Planning and Managing Security for Major Special Events: Guidelines for Law Enforcement LESSON PLAN FOR MODULE 12: PLANNING FOR AND MANAGING DEMONSTRATIONS LESSON PLAN Unit: Module 12: Planning for and Managing Demonstrations Number of Hours: 1 Slide 1: Title Slide Goal of this module: This module provides participants with a comprehensive overview of planning for and managing demonstrations at special events. The next module will cover Security Management During the Event. This module will elicit participant views on the preparation tasks and implementation efforts related to public demonstrations and disturbances at special events. It will focus on key activities such as tactical support, legal support, maintaining First Amendment rights, use if intelligence, training, and more. Learning Objectives: Students will: Slide 2: Learning Objectives 1. Identify reasons for having a comprehensive plan for managing demonstrations at special events. 2. Identify reasons for stressing the key elements of the plan—preparation, training, adequate staffing and equipment, back up resources, etc. 3. Identify variety of alternatives and examples of how demonstrations at special events can be controlled and managed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [BEGINNING OF CONTENT] I. Participant Experiences and Exercises A. Question for class: Who can identify threats to security at major special events? Slide 3: Question: Threats to Security at Special Events The instructor should make a list of responses on chart paper. Show slide 3—some important threats to security at special events. B. Question for class: Describe differences between “celebratory riots” and protester demonstrations. Slide 4: Discussion Teaching point—plans must cover both types of disturbances. Both may become violent and involve intentional property damage. Both must be controlled with reasonable force. C: Question for class: Who has had any experiences in planning and managing demonstrations at major special events? Slide 5: Experiences with demonstrations at special events The instructor should allow participants to exchange experiences. The instructor should also (1) point out that demonstrations can occur at small or large events, (2) help the group discuss how plans helped or didn’t help, and (3) if time permits, ask students to discuss what they learned from the experiences. Teaching Point: Many agencies don’t spend enough time on planning for repetitive events—“we’ll do what we did last year” is the prevailing mentality. It is also time-consuming to plan with a variety of outside agencies that often don’t have time to send key managers to the planning meetings. II. Planning and Managing for Demonstrations at Special Events The rest of the module will focus on planning and managing for demonstrations at major special events. Most of the examples and teaching points will also be useful for celebratory riots. Overarching objective: Dealing with demonstrations is more complicated than dealing with celebratory riots because security planners must protect the protesters’ First Amendment rights. Slide 6: First Amendment rights A. Exercise: The instructor should ask participants to list on paper all the protester tactics that they can imagine might occur at a major special event. The instructor should then show slides 8 and 9 and ask class to call out the tactics they listed—and check them off the slide list. Slide 7: Exercise Teaching Point: In many places, protesters are getting more organized through the Internet, training, travel, and more. In the future, tactics may get even more elaborate, sophisticated, and creative. Slides 8-9: Common Protester Tactics B. Key Factors in Planning for Demonstrations Question for class: Would you list any other key factors? Slide 10: Key Factors in Planning for Demonstrations 1. Legal Support Slide 11: Legal Support Legal support is important at three stages: (a) planning process, (b) negotiating with protest groups seeking permits, and (c) observing arrest process. In planning, legal advisors can determine if planned police tactics are legally defensible. City or police attorneys are also critical to assist the police in negotiating with protest groups for demonstration permits. The attorneys can argue limits on planned demonstration locations, crowd size, and more. Legal support is also helpful to provide training and procedural tips to the police in dealing with protester activities and tactics—refresh the issues and place them in context, especially regarding use of force (rules of engagement), search and seizure, and lawful arrest and detention of protesters. During the arrest processing, it is helpful to have a police attorney or prosecutor present to debrief arresting officers and review charges and evidence. 2. Restricting Access Slide 12: Restrict Access As mentioned in Slide 9, a key role for legal advisors is to work with the police to create “protest zones” for demonstrators. This helps keep them away from political figures, VIPs, and other protectees. Police can use a variety of barriers to wall off protesters—jersey barriers, fencing, buses, etc. First Amendment legal issue—protesters must be within “sight and sound” of the object of their “free speech.” Restrictive, but lawful example: Boston Police Department’s “demonstrator pen” at the 2004 Democratic National Convention (see Black Tea Society v. City of Boston, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, No. 04-2002, July 30, 2004. 3. Crowd Management Response Slide 13: Crowd Management Response More than 50 local police agencies surveyed in the development of the Guide varied in deploying special crowd management response units (define: distinctive uniforms, riot gear; different than SWAT). Most took a “soft approach” at first—not using these special units as a matter of routine but keeping them out of sight yet ready to act. Factors used to decide if these units must be present: nature of event (the more visible, large, and political—the more likely) and extent of threats to the event (extremist groups—e.g., ELF; WTO protesters—have made known their intentions to disrupt event). Question for class: What have been your experiences in deploying “mobile field force units? The instructor should discuss the need for (1) use of force continuum to control crowds and (2) clear rules of engagement defining when force can be used. These rules and policies should be in writing and passed out to all officers involved in event security; officers should receive training on these rules; and managers should make sure that there is a reliable process in place for monitoring the event and holding supervisors and officers accountable when any level of force is used against demonstrators. 4. Community Policing and Demonstration Management Slide 14: Community Policing and Demonstration Management Event security planners should use agency’s community policing principles in planning and managing demonstrations at special events. For example: they should show leadership in dealing with protester groups; show them respect; involve them up front in the planning process to resolve issues early on; negotiate if possible instead of demanding; and make the rules of engagement clear. Make sure that the city officials (mayor, city manager, etc.) are also sending the same message—e.g., we welcome lawful demonstrations and will protect your First Amendment rights, but anyone who breaks the law (destroys property, trespasses, etc.) will be arrested, with reasonable and lawful force if necessary. 5. Intelligence Slide 15: Intelligence The instructor should refer students to Module 4 on intelligence. Intelligence support is essential in preparing security plans for an event involving potentially disruptive groups. Proactive intelligence can provide information to security planners in the planning stages such as crowd estimates, history of prior tactics at other events, criminal histories of known individuals, and more. Pre-event intelligence information can be obtained by interviewing police from jurisdictions that had events where these groups participated, by monitoring web sites used by the groups, and even by interviewing some of the group leaders. The instructor should discuss the example of Portland from the Guide. During the event, intelligence information can be obtained by inserting intelligence officers into group meetings and monitoring the activities of the groups. 6. Cooperation with Private Security Slide 16: Cooperation with Private Security Private security is a potential resource in assisting the police in dealing with protesters at special events. Private security is often hired by the venue or sponsors of the event. Police may actually be in a supporting role. Question for class: Can you recount examples of dealing with private security as a resource in crowd management situations at special events? 7. Multijurisdictional Training Slide 17 Multijurisdictional Training The instructor should remind participants that Module 9 discusses special event training generally. Training in this module refers to joint training for multiple agencies that respond to crowd control situations at special events. Example: The Iowa State University working group exploring the causes of a recent student riot and the police response issued a report that recommended that police departments in university communities that respond together to handle student riots should engage in “multijurisdictional training, coordination, and planning” to prepare for such disturbances. Question for class: Can you describe local examples of multijurisdictional training for major special events? 9. Mass Arrest Plan Slides 18-19: Mass Arrest Plan Checklist Police agencies must pay special attention to developing and executing a mass arrest plan if required to control disruptions at special events. The checklist in slides 18 and 19 asks key questions to help agencies prepare for mass arrests. One of the most important issues is adequate staffing for mass arrests. During the 2004 Republican National Convention, the NYPD had enough forces and made more than 1,800 arrests, quickly quelling disruptive and unlawful protester behavior. For example, in one afternoon, several thousand bicyclists intended to shut down traffic at several major intersections of the downtown area near the convention center. The NYPD responded to this threat with mobile field forces on foot, bicycles, and scooters. They arrested more than 300 demonstrators and seized their bicycles (though it was a challenge to transport and store the bikes). Conclusion The instructor should recap the module’s high points. Slide 20: Conclusion III. Tabletop Exercise and Student Worksheets Slide 21: Tabletop Exercise and Student Worksheets A tabletop exercise was introduced in Module 1 and is used to demonstrate the need for pre-planning for major special events. The instructor should refer the class back to the tabletop exercise, anchoring teaching points to a common theme throughout the course. Students should also work on the “Lessons to Learn” worksheet. The instructor should ask students to spend a few minutes completing this document, which will help them research and gain deeper knowledge about this particular topic. Students should also work on the “Personal Action Plan” worksheet. This worksheet is designed to help students develop specific steps, actions, or contacts and will help them relate the material to events they are responsible for in their own jurisdictions. Unit: Module 12: Planning for and Managing Demonstrations Number of Hours: 1 Goal of this module: This module provides participants with a comprehensive overview of planning for and managing demonstrations at special events. The next module will cover Security Management During the Event. This module will elicit participant views on the preparation tasks and implementation efforts related to public demonstrations and disturbances at special events. It will focus on key activities such as tactical support, legal support, maintaining First Amendment rights, use if intelligence, training, and more. Learning Objectives: Students will: 1. Identify reasons for having a comprehensive plan for managing demonstrations at special events. 2. Identify reasons for stressing the key elements of the plan—preparation, training, adequate staffing and equipment, back up resources, etc. 3. Identify variety of alternatives and examples of how demonstrations at special events can be controlled and managed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [BEGINNING OF CONTENT] I. Participant Experiences and Exercises A. Question for class: Who can identify threats to security at major special events? The instructor should make a list of responses on chart paper. Show slide 3—some important threats to security at special events. B. Question for class: Describe differences between “celebratory riots” and protester demonstrations. Teaching point—plans must cover both types of disturbances. Both may become violent and involve intentional property damage. Both must be controlled with reasonable force. C: Question for class: Who has had any experiences in planning and managing demonstrations at major special events? The instructor should allow participants to exchange experiences. The instructor should also (1) point out that demonstrations can occur at small or large events, (2) help the group discuss how plans helped or didn’t help, and (3) if time permits, ask students to discuss what they learned from the experiences. Teaching Point: Many agencies don’t spend enough time on planning for repetitive events—“we’ll do what we did last year” is the prevailing mentality. It is also time-consuming to plan with a variety of outside agencies that often don’t have time to send key managers to the planning meetings. II. Planning and Managing for Demonstrations at Special Events The rest of the module will focus on planning and managing for demonstrations at major special events. Most of the examples and teaching points will also be useful for celebratory riots. Overarching objective: Dealing with demonstrations is more complicated than dealing with celebratory riots because security planners must protect the protesters’ First Amendment rights. A. Exercise: The instructor should ask participants to list on paper all the protester tactics that they can imagine might occur at a major special event. The instructor should then show slides 8 and 9 and ask class to call out the tactics they listed—and check them off the slide list. Teaching Point: In many places, protesters are getting more organized through the Internet, training, travel, and more. In the future, tactics may get even more elaborate, sophisticated, and creative. B. Key Factors in Planning for Demonstrations Question for class: Would you list any other key factors? 1. Legal Support Legal support is important at three stages: (a) planning process, (b) negotiating with protest groups seeking permits, and (c) observing arrest process. In planning, legal advisors can determine if planned police tactics are legally defensible. City or police attorneys are also critical to assist the police in negotiating with protest groups for demonstration permits. The attorneys can argue limits on planned demonstration locations, crowd size, and more. Legal support is also helpful to provide training and procedural tips to the police in dealing with protester activities and tactics—refresh the issues and place them in context, especially regarding use of force (rules of engagement), search and seizure, and lawful arrest and detention of protesters. During the arrest processing, it is helpful to have a police attorney or prosecutor present to debrief arresting officers and review charges and evidence. 2. Restricting Access As mentioned in Slide 9, a key role for legal advisors is to work with the police to create “protest zones” for demonstrators. This helps keep them away from political figures, VIPs, and other protectees. Police can use a variety of barriers to wall off protesters—jersey barriers, fencing, buses, etc. First Amendment legal issue—protesters must be within “sight and sound” of the object of their “free speech.” Restrictive, but lawful example: Boston Police Department’s “demonstrator pen” at the 2004 Democratic National Convention (see Black Tea Society v. City of Boston, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, No. 04-2002, July 30, 2004. 3. Crowd Management Response More than 50 local police agencies surveyed in the development of the Guide varied in deploying special crowd management response units (define: distinctive uniforms, riot gear; different than SWAT). Most took a “soft approach” at first—not using these special units as a matter of routine but keeping them out of sight yet ready to act. Factors used to decide if these units must be present: nature of event (the more visible, large, and political—the more likely) and extent of threats to the event (extremist groups—e.g., ELF; WTO protesters—have made known their intentions to disrupt event). Question for class: What have been your experiences in deploying “mobile field force units? The instructor should discuss the need for (1) use of force continuum to control crowds and (2) clear rules of engagement defining when force can be used. These rules and policies should be in writing and passed out to all officers involved in event security; officers should receive training on these rules; and managers should make sure that there is a reliable process in place for monitoring the event and holding supervisors and officers accountable when any level of force is used against demonstrators. 4. Community Policing and Demonstration Management Event security planners should use agency’s community policing principles in planning and managing demonstrations at special events. For example: they should show leadership in dealing with protester groups; show them respect; involve them up front in the planning process to resolve issues early on; negotiate if possible instead of demanding; and make the rules of engagement clear. Make sure that the city officials (mayor, city manager, etc.) are also sending the same message—e.g., we welcome lawful demonstrations and will protect your First Amendment rights, but anyone who breaks the law (destroys property, trespasses, etc.) will be arrested, with reasonable and lawful force if necessary. 5. Intelligence The instructor should refer students to Module 4 on intelligence. Intelligence support is essential in preparing security plans for an event involving potentially disruptive groups. Proactive intelligence can provide information to security planners in the planning stages such as crowd estimates, history of prior tactics at other events, criminal histories of known individuals, and more. Pre-event intelligence information can be obtained by interviewing police from jurisdictions that had events where these groups participated, by monitoring web sites used by the groups, and even by interviewing some of the group leaders. The instructor should discuss the example of Portland from the Guide. During the event, intelligence information can be obtained by inserting intelligence officers into group meetings and monitoring the activities of the groups. 6. Cooperation with Private Security Private security is a potential resource in assisting the police in dealing with protesters at special events. Private security is often hired by the venue or sponsors of the event. Police may actually be in a supporting role. Question for class: Can you recount examples of dealing with private security as a resource in crowd management situations at special events? 7. Multijurisdictional Training The instructor should remind participants that Module 9 discusses special event training generally. Training in this module refers to joint training for multiple agencies that respond to crowd control situations at special events. Example: The Iowa State University working group exploring the causes of a recent student riot and the police response issued a report that recommended that police departments in university communities that respond together to handle student riots should engage in “multijurisdictional training, coordination, and planning” to prepare for such disturbances. Question for class: Can you describe local examples of multijurisdictional training for major special events? 9. Mass Arrest Plan Police agencies must pay special attention to developing and executing a mass arrest plan if required to control disruptions at special events. The checklist in slides 18 and 19 asks key questions to help agencies prepare for mass arrests. One of the most important issues is adequate staffing for mass arrests. During the 2004 Republican National Convention, the NYPD had enough forces and made more than 1,800 arrests, quickly quelling disruptive and unlawful protester behavior. For example, in one afternoon, several thousand bicyclists intended to shut down traffic at several major intersections of the downtown area near the convention center. The NYPD responded to this threat with mobile field forces on foot, bicycles, and scooters. They arrested more than 300 demonstrators and seized their bicycles (though it was a challenge to transport and store the bikes). Conclusion The instructor should recap the module’s high points. III. Tabletop Exercise and Student Worksheets A tabletop exercise was introduced in Module 1 and is used to demonstrate the need for pre-planning for major special events. The instructor should refer the class back to the tabletop exercise, anchoring teaching points to a common theme throughout the course. Students should also work on the “Lessons to Learn” worksheet. The instructor should ask students to spend a few minutes completing this document, which will help them research and gain deeper knowledge about this particular topic. Students should also work on the “Personal Action Plan” worksheet. This worksheet is designed to help students develop specific steps, actions, or contacts and will help them relate the material to events they are responsible for in their own jurisdictions. Slide 22: Break