PAX Centurion - January / March 2016

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • January/March 2016 • Page 27 I n September of 2014, the international terror group ISIS released a message instructing its followers to “rise up, kill intelligence officers, police officers, soldiers, and civilians.” The threat named the United States, France, Australia and Canada specifically as targets. This message was recently re-released and it is a threat we should take seriously. We make a fatal mistake if we, as police officers, make the same false assumption that these attacks are random, unrelated events. To assume that these are “lone wolf” attacks, independent of each other and uncoordinated is folly. In theWar on Terror, today’s battlefield is an asymmetrical and non-traditional one. The most effective tactic of the enemy is dispersion. Osama bin Laden stated long ago that the ultimate goal of al Qaeda was to inspire autonomous groups of fighters to take up the fight they were waging worldwide. He told us so and it is obvious we were not, and are still not, listening. We are fooling only ourselves in believing the Tsarnaev brothers were working alone. That they were “homegrown,” lone wolf terrorists. It is incomprehensible and defies logic that these two conceived, planned, financed, and conducted this operation without support. They had to have access to, and the support of, a vast network both at home and abroad. A network that is still in place. Our most likely threat as police officers is the ambush. In October an Islamic convert called for Jihad against police stating on his facebook page “They are weaker at home. We are scattered and decentralized, we can use this as an advantage,” before he attacked police in NYC with an ax. In Ottawa that same month, Zehaf-Bibeau killed a soldier, standing guard at public monument, then shot up Parliment. In December 2014, two NYPD officers were gunned down sitting in their patrol car by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, another convert who answered the call to raise up and strike. There is a clear and present danger but even if the media and national political command structure chooses to ignore it, we do not have to. We are our only defense, our only support, and unfortunately our only back up. It is upon us as individuals to take charge of our own lives. The most important course of action in an ambush is to get off the X . Remove yourself from the kill zone. Sometimes this means going on the offensive, assault through to the attackers, turn on them with as much violence as you can bring. Placing them immediately on the defensive breaks the advantage they already have over you. There are two types of ambush. The near ambush, and the far ambush. The three ambushes discussed earlier are examples of the near ambush. Fighting your way off the X is your only chance at survival and understand even that chance at survival is small.Your attacker has all of the advantages. He has picked the place, the time, and the manner of attack. Reaction to it becomes our only advantage. For the far ambush, like a sniper attack, the distance from the kill zone of the attacker makes assaulting the attacker impractical. However it allows the option for us to break contact. To fire and maneuver, to seek cover, and remove ourselves from the kill zone. But those offensive tactics are only for when you are already in an ambush. The best defense is obviously to avoid one. As Mr. Miyagi said in “The Karate Kid,” the best way to avoid a fight is “not to be there.” This of course is easier said than done. We must first accept the fact that this threat is upon us. That it is real, very likely, and we should conduct ourselves accordingly. These types of assaults on police officers have been on the rise. Our basic patrol procedure training from theAcademy is a great basis in which to plan our daily activities. The vehicle stop is still the most common means of ambushing officers, so keep distance, remember to make sure you are far enough away from the car in front of you to see the back tires. Proper patrol procedures are sound, but ramp it up a few notches. A little paranoia, when people are out to get us, is a healthy thing. Observe the people around us and the attention they pay to us, and even more telling the attention they are avoiding. Watch their hands, where they stand, what they are doing and not doing. When receiving a call, especially one from an unknown caller in an out of the way place, for a seemingly innocuous reason, it should be treated like we would the suspicious package. That one with too much postage, the odd addressing, and no return address. Approach the scene twice. That is, pass by before stopping. Go around a few times and take note of the area and activity. Then approach from the least likely way. Walk to it from further away, from the odd angle. Be cognizant of the fact that not all ambushes will occur immediately. Assume that the intent to attack is present, but that you have not been brought into the desired kill location. A foot chase is another great opportunity to draw an officer into a near ambush. Suspects escaping on foot can lead officers then wait for officers to turn a corner. Counter ambush tactics include utilizing cover on the move, not following the same path as the suspect, and rounding corners wide. When attacked in a vehicle, GET OUT. A vehicle is a nice box in which to trap and slaughter a victim. Sometimes you can’t get out so whether stationary or otherwise, throttling it out of the kill zone maybe your best course of action. Ducking low and watching the overhead power lines on the telephone poles can guide you out of the kill zone when you can’t see the road. If the attackers are forward of your position. Backing away is a difficult task when someone is not shooting at you. So reversing into a yard, driveway, or smashing between two parked cars then turning and driving away in the opposite direction is often a better option than driving forward into plunging fire. Always avoid hitting the front bumper since an airbag in the face makes things more difficult. Remember that deadly force is deadly force and if there is a clear path to the shooter. Aiming that one-ton car and running them over is easier than removing your pistol from a level III holster, and hitting them with well aimed .40 rounds, all while the suspect is shooting at you is often a better choice for survival. If your lucky enough to be assigned with a partner. ALWAYS By P.O. Dennis Murphy, D14 Be alert for attacks from ISIS and other terrorists See Attacks on page 28