Based on consideration of the cases of NYPD MOS Beckles and Jones, discussed here, a look back at a training class we conducted in the “old days” is worth revisiting. The topic was Plainclothes/Off-Duty Officer Survival. Still in the days of the officer survival movement, it was a reflection that, too-often we failed to consider what happened to cops when they’re not working. Also, our training tended to concentrate on those in uniform; uniform patrol types are more likely to walk around the corner into a deadly situation just based on patrol procedures and answering questionable calls for service.
Consider this range setup: a large cable spool to be used as a table, a folding chair, one target, a stopwatch and a whistle.
Each student was greeted by an instructor with the stopwatch, whistle, a clipboard and the instructions. When told, the student makes ready for live fire, returning the gun to the holster. The student sits in the chair and gets the following briefing – “you’re seated facing the door of a café. The target represents an armed robbery suspect who has just entered the establishment, brandished his sidearm and announced the robbery. You look at him carefully and do not recognize him. The whistle is the signal that the robbery has commenced. At that point, you may commence.”
The response: the first two participants shot at the target, one by jumping up and shooting and the other by remaining seated and surreptitiously drawing before drilling him. Another pair moved to use the wire spool as “cover” before shooting. Another few varied that routine, while I, acting as instructor, made a show of noting time and hits.
The last one sat fast and just watched. Time went on. The others in the class watched as he sat and observed. After two minutes I stopped the time and asked for his report.
“You said I didn’t recognize him. He didn’t apparently recognize me – you’d have said something. So, I was just being the best witness I could be.”
How do you think he did? My evaluation was simple. Without firing a shot, he aced the test.
The others felt somehow cheated. What they’d done didn’t violate policy, statute nor the Constitution. What they did was engage in what could become a firefight in a public establishment. The surreptitious draw that one did was superb to keep from becoming a target before he could engage the threat.
Now, when does it become a shooting situation?
If the offender starts shooting, for example, the decision’s been made. If the offender tries to search people – he’ll find your heater. Likewise, if he starts expanding the crime scene by compelling people to move to another location, like the walk-in refrigerator, that’s a bad sign.
Obviously, if you’re recognized as the law, it’s a problem.
Before you consider this a “cop problem,” the training was conducted back in the bad, old days when legal concealed carry was a rare thing across a good many of these United States. Even now, there are places where lawful concealed carry is inappropriately infringed upon.
Welcome to our world. Now that there are a good number of states with legal, non-licensed concealed carry and the rest allegedly has “shall-issue,” our problem then has become yours now.
It’s something to think about.
– Rich Grassi