NJ Cops | Page 140

72 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ DECEMBER 2014 How to be ‘Constructive’ with force According to the Attorney General Guidelines on Use of Force, “Constructive Force” is defined as: “no involvement of actual physical contact,” and “the use of the officer’s authority to exert control over a subject.” Some examples include: verbal commands, gestures, warnings, unholstering of a weapon and pointing a weapon at a subject. When we encounter a subject for any reason we must remember that first impressions count. We Training are all taught that as police officers we must immeAdviser diately survey the scene and size up the subject. Understand that the subject is doing the same thing to you. Your first impression will matter and could dictate how the rest of that encounter goes. Constructive Force involves no physical contact, but hopefully we train hard physically, our uniform is properly fitted, we have a proper stance and our physical presence is enough to erase any urge that the subject may have about getting physical with us. Just keep this in mind: I am not saying that a police officer needs to be 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds of muscle; some of the toughest guys I know are no taller than 5-foot-7. Constructive Force extends far beyond the single officer encounter. Just by calling for backup and outnumbering a suspect Bill Fearon is a show of Constructive Force. We can look at recent media events to see how Constructive Force can be applied to a large-scale event, but please understand that you will never be right. Police have recently been criticized for being too militarized, but when they take a softer approach and riots break out, they get criticized for not showing a strong enough presence. The phrase that comes to mind is “Peace through strength” from Ronald Reagan. Along with our physical presence, our ability to professionally exert control over the subject will go a long way to controlling the scene and the situation. The gestures and commands that we issue must be matter of fact and within our guidelines. Emotions will lead us to lash out and exhibit poor judgment, and we must remember that cameras are everywhere. Stay Dangerous! d Bill Fearon is a 20-year New Jersey State Trooper and Lead Instructor at the Woodland Park Range. He has trained thousands of Police Officers from Local, County, State and Federal Departments, as well as thousands of military personnel and civilians. Contact Bill at 973-464-7796 or [email protected]. FIT-RITE Uniform Co., Inc. Serving New Jersey’s Public Safety Professionals since 1969 Edmond P. Brady, CPA – Partner [email protected] Your One-Stop Shop for Uniforms and all Accessories, including: 5.11 BATES footwear Blackinton Blauer Elbeco Flying Cross Rocky Boots Smith & Warren Spiewak Streamlight PLUS: Huge stock of pins, patches and Citation Bars • • • • • • • • NJ State Contract Vendor Large, newly-expanded, centrally-located facility: convenient to GSP, NJT and all highways Off-street parking All Customization done on Premises In-House Embroidery and Full-Time Seamstress staff Alterations While You Wait Low Minimums We Ship Nationwide Experience the Fit-Rite Difference Responsible for more than 300 PBA’s in New Jersey and New York Licensed in NJ, NY and Mass. Livingston, NJ • Yonkers, NY Phone [phone] • www.mbccpa.com Fit-Rite Uniform Company Hours: Mon – Fri 10 am–5:30 pm; Sat 10 am–4 pm 657 Chestnut Street (GSP exit 139) Union, NJ 07083 908-964-5800 • 908-687-6300 [email protected]