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POLICE MOTORCYCLE TRAINING.
The only thing predictable about law enforcement is the unpredictability. Society and the media continue to use the term "routine" traffic stop and at times even law enforcement officers (LEO) use the "R" word. For society and the media they truly don't know and understand the difference on how the job is performed however for the LEO it becomes something much worse, complacency. Every stop is an unknown situation and should never be taken as a regular task and with that a survival mindset must be maintained at all times. In March of this year, Oakland Motorcycle Officers John Hege and Mark Dunakin were both fatally shot during an unknown risk vehicle stop and we will continue to learn more on this specific incident. Studies conducted by the FBI have proven that certain routine repetitive tasks that are second nature to most officers cause the most problems and the most common job related task is vehicle stops. In every study conducted on officers killed and assaulted in the line of duty, traffic stops remain within the top three of each list. In 1980 shooting deaths from traffic stops were responsible for 12% of LEO murders. Today the numbers are close to the same around 10% however, over the past few months the numbers have risen and Law Enforcement deaths could possibly be over 12%. If the deaths of LEO's continue the profession is on pace to have the highest count of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice since 1979. In 2007 law enforcement had 186 officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice; 65 by gunfire, 7 from a motorcycle crash and 9 were struck by a vehicle in traffic. Your job is dangerous therefore you must take every precaution to ensure your safety. When a LEO makes a stop for an expired tag or defective equipment they have no knowledge on the history of the operator or passengers. A felony stop by definition is truly safer than any unknown risk stop. With a felony stop you have some knowledge of the stop and occupants, you develop a plan, communicate with other officers and you don't approach the vehicle. This concept is similar to a SWAT response to a Barricaded Gunmen. Only as a last resort, will a SWAT team enter a structure for the apprehension; the goal is surrender and have the offender exit the structure to solve the problem. The same concept is applied when dealing with a felony or high risk stop. Traffic enforcement is a tremendous tool in law enforcement to target problems within the community. Traffic Enforcement can be used to slow the community down in a school zone, lower crash rates at a specific location or used as saturation patrol with zero tolerance to learn about the individuals or offenders in the area. Some of America's worst criminals have been apprehended by committing traffic violations.
With any traffic stop you need to cover the three C's which will assist you in success. 1) Command Presence -This physical demeanor that you exhibit will let the operator know if you are confident in your ability. 2) Communication - Be polite and courteous but also be firm to demonstrate your skill while performing your task. 3) Control - This will clearly show that you are knowledgeable Every LEO must understand that once you put the uniform on and tighten the gun belt there is someone out there who is willing to harm you and prevent you from going home to your family. In a true ambush situation there is very little that can be done to prevent that from occurring. But let's discuss a few issues that can focus on survival mindset. The various tactics that are going to be discussed are just another way; they are not the only or best way and may vary depending on your working conditions. VEHICLE POSITIONING The primary goal would be to remove the vehicle from the highway and eliminate the number one threat "traffic". It appears that every day we have officers injured and killed on the highways during vehicle stops. An educational video was produced by NTSA titled "Your Vest Won't Stop This Bullet" find it, watch it and share it. More than 900 local, state and federal LEO's around the country were struck and killed while working on and around the highways. Using a valuable source of information, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) identifies that in 1895 Cincinnati Patrolman Henry Zimmerer was struck and killed by a streetcar. On March 21, 1913 Detroit Police Officer James M. Griffin was the first case of a LEO being struck and killed by an automobile. Between 1996 and 2002 the Florida Highway Patrol advised that over 2,762 times emergency vehicles were crashed into along the roadways. Unfortunately this resulted in seven deaths and 624 injuries. There are pros and cons on how the police vehicle actually is positioned behind the violator. Angled position anywhere from 25-40 degrees pointed out with the wheels turned out into traffic. Off-set with the police hood ornament aligned with the left rear of the violator vehicle with the wheels turned out into traffic. Recommended position for a police motorcycle is again 21 feet from the violator vehicle and angled toward the curb. Then dismounting from the high side you have immediate cover and concealment from any potential threat from within the vehicle. Of course the other reasons for dismounting from the high side are; to avoid stepping into traffic, maintaining continuous vision on the violator and if the jiffy stand fails to engage or lock into position you are stepping away from the motorcycle which may prevent you from being trapped and/or injured. A recommended distance of 21 feet between the patrol vehicle and the violator vehicle should be established for an immediate safe reaction distance from those occupied inside of the violator vehicle. This 21 foot rule was just not recently decided upon but taken from the Tueller Rule which is taught in most academies, military and marital arts environment. Basically, the 21 foot rule states that an average individual can cover 21 feet in 1.2 to 1.6 seconds and if you're not prepared you may be placed in an unsafe environment. In my experience during vehicle stop training and on more than one occasion when the LEO parked too close the violator (role player) was able to exit the vehicle and fire multiple rounds (Simunitions FX rounds) at the LEO who was still sitting in the driver's seat or remaining mounted on the motorcycle. Get out or get off and move. Of course your first reaction may be to draw, move and engage however, if you do not have time one choice could be to place the vehicle in drive if you are truly in fear for your life or create distance by going into reverse while operating a patrol car. Practice is the most important task. Don't become complacent; take advantage of the distance and don't set yourself up for failure. THE APPROACH There is no perfect way to approach a violator or just one way to perform that will work every time so practice both and be prepared to adapt. It would be difficult to cover every situation in this article or environmental concerns for the various areas of the country. Therefore use this information as a reminder of the dangers of a traffic stop and if your questions are not answered practice those concerns and work out a plan before the problem arises. DRIVERS SIDE APPROACH: This approach is the most common only because that's the way it's always been done; on television the police approach on the driver side and in real life. The driver knows what the LEO is going to do before it's done as they have been trained and with repetition the violators are prepared. The first problem is that the officer is walking in traffic that is a tremendous safety concern for LEO's. However, if you must approach on the driver's side do as much as possible for overall safety. Once the vehicle stops be prepared to fight! That means your stop has already been radioed into dispatch - yes use the radio and not the computer! Unless you are working with a partner, the computer or MDT is truly a "deadly distraction". You have removed your seat belt and obtained possession of your citation book and/or flashlight, hat if appropriate or removal of your helmet if that is your procedure and maintained a continued visual observation of the occupants. Just prior to exiting the vehicle, you must quickly look over your shoulder prior to exit for on-coming traffic for the "what if". Then immediately regain your visual observation of the vehicle. Remember motorcycle officers are taught to dismount from the high side or right side of the cycle for several reasons but the first reason is to remain out of traffic. If the stop is conducted during the day approach with your citation book as this will eliminate the return to your vehicle and the re-approach. If at night, approach with your flashlight for obvious reasons. In addition, the citation book or flashlight may be used as a diversion device if a threat arises as this item can go directly to the face of the violator which will create a distraction and allow you to draw your firearm while moving. While walking up, check the license tag for any unusual observations, not attached properly, very dirty on a clean car or very clean on a dirty car which may lead to a criminal act. Check the truck lock for any tampering, ensure that the lid is shut and of course leave your prints on the vehicle for any crime scene processing if necessary. And of course it sounds basic police 101 but don't carry anything in your gun hand, yet almost everyday if you watch LEO's in the performance of their duty they commit this error. Remember while walking up on the driver's side you have no cover or concealment nowhere to run or nowhere to hide. Your only option is to move backwards while drawing your firearm. I have conducted hundreds of scenarios using Simunition FX rounds and those who walk up on the driver's side suffer gun shot wounds, they don't die. You must continue to fight and never give up do not stop a scenario because you have been shot! Watch the driver's side mirror, as the operator watches your approach you can also watch them. Visually clear the back seat of any potential threats. Verbally tell the operator to roll down the window if not already down and with professionalism state, "could you please place your hands on the steering wheel." You will be surprised how many people comply without hesitation and those who don't may have a reason why. While their hands are on the wheel this provides an opportunity to scan the interior of the vehicle looking for any hazards or threats. Again learning with training and experience many LEO's during reality based training focus so hard on the operator they miss the obvious. For example ammunition lying on the front seat or an empty holster lying on the back floor which should elevate your risk assessment. Watch the hands. Society is right handed dominant and the majority of drivers keep their vehicle papers in the glove box or center console. Once they reach for those papers you lose vision of the hand and you are unable to identify what is inside of the box. What if the driver goes to right rear pocket for a wallet, again you lose vision of the hand or what if the driver goes to a purse sitting in the passenger seat, again you lose vision of the hands. After you obtain all necessary documents, you're going to issue a verbal warning and proceed back to your vehicle or continue with your investigation and return to a place of safety to conduct business The question is where is the safest location? There is no perfect place but find a few that offer different values and practice those. PASSENGER SIDE APPROACH: The number one threat to American Law Enforcement during a traffic stop is on-coming traffic. Even though the passenger side approach will not completely eliminate the potential of being struck, your chances are increased tremendously. But without question, this procedure throws a curve ball to the violator who is expecting you to approach on the driver's side. Once the vehicle comes to a stop be prepared to fight; have everything ready to exit the vehicle; flashlight and/or citation book in your non-gun hand. Quick peek at traffic and then move to the passenger side of the violator vehicle. Again there are multiple ways to physically move however, I would recommend travel to the rear of your patrol vehicle and then approach the passenger side. This removes immediate vision from the driver and if at night you will not pass by your headlights casting a shadow and then losing the level of surprise. As the officer approaches the vehicle, again check the trunk and scan the rear area of the vehicle. If the vehicle is occupied only by the driver, after the hands are placed on the steering wheel and after your initial evaluation open the passenger side door. This will provide you with a tremendous level of vision. Position yourself just to the backside of the passenger side door using a portion of the vehicle to conceal some of your body. Remember distance can create vision so if necessary move back slightly which will improve your angle of view while communicating with the driver. Try this position, I'm confident you will immediately realize the rewards. Now it's time to issue the citation. INVESTIGATIVE/CITATION PROCESS: WHERE DO YOU GO? Return to your police vehicle: Probably the most popular but without question the most dangerous for your safety. First of all let's presume you have to remain in traffic and "what if" another vehicle strikes you. Watch the video "Your Vest Won't Stop This Bullet" and then watch it again. Ok so you actually are out of traffic and that threat is removed. But the violator will have continuous vision on every move that you make by simply watching you in the 1-3 mirrors that the vehicle provides. And if you allow any opportunity for a suspect to strike your reaction will not beat the violator's action so don't provide the opportunity. Law Enforcement now appear to rely on various electronic items while performing the job; MDT's or lap top computers just to name a couple. Again during my experience in conducting dynamic realistic scenarios, I watch for the opportunity and then attack the officer who is confined inside of the police vehicle. These "deadly distractions" have a positive purpose in LE however not in a tactical situation. Even if you have a partner or back-up with you who remains with the violator and you return to the vehicle to work on this "deadly distraction" what about the number one threat to law enforcement on-coming traffic. Even your partner can't help you so the best decision is not to place yourself in this position. Stay away from your vehicle! Just imagine for a moment being the violator and you're stopped during the night and you have made the decision to attack the law enforcement officer. With little or no vision you exit and travel to the police vehicle because you know the LEO is sitting in the car/motorcycle because that is what Police Officers do. But you have prepared with a survival mindset and you are not in the vehicle. Driver only or multiple passengers: eight to ten feet off the rear quarter panel of the passenger side of the vehicle. This keeps you away from traffic and removed from the mirrors which create vision for the driver, away from multiple passengers and allows you to seek cover or concealment if necessary. There are pros and cons on removing passengers from the vehicle. If everyone stays inside you're dealing with one threat, the vehicle if you decide to remove anyone you now have divided your threats and may create too much of a challenge for you if you're working alone. However, if you do remove the driver and the passengers remain inside place the driver between you and the vehicle and ensure you maintain a visual of the occupants while the driver's back remains to the vehicle. Driver only: after contact and retrieval of required information move over to the passenger side of the vehicle if you started on the driver's side. While you are there open the passenger side door (driver occupied only) this will create a tremendous level of vision and you will have complete control with the violator and without question satisfy the three C's. Before you complain or disregard this procedure try it, it's not perfect but it works very well and helps you create a safer environment. Now when the driver reaches for the glove box or center console you can observe the hands the entire time and once that glove box is opened you have a clear unobstructed view to anything that is inside. If the driver reaches for the wallet or into a purse again you have complete vision of the hands. If you are able to control the hands it makes no difference what type of weapon is in the vehicle. Depending on what state you reside in and whether a firearm is legal or illegal in the glove box and if the driver fails to tell you about the firearm you must treat the driver as hostile until proven different. Go home every night. While conducting realistic scenarios most officers when they locate a firearm in the glove box have the driver exit and during the exit the officer recovers the firearm. During the exit the officer just lost vision of violator's hands, partial body and placed the vehicle between the two, which could lead to a deadly mistake. One suggestion: point your firearm directly at the subject while giving a command of, "put your hands on the steering wheel and look at me" (yes, have the subject look directly at your firearm) after the subject complies request back-up and maintain your position until assistance arrives. Then go into contact and cover and safely place the subject into custody and then recover the firearm. Remember the only thing that can truly harm you are the hands of the subject involved, if you are able to control the hands then you have limited their ability to move or obtain a weapon. These techniques are presented in a practical manner and will not work for every situation or for every agency and of course they can be varied depending upon the geographic make-up and environmental conditions. The most important issue is to prepare with practice. If your agency does not provide practical realistic training then you can perform with mental visualization. This is a true training method and with rehearsal in your mind you develop muscle memory. Jim Polan is a 28 year veteran of law enforcement and is currently a Lieutenant with the Seminole Police Department in Hollywood, Florida. If you are a police motorcycle instructor and would like to share some of your knowledge with your fellow officers, please let us know. |
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