The Cruiser, the Clock, and the Compass: One Thing You Can Do To Keep Yourself Safer

My first foot pursuit was a real adrenaline rush for me, but a real pain in the butt for everyone else.  

“Headquarters to Sector 3, what’s your location?”

“…”

“Headquarters to Sector 3…?”

“Uh, … I’m … in the woods.”

Foot Pursuit

I had just chased two people into a swath of woods that bordered an apartment complex after someone had spotted them stealing out of unlocked cars at three o’clock in the morning and called it in.

As I pulled in they took off running as soon as the headlights of my cruiser painted them in light.  I bailed out and gave chase all giddy and full of piss and vinegar.  The two guys split up after entering the woods.  I chased the loudest footsteps as I crashed through the brush and branches of the pine forest.  I remember feeling the weight of my duty belt pull me off course as I slalomed around trees and dodged boulders.  Visibility was poor because my flashlight beam was heavily diffused by all the undergrowth.  It would have been precarious had the two idiots I was chasing wanted to do me harm.

Bear Attacks And Rookie Cops

I have heard it said that when getting chased by a bear the only thing you need to do to survive is just be faster than the slowest person.  This maxim also applies to when getting chased by a rookie cop. 

I caught the slowest kid first who apparently had terrible cardio.  He gave up, panting like an old overweight dog in summer.  

As I closed the distance he laid right down and immediately put his hands behind his back.  I handcuffed him while I scanned the darkness all around me.  I could still hear the crunchy footfalls of the other suspect passing somewhere in the distance.  How far he was away from me, I couldn’t tell.  I was pretty much a sitting duck since my white light marked my spot like a neon effigy.  That’s when Dispatch asked for my location so they could update the other units.  Except I had no clue where I was.

Divided Attention

Foot pursuits can be disorienting, especially in open or asymmetrical places like wooded areas and neighborhoods that aren’t laid out on a grid.  Keeping track of the bad guy, your location, direction of travel, and potential hazards can be overwhelming, especially in the heat of the moment.  Tunnel vision can keep us from remaining completely aware of our surroundings and from updating other units.

Wooded areas can be especially challenging because there are no street signs or  house numbers to orient yourself with or to call out as a point of reference.  Even if you work in a city, my guess is that there is a park or wooded area somewhere within your city’s limits. 

Your pursuit could start in the inner city but end up as a foot chase in the woods.  If that happened, how do you let everyone know what direction you’re headed in?  What if you had been keeping track of your direction of travel in relation to the compass, but later got turned around and are now giving out the wrong information?  Or what if you got into a shootout and had to retreat to cover, how would you describe your location to Dispatch?

Cruiser, Clock, Compass

Here’s one way.  Use the cruiser like a clock so it can act like a compass.

Here’s what I mean:  The nose of your cruiser is 12 o’clock.  The trunk of your cruiser is 6 o’clock.  This is your baseline or point of reference for the movements of yourself or of the suspect.  You can also use your motorcycle, ATV, or bicycle in the same way.

If you’re in or near your cruiser, and have to take off running to the left, tell Dispatch you’re running at 9 o’clock.  If you just had a massive gun battle, got off the X, retreated away from your cruiser, and end up taking cover behind a big oak tree to the rear and to the right of your cruiser, you’re at the 5 o’clock position.  You get the idea.

Coming In Hot

Why is this important?  When backup is coming, and coming in hot, they need to know where you are so they can find you to render aid or extract you, avoid a crossfire, or know where the threat areas are.

Using your cruiser as a point of reference is simple, easy to remember, universal, and easy to understand.  And yes, if you end up in a four mile, zig-zagging foot pursuit, it won’t be 100% accurate, but at least it will get everyone a starting point to head in the right direction.

Adopt it, use it, and share it.

• Do you remember your first foot pursuit?
• How did it go for you?
• How do you think it went for everyone else?
• What could you have done differently?

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• 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

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