February 2008

This incident shows three major problems with warrant service, even for SWAT or dedicated hostile entry teams. The first is that there is never enough intel to let you know exactly what will happen. Always plan for every possible response from the people inside, and expect them to come up with one you did not plan for. There is an old joke about how psychology researchers put a gorilla in a room with just four exits to see which he would choose. The gorilla made a fifth. This is how we need to plan for all SWAT calls and warrant service. I have to admit that the case under consideration seems to have been planned as well as could be at the time.

The second major problem is that we do not usually have medical personnel on scene. I know that many major departments have gone to having medics on the SWAT team, and I think this is a good thing. I have had to go on calls where the best we could do was having the EMS unit stand by staging a mile away. They would not come in until the scene was secure. A response like that could kill, so we need to make sure that ALL officers know first aid, at least for major trauma like we expect in these situations. How many of you have tried or practiced putting a bandage or tourniquet on your own extremites? It is not easy, but could save your life. Study how to do first aid to yourself.

The third problem is the one of overpenetration. Bullets go much further through houses than many people beleive. I have seen a bullet from a .357 magnum revolver go through one exterior wall, cross between two houses, go through the second exterior wall, then go through three interior walls before dropping to the floor. Rifle bullets can also penetrate, though not usually as far as that. When we are working the exterior perimeter of a situation, we need to be aware of what is going on inside as much as possible. A year or two ago, the Lubbock TX PD had a SWAT call at a house. One of the officers was killed by a bullet that completely penetrated the house after being fired by another officer. Keep in mind the possibilities of a cross fire and over penetration when you are planning the exact positions for the exterior team. People on the exterior team need to keep alert to what is happening outside and inside the house.