Situations of high stress in which the ‘fight-or-flight response’ is initiated can impact an officer’s perceptions, misperceptions and decision-making abilities. Using research-based, scientifically validated information coupled with case studies of contemporary real-world threats, critical incidents and experiences, we explore the specific effects of the body’s fight-or-flight response, the effects of that response on our ability to perform and how the limitations of human observation and perception can negatively impact our readiness.

Topics covered include:

• Law enforcement performance expectations- fact v. fiction
• Development of a personal culture of officer safety and maximizing learning potential
• Threat assessment; contemporary dangers to LEOs
• Stress physiology
• The brain and its role in survival performance
• The autonomic nervous system; its branches and functions
• Recall and memory considerations in critical incidents
• Observation and perception and human limitations; improving awareness
• Reaction time; action v. reaction
• How to prime the central nervous system for performance
• Mindset and prevailing in survival-stress situations