Being Your Own First Responder
JFShults
When seconds count, the police will be there in minutes,
goes the old funny/not funny saying. While police officers are fully ready to
respond to calls, as a profession we pay little attention to helping people
prepare for events that prompt that 911 call.
Using the emergency medical response model we note that
there is wide advocacy for self-care with first aid and CPR training and other
educational opportunities. Aside from reasonably robust crime-prevention
efforts, few police agencies offer advice on dealing with threats that citizens
may face in public or at home.
Emergency service communication personnel would be a good
source for material and what citizens should know when calling 911. Citizens in
crisis can’t be expected to always be level-headed on the worst day of their
lives, but knowing something about the system can help them convey critical
information more effectively. Callers won’t know unless peremptorily informed
that services are on their way while the dispatcher is getting additional
information from them. Critical seconds can be lost by callers arguing about
the process.
Many citizens have not given much thought to their right to
protect themselves. We obviously want them to avoid getting into legal trouble,
but they have a right and responsibility to know what the law is in their
jurisdiction regarding the use of force in self-defense. The same verbal
de-escalation skills that we want police officers to know is good information
for the citizen confronted with an angry person or one experiencing a mental
health crisis or under the influence of an intoxicant. Helping citizens
understand their rights, responsibilities, and liability under each
jurisdiction’s prevailing statutes would be a great public service.
Overuse of 911 is problematic, but so is the number of times
a call should have been made but wasn’t. Recognizing suspicious activity and
reporting crime are important public safety skills. Citizens should not be
reluctant to call 911 (or other non-emergency number) to help police agencies
get a better picture of criminal activity. When citizens think they don’t want
to bother the police or think they should call their insurance agent or Aunt
Martha first, public safety suffers. Sadly, there are agencies that are so
overwhelmed with priority calls that minor events add to the strain, but
citizens should never be discouraged from calling anyway.
About 40% of homes have a gun in the house. There are nearly
23 million concealed carry permit holders, not counting the 44% of the
population living in states where no permit is required, or open carry is
mostly legal. The possession and use of a firearm carries with it great
responsibility while providing a potentially life-saving tool properly
utilized. Law enforcement can provide a useful resource in understanding the
laws and best practices regarding firearms ownership.
Estimates vary on how frequently firearms are used in lawful
self-defense depending on whether surveys count only fatal justifiable killing
or include the mere presentation or threat of a firearm to stop an attack. The
number could be in excess of 3 million times per year. Those who are against
firearms ownership will cite murder and suicide statistics. Those concerns are
good arguments for knowledge about safe firearm handling and storage, but no
consolation to the car-jacking victim with no means of defense.
Traditional crime prevention efforts may suffer during
police staffing shortages, but those efforts can pay dividends in the long run.
Citizens can be encouraged to mark their property, take inventory, and install
security hardware. Those efforts should be facilitated by local law
enforcement, particularly in light of the increasing use of security cameras.
Some areas offer homeowners the option of registering their cameras with their
police department to expedite the discovery of evidence when crime hits their
neighborhood.
Sir Robert Peel, the founder of London’s “bobbies”, famously
stated that “The people are the police and the police are the people.” It has
been a foundational principle often lost in modern policing. After all, it
takes a village.
