The workshop on Excited Delirium Syndrome (ExDs) held in Seattle in April 2011 was such a success, the NIJ has published the panel’s comments in a final report. This meeting was the basis for the First Responder Cards available to help recognize and manage this syndrome in the field. This report is a positive step in spreading knowledge and eliciting discussion on the topic as well as assisting first responders (police officers and medics) in addressing this dangerous medical crisis.
NIJ ExDs final report
Right before Thanksgiving, Tom was invited to Chicago to present to the Illinois Tactical Officers Association (ITOA). He was asked to relate his experiences during the 1999 World Trade Organization(WTO) Conference riots in Seattle. Tom was heavily involved in the preparation and training in crowd control and less-lethal options. Based on that experience, CRT LL has developed testing protocols to scientifically evaluate different tools.
Toms Speaks in Illinois
Chicago will host both the upcoming G-8 and NATO conferences which are going to be held for the first time in the United States at the same location. The presentation focused on the three core objectives for crowd control: Life safety, incident stabilization, and property protection. He covered less lethal considerations from the physiological and psychological viewpoint, including tactics protestors are using against police officers.
The ultimate goal, of course, is to utilize tactics and tools with the greatest effectiveness while limiting injury and liability of all parties involved.
The Association for Crime Scene Reconstruction recently published one of our articles on collection and analysis of Electronic Control Device (TASER) evidence. The paper provides a nice
overview from the prospective of the crime scene investigator on proper preservation collection of evidence and the types of analysis that can be performed on these devices and their components.
The material from the article provides a splendid teaser for our “From the Box to the Courtroom” Forensics/Excited Delirium course that provides a comprehensive look on starting and maintaining a successful TASER program.
Earlier this month, Tom and Rick traveled to Brussels to give four classes to representatives of the Belgium Federal Police.
The courses, sponsored by A6 Law Enforcement, emphasized on creating a successful TASER program including, training, documentation, the patrol response to Excited Delirium Syndrome, and forensic applications of these devices. We are offering similar training in Oregon next month.
We also toured one of the national criminalistics laboratories, NICC / INCC, where we were given a demonstration of one of the state of the art 3D ballistic imaging instruments.
CRT LL would like to extend our gratitude to A6, NICC, and the Belgium Police for their unbelievable hospitality and generosity during our visit.
On May 9th through 11th, Tom and Rick attended the International Law Enforcement Forum (ILEF) in Vancouver, British Columbia sponsored by the NIJ (National Institute’s of Justice) and the Justice Institute of British Columbia. A special thanks to Joel, Andy, Collin, Ed, and Amanda for putting this together.
The forum provides an excellent platform for information sharing. In addition to the slew of suburb speakers, Tom presented to an international audience the current research and patrol guidelines
in the Seattle area for responding and reporting on subjects with Excited Delirium Syndrome (ExDS). He spoke of two “saves” in the field that can be directly related to the training that the responding officers received. The protocols being utilized to more appropriately handle subjects with this condition are being adapted by departments everywhere. This training is certain to make situations safer for the subjects and the officers contacting them.
