When we fight predators, we must be fierce. More importantly, we must

be smart. Attention and awareness are vital to officer safety in dangerous

places and times. At a recent use-of-force class, a police supervisor

recounted an old incident from when he was on patrol that's case in point.

An officer was checking a forest preserve park before locking the entry

gate for the night. A single car remained, parked illegally on the grass. The

officer called out on his PA for the driver to move. The driver took a long

circular path, drove up behind the officer's squad car and then ran into it

at slow speed. It was getting dark, but the officer could see the driver raise

a revolver. The driver began to shoot at him.

An ambush.

The shooter expected the officer to walk into the ambush, but the officer's

use of the PA thwarted the plan. The officer made a fast plan to reverse

the attack inertia, stopped his car and jumped into the shadows. He saw

the gunman jump out of his car, rush over to the squad car and point his

revolver into the interior: no one home. The officer came out of the

shadows behind him and with his pistol raised to the back of the attackers

head, made his presence known. The offender slowly turned his head and

then stuck the muzzle of his revolver under his chin and committed

suicide.

The offender had been counting on the surprise of hitting the squad car to

draw out the officer. But the officer responded not with emotion, but

considered action. The officer had planned for such events in his mind

many times. Not that he specifically expected this, but when faced with a

situation that was out of the ordinary he didn't feed into it.

We should all be so vigilant. Unfortunately, human nature works against

us. Routine and complacency are deadly adversaries. Remember the

words of trainer Clint Smith, "If you look like food, you will get eaten."

Tactics to Consider

We often recognize the potential for danger and yet disregard it. We park

in front of the bank, house or business on the alarm call. Nothing to worry

about—until you're ambushed.

To avoid surprise and the deadly consequences of an ambush, we need to

be alert and aware, as well as correctly and continually trained to respond,

mentally and physically. It's not enough to think it or talk it, we have to

actually do it and do it right—over and over. Consider the following.

Communication:  If you know that you're heading into danger, try to get

best information before searching for or advancing against armed

offenders. Know who your back up is and where they're located. If you are

calling in assistance, advise the route(s) to avoid. During any violent

event, the radio can be useless due to multiple users. Clear the air for

those who need it.

Identify yourself as police:  Linking up with assisting uniformed officers

can be difficult and dangerous, far worse with plain clothes. Carry and

wear large external identification that clearly shows you are police.  A

badge or star worn on the belt is likely not going to be seen.

Avoid the kill zone:  Beware of being drawn into an ambush. If it does not

look right, slow down, appraise, hold position or move in another

direction.

Don't create cross or "blue-on-blue" fire:  Don't form a circle around the

offender. This becomes what we call a "circular ambush" created by our

own actions. Do not put the offender(s) into a linear "gauntlet": as they

drive or run down the line, we will fire from either side into each other.

Train in the "L" formation. This allows for clear, unobstructed line of

sight and line of fire.

Observe 360 degrees:  Don't just "look." Carry binoculars in your car on

the seat next to you. Distance is protection. Look ahead and see what you

can, and do not drive into erupting violence. Hold your distance and,

where feasible, come in on foot. You will hear more this way. Look for

clues such as exhaust smoke, cigarette smoke and water from air

conditioning to indicate people are in a car.

See in the dark:  Night-vision technology can be inexpensive in the older

versions. The advantage it affords is huge at night and in low light. Also:

Let your eyes adjust to the dark. Make the time.

Keep low:  Light, sound and movement give you away. During different

times of the day, each one has different effect. Light and sound are critical

at night; movement and sound more so in the day. Know this and plan

your actions accordingly.

Slow down:  Fools rush in, and speed kills in a number of ways. By

rushing in, we may force an offender into action. Know when to push and

when to hold.

Stabilize:  Get control of yourself. Adrenaline is a very powerful chemical

that drives us into unreasoned actions.

Buddy up:  Never leave your partner. When you do, bad things are more

likely to happen.

Breathe:  Clear your mind and senses by using what Lt. Col. Dave

Grossman and Bruce Siddle call "combat breathing": in through the nose

and hold, counting to three. Press breath with the gut, out through the

mouth, counting to three. Repeat as you can.

Move:  Do not be a stationary target. Movement may entail using your

squad car to break out of the kill zone or driving at the attacker to defeat

his plan. It may also be on foot and moving hard laterally to avoid the

bullet or the blade. Note: You must train on moving and shooting to be

effective, first with sims, then with live fire.

Control the scene:  Get control of other responding officers too. Many

officers rush to the scene with no command and control. Identify officer

and unit locations, and make a plan.

Set your perimeter: The perimeter must start big and can then reduce in

size as the conditions warrant. You don't want to have the bad guys

surprise you from outside the perimeter.

Gear to Survive With.  Gear only matters if you have it with you.

How much ammo do you need? No one can say. I know an ambushed

officer who exhausted 37 rounds in a nine-minute shootout. He shot dry,

and responding officers passed him a shotgun. You can't expect that

others will supply you or even get to you in time. As they say, you can't

have enough ammo, unless you are on fire or attempting to swim.

You have to decide what's enough. A single magazine for your pistol or

patrol rifle is not. As a note, I find plain clothes officers and

administrators carrying no other ammo than that in their pistol or

revolver. For street officers who make use of outside vest carriers, be sure

to have a mag pouch on your gun belt: If the vest carrier is stripped off in

a fight or any other reason, you have no extra ammo.

If the fight is known, get your rifle or shotgun. Remember: Handguns are

carried as defensive close-range tools. A long gun is most often the best

tool of choice in a deadly force event.

Carry a tourniquet/pressure bandage and know how to use it. EMS is not

coming until the "scene is secure." Your job: Defeat the threat and treat

yourself. Otherwise, you might bleed to death under cover. Practice

application of the tourniquet until you can do it blind and under stress.

Also: Check out Dr. Andrew Dennis' new book Officer Down: A Practical

Guide to Surviving Injury on the Street.

Tactics for Winning the Fight

If struck by a knife or bullet or fragments into your arms or legs, your first

response is to finish the fight, according to Dr. John Wipfler, ITOA

tactical EMS cochair. Look for who just attacked you and finish the fight.

Then look for accomplices, maintaining 360-degree threat awareness.

Medical issues are secondary to your immediate safety. Up to a 30-second

delay in treatment is acceptable for any injury in a high-threat situation,

says Dr. Wipfler.

When you're done shooting and the immediate threat is defeated, and

while behind hard cover or in concealment, keep scanning while applying

your tourniquet. No need to look at your injury until the scene is later safe

and the cavalry has arrived. Put the tourniquet high on your arm or leg,

and twist the windlass until it's tight and painful. You should be able to do

this in less than 15 seconds. Once the tourniquet is in place, you will not

die from that injury. Most officers will be fully alert and ‘in the game' at

this time.

Arrange transportation and further medical care at a tactically-

appropriate time. No rush to leave, especially when the situation is still

volatile.

Don't allow other officers to risk their lives and possibly die by rushing to

help you. Stay behind hard cover, communicate, and wait for the situation

to be contained. You have two or three hours to get to the hospital. Think

and act clearly. If a medic or fellow officer is present, most penetrating

trauma injuries to the arms and legs can be treated with a compression

bandage (OLAES, EB, others), but you won't want to take the time to

figure this out until the gunfight is over.

Remember: A tourniquet is painful, but it can save your life and possibly

the lives of your fellow officers who don't need to rush to save you.

Conclusion

An ambush can happen anywhere. Complacency goes a long way in

getting police into trouble. You must work against it vigilantly. If you can

detect an ambush before it happens, this is best.

If you are ambushed, you will fall back on how you were trained and the

mental exercises you have played out for response. Never give up.

Eliminate the threat entirely and don't assume that the obvious threat is

the only threat. Accomplices might be lurking out of sight.

Bottom line:   Complacency kills, and those who win have prepared to

win.

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