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Think Before You Take Action... Off-Duty Officers Should Evaluate The Situation Before Responding to Criminal Action. An off-duty police officer with eight years on the job stopped by the bank to cash a check and make a deposit. As he stood in line, two masked men entered the bank with automatic weapons, shot two shots into the air and proceeded to rob the bank. All of the customers were ordered to the floor. With one robber approaching the teller's counter, the other stood watch over the customers. Many thoughts were racing through the officer's mind. He had a 2" revolver in his ankle holster but there was no way he was going to chance going for that. There was really nothing he could do but to get a description and after the ordeal was over, hopefully they could catch these bad guys. As he laid on the floor with about ten other customers, the masked gunmen began to remove items from each customers pockets and purses. When they reached into the officer's pocket the gunman pulled out the officer's wallet/badge case. The robber looked at the badge and ID and yelled we've got us a cop here. The other gunman approached and shot the officer in the back of the head at point blank range and replied, "now we don't!" They continued to remove items from the other customers and exited the bank to an awaiting getaway car. They were caught two weeks later attempting another bank robbery. It is true that off-duty officers successfully intervene to protect lives and property on a regular basis. It is equally true, however, that every year the FBI's "Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted" report contains tragic examples of well meaning and courageous off-duty officers who perished after getting in over their head or just being killed because they were identified as a police officer. All good cops want to catch the bad guys and protect those in need of protection . But getting personally involved and not thinking before you take action can cost you your life. CASE IN POINT An off-duty officer runs to the local convenience store for milk and bread at 10:30 P.M., after his wife realized there was not enough milk for breakfast and bread for lunches. The officer parks his car and enters the store and goes right to the cooler to pick up the milk and then grabs a loaf of bread and walks towards the checkout counter when he realizes there is no cashier. He turns to the right and sees a man holding the cashier at gun point in the door way of the store office. The officer puts down the milk and bread, draws his 9mm handgun and identifies himself as a police officer. Little does the officer know but there is a lookout man outside and another working on the store safe inside the office. The man holding the cashier complies with the officer and backs out of the office letting the cashier free. The officer orders the man to lay on the floor. The lookout man sitting in a car sees what's happening and approaches the front door. As the officer approaches the office, the man working on the safe comes up shooting and within seconds the officer is on the floor with fatal wounds to his head and chest. As the cashier stands in shock one of the armed robbers picks up the officer's gun and shoots the cashier and then shoots the officer with his own gun. They exit the store with about $250.00 in cash. INTERVENING SAFELY Deciding when and how to intervene effectively and when to simply be an excellent witness will test your skills as a street-smart officer and a good decision maker. And sometimes its just your identity that can get you hurt or killed. Before you elect to intervene while off-duty, using potentially deadly force or otherwise, you must consider the consequences of your actions. You will have to quickly exercise good judgment to answer such questions as: What is the worst case scenario if I choose not to intervene? What sort of help will I have available and how quickly? Will my actions exacerbate the situation? Here are some things to remember: 1. Realize you liabilities - Have you thought about your equipment limitations? Are you wearing body armor? Are you carrying a firearm? What type? Where is it located? Do you have extra ammo? Will you and your snub-nose be badly outgunned by the bad guys shotgun? 2. Gather data and assess - You will need as much information you can gather in the limited time you have to decide whether or not to intervene and, if so, how to go about it. Think about your strengths, liabilities and the totality of the circumstances you face. How many offenders are there? How are they armed? Can you summon help quickly? Have you been identified as a police officer? What's the crime? How many victims or bystanders are present? Is serious violence occurring or imminent? 3. Plan well - A quick plan is better than no plan. Realize you probably won't have the time to develop a perfect plan for confronting an off-duty emergency. Do not let that prevent you from acting when the situation demands you take action. 4. Seek assistance immediately - Whenever possible, refrain from taking a confrontational course of action until you have called for assistance. If you can not make the call yourself, ask more than one person to call 9-1-1 for you. Tell these people what is happening, and ask them to specify that an off-duty officer is at the scene, where you are located and how you are dressed. 5. Don't make things worse -You have not improved the situation if you have turned a theft into a crime against person, possibly with you as the victim. 6. Stay alert for new threats - Keep all of your senses on high alert throughout your off-duty encounter. 7. Find cover promptly - Once you position yourself with cover, stay there until help arrives unless a changing threat scenario requires that you relocate. Try to freeze the situation as it is. But recognize that if the offender realizes he is confronted by a lone, off-duty officer, he may experience a rapid renewal of self confidence and decide to take you on. Stay covered and ready to react instantly to a quick change in your subject's demeanor or actions. 8. Don't get too close too soon - Try to wait for help to arrive before you move in to handcuff and search an offender. Doing these things alone greatly increases your risk of being attacked and disarmed. If he runs and you believe he has a weapon, do not leave cover to engage in a foot chase. Without radio communication to aid you, it is just too dangerous. It is better that he get away than to expose yourself to injury or worse. 9. Never pose a threat to on-duty officers - You know how you would react if, as an on-duty officer, you encountered a subject in street cloths, displaying a gun and shouting that he or she was a cop. Please try to be familiar with any codes or color of the day bands many department use. Mistakes have happened where an officer is shot by a fellow officer. SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT If you now carry your badge and ID in your wallet think about this! Carry a separate wallet with your money and credit cards in it while off-duty. You may want to carry a second "throw away" badge and ID case, that if you find yourself in a bad situation, you can dump that case in the bushes, in a counter, in the soda rack... where ever to lose your identity as a law enforcement officer. If you are off-duty try not to wear shirts, hats etc., that identify you as a police officer. If something is going down, the bad guy never asked if you are really a cop or not. Use common sense and please stay safe.
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