An informal study conducted by two Los Angeles police officers is one that departments across the country could learn from. The officers interviewed numerous former suspects who had been in stand offs with police, asking them what the police could have done better and what they did right—all in an effort to improve police reaction to such situations and learn what really works to de-escalate the suspects in these sorts of cases.
The interviews started in 2007 when one of the officers began following up on standoff cases. He would interview suspects in their homes, in prison, or in mental health facilities. The interviews were (and remain) unscripted and the officers show up unannounced.
In one recent case they found the suspect, a woman now in prison, may not have taken the drastic actions that led to a 7 hour standoff with police if the police hadn’t referred to her ex-girlfriend (who was in the home with her) as her “hostage”. She stated she hadn’t even thought of the situation like that until the police put it in those terms. At that juncture she said “there’s no going back” and the situation was escalated.
Since 2007, the two officers involved have conducted around 40 interviews and are still amazed at just how forthcoming the suspects have been, how helpful they seem. But these two officers seem to know how to approach people in a way that gets them to open up. “Just the way you approach a situation verbally or with your body language can put people on the defensive,” says Officer Baker, a 25 year police veteran and SWAT team negotiator.
They’ve found that it’s not normally one single even that leads people to take reckless and dramatic action that often leads to standoff situations—it’s a mounting number of events. And they hope that learning how the suspects feel about the situation and police interaction will assist in future training of officers, who often rush to a scene and rush to judgment, potentially adding fuel to the fire.
Standoffs are sometimes planned events. But other times they happen when the suspect becomes suddenly afraid. In reality, that same type of fear can lead to many different situations and criminal charges. Fear can cause a suspect to resist arrest or to even assault someone. And while fear is not a legal defense and won’t necessarily get you a lighter sentence, it may help explain your actions to the court.
After the adrenaline stops and you are in cuffs or booked into the jail, that’s when you often realize that you may have been out of line. You worry how your actions will affect your future and what you might be able to do to minimize the consequences. An experienced local defense attorney may be able to help you answer these questions. Contact us today if you have questions about a criminal charge.
About David Matson