New Tactic for Takedowns
The national upheaval following the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, and some others since, has put enormous pressure on law enforcement to find ways to control people’s behavior while using less violence.
One possibility—simple but repugnant to some officers—is to teach police to back away from certain difficult situations until help can arrive.
The concept is known as “tactical retreat” or sometimes “tactical withdrawal” or “tactical restraint.”
“We add the word, ‘tactical’ and not just ‘retreating’ or ‘giving up’ because that’s what makes it palatable for police officers,” Seth Stoughton, a criminal law professor at the University of South Carolina, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The former Florida officer is a nationally prominent advocate for applying the softer approach.
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