Change in Driving Behavior and Unusual Driving Behavior

Description: This course is designed to train officers in those characteristics displayed by in-transit criminals who are driving a motor vehicle before, during or after the commission of a crime. It stresses human behavior characteristics, especially those involving nervousness due to a sudden release of adrenaline when a law enforcement officer is sighted by the criminal. The course consists of powerpoint segments coupled with a lecture format as well as a review of actual examples where use of the technique resulted in the detection of significant criminal activity.

Objectives: The student will understand the four phases associated with evaluating a vehicle (the approach, as passing, moving on, and the pursuit) and all of the critical elements of each phase. The student will further be given an in-depth understanding about how adrenaline affects the human body and the three basic types of people we encounter (moral, immoral and amoral) and why a clear understanding of these two issues can be used to explain why criminals in motor vehicles give themselves away to the alert law enforcement officer. The student will understand that everything they observe becomes part of what is termed “the picture”.

Vehicle Approaches

Description: An in-depth discussion on the most effective and safest ways to approach a motor vehicle during a traffic stop. This class has been directly credited with saving the lives of two law enforcement officers in Ohio.

Objectives: Will give the student an appreciation for officer safety concerns during a vehicle stop and will give a better understanding of why different types of approaches, or not approaching, during a traffic contact can be important.

Indicators of possible criminal activity

Description: Teaches the basic characteristics associated with identifying criminals. Includes those items commonly seen in major criminal arrests.

Objectives: The student will have a better understanding of physical and human behavior indicators commonly associated with detection of criminal activity during a motor vehicle stop. Most importantly, the student will understand that physical indicators are only a small part of the picture. They will understand the term “overcompensation” when associated with indicators.

Questioning and Evaluating during Traffic Stops/Contacts

Description: The most popular, and the most important, class. Deals directly with human behavior and the two most important indicators of criminal activity.

Objectives: The student will know the two most important indicators of criminal activity, how to better assess nervous clues displayed by people, and how to evaluate human behavior characteristics when determining how to proceed on a traffic stop and possible criminal investigation.

Understanding and Avoiding Illegal Profiling

Description: An explanation of the history of certain types of profiles. This class stresses that illegal profiling, whether racial, age, gender, or otherwise, does not work. In this day of constant attacks on law enforcement agencies alleging violations of civil rights, this instruction is timely and important. The instructors teach from experience about why illegal profiling does not work, is not necessary, and what the real indications of criminal activity are.

Objectives: The student will understand the difference between legal and illegal profiling and will clearly understand that illegal profiling based on age, race, sex, religious or ethnic background does not work.

Canine Usage

Description: A look at the use of drug detection dogs. Provides insight into the usefulness of the canine team, legal issues related to the use of the team, and what may be searched when a canine alerts to a motor vehicle.

Objectives: Will allow students to understand the abilities and limitations of drug canines and how best to utilize the drug detection canine teams during a traffic stop.

Consent Searches

Description: An examination of the pro’s and con’s of consent searches, the 90 second rule, and how human behavior assessment guides decisions related to consent searches.

Objectives: Will allow students to better understand when and when not to utilize consent search techniques.

Cost Per Student: $295

Course Description: An in-depth discussion on the most effective and safest ways to approach a motor vehicle during a traffic stop. This class has been directly credited with saving the lives of two law enforcement officers in Ohio.

Course Objectives: Will give the student an appreciation for officer safety concerns during a vehicle stop and will give a better understanding of why different types of approaches, or not approaching, during a traffic contact can be important.

Day One: This in-depth examination of driving behavior goes beyond the scope of the abbreviated course given during a two-day Criminal Patrol seminar, which covers a number of different topics in an overview style. In this one-day session, students will understand how to effectively exit a patrol vehicle during traffic stops, the pro’s and con’s of both driver and passenger side approaches, alternatives to approaching, legalities surrounding those alternatives, cutting towards the stopped vehicle’s b-pillar post, aggressive versus non- aggressive stances, posturing while interacting with vehicle occupants, triangles and modified triangles even when a backup officer is not on-scene, effective decision making about when to remove a subject or subjects from a vehicle with or without backup present, the fatal funnel, understanding why officers are assaulted specifically during their approach or re-approach to a vehicle, how officers telegraph information to everyone in a vehicle, especially potential aggressors, how to affect and even alter occupant perceptions through effective officer related human behavior displays, how calm certainty trumps any other officer display or reaction during approaches, how officers telegraph fear and uncertainty, how human behavior affects every aspect of your approach and initial contact, how to remove a driver, how to remove a passenger, how to stack the odds in your favor during a gun battle, when to go around the front of the vehicle, when to retreat, and much, much more.

Day Two: This labor intensive training will involve students making vehicle approaches (involving specific scenarios and with instructors or other students as vehicle occupants), or alternatively, making informed decisions about why they will not approach a vehicle. Instructors will stress the need for the student to articulate why they have made their decisions. Instructors will incorporate all information taught during day one and will present any number of scenarios to students in order to make them better at vehicle approaches. Instructors will stress professionalism, realism, effective officer demeanor, stacking the odds in the officer’s favor via correct positioning and correct evaluation of available clues, knowing when to remove a subject from a vehicle, when to hold the scene, or when to safely retreat. Instructors will evaluate and grade each officer on a series of specific standards, beginning with the officer’s first approach during the morning session to the final approach during the afternoon session. Smart Interdiction wants each officer to know where they stand when it comes to officer safety, knowledge of the job, legalities surrounding removing occupants from vehicles, and many other issues. The goal of this training is to allow an officer to make mistakes during a training exercise in order that they learn from these mistakes and do not repeat them when they are back on the job.

Officers who attend this training will receive one of three possible certificates of completion based on their graded performance. Officers who score 85% or higher on the graded final exercise on day two will receive an Exceptional Performance certificate of graduation, denoting that they have displayed an excellent understanding of the trained principles and have demonstrated they can routinely make well informed decisions about the entire vehicle approach process, and very importantly, can clearly articulate their reasoning for their decisions. Officers who attain a score of 70% to just below 85% will receive a Meets Performance certificate of graduation, denoting a good understanding of the trained principles and that they generally make good decisions about the entire vehicle approach process, and that they can adequately articulate their reasoning for their decisions. A certificate of attendance will be issued to officers who score below 70%.

Cost Per Student: $395

Course Description: This course is designed to train officers in those characteristics displayed by in-transit criminals who are driving a motor vehicle before, during or after the commission of a crime. It stresses human behavior characteristics, especially those involving nervousness due to a sudden release of adrenaline when a law enforcement officer is sighted by the criminal. The course consists of powerpoint segments coupled with a lecture format as well as a review of actual examples where use of the technique resulted in the detection of significant criminal activity.

Course Objectives: The student will understand the four phases associated with evaluating a vehicle (the approach, as passing, moving on, and the pursuit) and all of the critical elements of each phase. The student will further be given an in-depth understanding about how adrenaline affects the human body and the three basic types of people we encounter (moral, immoral and amoral) and why a clear understanding of these two issues can be used to explain why criminals in motor vehicles give themselves away to the alert law enforcement officer. The student will understand that everything they observe becomes part of what is termed “the picture”.

One Day Format: This in-depth examination of driving behavior goes beyond the scope of the abbreviated course given during a two-day Criminal Patrol seminar, which covers a number of different topics in an overview style. In this one-day session, all fundamentals of human behavior associated with driving behavior are discussed in-depth and students are provided with video examples of driving behavior and tested on their ability to detect aspects of the four phases. In addition, students are exposed to videos where officers speak to suspects about their driving actions, allowing students to formulate their own approach to these issues when they return to the job. Instructors will work their way thru one or more case studies in order to demonstrate human behavior detection techniques from the moment a vehicle is first sighted to the moment a contact or case has been completed. The goal of this training is to make officers effective at detecting, understanding, articulating and legally acting on driving behaviors displayed by motorists.

Cost Per Student: $225

Course Description: The most popular, and the most important, class. Deals directly with human behavior and the two most important indicators of criminal activity.

Course Objectives: The student will know the two most important indicators of criminal activity, how to better assess nervous clues displayed by people, and how to evaluate human behavior characteristics when determining how to proceed on a traffic stop and possible criminal investigation.

One Day Format: This in-depth examination of Questioning and Evaluating goes beyond the scope of the abbreviated course given during a two-day Criminal Patrol seminar, which covers a number of different topics in an overview style. In this one-day session, students are provided multiple examples of traffic stop interviews which they can examine as the instructor breaks down the importance of each phase of rapid assessment. Instructors stress the importance of numerous aspects of displayed human behavior associated with the questioning of both innocent persons and those engaged in or hiding crime. Students are then tested on their observation skills and their ability to articulate not only what they have observed but also which aspects were more important than others, especially when associated with officer and public safety concerns. Effective questioning, especially during the few moments of a traffic stop and specifically within the confines of current case law, is a critical aspect of professional law enforcement operations. This course teaches officers what they can ask, when it can be asked, what cannot be asked, how to incorporate questioning during a contact, and how and when to utilize techniques that can elicit information a suspect might not otherwise wish known. Students will know when they can extend questioning and when it must be terminated, and with practice, the learned techniques can lead an officer to become even more effective at questioning and evaluating during not just patrol activities, but in investigations of all sorts. This course not only shows examples of human behavior but also explains them in an in-depth manner, allowing the student to learn more in an eight hour course than they might over an entire career.

Cost Per Student: $225

Course Description: An in-depth discussion on the most effective and safest ways to approach a motor vehicle during a traffic stop. This class has been directly credited with saving the lives of two law enforcement officers in Ohio.

Course Objectives: Will give the student an appreciation for officer safety concerns during a vehicle stop and will give a better understanding of why different types of approaches, or not approaching, during a traffic contact can be important.

One Day Format: This in-depth examination of driving behavior goes beyond the scope of the abbreviated course given during a two-day Criminal Patrol seminar, which covers a number of different topics in an overview style. In this one-day session, students will understand how to effectively exit a patrol vehicle during traffic stops, the pro’s and con’s of both driver and passenger side approaches, alternatives to approaching, legalities surrounding those alternatives, cutting towards the stopped vehicle’s b-pillar post, aggressive versus non-aggressive stances and posturing while interacting with vehicle occupants, triangles and modified triangles even when a backup officer is not on-scene, effective decision making about when to remove a subject or subjects from a vehicle with or without backup present, the fatal funnel, understanding why officers are assaulted specifically during their approach or re-approach to a vehicle, how officers telegraph information to everyone in a vehicle, especially potential aggressors, how to affect and even alter occupant perceptions through effective officer related human behavior displays, how calm certainty trumps any other officer display or reaction during approaches, how officers telegraph fear and uncertainty, how human behavior affects every aspect of your approach and initial contact, how to remove a driver, how to remove a passenger, how to stack the odds in your favor during a gun battle, when to go around the front of the vehicle, when to retreat, and much, much more.

Cost Per Student: $225

The four-day advanced criminal interdiction ride training program is the single best way to improve a patrol officer’s effectiveness. It is incredibly in-depth, very labor intensive, and without a doubt the most popular program we offer. Each day is ten hours in length, with the program taking a full 40 hours to complete.

The program functions as follows: At the beginning of day one, officers are assigned to an instructor. Multiple officers may be assigned to the same instructor, depending on how many officers participate in the training. Each officer will then rotate through a series of tests in order to assess their law enforcement general knowledge, search and seizure knowledge, and two tests specifically designed to test observation skills, rapid assessment abilities, prioritizing of clues, and understanding of the complexities involved in correctly assessing the meaning of clues and how criminal suspects use our own brain against us. The testing generally takes several hours. After it is complete, the instructor will ride with anywhere from one to three officers (depending on the law enforcement vehicle utilized and available seating) within the driving officer’s jurisdiction. This ride will extend the remainder of day one, thru days two and three, and halfway thru day four. The purpose of the ride portion of the program is to allow the instructor to show and discuss during real-time, on-the-road patrol activities the principles trained in our core training program, all of which are focused on human behavior assessment and how to interpret and act upon it.

The activities that generally occur during a four-day ride program are: patrol activities, driving behavior discussions and real-world application and evaluation, understanding traffic violations and why enforcing them is so important, why illegal profiling does not work and how to not only avoid it but understand how it is actually counterproductive, vehicle stops and approaches, human behavior assessment of all vehicle occupants during stops, rapid assessment and prioritizing of available clues (physical, non-physical, human behavior, etc.), methods of removing subjects from the vehicle that minimizes the danger to everyone on-scene, making decisions based on proactive detective work, understanding available resources that can help an officer make informed decisions when assessing the possible presence of criminal activity, questioning of subjects within a vehicle, cruiser, or outside the vehicle, and the legalities, limitations, and importance of these activities, consent searches, alternative Fourth Amendment search rules, K9 usage and when to call for a K9 team, interactions to have with the handler, when to deploy or not to deploy, etc. Officers are trained how to articulate every aspect and step of their contact, from pre-stop, through the stop, and post-stop. Vehicle searches will almost certainly occur. The instructor will give an in-depth understanding of how to search effectively within the shortest possible time frame, the limitations that may be in effect in any give search, information on how to locate natural vehicle body cavity hides, false and after-market manufactured compartments, etc. The instructor will also discuss, in-depth, all aspects of frisking human beings, types of frisks, and much more.

During the last several hours of day four, officers will be tested again, utilizing the same or similar testing procedures, in order to determine how much the officer’s skills have improved over the course of the ride training program and to determine the effectiveness of the training program.

This extremely in-depth training program has seen the initiation of numerous significant criminal arrests or criminal investigations during the course of the four-day ride. These arrests have included the seizure of hundreds of kilos of marijuana, numerous multi-kilo seizures of hard narcotics, the detection and seizure of after-market false compartment equipped vehicles, one seizure of almost $400,000 in US currency, tractor-trailer interdictions that resulted in large currency or narcotics seizures, numerous serious felony level warrant arrests, weapons arrests and multiple weapon seizures, terrorist suspect stops and interactions, and hundreds of other criminal offenses. This is a very effective training program that has seen graduating officers go on to become some of the best proactive patrol officers within their departments. Some have even become become ranked among the very best within the United States, and in several cases, some of the very best in the world, to include at least one national interdiction officer of the year.

Smart Interdiction prides itself on providing training that stresses the importance of legal patrol techniques that have stood the test of federal and state level courts across the country. We will show the correct way to conduct effective patrol operations that can lead to dramatic increases in the detection and apprehension of criminal suspects, as well as the seizure of high value contraband, and the initiation of investigations that can reach international levels in scope, all while stressing the need to treat others as we hope to be treated ourselves.

Cost: This unique training course is priced at $4,999 per officer, $3,999 per officer when two officers are registered, and $3,499 per officer when three or more officers are registered.