Upcoming Events

Announcements

Basic Correctional Officer Academy

Management and administration of the Basic Correctional Officer Academy conducted by the DuPage, Peoria and Sangamon County Sheriffs Offices transitioned back to the Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois. Contact PTI for information concerning upcoming academies at (217)333-6522.

Forum Logo
Center for Homeland Security
Online Learning Network
Media Resource Center
Join our email list
Join our email list

Law Enforcement Executive Forum

Article Details

Article The Role of Traditional Law Enforcement in the Protection of At-Risk Persons
Articles are $4.00 and only available by downloadable Acrobat PDF.
Page 153   Total Pages   20
Author(s) Thomas D. McCarthy
Issue October 2004
Categories
(Click a category to see similiar articles) 		Methods
Policies
Trends
Abstract Historically, police departments across the country have been involved in the protection of at-risk persons. Politicians, celebrities, and persons in the forefront of controversy have the potential to generate negative emotions from the radical fringes of our society. Acts of violence directed at targeted individuals range from demonstrations to assaults to, at worst, assassination.The need for sound protective skills is not a new requirement in our police departments; however, what is significant is the escalation over the last 30 years of potentially at-risk persons visiting our cities and towns and the dramatic increase in the dangers these persons face. As a result, some of the larger cities, such as New York and Los Angeles, have developed competent protective infrastructures. In most cases, however, police organizations have paid little or no attention to the development of skills and corresponding response capabilities needed in the protective function.My protective background, both practically and academically, reflects my time spent in the United States Secret Service. During my time in the Service, I was assigned to the vice presidential and presidential protective details. While on the presidential detail, I was assigned not to the president but to his children. I mention this to note that it was from the small family details that I gained valuable experience working with limited resources—manpower, supportive logistics, etc. It was this experience that enabled me to relate to protective situations not blessed with an abundance of assets. At the conclusion of my detail time, I was transferred to the office of training as an instructor. During this period, I worked with agent-trainees and police officers from all over the country. The time I spent in training enabled me to incorporate a substantive practical background into an academic context. It was here that I first learned to verbalize basic protective concepts, a process I am still trying to refine.A key tenet of Service philosophy is that protective skills are largely contingent upon basic police skills. The Service recognizes that without substantive investigative jurisdictions and the expertise developed by traditional law enforcement, the ability to protect will suffer. I refer to qualities such as “street sense,” anticipation of dangers, interviewing and assessment skills, reading body language, assigning priorities when time is of the essence, and working within a team with defined responsibilities. These qualities are generic to successful police organizations. Protective organizations, absent basic police skills (and I have seen many in my travels), invariably suffer in their ability to supply high levels of protective proficiency. When I conduct a training class for police organizations in the United States, one of my primary goals is to assist them in recognizing the inherent skills they bring from their law enforcement experience to protection situations. Often, police officers will view protective skills as qualities unrelated to their background and training. Successful protective operations are contingent on sound law enforcement procedures. The two are mutually reinforcing.
 
Articles are $4.00 and only available by downloadable Acrobat PDF.