Why our hands resting on our outer vest sends the wrong message

Everyday officers  respond to the public's call for service. Some only need single officer to respond, but most require multiple officers. When multiple officers are on scene, that usually means something bad has happened. The public always wants to know what is going on whenever they see a large police presence. They will stand outside and watch, they will tweet, snap or post about it. The news media will arrive and they will be doing the same thing. Speculation always arises first and then is answered through press conferences, media releases and on camera interviews.

But the perception of the public on how officers act, present themselves while at a crime scene can put undue scrutiny on policing methods and operations. Rauser says that “Gallows humor” is defined as “witticism in the face of – and in response to – a hopeless situation. It arises from stressful, traumatic, or life-threatening situations, often in circumstances such that death is perceived as impending and unavoidable.” 1   Law enforcement officers see things in their daily duties that the average person may never see in their lifetime. They experienced depravity, despair and desperation in acts committed by one human being against another. The experiences that officers see has an impact upon them and can become cumulative. Officers often deal with the stress of that situation through the use of "Gallows humor", it is a coping skill for what they have observed or experienced and yet they still have a job to do.

The public does not always understand this and the observations can be miss understood. But a certain behavior that I have seen over recent years with the use of the outer body armor carrier has become an image. It also is something that police trainers and supervisors have voiced their dislike in the image. First, police officers have this habit, when they have idle time, they have to figure out where to put their hands. So standing around a crime scene is one of those places. They can't put their hands on their guns, hands on hips is the universal gesture to communicate that a person is ready for assertive action. It's also known as a the 'readiness' gesture, that is, the person is ready for assertive action, it's basic meaning carries a subtly aggressive attitude everywhere. 2  Officers have now moved to putting their hands hanging on their vests or inside their vests. 

From an Officer Safety perspective if you are not surrounded by other officers, having your hands tucked inside your vest or up around your upper chest area makes the ability to react to a potential threat that much harder. The hands in your pockets, is also an Officer Safety image. Your hands being locked inside the pockets, makes it that much harder to get the hands out of the pockets to protect yourself. But that image has a deeper connotation, it;s referred to as the Cowboy Stance, the arms take the readiness position and the hands serve as central indicators, highlighting the genitals. 2   All to commonly men use this gesture to take their territory or to show other men that they are unafraid. But the imagery of that stance in public can also be someone indifferent or uncaring to the general public. Depending on the circumstance of the crime scene or incident that has the potential to increase tensions in the community.    

Image is an important consideration in law enforcement. How the public perceives what we do, how we do and how we react to things is extremely important for us to take into account.  So being perceived as uncaring, above it all can make people uncomfortable, uncertain and questioning of authority. 

So Justin Freeman, a police trainer talks about hands and where you have them located at, 3  

specifically as to where they go which can create a communication barrier. Freeman talks about his early days, while he was still in Field Training, he was told by his FTO that he naturally put his hand to rest near his gun, unbeknownst to him intimidating people. He noted that any of the items on his belt that were control devices could have that same impact. Freeman talks about re-configuring his belt to have open spaces to rest his hands when talking to someone. These nonverbal cues can have intimidating factor and should always be considered.

Some cops hook their fingers under the top of their ballistic vest, steeple their fingers or use one hand to grasp the opposite wrist. Nonverbal intimidation will have a place for each of us at points, but it needs to be something we are cognizant about. 

As I have said throughout this article image and perception are things that a modern law enforcement officer must take into consideration. We must think of how we are framing ourselves visually, regardless of where we are in the community, on an arrest, talking to a community member or making a presentation. It is something we always have to take into consideration at all times as we navigate our career in law enforcement.

1. Rauser, Randall, (December, 2012) Why are you laughing? Reflections on the ethics of gallows humor, Retrieved from https://randalrauser.com/2012/12/why-are-you-laughing-reflections-on-the-ethics-of-gallows-humor/

2.Westside Toastmasters is located in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://westsidetoastmasters.com/resources/book_of_body_language/chap11.html.
3. Freeman, Justin  (September, 2019) 5 things police officers should know about their body language
    Retrieved from https://www.policeone.com/patrol-issues/articles/5-things-police-officers-should-know-about-their-body-language-Y1LQ18dUEHPABCoq/