“Don’t punch anyone, you'll break your hand”
"Don’t use OC, everyone gets sprayed”
“That stick doesn't work”
Since starting my policing career in the early ’90s, I’ve heard comments like these from teachers, instructors and fellow officers. The people who say these things are also usually the people who say things like “I know this already.” In my long experience as an officer and trainer, I have found that these counterproductive thoughts are self-defeating—negatively impacting both training and on-the-job performance. In the law enforcement realm, this can lead to some serious consequences.
Let’s look at the “that stick doesn't work” example—a limiting thought about impact weapons that has always baffled me. How does a tool like an expandable baton or a department-issued nightstick not “work”? It is a simple metal, wood or polycarbonate tool that “works” when it's used properly by a trained officer, with correct targeting, timing, distance and power. Any failure to “work” is almost always related to application, proficiency or training, and almost never related to actual equipment capabilities.
Let’s turn the tables on this and look at the impact weapon from a street perspective. You walk into a domestic call and notice a steel pipe on the table next to the subject you're there to arrest. Do you take that potential weapon seriously and does it change your tactics? I sure hope so, because an untrained person swinging that pipe isn't concerned with the targeting restrictions you've been taught. Your head, neck and spine may very well become points of aim. Yet if you really believe that “sticks don’t work,” you may become complacent about the danger of an impact weapon. That can get people hurt. I've personally known officers who were seriously injured by offenders armed with blunt weapons.
So does the stick only work for the criminal and not the trained police officer?
The baton is issued by thousands of law enforcement and correctional agencies worldwide for a reason: it works when used properly. But just carrying a baton does not make you proficient with it, and an hour a year of static strikes on a training bag isn't enough. You wouldn't wrestle one hour a year and expect to be a proficient wrestler. Baton training is no different.
ASP training discourages preconceived notions or “check-the-box” mentality. It reliably benefits officers who remain open to learning, who accept being challenged on what they think they already know, and who ultimately demonstrate proficiency to meet the standard. Train regularly. Build proficiency. Then, the “The stick doesn't work” thought becomes "I have confidence in the tools I carry.”
Chicago Police Department (Ret.)
ASP Trainer since 2011
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