will present several scenarios to illustrate these points.

 

 Scenario One

 

…A two-man patrol car responds to a disturbance call on a street corner. Arriving they notice a male in his 40s sitting against a wall staring at them as they exit the car. As they approach he suddenly jumps up yelling incomprehensible words, and fires three rounds from a handgun he had been concealing beneath his shirt, striking officer #1 once in the left leg, as the other two rounds miss. Officer #2 unable to move to cover reacts quickly, upholstering his weapon while dropping to a kneeling position and fires 3 times at the suspect striking him twice, once in the hand and once center mass. The suspect immediately falls. Officer #2 cautiously approaches the man who is moaning, but not moving, and secures the subjects’ weapon. Calling for backup and paramedics, he handcuffs the suspect and runs to his partner who is lying on the ground in a great deal of pain, and bleeding profusely from a wound to the left thigh.

 

This scenario describes an incident that is becoming far too prevalent in our society. With the suspect now controlled, satisfying scene safety, the officer should now quickly determine that his partner’s airway is open and he is breathing (the wounded officer is moaning and swearing coherently). Running his hands down the victim’s chest and belly ensuring there is no other bleeding, he secures the victims’ weapon and examines the injured leg. Having left his first aid gear in the car, and recognizing that this is a life threatening bleed due to the amount of blood on the ground, as well as the victim moaning that he’s becoming very lightheaded, officer #1 quickly takes the wounded officers belt and applies it to his leg above the wound, drawing it tightly, which causes the bleeding to slow and stop. The next responding officers have now arrived, and they can hear the ambulance siren approaching.

 

Debrief #1

 

Officer #1 saved his partners’ life by thinking quickly and applying the correct procedures in the correct order. He controlled the threat successfully, and did a proper assessment of his partner’s injuries finally, and most critically, recognizing the wound as life threatening and using material at hand (the belt) to control the bleeding. Remember if you apply direct pressure with your hand (gloved. you do carry some gloves right?) you should not take your hand off the wound until more definitive care can be given. Obviously, this is not really a situation where direct pressure is an option.

 

Scenario Two

 

A bike patrol officer has just stopped a teenage male subject, in order to question him, about recently sprayed graffiti near where the boy is standing. The boy becomes anxious, and begins running from the officer who immediately takes pursuit. As they reach a busy intersection, the boy darts in front of a car that the officer, unable to avoid in time, strikes, catapulting the officer over the handlebars and onto the pavement. The driver stops and calls 911 on his cell phone. The first patrol car responding to the pursuit now hears “officer down” and arrives a minute later. The arriving officer leaves his car, grabs his first aid kit, ensures traffic is stopped, and makes contact with the victim who is lying on his left side and appears to be unconscious. He notices that the bike officers’ helmet is cracked and there is blood coming from his mouth.

 

Did I mention that all officer down calls are not necessarily the result of a direct hostile action? Talking to the victim does not elicit a response. Asking a bystander to hold the victims head in place, to prevent movement, the officer secures the victims’ weapon and quickly checks his mouth where he noticed blood, and hears gurgling as the officer tries to breathe. Using the jaw thrust maneuver, he is able to hear the officers’ breathing become stronger and regular. He maintains the stricken officers’ airway until the arrival of the paramedics.

 

Debrief #2

 

Again, quick thinking and solid training prevail. An unconscious trauma victim is considered critical until proven otherwise. The responding officer utilizes a bystander to stabilize the victim’s head in case a neck injury is present and opens the officer’s airway with the approved method, immediately improving the victims breathing and therefore improving oxygenation. Remember no airway, obstructed airway, diminished or no breathing, or major hemorrhage equals little or no oxygenation, which will rapidly become fatal. One more thing, during the stress of the situation the responding officer still had the foresight to grab his first aid kit!

 

Scenario Three

 

You respond to a domestic disturbance call. Arriving on scene you wait for your backup who is approximately one minute out. When he arrives it is decided you will be the primary contact officer. As you both approach the door, you can hear a woman screaming and glass breaking. You give immediate knock and notice, the door is quickly opened, and you are facing a large male with a cut on his forehead. As you enter the apartment a woman lunges at you from a darkened bedroom door screaming at you to leave them alone. She is wielding a large kitchen knife. As your backup tries to intervene the male subject pushes you, and you feel a sharp burning pain in your chest below the right armhole. You immediately become short of breath, and stagger towards the doorway, collapsing on the deck outside. Through a growing fog you hear a gunshot, and your partner calling for more help including an ambulance. The noise seems very far away as you grow tired while gasping for breath. The pain is relentless. You know clearly that you are dying. As you start to lose consciousness you hear footsteps running toward you

Your last thought is “It can’t happen to me!”

 

Here’s what happened after you were stabbed. Your backup officer shot the female once killing her instantly. He ordered the male to the floor and quickly cuffed him. Then as he approaches you, he hears your irregular, labored breathing, and sees a pool of blood spreading beneath you. Recognizing that you are unconscious, your airway is open and you are still breathing, he secures your weapon and does a quick body check. His hands come away covered with your blood. He tears your shirt open and strips your vest away enough to see blood bubbling from a small hole in your right chest. He pulls out a Vaseline dressing he carries in a small kit and covers the wound just as you stop breathing. Realizing that your chest is no longer rising he pulls out a pocket mask, and begins to rescue breath for you. A quick check reveals a pulse is still present. He is able to breathe for you until the medics arrive and take over.

 

Debrief #3

 

Yes, it can happen to you. Luckily the backup officer was able to recognize the primary airway problem and placed the correct dressing on it, reducing the air leak that was collapsing your lung thus making his artificial ventilations more effective until the paramedics arrived. Remember the pocket mask I mentioned earlier? It was a good thing that this officer took his first aid and survival training seriously and regularly reviewed the basic procedures “just in case”. Also he was smart enough to purchase, out of his own money, a small comprehensive first aid kit and carried it as part of his regular patrol gear. He always felt going out on patrol in today’s society with this critical knowledge would give him or someone else a leg up on the survivability ladder when the “wheels fell off”, and a situation “went south”. Apparently he was right. You survived.

 

 

Final Thoughts

 

In conclusion, when faced with a traumatic injury remember that scene safety, the ABCs, and timely intervention with the most basic of skills may be all that is needed to save the life of one of your colleagues. We work in a very dangerous environment. We face more potential and actual threats than many military operators see in a career. Every 911 call we are dispatched to has the potential of turning hostile in an instant, either directly, or from a distance. Then there are the calls that turn into lethal confrontations. Only one school of thought prevails here. It pays to be a winner!

 

We have reviewed the basics of trauma care but it is up to you to seek out the hands on training and equipment that will make you more proficient. A winning mindset is part of the confidence that only training can bring. Consider it an investment in your career. Consider it an investment in your life. To paraphrase a line from a movie, remember that we live in a world that must be protected by men and women with guns. You have chosen to be one of those men or women. Bad things can happen to good people. And yes, it can happen to you!

 

For more information visit SERT Group International at http://www.thesertgroup.com/

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