Policing Demonstrations, Protests & Civil Unrest

Certification

This course is certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.

Training Mandates

This course meets state guidelines for the following mandated subject areas:

• Law Update  (annual)
• Use of Force  (annual)
• Civil Rights  (every 3 yrs.)
• Constitutional & Proper Use of Authority  (every 3 yrs.)
• Procedural Justice  (every 3 yrs.)

Description

This one-day course provides law enforcement with the knowledge and best practices needed when facing the threat of a demonstration in the community.  During a demonstration, whether large or small, the role of a law enforcement officer is to ensure the public’s safety, protect lives and property, and also protect the First Amendment rights of all persons involved in the event.  Public demonstrations have increased in frequency as a result of high profile incidents involving the police.  Although most are peaceful, the chance of a threat to officer safety is imminent and law enforcement agencies have an obligation to prepare for a proper response for crowd management, regardless of the type of demonstration.  This training will take a practical approach to legal principles impacting law enforcement’s role in demonstrations and will provide guidelines without hindering officer or public safety.

Topics

• Historical perspectives on civil unrest
• Diverse types of groups and behaviors seen at demonstrations
• Challenges faced when dealing with unruly crowds
• Acceptable tactics to use against both unruly and passive groups
• First Amendment rights of protestors
• Fourth Amendment rights
• Best practices for acceptable use of force standards
• Communication across all boundaries
• Policy and training development

Instructor