The suspect is in custody, nobody got seriously injured or killed, and you get to go home. So the call was a success, right? Well, before you and your backup officers start throwing high fives and knuckle bumps, ask yourself one question, “Were you good, or just lucky?”
Certainly luck plays a part in all aspects of your job. Take a left turn at the next corner and you will have a normal shift, take a right and all hell will break loose. You never know how a turn or call will come out. But, relying on luck is not good tactics.
There are certain tactics you were taught to keep you safe on each call. Are you still using them or are you relying on three-leaf clovers and rabbit feet? Here are 12 things to keep in mind — they will help you improve your performance on the job.
1. Get there quickly and safely. Speed is fine; crashes can be final. Is your seat belt on? Is the speed you choose to drive appropriate for the level of the crime you are responding to? Are you basing the speed on what you know? Are you willing to kill yourself to get to your partner? If you are, you better rethink the outcome for both your partner and you.
2. Arrive unseen and unheard. This is of course situational. If you work a rural area, you know what it is like to roll on a call on the house built in a field, with a straight drive way leading to the house with no trees within a mile. At night, are you shutting off your lights prior to arrival? Are you shutting off your siren well in advance of your arrival (how far will the sound travel)?
3. Pre-plan your response and approach. Are you mentally going through your checklist of the things you need to do before you get there? Are you running through your TGTS (Things Go To Sh*t) plan?
4. Know where your cover is. Where is your concealment? What are your threat areas?
5. Wear your body armor. If a suspect steps out the front door onto the porch with a shotgun, what are you going to do?
6. Ask for backup before you need it. Provide it before it is requested. If you call for it, wait for it and clearly communicate what you need from them. Some of us go to most calls by ourselves, because we work by ourselves and backup has to arrive from another agency. If you can’t get the backup that you need, ask yourself, “Do I have to deal with this right now, by myself, or can I deal with it later when the odds are more in my favor?”
7. Choose your words wisely. If you have been a cop for any length of time, you know that words can start trouble or end it, depending on how you choose to talk to people, the tone, and the attitude in which you speak them. Your job is to get things under control; use your words to achieve that goal.
8. If it gets physical, get it under control quickly. You have about 30 seconds of all-out physical exertion before you start to run out of gas.
9. Consider how it will look and sound on YouTube or CNN. Not only do you have to be good, you have to look and sound good. If you give people nothing to complain about, you have won that battle.
10. Great street work is always followed by great paperwork. If your report doesn’t accurately tell the story of what happened, then it tells a story that didn’t happen. Better to spend a few more minutes writing a better report than to see the suspect smirking at you in court when the defense attorney roasts you on the stand regarding inaccuracies in your report.
11. Learn from today to prepare for tomorrow. Debrief each call you go on. What went well? What didn’t? Do the same with the officers that responded with you after the call at coffee. Any critical incidents should have a formal debrief. What can you do today — work out, sleep, healthy diet, verbal skills, report writing, etc. to make you better tomorrow?
Train hard — the day is coming.
