Blue Sheepdog

Police officers talk to people - a lot of people. Cops learn to “read” people: keying in on those non-verbal indicators which tell us when a suspect is lying, getting ready to run, or setting up to attack you. A police officer that becomes an expert on recognizing these non-verbal clues will be very successful in their career.

Police officers need to realize that they are also communicating non-verbally to offenders. Criminals also learn to read non-verbal indicators, and can read a cop who isn’t careful in what he or she is telegraphing.

I’ve seen officers tip off suspects that are about to be arrested by the way they look at the back-up officer or by fiddling with their handcuffs during the interview. As the time of arrest is one of the most likely times an officer will be assaulted, this can be a dangerous signal to communicate to the suspect.

“Offenders’ Perceptual Shorthand: What Messages are Law Enforcement Officers Sending to Offenders?” published in the June 1999 edition of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin discussed this issue. Based on their study and research, authors Anthony J. Pinizzotto, Ph.D. and Edward F. Davis state “…the way offenders perceive officers impacts how they interact with them.”

Pinizzotto and Davis determined that officers who non-verbally communicated “that they appeared authoritative, seemed resolute, or acted professionally, then the offenders were reluctant to initiate an assault.”

Be aware of what you communicate to suspects. What you don’t say may save your life.

Stay safe!