South Florida police training to deal with MMA-trained criminals
The exploding popularity of Mixed Martial Arts means cops now have to gear up to spot and combat bad guys…
The exploding popularity of Mixed Martial Arts means cops now have to gear up to spot and combat bad guys who are bringing crazy new fighting moves to the street.
“It would be a mistake on our part to not acclimate our deputies to what’s out there,” said Eric Swiger, a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy and the former professional mixed martial artist who is heading the Sheriff’s Office training division.
Even before the fight starts, deputies are trained to notice cues — such as tokens of past battles suggesting fighting experience.
“A lot of times now, you have to go about looking at people differently,” said Brann Redl, a Broward County Sheriff’s detective and professional mixed martial artist, who is preparing for his next fight on Aug. 24.
If a deputy notices cauliflower ears — ears swollen with scar tissue from repeated punches or rubbing, — he knows the suspect is probably a grappler or “jujitsu guy.”
Calluses on a suspect’s knuckles or elbows mean he’s probably a “boxing guy” and has spent a lot of time sparring in gloves.
Scars on a suspect’s shins or above his eyebrows suggest he’s keen to “muy thai,” or kickboxing, a sport made famous in the jungles of Thailand.
And if a suspect becomes hostile and stands with a wide stance, he could be a grappler, establishing a wide base for stability. But if his legs are closer together, he’s better able to throw kicks.
There are other “social” cues, Redl said, that have become more common in everyday culture: T-shirts, bumper stickers and board shorts.
“A lot of these guys are ‘T-shirt tough guys’ who go to the gym for a few months and think they’re fighters,” Redl said.
