 |
| Kurt Suss |
A vigilant officer saw an inmate walking past his control post; the officer noticed a rolled-up towel under the inmate’s arm.
“Hey, shake out that towel,” the officer ordered.
Oksana Sazhnieva: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
“Unit one to recreation, we have a lot of layered up cons heading to the gym.”
Another day about 50 inmates were “layered up” with coats, extra clothes, even some winter jackets and scarves around their necks. It was a comfortable warm evening — in late August.
Preparing for inclement weather one may think? No. Preparing for a prison gang war in the same Canadian penitentiary.
As indicated in my previous article, the 21-foot application is the distance required for a police officer deploying lethal force when encountering a subject with an edged weapon.
Police are trained to shoot until the knife threat has stopped, with multiple rapid shots, or three shots using the “Mozambique method” or “failure drill”: two shots to the torso and one to the head.
Knife attacks in our society are so frequent that Canada is now considered among one of the knife culture countries of the world.
I am still bewildered at how the 21-foot rule has over time given the police officer justification to shoot a person holding a knife, no matter the circumstances. Consequently, correctional officers since the dawn of time are limited to physical handling and “verbal judo.” It seems as if it is taboo to even talk about the 21-foot rule in the Canadian correctional staff colleges, and oddly to this day is not even mentioned. Edged weapon attacks and defence training, in my opinion, are grossly underestimated. I feel this kind of training is misrepresented within the law enforcement community, our legal system and truly everyday civilian life. Many people conducting their everyday activities in urban environments are oblivious to the looming threat of the edged weapon.
I found it compelling and necessary to address the elephant in the room. I now shall introduce:
(Drum roll please.)
The Kurt Suss three-foot rule
Three feet is the standard distance that most correctional staff deal with incarcerated inmates, in some of the most violent edged-weapon environments imaginable. Truly, this is the distance to prepare your mind to evade or fight. It is at this distance you are going to get cut. It is a matter of preparing the mind and brain to react to fighting through the experience to stay alive until help arrives. There is no time to retrieve pepper spray, a baton or a firearm. You must protect the spot that is getting cut! If you are lucky enough to grab the attacker’s weapon hand, hold on until help arrives or until you can create a safer distance.
There is nothing an officer can do at that distance other than hopefully cover exposed target areas. It is entirely a reaction and action scenario at this distance. In addition, at this distance the knife is rarely seen before an attack.
Here is the caveat, my friends: the three-foot rule is as real as it gets. Unfortunately, it applies to everyone and anyplace that is public. It is not limited to prison-made shanks and attacks on correctional officers. It’s within our communities and everyday lives. It’s in our schools, shopping malls, hospitals, law offices and courtrooms. It’s our nurses, paramedics, firefighters, lawyers, store clerks or the retired teacher loading her car with groceries. It can be anyone now, anywhere.
Personal attacks are a growing concern in the very institution that is tasked with prevention and deterrence — the Canadian judicial system. A 2022 study, conducted in British Columbia, concluded that threats of physical attacks on Canadian lawyers are increasing, and is a widespread and underreported concern.
It can be a syringe, a pencil, broken piece of glass, a karambit, machete or Sykes Fairbairn fighting knife.
In my next article, I will address preparing mentally and physically for situational awareness, the most common style of attacks and the recovery.
Be aware — be safe!
Kurt F. Suss is a corrections officer with Correctional Service of Canada and a retired dog handler and trainer consultant. He is the author of Dogman: The Trials and Tribulations. He is currently at work on his second book Why Dogs Bite. He can be reached at isiscanine@hotmail.com.
The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author’s firm, its clients, Law360 Canada, LexisNexis Canada or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.
Interested in writing for us? To learn more about how you can add your voice to Law360 Canada, contact Analysis Editor Peter Carter at peter.carter@lexisnexis.ca or call 647-776-6740.