MARIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
CROWD CONTROL UPDATE TRAINING
Course #21955
COURSE GOAL:
The Marin County Sheriff’s Department is hosting a departmental training in the area of
crowd control. The 6 hour training will take place at the Marin County Sheriff’s Office
Emergency Operations Facility. Currently there are approximately 150 officers scheduled
to attend this training. Officers involved in this training will be predominately from the
Marin County Sheriff’s Office. Invitations to attend the training will be extended to the
Central Marin Police Authority, Novato Police Department, Mill Valley Police
Department and San Rafael Police Department.
Law enforcement Officers are often called to respond to crowd control situations, civil
unrest or major incidents either in their jurisdiction or as a part of an organized response
to a request for mutual aid. This response can be in the form of a small detachment of
officers or deputies or as a part of a mobile field force.
This course will be an introduction to some and refresher course to others on multiple
crowd control movements and formations; use of both voice commands and hand
signals, use of force, mindset, donning and doffing a protective mask, use of shields and
conducting mass arrests. This course consists of hands-on/practical skills, and class room
instructions.
DECISION MAKING:
Minimum Topics/Exercise:
1. Safety briefing/safety check/issue equipment
2. Audio/video presentation of current and past crowd control incidents
3. Discussion of proper alignment of crowd control formations
4. Proper deployment of the 36 inch baton
5. Presentation of proper storage and wearing of personal protective mask
6. Role and responsibilities of team leader
7. Understand overall mission is to restore order using the least amount of force
8. Use of unlawful assembly admonition
9. Effecting mass arrests
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COURSE OBJECTIVES
The trainee will:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of the MCSO Use of Force Policy.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the importance of mental and physical conditioning as it
relates to Crowd Control situations, to include:
A. Judgment and decision making
B. Communication
C. Approach/contact
D. Situational awareness
E. Team movements
F. Use of force
G. Mindset
H. Avoiding complacency
I. Mental rehearsal
J. Officer Safety
3. Demonstrate knowledge of Joint goals/ Objectives, to include:
A. Historical overview of past and current crowd control situations
B. Law Enforcement lessons learned
C. Assessing and identifying threats from crowds
D. Police priorities during a crowd control situation
E. Police equipment and training needs
F. Contact/ arrest/rescue team tactics
G. Understanding various crowd control formations
H. Team Leader role and responsibilities
I. Use of chemical agents and less lethal weapons during crowd control
situations
J. Donning and doffing of protective mask
Minimum standards of performance shall be tested by an instructor observing the trainee
during their performance of each exercise. If the trainee does not meet minimum
standards, as established by the presenter, remediation will be provided until the standard
is met.
Officers will wear appropriate training gear including: Ballistic vests, Duty belts,
protective masks, 36 inch baton. Basic eye protection will be provided by the
department.
Instructors will need to bring:
A. 35 red guns
B. 35 eye protection
C. 12 shields Page 2
MARIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
CROWD CONTROL UPDATE TRAINING
Course #21955
D. 35 training CEW
E. 15 cones
F. Caution tape
G. 5 safety officers
H. 15 role players
SAFETY BRIEFING:
A. Unless directed by an instructor, students will not strike or swing the baton
B. Students will only strike in approved target zones
C. Students will report any malfunctions of their protective masks to an instructor
D. Safety officers will note/announce any specific rules dictated by specific
training regimen/facility.
E. The attached Safety Policy will be read at the beginning of this course.
EMERGENCY MEDICAL PLAN:
A Basic First Aid and Trauma kit will be located in the instructor’s vehicle.
Closest Trauma Hospital:
Marin General Hospital
250 Bon Air Road Greenbrae
Emergency Room #415-925-7000
Contact method, instructor’s cell phones
Transportation via ambulance/departmental or department patrol vehicle.
MCSO Communications #415-479-2311
EXPANDED COURSE OUTLINE
I. INTRODUCTION/ORIENTATION
A. Introduction, Registration and Orientation
B. Course objectives/Overview, exercises and evaluation
C. Baton safety orientation, review of impact weapon policy
1. Review of MCSO use of force policy, specifically
impact weapons.
2. Review approved baton strike target zones and non-
target zones
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MARIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
CROWD CONTROL UPDATE TRAINING
Course #21955
3. Nomenclature of baton and the protective mask
4. Class environment and tactical safety:
Follow instructors commands
D. Discussion on real Crowd control situations:
1. Concept
a) Understand overall mission of crowd control team
Restore order using the least amount of force
Be a visual deterrent to rioters
Protect life, property and prevent vandalism while still
allowing crowd to exercise 1st Amendment rights.
b) Incident Command
Command Post (Incident and Tactical)
c). Consistency
Training
Use of crowd control formations
Maintaining formation/line integrity
Uniformity amongst different agencies
Chain of command
2. Training
a) Combined County Training
b) Range Facility
c). Training scenarios
3. Equipment
a) Specific to response
b) Individual officers
c) Simulated Chemical agents (smoke)
d) Communications
e) Riot helmet/36 inch baton/protective mask
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MARIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
CROWD CONTROL UPDATE TRAINING
Course #21955
4. Joint Goals/Objectives
a) Overview of past and current crowd control situations
b) Police lessons learned
c) Crowd control formations and mobile field force procedures
d) Police priorities during a crowd control situation
e) Police equipment and training needs
f) Contact/ arrest/rescue team tactics
g) Role and responsibilities of team and squad leaders
h) Immediate deployment movement practical session
5. Overview
a) History
A. Oakland PD response to Mehserle Riots
B. Occupy Oakland, San Francisco and Golden Gate Bridge
C. MCSO response to BART PD shooting (Oscar Grant)
D. SFPD response to Giants winning World Series
6. Response to Sonoma S/O Mobile field force request (Andy Lopez
Shooting)
7. Definitions
a) Crowd control
b) Immediate Deployment
c) Line Formations
d) Column or line formation
e) Wedge formation
f) Echelon left/right formation
g) Diamond formation
h) Line integrity
i) Dispersal order
j) Baton target zones / non-target zones
k) Thrust/lunge stroke
l) Ready position/ port Arms/ on guard
m) 2 handed horizontal strike off lead shoulder
n) Butt stroke
o) Slash
p) Parry left / right
q) Blocks upper/lower
r) Mass arrests
s) Chemical Agents
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MARIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
CROWD CONTROL UPDATE TRAINING
Course #21955
t) Restraints (handcuffs/flex cuffs)
u) Stomp and drag marching style
II. USE OF FORCE/LETHAL FORCE AND FIREARMS POLICY/
PROTOCOL
A. Use of Force Options
1. Lethal force within the spectrum of force options
2. Verbal, hands, less than Lethal, Taser, baton, chemical agent,
Lethal force
3. Escalation and De-escalation process
B. MCSO Department Policy
1. Reasonable cause to believe
2. Imminent threat
3. Death of great bodily injury
4. Fleeing violent felon specifications
C. Supporting Case Law and Penal Codes
1. Tennessee vs. Garner
A. Deadly force
B. Fleeing felon
C. Graham vs. Conner
D. Reasonable force
E. Deorle vs. Rutherford
F. Officers have a duty to warn, if possible, before using any
force options including less lethal options (bean bag)
G. 409 PC Remaining present at scene of riot after dispersal
order given.
H. Once the orders are given, the protesters must be given the
opportunity to comply or move before action is taken.
D. 1. Individual agency response/ immediate deployment
2. Responsibility
A. Originating agency
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MARIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
CROWD CONTROL UPDATE TRAINING
Course #21955
B. Outside agency
3. Incident Command
A. Identify the crowd control mission based on information
from IC
B. Coordinate all team movements or deployments through IC
C. Coordinate interaction with outside agencies
E. Unlawful Assembly Order
1. Allow crowd opportunity to disperse after order given
2. Traffic admonishment
A. Allow crowd opportunity to comply after order given
F. Emergency plans
1. Locations for booking station (mass arrest)
2. Local hospitals
3. Evacuation plans
G. Familiarization with deployment areas/crowd
1. Street maps
2. Aerial photos if available
3. Knowledge of what issue or cause of civil unrest is about
4. Intelligence or nature of crowd (known groups/ individual
civil disobedience)
5. Approximate number of protesters and duration of conflict
III. PSYCHOLOGY OF CROWD CONTROL SITUATIONS
A. “Under estimate crowds and understand mission”
1. Training / tactics
2. Show of force with large of heavily equipped officers
3. No horse play or break of command presence while on line
4. No individual actions, officers must maintain unit integrity
5. Never speak with protesters no matter what is said
6. Always assume deputies’ actions are being recorded
7. Do not take anything personal from protesters
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MARIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
CROWD CONTROL UPDATE TRAINING
Course #21955
8. It is quicker to downsize forces than to increase size of force
9. Totality of incident
B. Mindset
1. Training to “win”
2. Risk vs. Reward
3. Command Presence
VI. TEAM MOVEMENT
A. Column Formation- 20 to 30 deputies/officers
1) Several deputies/officers standing shoulder to shoulder
across 2 different points (skirmish line with flank
protection), baton in the ready position. Two safety
positions at the end of the formation
2) This formation is used to move large crowds or deny
access to large areas (streets, buildings), clear streets
or other obstructions
3) This formation can be used as the base to rotate into
other formations
4) Formation can be stand alone or behind barricades in
support
5) Hand signal is team leader standing with legs together,
arms extended out horizontal as if to depict straight
line
B. Wedge formation- 15 to 20 deputies/officers
1) Used to split crowds and/or enter crowds
2) Deputies/officers forming an introverted “V”. A
larger wedge formation can have flank support.
3) Used to escort emergency vehicles into or out of
locations with vehicle in center of wedge formation
4) Batons at the port arms or on guard position
5) Split larger crowds into smaller more manageable
crowds
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MARIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
CROWD CONTROL UPDATE TRAINING
Course #21955
6) Hand signal is team leader standing with legs
together, arms extended up above the head in the
shape of a “V”
C. Diamond Formation- 10 deputies/officers
1) Used in officer down/rescue
2) Used for hostage rescue
3) Used to effect arrest
4) Usually formed behind the Column formation
5) Hand signal is team leader standing with legs
together, arms extended above the head, bent at the
elbow and finger tips touching forming the sign of
a diamond
D. Echelon Left / Echelon Right- 20 to 30 deputies/officers
1) Used to clear a large group from one side of the
street or fence line, drive way, building front or
wall
2) Batons held in the port arms or on guard
position
3) Hand signal is team leader standing with legs
together, with right hand up in air and left hand
pointed towards ground (on an angle) to signal
echelon right and the reverse with left hand up
in air and right hand pointed to the ground (on
an angle) to signal echelon left
E. Donning, Doffing and storage of protective mask:
(Student should have a protective mask and carrier)
1) All parts and nomenclature of the protective
mask described
2) Student will be give instruction on proper fit
of the protective mask as well as how the
mask should be maintained in the carrier
3) While in formation, deputies will be
assigned a number 1 or 2. When told to do
so by instructors, deputies will uncover their
position or step to the left and in behind
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MARIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
CROWD CONTROL UPDATE TRAINING
Course #21955
4) another deputy, remove their helmet and don
their mask, clear it and get back into
position. Once all the #1’s have donned their
mask, the #2’s will do the same.
V. SCENARIOS:
Scenarios will be used to assess student learning of the concepts presented. Students will
be tested using five different scenarios to illustrate the concepts presented in the
Expanded Course Outline. Instructors will quickly gauge students’ comprehension of the
material being presented and provide immediate feedback.
Debrief
Whatever actions were taken by the deputies it will be addressed during the debriefing.
This will be the time for all involved to provide information and learned from the actions
taken. There will be no “perfect” plan and trainers should be open to the thought
processes of those involved in the actual scenario. The evaluators need to keep in mind
crowd control formations should be flexible and can switch from one formation to
another.
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