Response to the Non-Criminal Barricade
Disengagement & Special Relationships®
Online and In-Person Training
Understand your states liability laws and learn modern tactics for armed, suicidal, and barricaded subjects.
Response to the Non-Criminal Barricade
Disengagement and Special Relationships®
(8 Hours)
This course teaches law enforcement officers and supervisors the best way to respond to mentally ill persons who are armed, barricaded, and in crisis. Students will leave the course with an understanding of modern disengagement and re-engagement tactics, the specific ways to avoid liability, and a collection of the best non-criminal barricade policies from police agencies all around the country.
If you are like a lot of law enforcement professionals you have considered these questions:
- What should officers do with a suicidal person alone in their own home who refuses to exit?
- Do officers have a legal duty to take action to try to save the subject from harming themselves?
- When is it appropriate to disengage from a non-criminal barricaded suspect and will officers be liable if the subject harms a third party?
The way law enforcement officers respond to a mentally ill person in crisis is a topic of intense debate. In this course, we’ll first answer each of those questions and discuss your state’s laws about liability and the “public duty doctrine” (that’s right, each training course is customized for the state we are presenting it in. Then we will examine several case studies, some which resulted in the agency being found liable and some where the agency was not. You will see real world videos from dramatic incidents when the police disengaged, and some when they should have. You’ll learn the modern tactics your agency can use to both limit liability and prevent a violent confrontation.
Each student will receive:
- An understanding of your state’s laws regarding the public duty doctrine, special relationships, liability, and duty
- A decision-making cheat sheet for disengagement
- Policies, a police report template, and a script to use to sever special relationships
Two Ways to Attend This Course:
In-Person Course
Upcoming Presentations:
Response to the Non-Criminal Barricade
Mar 11 • Addison, IL
Mar 14 • Greer, SC
Mar 18 • Simi Valley, CA
Apr 1 • Redwood City, CA
Apr 4 • Marysville, CA
Apr 23 • Prior Lake, MN
Apr 24 • Dearborn, MI
May 12 • Kalamazoo, MI
May 27 • Harrisburg, PA
May 30 • Clermont, FL
Jun 4 • Weyer's Cave, VA
Jun 16 • Mason, OH
Your Instructors

Scott Savage is a recognized expert in the response to non-criminal barricades. Scott is an experienced law enforcement officer who has not only commanded these types of incidents in the field, but also trains officers all over California and beyond on how to do the same. His study of the subject has included gathering response protocols from agencies both in and outside of California. Scott is a dynamic speaker who is passionate about bringing this important information to the law enforcement community.

