NCJ Number
85656
Journal
Police Studies Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1982) Pages: 38-51
Date Published
1982
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the riots of May 1980 in Miami, Fla., discusses the police obligation to provide immediate tactical response to collective acts of civil disturbance, and assesses how these were met during the Miami events.
Abstract
The Miami riots are compared to disturbances elsewhere (Los Angeles, Detroit, New Orleans, New York, etc.) in terms of initial organizational shock among police, implementation of contingency planning, and the effective establishment of a command post. The discussion prescribes functional objectives for the command post, which is the point of control and coordination for a nonstandard emergency. These include responding immediately to the needs of the field commander; keeping fully informed and aware of all pertinent factors; maintaining fast, integrated, and coordinated control of operations; reducing chances of error; and freeing the commander from supervisory details and routine matters. It is also suggested that agencies involved in the delivery of emergency services periodically practice command post exercises, especially with the use of computer simulations in which variables are altered to reflect a changing sequence of priorities and problems. Tabular data and 55 footnotes are given.