The online version of American Police Beat just scratches the surface of our print publication. Every issue is packed with dozens of articles, photographs, police products and topical information you need to help you do your job. To survive violent confrontations, officers must quickly get over fear and disbelief and swing into action. To understand lag time and its effects on police officers, one must first understand the difference between action and reaction.
Officers are most often in a reaction mode.
In fact, force continuums focus on officers interpreting a person's actions or intent and then responding appropriately. While officers are trained to act, it does not take much street experience to realize that conflict policing is in reaction. Officers who are facing danger or attack consistently report the same emotions. They experience the shock of disbelief reporting that it takes some time to actually believe that they are actually under attack. Once they realize they are a victim, they go through feelings of fear.