Force Under Pressure: How Cops Live and Why They Die (Paperback)

by Laurence Blum (Author) "Officer Survival Training, as it is now taught, usually addresses seven basic casual factors..." (more)
Key Phrases: perceptual trauma, trauma support teams, police depression, Force Under Pressure, Stress Management Resources, Rodney King (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Lawrence Blum describes the sources of danger, injuries, and victory to police officers in a down-to-earth, readable style. Blum’s main point is that there are missing "ingredients" in the training and socialization of police officers. In his book, these ingredients include techniques and tools to condition the officer’s decision-making and concentration during conditions of emergency; internal controls necessary to maintain the will to survive; and aids that will prevent officers being defeated by any threat. Blum offers tools to help police officers cope with unanticipated or rapidly changing encounters.

About the Author
Lawrence Blum, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist who has worked with police departments for over twenty years. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Lantern Books (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930051123
• ISBN-13: 978-1930051126
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #251,650 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Officer Survival and Family Survival Text, January 21, 2001

By	Charles S. Heal "Sid Heal" (Los Angeles area, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Force Under Pressure is a book written by a psychologist with a deep appreciation of law enforcement tactical operations, especially those requiring deadly force. I had read only the first chapter when I stopped and got a pen and highlighter and began making marginal notes identifying key ideas and phrases for later use. Dr. Blum demonstrates a clear understanding of the ambiguity, confusion, high risk and severe time constraints that accompany law enforcement tactical encounters. He describes the effects of stress on human thinking and why perceptual distortion can lead to false conclusions. Each of the learning points is amplified by a actual situations. The book concludes with recommendation for surviving deadly encounters, not only physically but mentally and spiritually as well. This book is now one of the texts in my library on crisis decision making.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Text for Police Use of Force Instructors, September 6, 2001

By	Anthony Cataldo (Jupiter, Fl www.CombatDojo.com) - See all my reviews

I have been a police officer for 20 years and a Defensive Tactics Instructor for 17 years, this book highlights the psycological data that has taken me 10 years to learn and condensed it into a easy to read text. This book should be read by all police officers and possibly by all recruits in the academy. It should be a mandatory text to be studied by all police use of force instructors, this includes firearm instructors. Any instructor who is serious about teaching their students effective techniques of survival need themselves to understand the psycological process of a lethal threat encounter and be capable of imparting said knowledge to their students. It is the mind that must be trained and the body will follow. Good work Dr. Blum.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Force under pressure, May 12, 2001

By	Brian P. Butler (Youngstown, OH United States) - See all my reviews

I have read a lot of books pertaining to police work. This is the first one that I have had the opportunity to read that is written for police officers. This book is geared for a police officer to read. It brings up many insights into officer safety, feelings of guilt and sadness, along with how to deal with them. The only negative thing that I could say about this book would be that it is written almost in a "school book" or informative style. I think that the author could have used othre angles to make it a little more interesting.