Law Enforcement and the LEAL Team
(Law Enforcement and Agency Liaison)
The
LEAL Team was a new concept, first implemented and "playa
tested"; at Burning Man 2002. For a first year effort, we
feel that the LEAL Team was a considerable success, meeting or
exceeding almost all of its first year goals and general objectives.
These goals included: 1) establishing communication and rapport
with the multi-agency consortium of Law Enforcement and Agency
personnel involved in administering and managing the Burning Man
event, and, 2) working with said Law Enforcement and Agency personnel
to attain the best possible alignment between the needs of the
Burning Man Project and the citizens of Black Rock City. Goal number
two included encouraging mediated dispute resolution as opposed
to law enforcement actions seen as detrimental to Black Rock City
citizens.
In general, Law Enforcement softened their approach towards administering
Burning Man 2002 as opposed to prior years. An exception to this
was a heightened interest by some officers relative to drug-related
incidents, including possession of illegal substances and the paraphernalia
associated with drug use (even if no drugs were present). With
all of that, communication was at an all time high with Law Enforcement
(LE) not only in quantity, but also in quality. The result was
an observation and a tentative and qualified conclusion that there
was an increase in the alignment between LE and Agency concerns
and the goals and philosophies of Burning Man. While a great deal
of progress was made in this regard in 2002, we are realistically
optimistic that even more progress can be made at Burning Man 2003.
We kept a LEAL Logbook, with entries documenting significant incidents
and interventions. Calling ourselves "Zebra"; on the
radio comm. helped to differentiate the LEAL function, as well
as allowing our LEAL Team members better communication. Although
we monitored both the Ranger and Emergency Services (911) radio
channels, we primarily relied upon the Ranger collective to act
as "eyes and ears"; relative to potential and evolving
events. When we had Zebra specific "chatter", we were
able to go to tactical channels on our multi-channel radios. This
allowed us to not only stay in touch with Ranger Operations and
Emergency Services, but also to conduct our own LEAL specific discussions
without cluttering up the other Ranger channels. We also found
it very useful to have pagers on playa. This was important for
communication when we were in areas that were noisy or when we
were conducing business such as the Daily Agency Meeting.
A Daily Agency Meeting, chaired by the LEAL Team Manager, was held
every day, including the Monday post event. These meetings served
the purpose of: 1) coordinating LE and Agency activities, 2) serving
as a mechanism to detect, broach, and deal with evolving issues
or matters of concern in real time (Note: playa time is so compressed
and events unfold so rapidly, that there is no luxury of tabling
discussions to later meetings), and, 3) functioning as a two-way
channel of communication -- allowing LE and Agency concerns
to be communicated to Burning Man as well as Burning Man concerns
being communicated and shared in a timely fashion with the appropriate
LE and Agency personnel.
It is important to note that we were most effective in those circumstances
where we were able to get early involvement. It is easier to prevent
the escalation of a potential emotional situation than it is to
cool one down after it has come into full flower. This process
of de-escalation, for the members of the LEAL Team, involve working
with both Black Rock City citizens and members of Law Enforcement.
It is important for us to remember that LE officers are human too,
and that their feelings and behavioral predispositions must also
be factored into what we Zebras call "total scene management";.
The LEAL Team is part of the Rangers, and falls under the Ranger
umbrella as a natural extension of our concerns, on and off playa,
for that which most benefits Burning Man. Having said that, we
must also admit that one of the problems that we had on playa
this year involved coordinating and communicating with Ranger Operations.
This is not surprising, in that we anticipated potential problems
in this area as natural growing pains attendant to establishing
a new and differentiated function literally growing out of the
Rangers (much as Emergency Services and the Gate evolved before).
This is still, however, an area where we need to continue to
develop clearer role definitions and operational clarity.
We are confident as we move ahead with the LEAL concept and the
Zebra Team on playa, that we can continue to improve on our
mission effectiveness, serving both the community of Burning Man and
the vital protective and administrative services afforded by
the Law
Enforcement and Agency entities that afford us the opportunity
to gather each year on our beloved playa.
Submitted by,
Duane Hoover 
There was no Law Enforcement article for 2001 to link to