Course Details

Top 20 Tactical Principles: 1-10

1300 - 1700
Murphy, Dan

SEMINAR

Location: Maryland B

This course is divided into two (2) presentations. Attendees may choose to attend both sessions, as each will focus on different elements of the Top 20 concepts - an in-depth exploration of principles that are foundational to the mindset, philosophy, and tactical considerations of today's law enforcement officers. The Top 20 concepts are essential for effective daily and critical decision-making. They apply to officers, supervisors, and managers across patrol and special operations, and are relevant to a wide range of incidents, including suicidal subject calls and crowd management events. Regardless of prior experience, participants will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of key topics such as: the Balanced Officer (warrior vs. guardian), soft skills, de-escalation, the OODA loop, tactical decision-making, safety priorities, officer jeopardy, opportunity, the Four C's, space and time, tactical pause, and scenario-based integrated training. These concepts are delivered through incident debriefs and video analysis to promote practical application and discussion. A focused segment of the course will address approaches to suicidal subject calls, demonstrating how many of the Top 20 principles intersect in real-world, high-stress encounters. By the end of the course, attendees will be better equipped to make informed, consistent, and defensible decisions using a structured five-step decision-making model-ultimately becoming more balanced and effective leaders in their agencies.