Tactical Emergency Family Responses
By Kregg P.J. Jorgenson
Do you draw your conceal carry weapon and try to take down the robber(s) or do you instead opt to protect your family and others in the restaurant by remaining a good witness? Are you carrying enough equipment to protect yourselves, family members, and take the suspect into custody without being shot by responding officers? It’s the weekend and you’re off-duty with a family at your favorite restaurant dealing with both the dessert menu and the heartburn brought on by your 15-year old daughter who thinks that getting a tattoo of her latest boyfriend’s name across her lower back would be awesome. Then as you turn and slowly shake your head you notice that the cashier is getting robbed at gunpoint.
So what do you do?
Now, let’s toss in another factor and dilemma. What if your spouse/partner/significant other or child sees what’s going on and says or yells, ‘You’re a cop! Do something!’ What if it is the cashier who looks over at you knowing you’re in Law Enforcement says the same thing?
Keep in mind the cashier may not even have to say anything at all- the look itself may be enough to draw the attention of the bad guy(s) in your direction and bring on trouble.
Why? Well, have you looked in a mirror recently because unless you’re working undercover you probably either look like a Law Enforcement Officer or a Fleet Marine on shore leave?
So now what? Bullets flying in a crowded place will likely have unintended targets with certain moral and legal ramifications and consequences. In addition, can you be dead certain that your focus be solely on the ensuing gun fight if you know your loved ones are in the open and in danger behind you?
It’s a tough call with no easy answers but at the 5th Annual Arrestling Officer’s Safety Conference held recently in Maple Valley, Washington these were just several scenarios discussed with officers and other family members that covered basic awareness, crisis management, and how to safely handle firearms.
“Let’s change the scenario a little,” said Arrestling Founder and SWAT Officer Don Gulla who hosted the Conference. “Okay spouses and significant others, do you know what to do if your car is jacked, if you are burglarized or suddenly find that you walked into the middle of a home invasion? What if your Law Enforcement counterpart is fighting with a bad guy or guys on the floor or bouncing off the walls do you know what to do? Do you have an emergency plan in place? Do you have a code word so you’ll know what to do in such a situation? Have you and your even discussed any of these possibilities?”
It was a straight forward approach to some very difficult and important questions. Gulla though, wasn’t done. “Are you familiar with pistols or TASERs? Have you ever cleared a jam or malfunction? Know where the safety is? Know what you can do to help your Law Enforcement spouse/partner or significant other?”
The seminar event that delved into these areas also talked over real-world cases involving such situations where officers and their family members were suddenly faced with these problems. The seminar brought on some chilling and eye-opening realities and responses to those in attendance.
“In our academy training and range courses these kinds of topics come up and we talk about them,” admitted one officer at the conference, “but we seldom discuss it with our families and loved ones, let alone get a chance for them to become familiar with the kinds of weapons we carry. Like it or not, sometimes the people we care about can be drawn into these ugly situations, which is why we’re here today.”
The event saw weapons familiarization and range time for the spouses/partners or significant others of the types and kinds of weapons that are on the officer’s duty belt.
Jim Detrick of the Violent Survival Encounter Training program and other range personnel took the spouses and others through an introduction to weapons including a live-fire segment while Gulla provided them with an introduction to TASER training.
A former Police Sergeant Detrick is well aware of violent encounters in restaurants as he was shot four times across the abdomen and thighs by an attacker before he could disarm the man. The incident led him to finding better methods and ways of dealing with such people and situations; ways that stressed officer safety through real-world practical training procedures. Detrick worked extensively with Gulla to develop the Violent Encounter Survival Training regimen which has been well received over the years it has been in place.
“Jim brings more than just text book theory to the table,” said Gulla. Bringing shocking proof that there are other less lethal options as well Gulla provided the spouses/partners or significant others with a introduction to TASERs.
“We showed them the law enforcement version as well as TASER’s C-2 civilian model,” he said, “and gave them a chance to see how they work, how to use them and why they are a good option too in personal protection.”
The ‘good option’ comment was fairly obvious from the comment s of those taking the training. “Oh! This is easy! I really like this!” exclaimed one of the wives during the TASER application as one of the two prongs fired from a training model hit the chest portion of the target while the second was imbedded in the groin and she pulled the trigger for a five-second surge. “That’ll teach you to break into my house and leave the toilet seat up!” said another woman as Gulla suggested more viable examples of verbal commands they should employ as some of the wives offered a few of their own commands, some hilarious and some, well, some we just can’t print.
What is printable is their feeling towards the conference event. “Awareness is an important issue for we Law Enforcement family members and I’m glad we had an opportunity to talk about these things and take part in some of the training,” said one wife who doesn’t want to be named. “It’s frightening to think about at times but even more frightening not to know what to do when something happens. Now at least we have some options and although I still don’t like pistols, I’m no longer afraid of handling them or using one, if I have to. But to be honest,” added the woman with a grin, “I really, really like the C2 TASER!”
