(Reprinted from "The Law Enforcement Trainer" magazine of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers)

Amid the chaos that surrounds a crisis, the most effective communication can often take place without one word being spoken. Robert Dent, recently retired Senior Trooper from the Oregon State Police (where he served more than 25 years), and Alan Morris, former Director of Training for the U.S. Navy SEALS, have developed cognitive signals for students and a wide array of public safety personnel. The purpose, simply put, is to save lives.

"We in public safety are given the test first and then the lesson," states Mr. Dent, who was seriously injured early in his career. He’d like to reverse that chronology for others in the public safety sector, and give students and educational staff an alternative way to communicate with emergency personnel. The idea of universal signals for safety was conceived by him about four years ago, and is comprised of uniquely cognitive gestures developed by Mr. Dent and Mr. Morris and include key American Sign Language signals. "This evolved from things I saw happening," says Mr. Dent. "I could see there was a need for improved communication between agencies responding to an emergency. I have seen too many people lose their lives needlessly from lack of, or inadequate, on scene communications capability." Additional considerations are that responding agencies are frequently on different radio frequencies, only one person can talk on the radio at a time, and using the radio can give away your location and compromise your safety.

He’d had success using signals in several incidents he’d encountered, including one when he signaled his rookie partner to "check for warrants" on a detained suspect. His partner after checking, signaled the "suspect was wanted." Dent then signaled to his partner to "take the advantage position," thereby maintaining control and increasing officer safety during the arrest. When his gestures worked, he thought of all the possibilities.

Columbine High School is one example where the efforts of emergency personnel were hindered by the inability to communicate with those inside. Response time was slowed significantly from the time police arrived at the school until a SWAT team was able to enter the building. Nobody knew where the gunmen were or how heavily they were armed. No one knew how many people had been shot. Police could see individuals in windows, but were unable to obtain critical information.

The "Silent Universal Signal" system provides a non-verbal form of communication that can be used in almost any situation. Gestures that signify that a child is being held against his or her will, or being threatened, could attract the attention of security officers or others who could intervene or provide assistance.

Signals are "common sense and easily learned," says Mr. Dent. A poster with 18 basic commands, from "silent" to "help me" and "come here" is hung in classrooms of participating schools as an immediate reference for students and teachers. In addition, specialized and other appropriate signals are taught to the teachers exclusively.

The program was launched May 25 at Elk Meadow Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, after Assistant Principal Bruce Reynolds saw a presentation at a Safe Schools Alliance meeting. He proposed implementing the program and received enthusiastic support from the principal and other staff at his school.

"We had our emergency procedures in place—our cell phones and special policies, but felt this fit the bill as one more way to keep our kids safe," says Mr. Reynolds. "We had our entire staff, teachers and support personnel, here for training."

"It was outstanding. Bob and Alan did an incredible job.  Everyone was amazed, he comments, at how much they learned in just two hours."

"You remember so much, but it’s all very logical. That’s what really helps," he states. Participants practice the signals and, in one demonstration, the trainer stands outside a window and gestures to communicate a message.

Posters are hung in Elk Meadow classrooms, and teachers are training students. A fire drill that was already planned was modified to be conducted in silence…"our goal is to move the kids outside absolutely silently," says Mr. Reynolds. Once students exhibit proficiency, a few additional signals will be taught.

Results from the training were immediate. One day after the program began, Mr. Reynolds saw a bus driver signal to another to ask if he had checked student IDs. The simple signal eliminated the need to shout or walk across the parking lot. Three other schools in Oregon are presently implementing the program.

Mr. Dent alludes to the silent signals used successfully by Native Americans for hunting and gaining tactical advantage over the enemy during battle. Street gangs and prison gangs, he notes, use their own form of sign language to counter the ability of law enforcement officials to anticipate their intentions. "Like the Native Americans, the "tribes" of public safety and education will benefit from a standardized silent communications protocol," Dent said.

The program is attracting interest from organizations throughout the country and abroad. United Nations peacekeeping forces have called for more information. Mr. Dent and Mr. Morris have trained an impressive array of public safety professionals, including a number of active or retired FBI agents, military intelligence officers, counter-terrorism officials, search and rescue, fire service professionals and are scheduled to train a cadre of personnel in Washington, D.C. this summer.

"This is not just for schools," notes Mr. Dent. "The potential magnitude is amazing." Recently the aviation industry has expressed an interest in the program’s potential for handling incidents of air rage.

Dent has parlayed his expertise into other areas of communication as well, and wrote two multi-lingual field manuals to help public safety professionals converse in 11 different languages. "The Complete Spanish Field Reference Manual for Public Safety Professionals" won an award for "Best Book of the Year for Content" by the National Association of Independent Publishers. He has written articles that were published internationally about the importance of officer safety, and the need for improved language and non-verbal communications. The beauty of signals is their universality, he states.

"We can standardize and teach this intuitive system to people who speak any language such as multi-national peace keeping forces. The signals are cognitive and, once you see them, you’ll remember them." He describes the method of training as "dynamic memory channeling," i.e. each signal easily links to others.

With the increase in crisis situations, crime and unpredictable violence, he sees non-verbal communication as becoming increasingly important.

"The ability to add this dimension to our communication repertoire can make the difference between a simple encounter and a deadly confrontation," he says. "The signals aren’t meant to replace traditional means of communication, but to supplement them in situations where safety and security are an issue."

At the Web site, www.silentsignals.com, people can learn about the program, order an instructional guide, or a wall chart that depicts the basic signals. The 160-page book comes with a universal signaling mirror that can be seen up to 20 miles away.

Part of the proceeds from training materials and manuals is allocated by Mr. Dent to the Constable Public Safety Memorial Foundation, Inc. He founded the fund to assist the families of law enforcement officers who are killed in the line of duty.

Editor's Note: 
Mr. Dent has been awarded the "2002 Ed Nowicki Lifetime Achievement Award" from the American Society of Law Enforcement Training.   (The award recognizes and honors individuals with leadership and motivational skills who have dedicated their lives to law enforcement training and who have had a significant and positive impact on our nations Law Enforcement Community.   Mr. Dent was selected from a field of 7000 trainers in 37 countries.)  

(The Law Enforcement Trainer is the Official Journal of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers and provides progressive, innovative, and valid law enforcement training and educational information to a broad spectrum of law enforcement trainers, educators, and administrators around the world.) For reprint permission, e-mail Gwen McIntyre at: gmcentire@erols.com