Since the front line officers usually had their hands occupied with batons and/or shields, it was difficult for them to apprehend and effectively control suspects in need of arrest. Upon forming the line to hold or clear an area, we would also place an arrest team in close support of the front line. 308.ĭuring riots, our Civil Unrest Team utilized the same concept, except the hands-free officers were referred to as “Arrest Teams.” These arrests were all accomplished quickly, because the specific officers tasked in advance to perform these arrests were as proficient with the mechanics of physical arrests as the sniper was proficient with his Remington. In the case of an unarmed, but non-compliant suspect these hands-free officers were able to quickly holster their duty weapons and address the non-compliant suspect with either the appropriate empty hand control tactics, or alternative tool. When confronted with cooperative suspects, the lead elements of the team would shout ‘suspects down’ and cover as the “hands-free officers” would move around, holster their weapon, handcuff the suspect and do an initial protective search of the suspect, while the team covered the suspect and danger areas. They also were equipped with multiple handcuffs and flex cuffs. In addition to their handguns, they had access to a baton, pepper spray, and TASER. When possible, these officers were defensive tactics instructors who were very skilled at empty hand control. Today I would refer to them as “contact officers.” They were situated toward the back of the stack and were armed with their hand guns. This can be easily rectified in all cases except those where unarmed but aggressive suspects dynamically advance on the officers.įor lack of a better term, in the early days, we inserted what we called the “hands free officers” to our SWAT team on every entry we planned. It means the officer holding the long gun should not be expected to have to physically control and handcuff the suspect. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a long gun at the scene of a handcuffing. This is where the unnecessary stumbling often occurs. This happens because teams enter into situations abundantly prepared for the worst case scenario – a gun fight, but ill prepared for the best case scenario – the sudden appearance of compliant suspects. Yet in tactical situations officers are often put into positions where they feel compelled to attempt this difficult task. It’s not only awkward, but dangerous to try to handcuff a suspect while carrying a long gun, a shield, or a baton - the officer trying to accomplish this is in a less than advantageous position.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |