vastfy.blogg.se - Police officers ambushed

Take varying routes to and from work/home.Direct suspicious persons away from the area they anticipated encountering you and call them into the space you control.Avoid locations that severely restrict your movement or channel you in a predictable direction (choke points, alleys, extended hallways).More time allows you an opportunity to defend against or avoid an ambush attack. The greater the distance the greater the time. Mitigate that fact by placing suspicious persons in a position of disadvantage or direct them away from you. Adversaries always strike first in an ambush attack.Stay alert, utilize sound tactics, be friendly but wary of unknown persons, remain physically fit and have your defensive weapons with you at all times. Summon back-up deputies when appropriate.Weaker adversaries are often discouraged by perceived alertness and strength (command presence, superior tactics). Ambush attacks are the preferred technique of the weaker force.Engage in “what if” mind mapping exercises. Avoid being surprised by anticipating or visualizing potential hazardous situations and then identifying the appropriate response well before the threat materializes. Without the realization and appreciation that you could be harmed without cause or warning, apathy will erode your perceptions and responses to the subtleties of a pre-ambush style attack.

Maintain a proper mind-set at all times.

Predictability is the “Achilles Heel” of any warrior.

Avoid establishing patterns and routines.

Premeditated attacks are usually always preceded by a period of observation, study and planning.ĭuring these times of international terrorism, random acts of violence from domestic extremist groups or infamous suspects seeking notoriety, it is imperative that all of us in the law enforcement community remain constantly vigilant of our surroundings and deploy sound tactical principles consistent with Departmental training while both on and off duty. Historic Chinese warrior Sun Tzu made mention of the ambush style attack 2500 years ago in his book Art of War - “attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.”Īll ambush style attacks are premeditated. Those who engage in predictable behavior are at a severe disadvantage and vulnerable. The inverse of surprise is Predictability. In a conflict, the person who utilizes Surprise to its fullest potential is at a significant tactical advantage. Regrettably, intense public media coverage of such events can often inspire deranged individuals to engage in “copycat” behavior.Īn essential element of an ambush attack is S urprise. Incidents such as the tragic murder of four Lakewood police officers in Washington State, 2009 the murder of three New York police officers in 20, as they sat in their patrol vehicles and the recent ambush of our own deputies at the Compton PAX, serve as stark reminders these events can happen anytime and anywhere. A list of 7 additional resources is provided.OFFICER SAFETY - AMBUSH ATTACKS ON LAW ENFORCEMENTĪmbush style assaults on peace officers have occurred with increasing frequency nationwide.Ĭontemporary history has shown that many police officers have been targeted with violence simply because of their chosen profession. From this study and other sources, the current article outlines some key points, along with additional mitigation strategies, safety tools, and equipment. The COPS Office published a study in 2015 that focused on the identification of several factors in and the dynamics of ambushes, based on data from ambushes on 230 police officers. Circumstances are presented to show some high-profile ambush attacks on law enforcement officers that involved specific features of ambush attacks.

The current article focuses on the first or "planned attack" scenario. Second, an ambush could be a surprise or spontaneous attack in reaction to an event, such as resisting arrest, evading an arrest, or interaction with officers or some other triggering event. First, an ambush is a premeditated attack that involves planning and a calculated execution of the plan. Department of Justice, Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office, an ambush is defined as a "planned surprise attack on a human target." The current article expands this definition specifically for ambushes against law enforcement. Such attacks were also responsible for multiple serious injuries to officers and others. The data indicate that 66 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty, and 17 of these officers were killed in ambush attacks. In May 2017, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported the 2016 preliminary statistics for Law Enforcement Officers Killed in the Line of Duty.