chapter five

© 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved

Crisis InterventionWilliam Harmening

Roosevelt University

Harmening, Crisis Intervention: The Criminal Justice Response to Chaos, Mayhem, and Disaster

Chapter 5THE TACTICAL RESPONSE


5.1

5.2

5.3

To explain the role of tactical teams in the containment and de-escalation of crisis and the

historical development of S.W.A.T.

To explain the techniques for de-escalating an “active-shooter” crisis.

To list and define police rapid deployment tactics.

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

5.4 To list and define the various types of tactical entry.

To explain the role of tactical teams in the containment and de-escalation of crisis and the historical development of Police S.W.A.T.

Learning ObjectivesAfter this lecture, you should be able to complete the following Learning Outcomes

5.1

4

5.1 The Role of Tactical Teams

The Advent of S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons and Tactics)

• First used by the LAPD in the 1960s.

• The idea was to form a specially trained and armed unit to meet the new types of tactical situations the police were forced to confront during that era involving well-armed radical groups.

• During the 1970s the television show “S.W.A.T.” gave the public its first exposure to this type of police unit.

• Today essentially every police department either has a tactical unit patterned after the S.W.A.T. concept, or they have access to one through other mucipal, state, and federal agencies.

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Modern Tactical Units

• ERT (Emergency Response Teams)• ESU (Emergency Services Units)• TRT (Tactical Response Teams)

Regardless of the acronym used, the duties carried out by these teams are essentially the same:

- Hostage rescues- High-risk arrest and search warrants- Active shooter situations- Resolving situations involving barricaded subjects- Dealing with high-risk mentally ill or suicidal subjects- Terrorist threats

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Defining a Tactical Situation

• A situation in which the use of force is likely to be met with force.

• A situation of high-risk requiring special weapons and tactics.

• A situation that tends to go beyond the response capabilities of patrol officers.

• A situation involving a police response that is barely distinguishable from a military operation.

To explain the techniques for de-escalating an “active-shooter” crisis.


5.2

8

5.2 The Active Shooter

The Active Shooter

“An armed person who has used deadly force on other persons and continues to do so while having unrestricted access to additional victims.”

El Paso County (CO) Sheriff’s Procedure Manual (2003)

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The Active Shooter

Recent active shooter cases…

• Columbine High School (1999): 12 students and a teacher killed.

• Goleta, CA Postal facility (2006): 6 employees killed.

• Virginia Tech (2007): 32 students killed.

• Northern Illinois University (2008): 24 people shot, 5 of them fatal.

• Fort Hood, Texas (2009): 13 soldiers killed, 30 others wounded.

Since the publication of this text we have witnessed additional active shooter situations, including the Aurora CO theater shooting (12 dead, 58 wounded) and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting (26 killed, including 20 children). Both occurred in 2012.

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The Active Shooter

There was a time when the preferred tactic in this type of situation was to set up a perimeter and wait for S.W.A.T. The law enforcement community’s thinking changed after Columbine.

Researchers have concluded that the faster an active shooter is confronted by police, the greater the probability of de-escalating the situation without the further loss of life.

Police officers are now trained to move in quickly with the tools they have.

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The Active Shooter

In short, the responding officers to an active shooter situation are tasked with immediately de-escalating of the crisis in front of them as they move toward the shooter while simultaneously containing the area behind them.

To list and define police rapid deployment tactics.


5.3

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5.3 Rapid Deployment

The Active Shooter

In short, the responding officers to an active shooter situation are tasked with immediately de-escalating of the crisis in front of them as they move toward the shooter while simultaneously containing the area behind them.

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Rapid Deployment Tactics

There are four objectives to an active shooter response:

• Make contact with shooter

• Rescue the injured

• Secure the perimeter

• Evacuate potential victims away from the shooter

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Response Team Structure and Duties

CONTACT TEAM

• Task is to enter and attempt to make contact with the shooter.

• Ideal number of officers is 4.

• They maintain a “T” or “Diamond” formation as they move toward the sound of the gunfire. This allows for a 360-degree field of view.

• They neither enter rooms nor aid the wounded. Their only goal is to confront and immobilize the shooter.

• As they move forward they direct people to evacuate behind them and gather as much information as possible as they continue to move forward swiftly.

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RESCUE TEAMWhile the CONTACT TEAM continues to move forward toward the shooter, the RESCUE TEAM moves at a safe distance behind the CONTACT TEAM and renders aid to the wounded and assists in the evacuation of potential victims. Their task is to set up a safe perimeter around the rescue area, always maintaining a vigilant eye for the shooter.

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PERIMETER TEAMThe PERIMETER TEAM’S task is to block off and secure any potential escape routes the shooter may attempt to use. They also keep citizens out of the “hot” zone. Additionally, they have the task of searching the area inside the perimeter for evidence and additional threats, such as a bomb in the shooter’s vehicle or perhaps accomplices.

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EVACUATION TEAMTheir task is to assist evacuees to a safe location outside the “hot” zone. As they do, they also maintain a watchful eye for the shooter and provide cover in the event the shooter begins shooting at the evacuees.

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Response Team Summary

PERIMETER TEAM

EVAUATION

TEAM

RESCUE TEAM

CONTACT TEAM

Active Shooter

Confronts and immobilizes shooter

as quickly as possible

Moves behind Contact Team to

render aid and get people out

Leads evacuees and wounded safely

away from hot zone

Shuts off potential escape routes and secures hot zone

To list and define the various types of tactical entry.


5.4

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5.4 Tactical Entry

Tactical OptionsWhen a high-risk entry becomes necessary, the operational commander can attempt any of the following:

RUSEThe operational commander can attempt to entice the person out of the building or to a different location inside the building through some pretense in order to make it easier to affect an arrest, or if hostages are involved, to move the person to a position in sight of a police sniper.

SURROUND AND CALL OUT

BREACH AND HOLD

DELIBERATE ENTRY

DYNAMIC ENTRY

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5.4 Tactical Entry


RUSE

SURROUND AND CALL OUTUsing this option, the police surround the location, announce their presence, and direct the individual to walk out with their hands in plain view.

BREACH AND HOLD

DELIBERATE ENTRY

DYNAMIC ENTRY

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5.4 Tactical Entry


RUSE


BREACH AND HOLDThe team breaches an entry point, such as a door, but holds their positions without entering. This option makes it clear to the suspect that significant force is waiting to enter the premises. It also gives the entry team time to methodically clear the area inside the entry point of potential threats.

DELIBERATE ENTRY

DYNAMIC ENTRY

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5.4 Tactical Entry


RUSE


BREACH AND HOLD

DELIBERATE ENTRYUsing this option the team breaches an entry point and immediately moves in. They move through the location slow and methodically, clearing each area before moving on to the next. As people are encountered they are searched and secured before moving on.

DYNAMIC ENTRY

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5.4 Tactical Entry


RUSE


BREACH AND HOLD

DELIBERATE ENTRY

DYNAMIC ENTRYA quick and focused entry. Like the deliberate entry, once an entry point is breached, the team moves in immediately, but rather than moving slow and methodically toward their objective, they instead do so as rapidly as possible. People who do not appear to be a threat are passed by. This is the desired entry when hostages are involved.

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5.4 Tactical Entry

Phases of a Tactical Entry

• SCOUTING PHASE

• PLANNING PHASE

• BRIEFING PHASE

• EXECUTION PHASE

• DEBRIEFING PHASE

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5.4 Tactical Entry

Tactics and Techniques

Suspect

Officer

1

2

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“Slicing the Pie”

If the team breaches and holds their positions, this is the standard method for clearing the area inside the breach point. One officer slowly moves across the breach point away from the structure. Done properly, they will see a suspect before the suspect sees them.

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5.4 Tactical Entry

Tactical Options

123 1 2 3

“The Crisscross Entry”

Team members stack on either side of the door and enter by crossing each others path and moving to the opposite side of the room. The officer in the first position immediately moves to a position of dominance with the officer in the second position scanning the room for threats and providing cover. A suspect will almost always focus on the first person through the door.

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5.4 Tactical Entry

Tactical Options“The Buttonhook Entry”

Team members stack on both sides of the breach point and instead of crossing each other’s paths, they enter by rounding the door jam and moving to a point of domination on the same side of the room. Like the crisscross entry, having officers on both sides of the room allows them to “triangulate” a suspect and quickly immobilize them.

123 1 2 3

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5.4 Tactical Entry

Tactical Options“The Combination Entry”

Team members stack on the same side of the door and alternate their entry between crisscross and buttonhook.

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The concept of police tactical units was developed first by the LAPD to meet the demands of new heavily

armed radical groups. Today these units are common throughout law enforcement.

The police response to an active shooter has evolved in recent years. No longer do responding officers wait

for a tactical unit. Rather, they are now training to enter and de-escalate an active shooter situation

themselves.

Rapid deployment techniques involve CONTACT, RESCUE, EVACUATION, and PERIMETER teams all working together to secure a hot zone, shield the

wounded and other potential victims, and confront the shooter as quickly as possible.

Depending on the structure being breached and the type of crisis being confronted, the team can either breach and hold or enter immediately. The can enter using a crisscross, buttonhook, or combination entry.

CHAPTER SUMMARY

5.1

5.2

5.3

5.4


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. The tactical mission of the police could perhaps be better carried out by military units. Do you believe there is a downside to allowing the U.S. military to participate in police tactical operations?

2. The image portrayed by police tactical units is much different than a typical officer on the beat. Do you believe this image has been helpful to the police mission in America in terms of police-community relations, or has it hindered that goal?

3. Discuss the differences in the psychological state of most active shooters, such as those at Columbine High School, and the tactical team members who confront them. How does training impact the psychological state of the tactical officers?

chapter five

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police response

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