Weapon control is an extremely important aspect of officer safety. Inability to control weapons in your environment may lead to situations that require deadly force.
Officer safety is often compromised by a failure to control the weapons in an officer’s duty environment. These weapons come from a number of sources:
1. We bring them to the scene.
These are both conventional weapons like our firearm, baton, OC Spray, and TASER and unconventional ones like our radio, clipboard, or pens.
2. The subject brings them to the scene.
This is the typical array of suspect weaponry officer encounter like guns, knives, and clubs.
3. They are already on the scene.
These are what we call “weapons of opportunity"-things like tire irons, pool cues, brooms & mops, beer bottles, rocks, and other home-made/improvised weapons.
The bottom line is that there are always weapons present when officers show up on the scene. To protect themselves, officers need to develop a four-part process for dealing with possible weapon assaults.
This process consists of Awareness, Avoidance, Retention, and Defense/Disarming Tactics.
“Awareness” Tactics
Officers need to remain aware of the real dangers presented by the different types of weapons and the assaults they can be used to facilitate. Additionally, you must stay alert for early indicators that a suspect may be looking to access and use a weapon against you, be it conventional or improvised.
By staying aware in the early stages, you can better avoid being forced into situations where you need to control/retain weapons…yours or the suspect’s.
“Avoidance” Tactics
Officers who are aware of the dangers of weapon assaults tend to move early to prevent them. They keep their gun side away from subjects and cover their firearm when moving through a crowd. They utilize ‘sweep & disengage” tactics if someone grabs for their weapons and therefore prevent being forced into a weapon retention situation.
In close quarter situations, they learn how to index their drawn firearms close to the body with their reaction hand out to keep an assailant’s hands off their weapon. These avoidance tactics go a long way towards preventing attempts to disarm you.
“Retention” Tactics
If necessary, officers must know how to perform weapon retention tactics to keep control of their weapons-in either a drawn or holstered situation-should they face a disarming attempt.
Weapon retention is best accomplished by utilizing the “G.U.N. (Grab, Undo, Neutralize) Concept” developed by Jim Marsh formerly with the Chicago Police Department.
Firmly “Grab” hold of the weapon to control it.
“Undo” it from the subject’s control using either a “quick release” strategy, which employs the use of quick movements to force the release of the weapon; “power steering” by using body mechanics to force the release of the weapon; “create dysfunction” by striking motor points to force the release of the weapon; or “disengaging and/or escalate” by creating distance and/or escalating to other weapon systems.
Finally, “Neutralize” the threat with either physical control tactics, or, if necessary, with your weapon systems.
“Defense / Disarming” Tactics
In sudden, close-quarters situations, officers must be able to ward off these life-threatening assaults long enough to either disengage and/or escalate to deadly force.
Personal defense in these types of toe-to-toe, life-and-death situations goes beyond the use of traditional defenses, like the firearm, and doing whatever needs to be done-- including head butting, biting and the use of environmental weapons (sharp objects, nearby objects that can be used in applying blunt force…whatever you can grab and use as a weapon)-to survive.
Stacey Lim, a nationally known LAPD officer who survived being shot during an attempted car jacking and terminated the assailant, says it best:
“You need to prepare you mind for where your body may have to go.”
This is true for you as a law enforcement officer. You must prepare your mind for the reality that you may be assaulted by a weapon. Sooner of later, it is going to happen to you.
Are you going to be ready?
Be aware.
Avoid the assault, if possible.
Retain your weapon, if necessary.
And, be ready to disarm the subject or defend yourself against a spontaneous attack.
Your life depends upon it.
