Many police departments have moved, in recent years, toward one-officer squad cars instead of two. Surely, having two officers work together makes more sense. Can't they provide backup for each other? Can't they more easily and safely deal with problematic situations? The answer is no. An officer with a partner is no safer than an officer on his own.
Just as important, two-officer teams are more likely to have complaints filed against them. With two officers, encounters with citizens are far more likely to end in an arrest or an injury to whomever they are arresting or a charge of assaulting a police officer.
Why? Because when police officers are by themselves, they slow things down, and when they are with someone else, they speed things up.
"All cops want two-man cars," says Gavin de Becker, Los Angeles security firm owner and author of the book "The Gift of Fear." "You have a buddy, someone to talk to. But one-man cars get into less trouble because you reduce bravado. A cop by himself makes an approach that is entirely different. He is not as prone to ambush. He doesn't charge in. He says, 'I'm going to wait for other cops to arrive.' He acts more kindly. He allows more time."
'Safety first' is all about teaching officers and ourselves how to keep out of trouble. Acting impulsively, due to anger or fear reinforced by those whom we are with, can lead to dangerous and tragic results. Whereas, giving ourselves enough time to assess the situation, before acting, can keep us and others safe.
Source: "blink" by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
