SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

However, an explicit bias does not always have to be negative. A good example of this is maybe an individual has a preferred brand of vehicle, like a Ford truck. That individual may be very loud and proud that Fords are better than Chevy. Where this bias would become a problem is individual only wrote parking tickets or speeding tickets to individuals who drove Chevy trucks.

Implicit Bias. Implicit biases are difficult because they are sub-cognitive, so therefore they are present but not consciously held or recognized. What is interesting beside the fact that this bias can operate outside of a person’s awareness, is that they can be in direct contradiction to their espoused beliefs or values.

FIGURE 4 - DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SCENARIO

Through the course of scenario-based training with Seattle Police Department it was identified that the majority of the officers dealing with the domestic violence issue were turning their back, tactically, on the female role player. Predominantly the aggressor in a domestic violence situation is the male, however by painting the female out the officers were putting themselves in a tactically unsafe position. This implicit bias was identified in the officers independent of their gender. This is also an example of a training scar and SPD decided to retrain their whole patrol division to address the issue. This is also and example of how to identify and defeat even implicit bias. CREDIT: SPD Blotter

SLIDE 62-65

So how can one possibly defeat this cognitive and sub-cognitive issues? The first step is to constantly reassess the baseline and upon reaching a decision making point to ask yourself, “do I have artifacts and evidence as to why I am coming to this conclusion or could this be something else?”. By doing this it creates an opportunity to exercise tactical patience, but it requires a level of cultural, emotional, and intellectual situational awareness.

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

The term situational awareness has been around for a long time, but when asked everyone has their own definition of what it is. According to Endsley (1995), situational awareness is “perception of elements in the environment within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status in the near future.” This is the ability to identify, process, and comprehend the critical elements of information about what is happening to the team with regard to the mission.

Situational awareness if physiologically and psychologically demanding. Extreme heat, long hours of patrolling for miles on foot, and intense engagements will get the best of anybody. CREDIT: Lynn Westover

It is really easy to distill this down to the buzz words and terms that are commonly associated with situational awareness, such as “keep your head on a swivel”, “stay frosty”, “complacency kills”, or the one to beat them all “if you see something, say something”. As most know, it is much easier said than done. Add in factors such as shift work, family issues, sleep deprivation, improper diet, fatigue, and the constant threat of harm, serious bodily injury, or death and then add in that you may not know or understand what you “saw” or “who” you should say something to. It can be very tough, and an informed awareness is not enough, the ability to effectively and efficiently communicate those critical elements is essential to a cohesive mission accomplishment and survival.

FIGURE 6 - HUMAN FACTORS

The job of a police officer is that much harder with personnel shortages, extreme stress, and can be compounded by lack of sleep and nutrition. CREDIT: Fox 8 News Cleveland