How Riot Control Works

Riot Control Tactics

The tactics used to control riots in the past were simple -- they were based on the fact that the police were almost always better-armed than the rioters. The tactics they used basically consisted of forming a line and charging into the crowd. Today, the police are still well-armed, but tactics have advanced significantly in hopes of preventing injuries.

When a riot is in full swing, police will deploy in a square formation with a command team at the center. The command team is protected on all four sides by echelons of troops deployed in groups of 10 or 12 officers. There is also an arrest team at the center of the square.

This tactical unit is very mobile and able to adapt on the fly to changes in the situation. If a threat suddenly appears behind or to one side of the unit, then the echelon facing that direction is designated the front of the unit. The entire team can then change the direction it's facing without a lot of maneuvering. Also, the echelons can cover each other when the team moves to take advanced positions. If the unit is under attack, the whole team does not move together: One echelon moves while the others provide covering fire or an actual physical screen (with riot shields). Then another echelon moves up into position.

The echelon is not meant to be an impenetrable wall of cop. In fact, the riot squad often leaves an escape route to let rioters run past the squad. The officers can adopt a passive position, in which they spread out and leave several yards between each officer. The crowd can then easily filter through them. If a particularly violent group moves toward the officers or they spot specific suspects they want to arrest, they can quickly close the gaps and form a tight line.

As the unit moves forward into a crowd, it will prod and push at anyone who doesn't respond to requests to move away by the time the front echelon reaches them. If they still refuse to move, the unit continues moving forward, but the front echelon opens up and passes around the protestors. Once the protestors are inside the square, the unit stops, the front echelon reforms and the arrest team processes the rioters. When they're done, the unit can continue moving.

In the next section, we'll see what equipment crowd-control units use to do their job.

Riot Scrimmage

To train in the use of their gear and to gain confidence in the protection it provides, crowd control units have "practice riots." The Cheektowaga Police Department uses an abandoned hockey arena for theirs. The unit is split into two teams -- the Crowd Management Unit and the rioters. The rioters spend a few minutes throwing whatever is handy at their fully armored fellow officers, including 2x4s, hockey pucks, rocks and bricks. Once the officers have learned that their protective gear really works, they get to "control" the rioters. One officer admitted that while the practice is valuable for many reasons, "it's also pretty fun."

How Not to Control a Riot: Mayor Daley and the Chicago Gestapo

The 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, Illinois, was the site of some of the most brutal acts committed by U.S. police against their own citizens. More than 10,000 anti-war protesters showed up for the convention, angered by the Democrats' planned nomination of a pro-war candidate, Hubert Humphrey. Mayor Richard Daley was very vocal in his hatred of the protestors. He had the Chicago police put up massive barricades around the convention and denied the protestors permits for demonstrations and parades.

Although some of the protestors planned to protest violently, the demonstrations probably would not have reached the level of full-scale riots if not for the police. The Chicago police, perhaps because of their own political views, saw the protesters as the enemy. Protestors, reporters, by-standers and anyone who voiced opposition to their tactics were beaten, gassed and then dragged off to be arrested. Even Red Cross medics who were trying to aid the wounded were beaten by the police.