When a riot breaks out

[Kittan Bachika]

Below are two youtube videos of riots breaking out.

The first one is the infamous Bowe/Galotta fight

The second takes place at a high school graduation of all places.

To the people who work security and crowd control, what tactics do you use when dealing with these types of situations? Is there a way to defuse them before everything explodes?

 

[DarkConflict]

I'm surprised no one ever responded to this.

I know its almost 6yrs old but I was just looking through threads. Interesting at the lack of responses.

 

[drop bear]

Done heaps of them.

You gang up and protect yourself mostly. Mabye try to clamp the worst offenders and just try to push them into a position where they can do the least damage.

 

[RTKDCMB]

I'm surprised no one ever responded to this.

I know its almost 6yrs old but I was just looking through threads. Interesting at the lack of responses.

Whoever posted it obviously did not care much about getting answers because there was no follow up comment by the op in those 6 years.

 

[Buka]

Unfortunately, I've been in riots (working). Most were in the court ordered desegregation of the Boston Public School system back in the day. About twenty major ones, a lot more minor ones. They were considered "race riots." Others have been the result of professional sports teams winning championships. (massive crowds overturning cars and setting things on fire)

They are all different, they all suck, and they are very difficult to work.

 

[oftheherd1]

Follow your department's procedures, and protect yourself and your follow officers.

 

[JP3]

I never did peace officer work, but working in the bar sometimes you would get, not very often, something happen in a crowded part of the club right at the moment (Murphy's Law I think) none of the security guys are there.

Words escalate, hands wave, someone gets in someone's face, someone else pushes a punch is thrown. Someone gets hit, maybe not event he intended one and they fall back wards on to someone else who is now pissed too and maybe not even involved in the original "thing," but they are now and they swing and this sort of chain reactions forward until you get 20 to 50 people fighting and they don't know why except they feel threatened.

That is no fun when it is you and 3 or 4 of yoru fellow bouncer guys. You just go in, always in at least pairs, and start peeling the onion, taking them off the outside, handing them back to the others, and we Always ended up getting help from the regulars. Big aid there. They knew we'd buy beers later.

Nobody ever considered that the Bouncers had their own... Bar Guard, I guess you'd call it.