Crowd Control

As bounty hunters how do handle crowd control in a apprehension of a person.

Different situations are going to call for different tactics.

The first thing to do is to make sure you do alot of surveillance on the area you are planing to make the arrest. Check number of exits (Including large windows,etc.) See the number of people that are there on a normal day.

Using this information judge the number of people you need with you to take your skip into custody and enough people to watch your back and control the crowd.

My team usually consists of either 3 or 5 BEA's depending on the risk level.

There are many of tactics and ways to control a crowd but making sure you have the man power to do it is very important!

Second, Grab your skip and go! I have seen "DOG" so many times get into arguments with the crowd after his team has made an arrest. This is because he hangs around and makes himself availible to argue with.

Get in get the job done and get out!

I have found when picking up a skip if there are others around, just be nice to them. They have not done anything wrong in most cases and you are not there to arrest them. So by treating them nicely and explaining what is going on has always seemed to defuse things for me.

Alot of this job is knowing people and how to relate to them on there level to ensure things do not get out of hand.

I hope this has been helpful, however I know there are plenty of people on this forum who will be able to provide you with alot of great information on crowd control!


Good Luck!

I have to agree with C.D. for the most part the other people hanging around do not want anything to do with you. As well, if they are hanging with the person you are after, they may have warrants themselves and they definitely do not want to get involved. However, you are going to have people like family members or gang members that feel they have to get involved. That is why you should never work alone. Always have a team with you. If I am doing a home entry I believe in a show of force. We Tac out so we can identify each other if things get crazy but mostly because the show of force tends to deliver a sense of shock and aw. Hope this helps as well. Just remember that when possible go as a team.

_________________
Dustin Thompson
La. Lic. #309685
Louisiana Fugitive Task Force
318-393-5385
"What the hell was that?"

Simplest answer to your question is this : Avoid an apprehension in a crowd. We as the hunter, dictate the circumstances around the apprehension such as timing, date/day,hr, location, etc.

If you know your fugitive is in a crowd that may be hostile to you, therefore possibly more dangerous than usual, then wait him out. Choose an opportunity that is more favourable to you.

Remember this also: LIABILITY, LIABILITY, LIABILITY....get the point ?

In a crowded situation with more BEA's, more guns, mace, etc. and more potentially hostile participants, then you obviously INCREASE the potential for death, bodily injuries, destruction to private property, etc.

So the best thing to do is to wait him out. Wait until he/she goes to the store, walks home, goes to work, etc.

I have found for me, the best time to apprehend someone is pre-dawn on a work day, just as they are coming out of the house and approaching thier vehicle to go to school, work, whatever....

They are not fully awake, they are mentally distracted, and they don't expect it.

I have 2 sayings here for this posting: "Discretion is the better part of valor" -Author unknown

"Patience is a virtue" -Author unknown

Take care and God Bless

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River City Associates
Decatur, Al. 35601