Patrol and Law Enforcement Tactics???

[Fatdome]

Received a letter for an upcoming test date I have with a local department and I was wondering...what exactly does patrol and law enforcement tactics entail having to know as a civilian? I'm not concerned about the english part of the exam...but I am wondering if anyone can shed some light on the tactics form of the exam. personal experiences...are there any books out there I can get to study? Or is it real basic stuff? Any help would be appreciated.

[Showboat]

It's all common sense. You should pick up a study guide at Barnes and Noble that has a situational test part to it, just so you can see how the questions are worded and what kinds of answers they are looking for.

[QRF]

When I was testing, they didn't ask so many specific tactical questions that a trained officer might encounter.

Instead they asked more "what if" questions related to integrity, ethical decision making, etc, that a forthright person should be able to answer without any law enforcement experience.

Maybe it's changed since I tested, but that was what I encountered.

[avalon42]

If you have no prior LE or military training, the oral board questions will revolve around what was said in previous comments. They will provide most of the tactical training in the academy, along with whatever specialized agency-specific training when you go through your Field Training.

If you get a tactical question on an oral board, do not interpret it as a tactical question. Handle it using practicality/common sense (really what they're after).

[Fatdome]

Thanks for the helpful comments. I will pick up a book and I can't wait to take the test.

[0341]

Thanks for the helpful comments. I will pick up a book and I can't wait to take the test.

I recommend Norman Hall's Police Exam prep book. There are plenty of similar books on the market. The Cliffs book is pretty good too, even better than Hall's book when it comes to Oral Board questions. These book will teach you the common sense approach to situational judgment if you don't have any LE or Military experience. They'll also assist you with study techniques and learning skills in relation to the material covered. You can't go wrong here. I bet you score 90% or better on your first written exam if you use the books like they're intended to be used. Some tests focus more on vocab/spelling/grammar/reading comp though...and not situational decisions/analysis.

[Fatdome]

thanks 0341...just picked it up. i didn't pick up a book when i was processing with lasd, but that's because i could never find any info on what we would be tested on, this is the first time testing with any other agency and the letter specifically pointed out tactics so i want to be prepared. thanks again for the advice.

[0341]

thanks 0341...just picked it up. i didn't pick up a book when i was processing with lasd, but that's because i could never find any info on what we would be tested on, this is the first time testing with any other agency and the letter specifically pointed out tactics so i want to be prepared. thanks again for the advice.

I don't think exam prep book will cover tactics, since every agency has their own doctrine. However, the exam prep book will provide you with the common sense approach to responding to tactical situations. For example, if given situational judgment scenarios and asked to select the proper course of action, prioritize the risks to determine responsive behavior. Logic dictates the preservation of life is #1 (yours, fellow officers, the public in general), followed by the protection of grave bodily injury to the same. After that, it comes down to the protection of property in context. Then perhaps keeping of the peace becomes the next plausible priority. Then crime prevention, or other topics.

So while you can't really study tactical actions for an exam, you can study the priorities of an LEO and the appropriate tactical response. When I was in Mogadishu, we had pretty restrictive Rules of Engagement. When in doubt, we were instructed to "fight fire with fire". That mantra was to prevent us from responding to a situation with too much force. Obviously calling is fixed wing CAS on a bunch of kids fighting over food in a trash pile would not be an acceptable response! It's the same in LE. However, civilians have more rights than enemy combatants or suspected tangos in general. If you can study up on common sense tactical responses regarding lethal force and less lethal force, you'll do just fine in exams. The book you just purchased should help you a bit. ;)