Understanding first- and second-order understanding: an applied system-theoretical analysis of a police encounter with a person in crisis

Police interactions with persons experiencing mental health crisis (PiC) carry the potential for escalation. In this brief research report, we present a case study of such an encounter, examining videographic data of a widely circulated clip. The analysis follows a system-theoretical understanding of communication as a sequence of connective operations and uses the concept of turning points to identify structurally significant shifts in the interaction. The results indicate that escalation in the present example is primarily a result of communicative connection problems due to situationally divergent frames of reference and dynamic spatial compression. To stimulate practice-oriented takeaways from this analysis, we draw on the Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) as a conceptual lens for considering how these interaction problems might inform representative training design. The report thus provides both scientific insights into the structure of police interactions with PiC as well as practice-relevant impulses for the design of case-based police education and training.