Criminal Justice Defensive Tactics

Course Description

CJK0051C – Criminal Justice Defensive Tactics is a Postsecondary Adult Vocational (PSAV) clock-hour course that is part of Florida's Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC) Basic Recruit Training (BRT) curriculum required for sworn Florida law enforcement and corrections officer certification. The course aligns with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) CJSTC Defensive Tactics curriculum and prepares trainees in the legal, tactical, and physical skills required to lawfully and safely use control techniques and physical force in their official duties.

Students develop competencies in the legal framework for use of force (Florida law and constitutional standards), the use-of-force continuum, defensive stances, escort techniques, takedowns, ground defense, weapon retention and disarming, restraint application (handcuffing), control of resistive subjects, and de-escalation techniques. The curriculum integrates substantial classroom instruction on legal and tactical decision-making with extensive physical-skills practice in a controlled training environment under FDLE-certified defensive tactics instructors.

This course is offered at approximately 31 Florida technical colleges and Florida College System institutions that operate FDLE/CJSTC-approved Basic Recruit Training programs. Successful completion of CJK0051C is one of the required components of the Florida Law Enforcement and Corrections BRT curriculum and contributes to eligibility for the Florida State Officer Certification Examination (SOCE).

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Apply the legal framework for use of force, including Florida statutory law (Chapter 776, Florida Statutes — Justifiable Use of Force), Fourth Amendment constitutional standards (Graham v. Connor objective reasonableness), and agency policy frameworks.
• Apply the use-of-force continuum and the principle of objective reasonableness to assess and select appropriate force responses to varying levels of subject resistance.
• Demonstrate defensive stances and movement, including interview stance, defensive stance, and tactical movement preserving officer safety.
• Demonstrate escort techniques for cooperative and non-cooperative subjects, including standing escorts and walk-along techniques.
• Demonstrate takedown techniques, including controlled takedowns of resistant subjects with minimal injury risk to subject and officer.
• Demonstrate ground defense and ground control techniques, including standing up safely from the ground, ground escapes, and controlling subjects on the ground.
• Demonstrate weapon retention techniques for protecting the officer's firearm and intermediate weapons (TASER, baton, OC) from disarmament attempts.
• Demonstrate restraint application, including proper handcuffing of standing, kneeling, and prone subjects; double cuffing; transition cuffing; and recognition of positional asphyxia risks.
• Demonstrate control of resistive subjects using approved compliance techniques and joint manipulation appropriate to resistance level.
• Apply de-escalation techniques, including verbal de-escalation, tactical communication, and recognizing crisis situations (mental health crisis, intoxication) where alternative approaches may resolve incidents.
• Apply post-use-of-force responsibilities, including subject medical assessment and care, securing the scene, witness identification, and use-of-force reporting.
• Apply safety practices in defensive tactics training and operational situations, recognizing the risk of injury to self, partner, and subject.
• Demonstrate physical fitness and conditioning consistent with CJSTC training and operational standards.

Optional Outcomes

• Apply specialized restraint techniques (e.g., spit hood application, seated restraint, transport restraint) used in particular operational contexts.
• Engage with agency-specific defensive tactics doctrine for trainees who have agency sponsorship.
• Apply scenario-based decision-making integrating defensive tactics with broader use-of-force decisions in dynamic simulations.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Legal Framework for Use of Force: Florida Chapter 776 (Justifiable Use of Force statutes); the Fourth Amendment and Graham v. Connor (objective reasonableness); the use-of-force continuum; agency policy; deadly force vs. non-deadly force distinctions; reporting requirements.
• Use-of-Force Decision-Making: Reading subject behavior; resistance levels (psychological intimidation, verbal non-compliance, passive resistance, defensive resistance, active aggression, aggravated active aggression); selecting proportional response; transition between force levels; threat assessment.
• Officer Safety Principles: Awareness color codes (Cooper); pre-attack indicators; tactical positioning; cover and concealment; partner communication and contact-cover roles.
• Stance and Movement: Interview stance; defensive stance; foot positioning; balance; tactical movement; reactionary gap; the Tueller drill principle (action vs. reaction).
• Verbal Communication and De-Escalation: Tactical communication; commands; de-escalation strategies; recognizing emotionally disturbed persons (EDP), mental health crisis, and substance intoxication; calling for assistance and crisis intervention resources.
• Escort Techniques: Cooperative escort; resistant escort; transport escort; multiple-officer escort; managing the unwilling subject during transport.
• Takedowns: Controlled takedown techniques; armbar takedowns; leg sweeps where included; balance disruption; minimizing injury during takedown.
• Ground Defense and Control: Falling safely; getting up safely (technical stand-up); ground escapes; basic ground control positions; recognizing and avoiding ground engagement when possible; managing fights that go to the ground.
• Weapon Retention: Firearm retention techniques (holstered and in-hand); intermediate weapon retention (TASER, baton, OC); responding to disarming attempts; the priority of retention.
• Restraint Application — Handcuffing: Speed cuffing; standing handcuffing; kneeling handcuffing; prone handcuffing; double-cuffing; transitioning cuffs (chain cuffs to hinge cuffs, etc.); checking for tightness and double-locking; positional asphyxia awareness.
• Compliance Techniques and Joint Manipulation: Wrist locks; arm bars; pressure points (where included); compliance principles; minimizing injury while maintaining control.
• Multiple-Subject Encounters: Tactical considerations; partner communication; control priorities; calling for backup.
• Post-Use-of-Force Responsibilities: Subject medical assessment and care; positional asphyxia checking; securing scene; identifying witnesses; collecting evidence; use-of-force reporting per agency and CJSTC requirements; supervisor notification.
• Physical Conditioning: Fitness requirements for the role; conditioning for sustained operational readiness; injury prevention.

Optional Topics

• Specialized Restraint Devices: Spit hoods; flexible restraints; transport restraints.
• Crisis Intervention Integration: Linking defensive tactics with crisis intervention training (CIT) principles and practices.
• Scenario-Based Training: Integrated reality-based scenarios combining decision-making, communication, and physical skills.
• Agency-Specific Doctrine: Variations in technique and policy for trainees with agency sponsorship.

Resources & Tools

• Required Manuals: Florida CJSTC Defensive Tactics curriculum materials; agency policy manuals (where applicable); FDLE Officer Safety publications
• Training Equipment: Defensive tactics training mats; protective equipment (mouthpieces, groin protection where used); training handcuffs; training weapons (red guns, blue guns); padded suits or simulated subjects for certain drills
• Reference Standards: Florida Statutes Chapter 776 (Justifiable Use of Force); Florida Statutes Chapter 943 (CJSTC); Florida Administrative Code Chapter 11B (CJSTC rules); Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386 (1989); Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1 (1985); current CJSTC defensive tactics standards
• Reference Organizations: Florida Department of Law Enforcement (fdle.state.fl.us); CJSTC; International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); Police Executive Research Forum (PERF); national use-of-force research and best-practice publications

Career Pathways

CJK0051C is one component of the Florida Basic Recruit Training (BRT) curriculum required for sworn law enforcement and corrections positions. Successful completion of the full BRT plus passing the State Officer Certification Examination (SOCE) plus hiring by an agency leads to careers as:

• Florida Sworn Law Enforcement Officer — Local police, county sheriff's deputies, state agencies (Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Agriculture).
• Florida Sworn Correctional Officer — Florida Department of Corrections (state prisons); county detention/jail facilities; Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (where CJSTC certification is required).
• Federal Law Enforcement — While federal agencies (FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Secret Service, ICE, CBP) have their own training academies (FLETC, FBI Academy at Quantico), Florida BRT-certified officers are well-prepared for the competitive selection processes for federal law enforcement careers.
• Specialized Law Enforcement Roles — School resource officer, K-9 handler, SWAT, narcotics, traffic homicide, crime scene investigation — typically reached through experience and additional specialized training after initial certification.

Florida law enforcement and corrections employment is sustained at high levels across the state, with consistent hiring at major agencies including the Miami-Dade Police Department, Broward Sheriff's Office, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Orlando Police Department, Tampa Police Department, FHP, FDLE, and FDC.

Special Information

Florida Basic Recruit Training (BRT) Context

CJK0051C is one of multiple required courses within the Florida CJSTC Basic Recruit Training curriculum. Florida law enforcement BRT consists of approximately 770 hours; corrections BRT is approximately 420 hours. Defensive Tactics is a substantial portion of the physical-skills training within both. Other required BRT components include:

• Legal foundations
• Patrol techniques
• Investigation
• Traffic stops and crash investigation
• Firearms training
• First responder/medical
• Vehicle operations (EVOC — Emergency Vehicle Operations Course)
• Communications
• Ethics and professionalism

Florida State Officer Certification Examination (SOCE)

After completion of all BRT requirements, recruits sit for the SOCE administered by Pearson VUE on behalf of CJSTC. Passing the SOCE within four years of BRT completion is required for Florida law enforcement or corrections certification. Successful candidates may then be hired by Florida law enforcement or corrections agencies (each agency conducts its own background investigation and hiring process, including agency-specific physical fitness, medical, and psychological evaluation requirements).

Admission and Eligibility

Florida BRT admission typically requires:

• U.S. citizenship
• Minimum age 19 years
• High school diploma or equivalent
• No felony or qualifying misdemeanor convictions; clean driving record
• Background investigation
• Drug screening
• Medical and physical fitness assessment (CJSTC Physical Abilities Test or equivalent)
• Some institutions require admission interview or specific application process

Many BRT students are sponsored by hiring agencies; non-sponsored ("self-sponsored") students complete training and seek hiring after certification.

Physical Demands and Safety

Defensive tactics training is physically demanding and carries inherent risk of injury (sprains, strains, contusions, occasional more serious injuries). All training is conducted under FDLE/CJSTC-certified defensive tactics instructors with established safety protocols. Students with significant musculoskeletal conditions or other medical concerns should consult their healthcare provider before beginning DT training.

Continuing Education

Florida sworn officers are required to complete mandatory retraining (Mandatory Retraining Inspection) including periodic Defensive Tactics retraining throughout their careers. CJK0051C establishes the foundational competencies that officers continue to maintain and build upon through agency in-service training.