Introduction

Strategic Self-defense & Grappling Tactics
As a Defensive Tactics System for Law Enforcement, Corrections, and High Level Security Officers, Strategic Self-defense & Grappling Tactics (SSGT) is dedicated to practical, effective and court defensible techniques. This system is a leader in addressing the most serious situations law enforcement officers face in the line of duty such as: Bear-hugs, head-locks, throat grabs, tackles, handgun and long gun retention and disarming, knife defense and what to do in various ground grappling situations. SSGT addresses these situations without the use of excessive force and complicated martial arts movements. This is a tactically documented system with an organized method of instruction, addressing both officer and subject safety.

SSGT Use of Force General Policy
Law Enforcement Agencies must recognize and respect the value and dignity of every person. In vesting law enforcement officers with the lawful authority to use force to protect the public welfare, a careful balancing of all human interests is required.

Courtesy in all public contacts encourages understanding and cooperation. The most desirable method for effectuating an arrest is where a suspect/subject complies with simple directions given by an officer. When officers are confronted with a situation where control is required to effectuate an arrest or protect the public safety, officers must attempt to achieve control through advice, warnings and persuasion. Where such verbal persuasion has not been effective, is not feasible, or would appear to be ineffective, an officer may use force that is reasonably necessary.

Policing requires that, at times, an officer must exercise control over a physically violent, or resistive individual to make an arrest, or protect the officer, other officers, or members of the general public from risk of imminent harm. Police officers must only use an amount of force that is reasonably necessary to effectively bring an incident under control, while protecting the lives of the officers and others.

To implement the use of force on a subject, a law enforcement officer must be justified in doing so. Any officer using force must:

1. Act within the legal boundaries of the United States Constitution and Statutory Law.

2. Act within the legal boundaries of all applicable State Constitutional and Statutory Law.

3. Act according to the regulations, training, procedures and policies of their department.

4. Show that there was a need for the use of force.

5. Show that the need for the use of force and the actual amount of force used are legally proportional.

6. Show that the injury inflicted on the suspect/subject, if applicable, is proportional to the level of resistance exhibited by the suspect.

7. Show that the level of force used was reasonable based on the totality of the known facts at the time said force was used.

Case Law
Graham v. Connor 45 Crl. 3033, May, 1989, U.S. Supreme Court

The Supreme Court stated that the central issue in physical force cases is the issue of whether the officer’s actions are objectively reasonable in light of the facts and circumstances at the time of the incident.

Under the Fourth Amendment:

Factors include whether;

The officers relied upon good and reasonable police practice; and whether officers in this situation acted as other “reasonable” and “prudent” officers would act faced with a like or similar situation.

Campbell v. Sims, (Ala. Civ. App. 1996)

Franklin v. City of Huntsville, (Ala. 1995)

These cases held that an officer may be held liable only if more force is used than is necessary based on the totality of the facts in the event.

Deadly Force
Law enforcement officers are authorized to use deadly force only when it is reasonable and necessary to protect the officer and/or others from an imminent danger or death or serious physical injury to the officer or another person. If non-deadly force reasonably appears to be sufficient to accomplish an arrest or otherwise accomplish the law enforcement purpose, deadly force is not necessary or lawful.

Non-deadly Force
Law enforcement officers are authorized to use Agency-approved non-deadly force techniques and agency-issued equipment where reasonable and necessary to resolve incidents: to protect themselves or another from physical harm; to restrain or subdue a resistant individual; or to bring an unlawful situation safely and effectively under control. Where non-deadly force is authorized, officers must assess the incident to determine which non-deadly technique or weapon will best de-escalate the incident and bring it under control in a safe manner.

OUR PHILOSOPHY
A Realistic Approach
We realize that when it comes to Defensive Tactics, there are no foolproof techniques and anything can be defeated. With that in mind, our goal is to teach techniques that, in real-life situations, work for most people, against most people, most of the time. We have rigorously tested every technique we teach to assure each one is effective, easy to learn, and easy to remember. Techniques that work hypothetically and only in ideal conditions have no place in Law Enforcement Training where officer’s lives are on the line. Law enforcement training must be realistic!

This Is Not A Game!
Many in the Martial Arts Community offer Programs for Law Enforcement Officers without a thorough understanding of Law Enforcement and the officers that serve. When an officer is attacked, the subject is not trying to win points or make the officer “Tap out.” And, there is always at least one gun in the fight-the officer’s. These facts dictate that law enforcement officers cannot be trained in the same manner as Martial Arts Competitors. Officers have a different set of goals and objectives than competitors and therefore must train with that in mind. Finally, Law Enforcement Trainers know that many officers do not want to train, are not physically fit, and some are not gifted in the area of coordination. These facts, along with limited training time, dictate that whatever we train officers to do, as relates to defensive tactics, must be simple yet effective. Complicated Sport Martial Arts techniques for situations where there is no firearm present are not the answer.

Is Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) The Answer?
There is no doubt that many valuable things can be learned from taking MMA, but remember, MMA is a sport and there are rules-no biting, no eye gouging, no hair pulling, no fish-hooking, no groin strikes, and etc. Many of the strategies and techniques used by MMA competitors are developed with “the rules” in mind. Law enforcement officers do have to follow the rules while performing their duties, but a subject who physically attacks an officer will not likely follow anyone’s rules. If an officer is trained in techniques that require the subject to obey “the rules” in order for the techniques to be successful in a physical confrontation, then the officer is likely to be anything but successful. When a law enforcement officer is attacked, it’s not a game!      

Repetition Is King
We believe that for a participant to be truly prepared for a physical confrontation, they must first receive quality self-defense instruction in proven techniques. Next, they must perform as many repetitions as time will afford. It is our belief that when it comes to learning self-defense, “Repetition is King.” Dynamic simulation is great, but only after the participants know the techniques thoroughly and can perform them without hesitation. Today, flight simulators are used all over the country for aviation training. Why? To allow pilots the opportunity to get plenty of flight repetitions without the risk of crashing. We keep our participants in the “flight simulator” during our classes. There is no big, expensive suit to purchase and our injury rates are below one percent. We have used the method of “Repetition is King” with our SSGT program for over ten years. We know it works because SSGT has saved three officers’ lives and many more from serious injury in the line of duty.