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SPECIAL REPORT The CLeaR Concept Writing it down is the best way to help maintain situational awareness. ing is called the 1 side, then clockwise its 2, 3, and 4 side. This makes it easy for everyone involved, which often includes outside agencies that may be uncertain which direction is north or south, to easily determine which side of the building is being referenced. Just ensure that the CP clearly announces to all containment positions which side of the building is going to be designated the 1 side. Long Rife When we talk about Long Rifes, what leaps to most minds are snipers… those ghillie-suited ninjas with scoped long guns taking a precision shot from incredible distances. If you have one of those guys in patrol, great, use him. Even if you don't have one, what you will often have is an offcer with some type of patrol rife. In many departments, you will fnd an AR or M16 platform foating around the patrol feet, or even issued to every offcer. Whatever rife platform you have or scrounge up, this is what you want in the over watch position on the primary exit/surrender/attack point (usually the 1 side). In the patrol setting, the Long Rife is the man with the training and equipment to decisively end the threat, should the need arise. Whether the suspect takes containment under fre, exits the structure and aggresses the offcers, or presents an immediate threat to the hostage, a rife caliber weapon in the hands of a trained patrol offcer can be a game stopper. As manpower allows, try to keep your long rife separate from your containment teams. There is a tendency in police work to "double up" on duties (i.e. making the one side containment also the Long Rife). This may work as long as the suspect does not begin causing problems on some other side of the building. At that point, your Long Rife becomes useless as he/she cannot move or adjust his position to address the problem. In addition, it is usually a good idea to give the long rife a "spotter" to go with him/her. Not only can a spotter with a pair of binos provide valuable intelligence to the CP, he/she can act as radio operator and security for the long rife. React Team In critical incidents such as hostage/barricades, a React Team can be the difference between a successful resolution and one of those abysmal failures mentioned earlier. In a nutshell, a React Team is a group of offcers tasked with REACTing to whatever the suspect might do. This team is distinct from the containment teams, and 44 LAW and ORDER I July 2013 must be staffed with the tools and personnel needed to accomplish the mission. What does that mean exactly? Well, it depends on the problem. If it's a hostage situation, you will certainly need enough people and equipment to pull off an emergency assault should that become necessary. If the suspect is hunkered down inside a studio apartment with a hollow core door, the number of offcers, and type of equipment needed, will be less than if he is inside a 2,500-square-foot home with multiple rooms and metal security gates. Out of the tools commonly available to patrol, a good basic load out might include entry tools (if hostage related), less lethal weapons, a K9 team, bullhorn, and a shield. With the name refecting the mission, the next step for any React team is to start war gaming what "might" occur during their particular problem. If it is a hostage problem, you will absolutely need an emergency assault plan. A highly risky mission, it is utilized only in circumstances where patrol must act to save the hostages from immediate harm. Emergency assault plans can vary in size and complexity, but the basics are how, where, and who will make entry, and what will you do once you get inside to rescue the hostages. Aside from those rare hostage occasions, I fnd that planning for what is historically predictable is always a decent place to start for most problems. In that golden hour or so before SWAT shows up, a React team might want to throw together some quick plans for the following basics. Surrender is the most common occurrence and should be simple, but also well thought out. Who is giving the commands, where are you directing the suspect, who is covering him, who is cuffng? As for Escape, what will you do if the suspect walks out but won't surrender, what if he comes out running, what if he comes out a different side or tries to make it to a nearby vehicle, etc., etc.? There are a lot of possible variations on this theme. Make your plans fexible so you can adapt them to the various circumstances you encounter. For Offensive actions, the best time to plan for the suspect bringing the fght to us is before he does it! Again, there are a lot of potential scenarios, but taking fre from inside a structure, having the suspect exit fring, and man down drills should be some of the obvious plans you want to consider. The Other category is where I lump everything else. Depending on what you encounter, there are occasionally scenarios involving barricades/hostages that are so unusual that they are diffcult to contemplate before actually facing them. Your particular situation might call for some innovative thinking or outside-the-box ideas. If you see something shaping up that way, start gaming out how you will handle it BEFORE it actually becomes a reality. The immortal words of that law enforcement icon, Clint Eastwood, may serve as a guide in these situations, "Adapt, improvise, and overcome." Lt. Ti Goetz is a 19-year veteran of the Hawthorne, Calif. Police Department. His duties include those of patrol Watch Commander as well as SWAT team Commander. He has a Masters Degree in Negotiations and Confict Management and has authored a number of articles on various police related topics. He can be reached at tiandkelly@verizon.net. LaO Post your comments on this story by visiting www.lawandordermag.com