We recently had a class on officer survival. That class is geared in how to survive when things go bad. This class explains that having the right mental approach can save your life. Always maintain distance, know escape routes, always be ready to use force if necessary, and never be lulled into a state of being less than total aware of situations by apparent cooperation. We were taught that a truly prepared officer can depend on the fact that winning a violent confrontation is about 75% mental.
The most important piece of information I gained from this class is always stay aggressive and never quit. By staying aggressive you are more likely to wear down your opponent and win the confrontation. This dovetails with what we have had drilled into us since day one: we are not being paid to tie or lose fights. We are paid to win. For those of you who are going to apply and want to be police officer, my advice to you is to get into that mental mindset now and live by that statement. The other statement to set your life by is “lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way.”
I would also highly recommend practicing being observant, practice identifing potential threats, practice looking for cover and concealment, and always play the “what if” game in your head as you go through life. An example could be what if someone walked in to the restaurant, pulled a gun and shot someone. What would I do? Where is the cover? How do I get to the shooter if possible? Little games like this will condition your mind to react when something happens.
