Arm Control / Escort System (ACES)

The Arm Control / Escort System was developed for use by the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department in response to recurring protests in the Midwest during the 1980s. The goal was to avoid the media spectacle that had occurred in other cities where officers were not prepared and trained to arrest, control and escort protestors. During the ACES program, participants learn tactics and techniques for cooperative and uncooperative subject control.

Incidents of civil unrest attract a great deal of media attention. Officers who are properly trained and prepared to deal with passive and active resistant protestors are more likely to experience less stress and physical injury. Proper training and confidence also helps reduce agency liability associated with injuries to subjects.

The ACES curriculum covers various arm control techniques to manage subjects, and nerve receptor tactics, which help gain compliance against arm-linked and resistant, uncooperative subjects. The ACES course is designed to increase officer safety and decrease the risk of injury to officers and subjects during incidents of civil disobedience.

 

This course material has been recently utilized by the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department to handle incidents such as the $15 an hour protests where entire intersections have been shut down.


Equipment needed: Casual or athletic clothing, footwear, and handcuffs.
Materials provided: Online Text