June 2024: Tactical Decision-Making

Preparing for and making the right decisions during a critical incident are imperative. Agency leaders must know when to make certain calls at the scene, but they should also know that isn’t where the decision-making ends. Aiding in investigations and supporting officers (and the community) following the event are often overlooked steps.

GUEST EDITORS: Shawn Reynolds and Scott Roberts

Articles

• Tactical Decision-Making

  By Frank Fernandez, Chief (Ret.), Florida, and Nazmia E.A. Comrie, Sociologist, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
  At 11:33 a.m. on May 24, 2022, a mass shooter entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, equipped with a high-powered AR-15–style rifle. The subject immediately started shoot...

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• Tactical Empathy

  By Laura L. Sullivan, Public Relations; Greg Danzig, Captain, SWAT Commander; and Melvin Jackson, Captain, Assistant SWAT Commander, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Florida
  As long as anyone could remember, the Pinellas County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit consisted of a Bravo and a Charlie team. Few of the o...

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• The Overlooked Element of Mass Shooting Response

  By Daniel J. Oates, Chief (Ret.), Aurora Police Department, Colorado, and Phil T. Pulaski, Chief of Detectives (Ret.), New York City Police Department, New York
  Your phone rings at 1:00 a.m. It’s your overnight lieutenant. There’s been a mass shooting in a packed nightclub downtown. ...

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• The Impact of Stress in Critical Incidents

  By William Lewinski, PhD, Executive Director, Force Science Institute
  With the complex diversity and level of skills necessary to effectively execute all that is required of today’s police officer, one might think the training would match that demand. Appropriate trai...

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