PRACTICAL TACTICAL
INSTANT COMMUNICATIONS,
LONGTERM CONCERNS
By Jim Bolwerk
Instant electronic communication via cell phone by talking or texting is obviously attractive for many reasons including, to name just a few, the ability to contact/locate our kids, one on one direct communication with the public, our partners in the community and government, and up and down the chain of command. It is so popular in fact that it is common to find people of all ages carrying cell phones and texting. This is so simple to do that people overlook both the extreme dangers and the minor annoyances associated with this practice. Apparently over 20% of accidental youth deaths can be attributed up to inattention while texting or talking on cell phones. Are we fooling ourselves by thinking we are less at risk while doing the same thing just because we are adults? Are supervisors and administators sending mixed messages to their people when they are impatient for replies from their subordinates?
Divided Attention
We area adept at noticing minute details about passing motorists, such as they are smoking a joint not a cigarette or recognizing them from a wanted poster. We can also quickly spot expired or altered registration stickers on vehicles around us, suspicious activity by pedestrians as we drive by, and a variety of other things.Adding more multi-tasking to this mix of focus/distractions is just not safe. Because we are so good at doing a lot of things simultaneously, a false sense of security tends to make us think we can safely use a cell phone in addition to monitoring our own driving, listening and talking on our radios, being aware of potential threats and road hazards, looking for criminals, checking our computer screen, and planning ahead for various situations we may encounter as well as where to eat or get coffee. Those are just some of the challenges in our cars. If anyone really thinks they can do all that and more, they might want to consider how many police vehicle collisions occur because the driver simply cannot be as attentive as they should. Another factor is the driver of the other vehicle in the collision who might have been at fault because they were distracted by their cell phone use.
Once out of the car, some officers seem to have the misconception that they can effectively talk with a driver, scan a vehicle for threats, check out multiple CDL and IDs as well as registration and other documents, while running the person they stopped through inquiry, all while standing next to the stopped vehicle and taking phone calls or reading text messages. They might be able to do this, but not safely. The truth is that we can only effectively focus on one thing at a time without compromising our safety. This is why the concept of Contact and Cover was devised. Our cover however, must be active/not distracted by cell phone use. I once worked with a deputy who would constantly talk on her cell phone, even while trying to do all those other things. She was nearly worthless, of course, if she showed up as a cover deputy, because she was paying attention to her personal call rather than the radio call she was there to help with.
If you do all your work up close to those you contact, you limit your ability to react so time and distance can be greatly advantageous for us while we handle vehicle stops and various other contacts where we might otherwise be distracted. Take the time to get IDs and documents, then create distance between you and the potential threat by going back to you vehicle to run a check on the people you stopped. Limit your distractions to what is absolutely needed to safely accomoplish the task at hand.
Bosses and the Big Picture
I used to work for someone who would call me from an unlisted number, never leave a voice message, and then act frustrated if he could not get ahold of me (Just FYI to any of my former or current bosses who may be reading this, that guy is retired). Anyway I recently found myself impatient for a call back or text from a sergeant I needed information from. Why wasn't he returning my call instantly? I thought, I have my cell phone all the time and am a borderline textaholic, why isn't he? It was then that I realized I was likely part of the problem, not the solution. Hopefully niether I nor my fellow bosses cause our people to think they must return our commuincations when it is unsafe to do so. It may very well be that by providing time saving electronic communication devices to our department members, we are implying that speedy communication is of the utmost importantance. If you are a subordinate who finds this unintentional message needs clarification, I urge you to seek it diplomatically. As good co-workers who want to keep each other safe, we should all consider the following points:
· Use your cell phone to call or text only when it is completely safe to do so without other distractors.
· Ignore texts and let calls go to voicemail when you are too busy with important issues, like driving, to reply or answer.
· Reasonable people will understand if you only return calls and texts when it is safe to do so.