Chapter Ten

© 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved

Crisis InterventionWilliam Harmening

Roosevelt University

Harmening, Crisis Intervention: The Criminal Justice Response to Chaos, Mayhem, and Disaster

Chapter 10RESPONDING TO MASS PANIC


10.1

10.2

10.3

10.4

To explain the concept of mass panic.

To list and define the various types of mass panic.

To summarize the psychology of mass panic, and to define relevant factors such as the Schelling incident,

deindividuation, and contagion.

To describe the police response to mass panic, and to explain why preparedness, command and

communication, and contingency planning are important.

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

To explain the concept of mass panic.

Learning ObjectivesAfter this lecture, you should be able to complete the following Learning Outcomes

10.1

10.1 The Nature of Mass Panic

OVERVIEW

The onset of mass panic can be chaotic and dangerous. When panic sets in, people oftentimes set aside their own values and self-expectations and adopt those of the larger crowd.

Some of the more highly publicized cases of mass panic have included:

• Hurricane Katrina• L.A. Riots• The Beltway Sniper case• 9/11• The Summer of Sam

An ineffective police response will only worsen a mass panic, as was clearly seen in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

To list and define the various types of mass panic.


10.2

10.2 Types of Mass Panic

OVERVIEW

The method of containing and de-escalating a mass panic is determined in large part by the underlying factors that led to the crisis. There are four types of mass panic:

• Fear-driven panic• Desperation-driven panic• Anger-driven panic• Excitement-driven panic


FEAR-DRIVEN PANIC

• No panic will spread quicker if left uncontained.

• People tend to become very egocentric as they shift into survival mode to escape the source of the fear.

• Containment must be attempted quickly by the police through a high visibility presence to minimize the fear level.

• EX: 9/11, yelling “fire” in a theater


DESPERATION-DRIVEN PANIC

• Often seen following a natural disaster. Spurred on by a lack of resources.

• If not contained, can lead to violence as panic increases.

• Otherwise peaceful and law-abiding people may loot, riot, or even kill as a result of their heightened egocentricity overpowering their rational judgment and decision-making.

• This type of panic will be accelerated if there is a perceived loss of control on the part of the police and other responders.

• EX: Hurricane Katrina (New Orleans)


ANGER-DRIVEN PANIC

• Typically violent and dangerous.

• Rather than heightened egocentricity, participants may adopt the values and expectations of the larger group. Otherwise non-violent people may engage in violent and destructive activities as moral and ethical controls break down.

• Police may de-escalate through the use of force. Their use of force however may potentially cause a peaceful demonstration to turn into a anger-driven panic.

• EX: L.A. riots, WTO riots in Seattle.


EXCITEMENT-DRIVEN PANIC

• Often begins as a celebration following some event, such as a sporting event.

• Like the anger-driven panic, this type of panic occurs when individual participants adopt the goals and expectations of the larger group, disregarding their own moral and ethical standards and controls.

• Can turn violent if not contained quickly. The police can actually prevent this type of panic through effective proactive tactics, such as saturating potential hotspots with personnel.

• EX: Super Bowl celebration in the city streets following the game turns violent as people begin to destroy property.

To summarize the psychology of mass panic, and to define relevant factors such as the Schelling incident, deindividuation, and contagion.


10.3

10.3 Psychology of Mass Panic

THE SCHELLING INCIDENT

• Typically seen in an anger or excitement-driven panic.

• Named after Thomas Schelling (1960), the first to describe this dynamic of panic.

• It is an incident that acts to initiate the panic and cause participants to abandon their own moral and ethical controls and behave in accordance with the goals and expectations of the larger group.

The L.A. Riots of 1992: Incident: The jury’s acquittal of the officers charged in the beating of Rodney King.

• Schelling incidents can be something as simple as the sound of glass breaking, or perhaps the use of force by police. It serves as a signal to participants that they will not be acting alone.


DEINDIVIDUATION

• When individual participants immerse themselves in the group to the point of losing their sense of self-identity and becoming anonymous participants with less personal responsibility for their own actions.

• The group reaches a COLLECTIVE MIND, and once it does, individuals who have willingly set aside their individuality begin to conform their behavior to the perceived norms of the group.

• People are highly suggestive in this state. Deindividuation can spread rapidly, a process known as CONTAGION.

• Like the Schelling incident, typically seen in an anger or excitement-driven panic.


FEAR AND DESPERATION-DRIVEN PANICS

• Whereas anger and excitement-driven panics tend to be confrontational toward the police, fear and desperation-driven panics tend to at least start out as non-confrontational toward the police.

• Rather than DEINDIVIDUATION, participants in these panics tend to experience HYPER-INDIVIDUATION. Rather than adopting the group’s perceived norms and objectives, they take on an everyone-for-themselves mentality as they shift into survival mode.

• These panics are typically initiated by a perceived loss of control. Whereas participants in an anger or excitement-driven panic are running toward a target or objective, participants in a fear or desperation-driven panic are running away from a source or circumstance.


SUMMARY

Anger and Excitement-driven Panics

Fear and Desperation-driven Panics

Initial demeanor toward police

Confrontational Non-confrontational

Loss of control Intentional Unintentional

Onset of panic/ motivating factor

External/ Schelling incident

Internal/ loss of control

Individual psychological response

Deindividuation Hyper-individuation

To describe the police response to mass panic, and to explain why preparedness, command and communication, and contingency planning are important.


10.4

10.4 The Police Response

OVERVIEW

The police response to mass panic, or potential panic, is critical to containing and de-escalating the event. Either an under-response or an over-response can have deadly implications.

Examples:

• L.A. riots of 1992: The L.A. under-responded by focusing on containing the riot to a geographic area and not moving in to de-escalate. It became the deadliest riot in U.S. history.

• Hurricane Katrina (2005): The lack of response by the New Orleans Police Department set off a desperation-driven riot that led to the deaths of many.

• Seattle WTO riots of 1999: The over-response by the Seattle Police Dept. turned a planned peaceful demonstration into an anger-driven riot.


ELEMENTS OF THE POLICE RESPONSE

• PREPAREDNESS

• COMMAND AND COMMUNICATION

• CONTINGENCIES

• RULES OF ENGAGEMENT



• PREPAREDNESS

The less control the police perceive themselves has having, the higher the level of force they will resort to. Being prepared for all potential outcomes increases their perceived level of control, and allows them to contain and de-escalate with less force.

• COMMAND AND COMMUNICATION

All components of the police response must have open lines of communication and accurate intelligence and information. Commanders must know what’s going on inside the hot zone in order to make appropriate decisions.

• CONTINGENCIES

The police response must include plans for any eventual outcome. Mass panics are fluid and unpredictable. As circumstances change, the police must adjust their tactics in order to avoid exacerbating the situation.



RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

The rules and guidelines that determine the collective demeanor the police will take toward the participants in an active or potential mass panic.

• Anger or Excitement-driven panic: The goal of the police response in these cases is to make it readily apparent that the cost of participation will be high. The police proactively address the potential panic with a strong show of force and quick action to prevent a Schelling incident from eliciting violent or destructive group behavior.

• Fear or Desperation-driven panic: The police response must be focused on preventing the level of fear or desperation from rising. They must respond IN force rather than WITH force. They must be non-confrontational, and make use of public relations to bring calm.


A mass panic occurs when a group of people begin acting in ways that can be deadly or destructive, and typically contrary

to their own moral and ethical standards. Individuality is abandoned and a group mentality takes hold.

There are four types of mass panic; anger-driven, excitement-driven, desperation-driven, and fear-driven. The specific type

will guide the police response.

The police must be prepared to avoid exacerbating a potential panic either by their under-response or over-response. The

elements of their response include PREPAREDNESS, COMMAND AND COMMUNICATION, and CONTIGENCIES.

CHAPTER SUMMARY

10.1

10.2

10.4

“Deindividuation” often facilitates mass panic, as participants set aside their individual values and systems of control in

favor of the values and goals of the larger group.10.3


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Do you believe the government’s response to the disaster in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina was in part influenced by the demographics of the city at that time? In other words, was there a racial component?

2. Describe a recent anger or excitement-driven panic that was reported in the press, and identify the “Schelling incident” that set off the panic.

3. Discuss “deindividuation,” and describe a time when you experienced this phenomenon.

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