Using Your Five Senses To Increase Officer Safety (2024)

Are you using your five senses to help increase your officer safety?

SIGHT

Sight is often the starting point for officer action. Officers must be aware of various environmental and physical factors that can affect vision. Visual defects like nearsightedness (myopia) and farsightedness (hyperopia) can affect an officer’s vision if he or she does not wear corrective lenses. Lighting from sources like streetlights or fluorescent lamps can distort color perception. Darkness can greatly affect vision. When entering a sparsely lit situation, an officer should allow time for his or her eyes to adjust. Dimly lit objects tend to blend into the background and are harder to distinguish. One technique for visually adapting to darkness is for an officer to stop briefly after entering a dark area to allow his or her eyes to adjust.

HEARING

Hearing is used to identify elements such as voices, engines, and firearms. Factors such as traffic or noise from residences affect an officer’s hearing. Sometimes, peripheral noises impair the ability to hear and thus prevent an officer from identifying indicators of a crime. Officers should always be conscious of environmental noises when responding to calls.

SMELL

Officers use the sense of smell to identify dangerous substances by their odors. An officer may smell gasoline, petroleum products, natural gas, or gunpowder and determine that there is a potential threat. Many factors can affect an officer’s sense of smell, such as an officer’s health or weather conditions. Odors in an outside environment can mask other smells. Substances with strong odors like gasoline or ether can temporarily deaden an officer’s sense of smell. Some hazardous materials such as chlorine gas or ammonia may be harmful if smelled.

TOUCH

Officers may sometimes use touch to identify items during a pat down. Touch can also verify the presence of heat in tires and engines and determine if a vehicle has been driven recently. Touching walls or other surfaces can reveal heat that may indicate a fire. However, officers should be cautious about touching possible evidence or disturbing a crime scene.

TASTE

Taste is the only sense that would not be recommended to use in the security profession.All though if you have any ideas or situations where taste could help your officer safety please comment and share below!

Officers should never use taste to identify any unknown substance.

My name is Lucas Kennedy and I am an the Director of Operations for Blue Line Training Solutions. I have 15 years of law enforcement and private security experience to include executive management. I have trained police officers and security personals in the areas of use of force to include deadly force, firearms training, concealed weapons training, situational awareness, and legal aspects. If you have any questions concerning training or use of force please feel free to contact me.

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Lucas Kennedy

Director of Operations

Blue Line Training Solutions LLC.

Email: lucaskennedy@gmail.com