Yesterday I was reading an article from the Oklahoma Peace Officers magazine and it was addressing the recent shootings of citizens and police officers and how to improve on rapid deployment in such a situation. If you want to read more on the article and other articles get a copy of Oklahoma Peace Officers, Spring 2016 edition, volume 9. The article I will be mentioning was written by Richard Fairburn. This magazine is published by the Oklahoma Sheriff’s and Peace Officers Association. The article gave four ways to improve rapid in the rapid deployment term.
The first one was do not wait for 4 officers. It stated several studies pointed to the need for instant response by the first responding officer. The second one was make immediate entry into the hot/kill zone and begin hunting the killer or killers.
These two suggestions are a throwback to when police officers did not have bulletproof vest and often faced a deadly situation alone. In the article, it also acknowledged that any officer who finds himself in this type of situation needs to bring the 50 gallon barrel of courage and whip-ass attitude. (The author didn’t quite put it that way).
I agree with the author on both of his two points and what it takes for a police officer to engage in such a deadly situation. If you are planning on becoming an officer or are already a police officer, when you pin the badge on you bet your life that you’ll make it through the day and through your career. There are always people who are willing to kill you.
