A Systems Approach to In-Progress Incidents

Chaos is contagious, but so is calmness. When cops respond to hot calls, including crimes in progress and critical incidents, confusion can spread quickly when no one is on the same page. The result can be panicked radio traffic, duplicated efforts, and uncertainty about what is happening and what the plan is. At best, that confusion wastes time and resources. At worst, it can contribute to a preventable tragedy.

In tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving situations, responding officers and supervisors need to make sense of what is happening, identify the priorities, and decide what to do next. But how do agencies prepare them to do that consistently?

That was the challenge facing the training unit at the Santa Clara Police Department in California. Some patrol officers were young and inexperienced. Others had joined the department after long careers at other agencies, bringing different habits and approaches to handling hot calls. What they lacked was a shared mental framework for understanding an incident and deciding how to respond.

In this presentation, Savage Training Group founder Scott Savage explains how he and his colleagues in the Santa Clara PD Training Unit identified the issues and developed a practical solution. They created a shared framework to help even inexperienced cops see situations through the eyes of an experienced officer. Their training focused on helping officers recognize what matters, think through problems, and choose an appropriate response. Scott shares the results his department experienced and walks you through how to apply the same system at your agency.

Filmed in front of a live audience, this presentation combines an entertaining delivery with practical lessons you can put to work. After watching the video and downloading the accompanying materials, you’ll have a clear game plan for helping your officers make sense of chaos, establish shared priorities, and make safe, legal, and calm decisions in a crisis.