Post by bazooka on Oct 26, 2019 7:07:51 GMT
FOOT PURSUIT!!
Reading a recent foot pursuit that ended poorly I wanted to write about this aspect of things. It doesn't apply to the oversized dad bods so keep it perspective. I was in quite a few of these in my years on the job. I recall in the academy a lengthy discussion of a slightly built deputy that engaged a muscular bad guy in a foot pursuit, only to be unable to do anything with him due to his lack of stamina and physical strength when he caught up to him. The deputy ended up dead as a result.
All our foot pursuits were handled with the intent of hurting the bad guy when we caught him. It was not a "tag you are it", nor a glorious "tackle". We ran up as close as we could and then pushed him hard into a building, a parked car, or in one instance, down a flight of stairs. If we could not get close enough to do this, we stayed with him, driving him into another officer that would do the same thing. I do not recall anyone ever "tackling" the bad guy.
If he was armed, we ran as close as we could and then shot him. Policy required that our lives be in peril, defined by them turning toward us. They always did...even if the shots didn't suggest that. We knew the time delay between the turn, the turn back to run and the subsequent shots. Easily articulated. Even today it is unlikely that every step of a pursuit will be video recorded. And the end of the discussion is that if you cannot conclude things in your favor without stupidly risking yourself, you let the bastard get away.
In mine...numbering in at least a couple of dozen, most of the guys were caught...everyone went to the hospital after the pursuit for one reason or another, and two were shot...oner ridiculously enough, shot himself right in the junk as he was trying to draw on us. He actually saved his life as a 12 ga was about to be touched off on his back as he fell from his own gunshot. All great fun. A foot pursuit was almost as enjoyable as a vehicle pursuit.
I only recall two times where I was injured in a foot pursuit. One was simply me trying too hard and hitting my elbow on a corner of a building in the dark. The other was when I ran down a rapist and he crashed hard into a building. I was going to "handcuff him" in tumultous and dynamic manner when my sweaty hands and his sweaty arm conflicted and I broke my thumb. C'est la guerre.
The guys that are on the job and read this...if you are horrified, here is my advise....find a new fucking job. If you are not horrified, understand that YOUR perception of the events and your ability to express it verbally are by far the greatest weapons in your arsenal and trumps anything the bad guys or the admin can deploy against you.
Reading a recent foot pursuit that ended poorly I wanted to write about this aspect of things. It doesn't apply to the oversized dad bods so keep it perspective. I was in quite a few of these in my years on the job. I recall in the academy a lengthy discussion of a slightly built deputy that engaged a muscular bad guy in a foot pursuit, only to be unable to do anything with him due to his lack of stamina and physical strength when he caught up to him. The deputy ended up dead as a result.
All our foot pursuits were handled with the intent of hurting the bad guy when we caught him. It was not a "tag you are it", nor a glorious "tackle". We ran up as close as we could and then pushed him hard into a building, a parked car, or in one instance, down a flight of stairs. If we could not get close enough to do this, we stayed with him, driving him into another officer that would do the same thing. I do not recall anyone ever "tackling" the bad guy.
If he was armed, we ran as close as we could and then shot him. Policy required that our lives be in peril, defined by them turning toward us. They always did...even if the shots didn't suggest that. We knew the time delay between the turn, the turn back to run and the subsequent shots. Easily articulated. Even today it is unlikely that every step of a pursuit will be video recorded. And the end of the discussion is that if you cannot conclude things in your favor without stupidly risking yourself, you let the bastard get away.
In mine...numbering in at least a couple of dozen, most of the guys were caught...everyone went to the hospital after the pursuit for one reason or another, and two were shot...oner ridiculously enough, shot himself right in the junk as he was trying to draw on us. He actually saved his life as a 12 ga was about to be touched off on his back as he fell from his own gunshot. All great fun. A foot pursuit was almost as enjoyable as a vehicle pursuit.
I only recall two times where I was injured in a foot pursuit. One was simply me trying too hard and hitting my elbow on a corner of a building in the dark. The other was when I ran down a rapist and he crashed hard into a building. I was going to "handcuff him" in tumultous and dynamic manner when my sweaty hands and his sweaty arm conflicted and I broke my thumb. C'est la guerre.
The guys that are on the job and read this...if you are horrified, here is my advise....find a new fucking job. If you are not horrified, understand that YOUR perception of the events and your ability to express it verbally are by far the greatest weapons in your arsenal and trumps anything the bad guys or the admin can deploy against you.
