Ambush survival tip: Scan and process

December 14, 2009 06:09 AM •

When can an on-duty police officer relax? Never. What is “routine”? Nothing.

Ambushers in the past have called in false “routine calls,” and deliberately triggered “routine traffic stops.” They have (as in the Lakewood tragedy), targeted locations where their officers go to relax. Officers have been ambushed at gas pumps, in department parking lots, at restaurants, inside police stations, and sometimes in front of their homes. In the most recent attack in Washington, the ambusher struck officers seated in a coffee shop owned by a retired police officer just before the beginning of their shift.

Scan and process
The nation is currently actively engaged in the “war on drugs,” the “war on crime,” and most recently, the “war on terror.” High-profile ambushes have occurred in 2009 in Oakland, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Fort Hood, and now Lakewood, Washington. In these ambushes, 15 police officers and thirteen soldiers lost their lives.

There is a danger that a copy cat might be inspired by these assaults. Trainers for years have cautioned that nothing is routine, and while in uniform you should never totally relax. Now is the time to live those words and maintain a level of environmental alertness at all times, while working. Whenever you think to do it, scan and process.

While scanning, you should take the time to visually check your environment visually 360 degrees if possible. Then process what it is that you see, for threats, violations, crimes in process, or suspicious individuals and circumstances. This should not only be a part of the patrol activity, but should be done when you are completing paper work on a lunch break, or anytime. You may see the development of a sudden assault or prevent one upon your person.

Insight from Ulster
A police officer from the Royal Ulster Constabulary rode along with our team on a SWAT call once while he was visiting his wife’s family in America. This was during the time of urban warfare in Northern Ireland. After completing the call out, I asked him, what he liked best about the United States. His answer was immediate, replying, “I don’t have to visually scan my car for bombs when I go to the grocery store or church. I can just start it and drive off.”

I was stunned and said, “Wow. What a life. Did you ever find a bomb on your car in Ulster?”

He answered, “No and I probably won’t. Terrorists usually do a limited surveillance before they attack, and they put the bomb on the car of officers who don’t look for a bomb.”

By scanning and processing every time you think to do it, soon it will be a habit. There is a possibility that you might identify a potential threat early. There is also the possibility that vigilance will deter an attack.

Stay safe, stay strong, stay positive.

Lt. Dan Marcou

Lt. Dan Marcou is an internationally-recognized police trainer who was a highly-decorated police officer with 33 years of full-time law enforcement experience. Marcou’s awards include Police Officer of the Year, SWAT Officer of the Year, Humanitarian of the Year and Domestic Violence Officer of the Year. Additional awards Lt. Marcou received were 15 departmental citations (his department’s highest award), two Chief’s Superior Achievement Awards and the Distinguished Service Medal for his response to an active shooter.

Upon retiring, Lt. Marcou began writing. He is the co-author of “Street Survival II, Tactics for Deadly Encounters.” His novels, “The Calling, the Making of a Veteran Cop,” “SWAT, Blue Knights in Black Armor,” “Nobody’s Heroes” and “Destiny of Heroes,” as well as two non-fiction books, “Law Dogs, Great Cops in American History” and “If I Knew Then: Life Lessons From Cops on the Street.” All of Lt. Marcou’s books are all available at Amazon. Dan is a member of the Police1 Editorial Advisory Board.