The introduction of the MDT¹ into the cruiser made officers on the road more autonomous. We could check licenses, run registrations, read calls for service, see pending calls, use maps, type reports, and play Spider Solitaire. It also keeps officers out on the road and out of the station which makes the Brass happy because that’s where we fart around or smoke and joke. All great improvements, mind you, but there’s another thing MDTs did — they made us more vulnerable.
Tactical Stats
When you work in a cruiser, you work in a fishbowl, and at night, it’s real easy to see in but not so easy to see out. Marked cruisers already stick out like a sore thumb — by intention, of course — which means you get noticed everywhere you go. When you’re trying to type your reports, not be bothered, and not get killed all at the same time, this is a huge problem. Because at night, especially at night, you are sitting in a fishbowl-on-wheels, surrounded by glass, where everyone can see you because the interior of your cruiser is lit up like the control panel of a NASA space shuttle.
According to The Fraternal Order of Police ambush attacks on cops doubled in 2021 when compared with the previous year. In a 2018 FBI study on ambush attacks, two of the four main factors that researchers identified as contributing to the attack were that offices were either 1) distracted or 2) had a lack of situational awareness. Additionally, 57% of officers killed were in a one-man car riding solo.
The Fishbowl
It’s easy to think of tactics when breaching doors and clearing rooms, because, hey, that’s sexy. But we don’t think of tactics when we’re sitting in a cruiser because it’s so static and uninteresting, and so it’s easily overlooked and often taken for granted. I was fortunate enough to have an awesome FTO² who ingrained some basic officer safety principles into me that the Academy didn’t cover. He taught me that spending eight hours a day or more in a cruiser meant I had to incorporate officer safety tactics into my life in the fishbowl.
When it comes time to park and type reports or doom-scroll social media during down-time, you’ve got to plan ahead. Since you know you’ll be distracted because you’re writing a report or doing paperwork, you’ve got to mitigate the risk associated with that part of the job. Here are five things I was taught that you can do to work safely in your cruiser and help avoid an ambush:
1. Back Against A Wall
There are a lot of variables when it comes to avoiding an ambush, so we should begin by eliminating the biggest one — your back. Ambush 101 is to attack from the rear, simply because we don’t have eyes in the back of our head. Like a quarterback in football, it’s our blindside. That’s not exactly rocket science, I know, but for some reason it can be easily overlooked. Back your cruiser to a spot where there’s a wall or some kind of barrier behind you to eliminate any approach from the rear. This will save you from having to worry about constantly checking your mirrors or craning your neck to see your blindspots.
2. Create Space
Distance is your friend because it gives you time and space to act. When possible, put your back to a wall and have a large area of open space in front of you. Open space and a clear field of view will give you time to react should someone decide walk up on you. And if a wall or other barrier is not available, then find an open field or parking lot with 360° of open space and no or minimal objects or structures that someone could use as cover. Quick side note: If Joe Citizen starts walking toward you, probably to ask a dumb question, make a habit of getting out of your car to talk. Don’t sit there like a dummy and put yourself at a disadvantage. You’re setting yourself up to fail should the seemingly innocuous situation suddenly go sideways one day.
3. Windows Down
Whenever possible, keep your windows down. This will eliminate glare from interior lights and will allow you to better hear what is going on around you or the approach of people or vehicles. Having your windows down also gives you more room to present your weapon and eliminates the barrier of glass that can cause initial rounds to deviate. When the weather is bad, keep your windows down at least a couple of inches if it’s raining or snowing, that should be sufficient to hear what’s going outside your cruiser better.
4. Red Light
It can take over 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark. Since white light kills your ability to see in the dark, don’t use white light to write or read. When you work at night make eliminating white light in your cruiser a top priority. If you need light to write a ticket, read, or whatever, be sure to use red colored lights instead. Red lights have been proven to allow your eyes to preserve their night vision.
5. Dim The Screens
Dim your dashboard lights all the way down. Dim the brightness of the MDT screen, and when possible, change the color settings to a preset night-mode or find a way to do it manually. Reducing interior lighting makes you and your movements inside the cruiser less visible to those outside and reduces the glare on the window glass so you can see out. As mentioned before, it also helps you better retain your night vision. Also consider keeping your headlights on and using your take down and alley lights to light the area around you. At night, bright light creates concealment when you’re behind it, but it can be a two-edged sword and may work against you because it gives away your location, so use your discretion and weigh the pros and cons for your situation.
Ambushed Anyway
If you do everything right and still get ambushed anyway, get out of your car — shooting your way out if necessary. Sitting stationary in a confined space makes you vulnerable, so don’t stay there and let your cruiser become your coffin. Shoot back, get off the X, move to a better position of cover or concealment, and communicate to Dispatch and other officers. If possible, get your rifle before you abandon ship. Elevating your firepower and magazine capacity will give you the advantage. Of course, that’s all easier said than done, but thinking about it beforehand, mentally preparing yourself through visualization, and taking training classes that cover this topic will prepare you to come out on top on the worst day ever.
In the meantime, take these five tactics and put them into practice. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
__________________________
- What precautions do you take when parked in a cruiser?
- Have you gotten careless over the years?
- What can you do to stay safer out on the road?
- What training can you take to prepare for an ambush?
__________________________
Thanks for reading! Do you have a story that you think we could learn from and that you’d like to share with Johnny Tactical nation? Fill out the contact form and include your name, rank, and department, or email it to [email protected] and follow these guidelines:
– It must be a firsthand account
– True
– Have a lesson, principle, or tactic to apply
– Cleaned of names, dates, and places
– Include your call sign
If your story is selected and published in our blog you’ll get the credit using your call sign and we’ll send you a free Live Tactical t-shirt!
__________________________
¹Mobile Data Terminal. Basically, a laptop computer.
²Field Training Officer
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.
You must be logged in to post a comment.