[From the Calibre Press Street Survival Newsline]
Chasing suspects on foot can -- and does -- result in serious injury or death to officers every year, causing some LE agencies around the country to rethink their foot pursuit policies or reinvent them to help keep officers alive.
According to research presented in the FBI LE Bulletin, many LEOs develop a false sense of security about their safety when chasing suspects because it is something they “do everyday.” Officers giving chase often do not recognize that suspects can “turn threatening,” or may lead them into “prearranged traps,” if they are not careful. Both officer complacency and the lack of statistics on the number of officers killed or injured while pursuing suspects on foot, reveal the need for departments around the country to establish and implement specific foot pursuit policies and procedures, the Bulletin states.
Several years ago, authorities at the Winter Haven (FL) PD developed formal foot pursuit guidelines in light of the death of one of their rookie officers, Johnnie Patterson Jr., who was shot fatally in the head by a suspect who was a passenger in a car pulled over for a traffic violation. The suspect, who was wanted by police for burglary, jumped from the car, fled into a dark, wooded area with the officer in pursuit, and shot Patterson once in the head moments later. The officer’s father was in the squad car with him on a ride-along at the time.
The department developed a training directive for foot pursuits in the aftermath of Patterson’s tragic death. Newsline summarized the guidelines into a list of tactical do’s and don’ts for officers to consider when conducting foot pursuits. The list was inspired by guidelines presented in “The Best of the Police Marksman,” published by The Police Marksman Assn:
DO’S
1. Radio for assistance and direct responding units to various locations to contain the fleeing suspect within a given area.
You should try to gain some type of visual advantage (height and/or widest point of view) so that the suspect’s direction of travel can be effectively monitored and/or locations where responding units should be directed can be identified. Once the perimeter is established, K-9 or other designated teams of officers can systematically search the area.
2. Head the suspect off.
If the terrain dictates and you can anticipate the area toward which the suspect is heading, you can drive there and wait for the suspect when he emerges. Though effective, this technique is not always possible.
3. Pace and charge.
If the suspect has plenty of open ground to cover, and you have already searched him, the pace-and-charge technique may work. As the suspect starts running, he will undoubtedly expend maximum energy to get away. While the suspect is running as fast as he can, you should pace yourself, exerting about 60-80 percent effort -- just fast enough to keep the suspect in sight and prevent him from getting too far ahead. As the suspect tires and slows down, you can accelerate to 100 percent of your speed and overtake him. If the suspect is tired and begins to slow down or stops and surrenders, you should slow down so that the suspect can be approached in a “balanced and controlled manner.”
4. Parallel the suspect.
Don’t try to follow the suspect’s exact route. If you do, the suspect can conceal himself and set up an ambush. Instead, try to parallel the suspect. For example, if he is running down a sidewalk, you should run down the street (traffic conditions permitting), keeping barriers like parked cars and other objects between you and the suspect. If the suspect disappears behind a building, DON’T try to follow him around it; instead, try to anticipate the suspect’s route and head around a different corner, or down a different side of the building, to cut him off. If the suspect jumps a fence (where visibility is impaired), you should jump the fence at a different point, as far away from where the suspect went over as possible.
5. Move from cover to cover.
Try to move from cover to cover when chasing a suspect, especially if you have lost sight of him. This may increase the overall distance between the 2 of you, but it will increase the margin of safety.
DON’TS
1. Immediately run after a suspect.
Though it is difficult to resist chasing after a suspect the moment he begins to flee, do not consider it the “first and only option” in this situation. While you are running and reaching out to grab the suspect, he can easily stop and attack you before you’re able to slow down and counter the attack.
2. Tackle the suspect.
Tackling the suspect and wrestling with him on the ground leaves you open for a gun grab. Instead of trying to “out-run” and “out-fight” the suspect, try to “out-think” him.
3. Round corners.
If a suspect rounds a corner and there is no other option but to follow him around that corner, you should slow down, get as far back from the corner as possible and peek around to ensure the suspect is not waiting for you. The farther away from the corner you are when you round it, the more likely you will be able to see the suspect first (if he is waiting there), and the more difficult it will be for the suspect to initiate a successful attack against you.
4. Run down channeled areas.
If a suspect disappears down an area which has no cover or escape routes and which restricts your movement to “forward” and “backward,” you should stop and NOT follow the suspect into this kind of area, which is a classic “kill zone.” Fences should be considered a channelized area if you have to climb over them. While climbing over the top of a fence or a wall, you are tactically immobilized and unable to effectively defend yourself. Jumping the fence at a location different from that used by the suspect is safer, but you should have a good idea where the suspect has gone before trying to climb the fence.
5. Lose sight of the suspect.
If you lose sight of a suspect during a foot pursuit, the odds of catching him decrease, and the danger to you increases. Once the suspect gains enough distance on you, he’ll probably stop and hide. If the suspect is going to set up a hasty ambush, he is likely to do it at this time. To avoid this, you should stop immediately upon losing sight of the suspect, call for backup, establish a perimeter, and call for a K-9 unit.
Stay safe!
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