Today’s officer is burdened with more than ever before. Not only do we face the tasks of the past, we have the new challenges of the future. It took a mass murder at high school and a decade of training uniformed officers how to properly respond to an active shooter. We know that a terrorist attack using small unit tactics in our country is very possible. The 2008 Mumbai attack and the Beslan siege are indicators of what we in law enforcement should prepare for. Beslan and Mumbai taught us several in which we should prepare for and some experts say those attacks were merely dress rehearsals for what’s to come in the United States.
We know that these two terrorist incidents were successful in the minds of the terrorist because they were able to obtain maximum exposure from their objectives. What they do and how they do this is the key for preparation and response by law enforcement. These extreme soldiers of Jihad will plan to cause a high number of casualties to gain attention. They will use their victims as pawns to demonstrate their ruthlessness. Mumbai taught the India national police that they were not prepared for such an encounter. The question is are we?
A multiple small cell terrorist attack will require a combination of personnel from all operations of your police agency to assist the initial responding officers. There will be most likely, multiple attacks in your city, multiple shooters, and open air engagement. The objective of law enforcement is to provide a swift and overwhelming response to interrupt the deadly actions of the attackers.
Preparation is Key
Most of us have trained in active shooter response. Various tactics have proven successful from the small squad tactics to the single officer response. All have their advantages and disadvantages. Mumbai and Beslan have provided a glimpse to a bigger problem for American law enforcement: multiple terrorist cells using military tactics to combat their adversary. These cells will be a challenge as they are well armored, carry many rounds, have multiple and various weapons, explosives, and be willing to fight to their death for their cause.
MACTAC is a great foundation for getting law enforcement prepared for battling such an extremist adversary. What you will find throughout the MACTAC concept is that it is built for the uniformed officer but as tactical officers we must embrace the concept and be relieved that we now have increased our tactical forces by many. Most tactical officers in this country are uniformed officers waiting for that swat call out. This is actually an advantage as we respond to a multiple cell attack. Tactical officers will lead the uniformed officers in a coordinated counter attack, as well trained leaders and experienced combat fighters. Departments should consider what many agencies have done and that’s to allow that tactical officer to work the streets in their tactical uniform and gear, carry all of their tactical equipment in their squad cars as he or she patrols the neighborhoods. Designate tactical patrol vehicles in your patrol fleet and have them on the streets every hour of the day.
Your tactical officer or patrol officer can take patrol runs and reports all day with that vehicle and nobody would know the wiser. These officers are responsible for a patrol sector but their vehicles will have the necessary equipment to battle a hardened and fortified enemy. Items like breaching tools, ballistic blankets and shields, flash-bangs and extra ammunition are available in these vehicles. The explosive breachers have the capability to patrol with pre-made explosives ready to gain entry into any location, all this equipment while taking dog bite reports sounds crazy, until that terrorist visits your high school or local mall. This time they won’t kill themselves when the cops arrive. This time the first responding officers that have been taught to enter an active school shooter incident solo will have a big surprise and his hands full.
As you can see the tactical officer working the streets will be a valuable commodity if the multiple cell attack occurs. Their knowledge and experience will help them access the tactical situation and will aid them in determining the proper tactical response. They will be able to recognize a hostage situation from a multiple cell attack or a barricaded gunman and the lone active shooter. Those of you tactical officers that are not familiar with the MACTAC concept seek out the training and then share it with your agency. Any small town with a mall, large hotel or sporting venue is most likely to be attacked as you will appear the most vulnerable to a terrorist.
MACTAC for the Tactical Officer
Let’s review some basics on the MACTAC concept. First off, the MACTAC goal is to further develop the officers basic skill in tactical response to major incidents to a proficient level that will make officers immediately deploy a strike team or squad to locate and neutralize a threat and to further prevent violent acts of terrorism.
Objectives
To rapidly assemble and deploy using basic tactical movements. Demonstrate working knowledge of field tactics and critical thinking skills. Learn tactical definitions and expected responses. Learn urban terrain and close quarter battle tactics. Understand the implementation of the 4 As: “assess, announce, assemble, act.” Understand the four C’s, “contain, control, communicate, co-ordinate.”
Multiple deadly force incidents occurring simultaneously or concurrently, or attacks involving explosives, high powered weapons, IEDs, or a large-scale hostage siege, and it is an ongoing and dynamic incident. Immediate goals on scene are:
1.) Stop or interrupt the deadly actions of the assailants.
2.) Establish on-scene command of the incident.
3.) Gather and disseminate accurate and timely intelligence about the incident for situational awareness.
4.) Establish perimeter control.
5.) Protect vital structures.
Do not over-deploy your resources. MACTAC coordinates the entire response to the first incident in preparation for follow-up incidents. These secondary incidents may be entirely aimed for the responding police units lured en masse to the scene by the first incident. Or the first incident may be intended as a distraction for the “real” attack, draining emergency resources away from what will be one of the follow up attacks.
Perhaps there may be multiple, simultaneous, serious attacks further confusing responding command.
Deploy the resources necessary at the first incident, but don’t over-resource the response.
This will allow for other resources if needed when concurrent attacks begin.
Small Squad Tactics
The use of “bounding/overwatch” for tactical movements is generally for when contact is expected. The purpose of bounding/overwatch is to deploy prior to contact, giving the squad the ability to protect abounding element by immediately suppressing an enemy force. In all types of bounding, the overwatch element is assigned sectors to scan and cover while the bounding element uses terrain to achieve cover and concealment. The bounding element avoids masking the fires of the over watch element; it never bounds beyond the range at which the over watch element can effectively suppress likely or suspected enemy positions. Small tactical squads can employ either of two bounding methods — “alternate” or “successive.”
Alternate Bounds: Covered by the rear element, the lead element moves forward, halts, and assumes over watch positions. The rear element advances past the lead element and takes up over watch positions. This sequence continues as necessary with only one element moving at a time. This method is usually more rapid than successive bounds.
Successive Bounds: In the successive bounding method the lead element, covered by the rear element, advances and takes up over watch positions. The rear element then advances to an over watch position roughly abreast of the lead element and halts. The lead element then moves to the next position, and so on. Only one element moves at a time, and the rear element avoids advancing beyond the lead element. This method is easier to control and more secure than the alternate bounding method, but it is slower.
Violence of Action
Gaining and maintaining physical and psychological momentum is essential! Understanding that the conclusion to a multiple cell attack will not be an arrest but a total elimination of enemy forces. This concept may not sit well for some officers and their apprehension to get into the fight may become a burden to the success of the counter attack. These officers will work best on the perimeter.
You tactical officers it’s your duty as professionals to take the lead when a small cell attack occurs. Whether you like it or not, no matter what your department operational guidelines state, when you arrive to a scene were total chaos has ensued your peers and supervisors will be looking to you for leadership. Don’t get taken by surprise, your tactical team should be the first for MACTAC training. Then lead your uniformed officers into combat with the confidence needed to end the violence.
Barricaded or Locked Entry Doors
For many years now, well before the Virginia Tech incident, I have been instructing officers attending our active shooter training to use their squad car as a breaching tool when you find doors locked and or chain locked so that entry can’t be gained easily. John Giduck showed our team this tactic many years ago and we practiced it and filmed the results. A squad car can push most commercial and industrial door frames from their support. All it takes is a slow push from the car’s front bumper and you’re in.
Once you are in you may elect to position the car, if there is room in the corridor, as some cover as you exit the vehicle. Turn your overhead lights and sirens on. This will accomplish two things, it will alert the terrorist of your presence and it will give the victims a direction to run for safety.
Dictate the Outcome
The first responding officers on scene will dictate the course of how the terrorist attack will unfold. The first minutes of the response are critical. Officers must quickly assess the situation, assemble into contact teams and advise dispatch of their intentions. If your assessment indicates there is an ongoing murder of innocent victims or the beginning of a hostage siege, contact teams should disrupt the deadly actions of the terrorist cell. The situation will be chaotic and information will be limited but you tactical officers must take action based on the best available information available to you at the time.
Hesitation could result in a missed opportunity to control and dictate the momentum of the attack. Contact teams may be involved in counter assaults, rescues and support or protection operations. The first command officer on scene must position their forces into effective positions to stop the assailants. They will evaluate resources and identify support and rescue operations and then assign these missions as needed. These responsibilities may fall on you tactical officers or uniformed command may seek your advice.
Watch Your Six
Mumbai and Beslan taught us another valuable lesson: don’t rule out an attack on your police station or responding forces before they get to the first incident. This will prove difficult as my experience is that no matter what city you patrol, when something big happens we all go! This is fine if there is only one attack because then we have the necessary resources to take on these extremists. However, It will take a command officer with foresight and a back bone to stop an over commitment of resources and reallocate them for further attacks. If you tactical officers recognize that they are leaving themselves vulnerable by over-deploying share your tactical wisdom with somebody that can make the corrective action.
Flex Teams
Flex teams should be organized as soon as practical at a rally point and await further instruction. Officers should configure into four-officer contact teams. Supervisors should assume command of one squad consisting of three contact teams. The first contact team assembled is responsible to establish perimeter security around the rally point deploying rifles, shotguns, etc.
More than one security team may be needed depending upon the size of the rally point. Flex teams could also be lead by a tactical officer until they are required to configure with their tactical team.
Asses, Announce, Assemble, and Act!
These four words provide a basic operating platform for the responding officers.
• Assess. Responding officers must rapidly assess the situation to determine the nature of the threat and what measures should be taken to attempt to stop, or control, the life threatening actions related to the incident.
• Announce. After the initial assessment, announce what you are seeing to dispatch personnel and responding officers. The radio broadcast should include the nature of the incident, what resources are needed, anticipated number of officers and all other pertinent information.
• Assemble. Once the situation has been quickly assessed and properly announced, officers must rapidly assemble in a safe location, configure into contact teams and respond. The teams must respond in a coordinated effort using tactical concepts, such as “bounding/overwatch” as directed by their team leader or the Incident Commander.
• Act. All officers and supervisors must act in a coordinated effort to make contact with the attackers, restrict their ability to maneuver, deny avenues of escape, and stop their deadly behavior, while being mindful of the possibility of a counter-attack.
Tactical Combat Care
Tactical Combat care is critical when responding to a multiple small cell terrorist attack. Paramedics won’t be following you into combat and TEMS, (if available) can’t be everywhere at once. You must have some basic life saving skills that can save your life, a buddy’s life or an innocent civilian’s life. The necessary skills are simple to learn in an eight-hour training day. Soldiers are learning these skills in basic training now and it is believed to have greatly increased battlefield survival.
For example, soldiers are learning skills such as applying a tourniquet, which can stop a severe hemorrhage from a leg or arm. A severe laceration on your thigh or a gun shot in the same location can bleed out in less than five minutes. That means you’re dead when a simple Tourniquet, put on by yourself in combat could have stopped the bleeding and saved your life.
Tension Pneumothorax occurs when a collapsed lung causes pressure to build up inside the chest cavity, which then compresses the heart causing it to stop. Tension pneumothorax can occur when you are shot in the chest. I know most of you tactical officers wear body armor but I doubt your body armor stops rifle rounds from an AK-47. That’s most likely the weapon your adversary will use against you and if your buddy survives a shot in the chest he/she won’t have but a few minutes to live if her/she develops a Tension Pneumothorax. A needle decompression can stop this wound from becoming fatal. TEMS officers won’t agree that you should perform this procedure but if our soldiers can do it so can you! Obviously, proper training is mandatory before performing any of these life saving tactics.
A ‘sucking chest wound’ can occur to an officer when a bullet opens a hole in the chest wall, entering the lung, causing it to collapse. Sucking chest wounds require an immediate application of an occlusive dressing. A simple chest seal pre-manufactured or handmade with tape, applied within minutes of the injury can prevent another easily treatable battlefield wound from becoming fatal.
Airway compromise is an injury that can be treated with a simple insertion of a “Nasopharyngeal Airway Tube.” A very simple procedure that can be fatal in just a few short minutes if left untreated.
These are the main components of tactical combat care. A very small amount of first aid equipment will be needed in your “go-bag” or you can purchase kits already pre-assembled for your use. These kits aren’t much bigger in size than your gun holster. You should seek out training from a reputable trainer. There are only a handful of trainers out there providing tactical combat care so you may find my newly published book “The Police Tactical Life Saver” from Loose Leaf Law Publications a very helpful resource for all the skills needed to save your life in combat when medical professionals aren’t there to provide advanced care. You can get the book at www.looseleaflaw.com or call them at 1-800-647-5547.
Fight to Win
Tactical decision making and proper use of tactics will dictate the outcome of a multiple small cell terrorist attack. As tactical officers you will be looked upon for leadership and in that moment let all your experience and training prove to the terrorist that he picked the wrong town to pick a fight with!
Stay safe.
Sgt. Glenn French
