Críticas
I have had the opportunity to review & read THE THIN BLUE LIFELINE: Verbal De-escalation of Mentally Ill and Emotionally Disturbed People - For Law Enforcement Officers. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is relevant, well-written, operationally-based, and goes to the heart of the matter in dealing with people who are in crisis - not just for dealing with "mentally ill" folks - but virtually everyone with whom police officers come into contact. This moves policing communication so far beyond "Verbal Judo" and "Tac Com" that those systems cannot even compare (though, to be sure, there are some similar techniques that they utilise in those systems). In an age where police officers are under increasing pressure to move from call-to-call, there can be accompanying pressure to resolve situations more quickly than they should be resolved - which, when time is compressed, usually leads to the application of physical force. This book offers perspective, is incredibly insightful and will help officers recognize specific issues and conditions. It provides real-world, usable tools, tactics and techniques to help resolve situations at the preferred threshold of "Officer Presence" and "Communication." II wish I had read this book 25 years ago.
Joel A. Johnston, Staff Sergeant 1314, Use of Force & Municipal ERT Coordinator, Province of British Columbia
Unlike other books or seminars I have attended on this topic, this book does not try to train you to diagnose a patient -- the authors want you to be able to recognize certain behaviors in individuals and then give you tools to help successfully handle the event.
Ellis and Chief Hutchings really do get it. They understand that we have a dangerous job and that we will not be able to talk everybody into handcuffs. Nor do they place unrealistic demands upon us and put us into unsafe situations. Indeed, in the preface the book clearly mandates that "it's about safety."
- Sergeant Ed Flosi (retired) former lead instructor for use-of-force training, as well as defense and arrest tactics for the San Jose Police Department.
There's much more in the book, including an excellent and thought-provoking section on managing rage and violence, and a section on communicating with troubled (read drug addicted, mentally ill, and emotionally disturbed kids) youths.
There are also several useful appendices, including one on dealing with active-duty and veteran military personnel, setting up a Crisis Intervention Program, information for support staff (especially station personnel) on how to deal with aggressive individuals in the police lobby and on the phone (just in case you can't get around to buying the volume aimed at dispatch centers, Everything on the Line, which you should absolutely add to your set), and a suggested response protocol for police dealing with a possible excited delirium incident.
- Steve Ashley of ILEETA (International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association)
Biografía del autor
John Hutchings was Chief of Police for the Tenino Police Department in Washington State. He began his law enforcement career with the City of Orange, California, where he grew up. He, his wife, and two children moved to Olympia in 1985. He served 27 years with the Olympia Police Department before taking over as Chief of Police in Tenino. Hutchings has worked in every capacity police work has to offer, giving him a very broad base of experience. He completed his B.A. at The Evergreen State College (Olympia) in 2000. He completed his M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University (Orange, California) in 2004. Besides his M.A., he obtained graduate certificates in Organizational Development and Human Resources. Fmr. Chief Hutchings is a Fulbright Scholar (2007/08). He lived in England for three months while conducting a multi-country research project studying the effects of critical incident stress debriefings on police officers. The results of his research are pending publication. John collaborated with NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill), and a host of local professionals from the mental health field to create Olympia's CIT program. He is eternally grateful for their work, mentorship, and friendship. Hutchings has presented at numerous mental health conferences around the State of Washington. He presented on CIT in Sydney, Australia (2003) for the International Congress on Law and Mental Health. John worked closely with a Sergeant from Newcastle, England on the development and assessment of the U.K.'s first Mental Health Awareness pilot course. On behalf of England's National Health Service, John has presented numerous times in North Yorkshire, England on crisis intervention and officer involved shootings. His audiences include the officer on the beat, police command staff, psychologists, and psychiatrists, both experienced and those in training. In 2011, Chief Hutchings' son, Sgt. Michael J. Hutchings (US Army Ret) returned from serving in Iraq (Operation Enduring Freedom). Sgt. Hutchings survived an IED blast in the up-armored MRAP he was riding, and suffered a traumatic brain injury and severe PTSD. He is in the process of recovering from both. Mike and his father are currently conducting training for police officers in the conditions of war, identifying the returning combat soldier and the de-escalation of those in crisis. He currently serves as Commissioner for the Thurston County Washington Board of County Commissioners
Ellis Amdur received his BA in psychology from Yale University in 1974 and his MA in psychology from Seattle University in 1990. He is both a National Certified Counselor and a State Certified Child Mental Health Specialist. Since the late 1960s, Amdur trained in various martial arts systems, spending thirteen years studying in Japan. He is a recognized expert in classical and modern Japanese martial traditions and has authored three iconoclastic books as well as one instructional DVD on this subject. Since his return to America in 1988, Ellis Amdur has worked in the field of crisis intervention. He has developed a range of training and consultation services, as well as a unique style of assessment and psychotherapy. These are based on a combination of phenomenological psychology and the underlying philosophical premises of classical Japanese martial traditions. Amdur's professional philosophy can best be summed up in this idea: the development of an individual's integrity and dignity is the paramount virtue. This can only occur when people live courageously, regardless of the circumstances, and take responsibility for their roles in making the changes they desire. Ellis Amdur is a dynamic public speaker and trainer who presents his work throughout the United States and internationally. He is noted for his sometimes outrageous humor as well as his profound breadth of knowledge. His vivid descriptions of aggressive and mentally ill people and his true-to-life role playing of the behaviors in question give participants an almost firsthand experience of facing the real individuals in question. His books are considered unique in that he uses his own experiences, often hair-raising or outrageous, as illustrations of the principles about which he writes, but it is also backed by solid research, and boots-on-the-ground experience.
