LASur5r
September 6, 2000, 08:49 PM
There was a general discussion going about "Being a hero." Many topics were started from that one thread.
I saw various responses and I would like to address one and I hope that many of you will respond to shape it up.
Whether or not you live in the city or in a rural area, I assume you know your neighbors at least by sight.
Let us say that you are committed to trying to saving women and children...okay..okay...saving children.
Scenario...a 10 year old girl comes pounding on your door, she's screaming that a man broke into her house and is killing her family. You know the little girl because from time to time she plays with your kids. You've met her parents and they appear to be good sorts, no family disturbances, no police calls late at night to their door.
You ask her if she's seen any guns. She shakes her head.
Now, you see a ragged car parked behind their house as you approach. It doesn't belong to your neighbors. You have already left the girl with your wife and kids and they have barricaded the house and stand ready and armed to repel all boarders. Your wife called "911." and past experience is that it takes 15 minutes for the cavalry to arrive. She's given dispatch your description and has informed them that you are armed.
How do you approach? Behind as much cover as possible? Straight charge to the front door? or do you do leap frog? Cover to cover
Or do you follow the cover and come up near a side or rear door, trying to use element of surprise?
What do you listen for? What are you trying to see as you approach?
Are you visible all the way to the house..from someone who might be inside watching to ambush any body coming to help?
Are you going to try for dynamic entry? Kicking the door? Or do you try for open window or door?
No noises from inside the house...your heart is pounding, your breathing is ragged..should have gotten in shape sooner. Did you choose a long gun or handgun? Is the long gun too long for close quarters combat?
You're up against the front door...did you try the door knob to see if the door can be opened just by turning the knob? The door is solid wood, were you planning on kicking it in?
The door is locked. Now what? Run around to the back door?
Still no noise coming from within.
Use dynamic entry? or subterfuge? Call out and hope for a response thereby alerting the potential killer that you're there? Maybe that will stop him/her? Maybe that might make him/her stalk you or set up to ambush you? Do you yell and say the police are coming? Will that make the BG run? or shoot? or come out to confront you?
You quick peek into a window by the front door. You see a shadow move inside the house...BG? or good guy? or shadow only? maybe the reflection on your glasses?
A noise, like a dull thud...Did that come from inside the house or a neighboring house?
You realize by glancing at your watch that it has already been five minutes elapsed...do you realize that everyone is probably dead already?
You hear a muted crying sound...a baby! Did it come from inside or from a neighboring house? You look over your shoulder as you hunker down below the window sill and notice a lady walking her baby in the stroller and that is where the sound is coming from. As you see that you notice a moving truck down the block and a box had fallen out of the truck...is that where the thud sound came from?
You work your way around to the back, keeping low so that you won't be seen from any of the windows.
You are trying to assess what is going on, gathering information before you rush into the building.
Do you know the layout of the building? Have you been inside before or are you gathering that information as you duck walk in the side yard.
Do your neighbors have a dog? Is it an attack dog? Do they keep it in the yard? Will it attack you? You hear growling as you near the corner of the house. What to do? Shoot the dog?
Folks, I am not an LEO, but I have been on numerous real scenarios like this one with the entry team folks. I had been assigned to go with them whenever they were serving warrants on houses.
These are many of the factors you need to think out,hopefully in your imagination. The more real information that you have, the better your assessment will be so that you can make a real decision and not throw your actions away needlessly.
Have you looked at your neighbors' houses on a cursory level? where are the doors and windows. Are they barred? How many in the family? What do they look at?
Entry teams usually have a briefing as to all the information that can be provided so that they are well prepared or as well as they can be.
When you arrive on scene, you are trying to stay calm and absorb as much necessary information as possible. You try to use as much cover and make the least amount of noise as possible approaching the scene. When you get up to the entry point, did you notice where the hinges are? Does the door open inward or outward? Makes a difference when you try hitting the door.
Anyway, enough stirring up the gray matter. Please add your thoughts because a lot of you have experiences that can help a lot of members of this board.
Try this...get your kids or the neighborhood kids, get some super soakers and you play the good guy trying to get to the front door of your house without getting hit. If it's too cold, try nerf guns, or laser blasters(200 foot range) If it's not a water gun, tell the kids to hide out in the house and you go from entering to "clearing" the house.
Your neighbors will only think you're going through your second childhood.
You want to try something challenging? Try getting your shooting friends and you take turns trying to enter and clear a house that you are not real familiar with. You are the only good guy and they are all BG's.
Guaranteed to stunt your growth!
I saw various responses and I would like to address one and I hope that many of you will respond to shape it up.
Whether or not you live in the city or in a rural area, I assume you know your neighbors at least by sight.
Let us say that you are committed to trying to saving women and children...okay..okay...saving children.
Scenario...a 10 year old girl comes pounding on your door, she's screaming that a man broke into her house and is killing her family. You know the little girl because from time to time she plays with your kids. You've met her parents and they appear to be good sorts, no family disturbances, no police calls late at night to their door.
You ask her if she's seen any guns. She shakes her head.
Now, you see a ragged car parked behind their house as you approach. It doesn't belong to your neighbors. You have already left the girl with your wife and kids and they have barricaded the house and stand ready and armed to repel all boarders. Your wife called "911." and past experience is that it takes 15 minutes for the cavalry to arrive. She's given dispatch your description and has informed them that you are armed.
How do you approach? Behind as much cover as possible? Straight charge to the front door? or do you do leap frog? Cover to cover
Or do you follow the cover and come up near a side or rear door, trying to use element of surprise?
What do you listen for? What are you trying to see as you approach?
Are you visible all the way to the house..from someone who might be inside watching to ambush any body coming to help?
Are you going to try for dynamic entry? Kicking the door? Or do you try for open window or door?
No noises from inside the house...your heart is pounding, your breathing is ragged..should have gotten in shape sooner. Did you choose a long gun or handgun? Is the long gun too long for close quarters combat?
You're up against the front door...did you try the door knob to see if the door can be opened just by turning the knob? The door is solid wood, were you planning on kicking it in?
The door is locked. Now what? Run around to the back door?
Still no noise coming from within.
Use dynamic entry? or subterfuge? Call out and hope for a response thereby alerting the potential killer that you're there? Maybe that will stop him/her? Maybe that might make him/her stalk you or set up to ambush you? Do you yell and say the police are coming? Will that make the BG run? or shoot? or come out to confront you?
You quick peek into a window by the front door. You see a shadow move inside the house...BG? or good guy? or shadow only? maybe the reflection on your glasses?
A noise, like a dull thud...Did that come from inside the house or a neighboring house?
You realize by glancing at your watch that it has already been five minutes elapsed...do you realize that everyone is probably dead already?
You hear a muted crying sound...a baby! Did it come from inside or from a neighboring house? You look over your shoulder as you hunker down below the window sill and notice a lady walking her baby in the stroller and that is where the sound is coming from. As you see that you notice a moving truck down the block and a box had fallen out of the truck...is that where the thud sound came from?
You work your way around to the back, keeping low so that you won't be seen from any of the windows.
You are trying to assess what is going on, gathering information before you rush into the building.
Do you know the layout of the building? Have you been inside before or are you gathering that information as you duck walk in the side yard.
Do your neighbors have a dog? Is it an attack dog? Do they keep it in the yard? Will it attack you? You hear growling as you near the corner of the house. What to do? Shoot the dog?
Folks, I am not an LEO, but I have been on numerous real scenarios like this one with the entry team folks. I had been assigned to go with them whenever they were serving warrants on houses.
These are many of the factors you need to think out,hopefully in your imagination. The more real information that you have, the better your assessment will be so that you can make a real decision and not throw your actions away needlessly.
Have you looked at your neighbors' houses on a cursory level? where are the doors and windows. Are they barred? How many in the family? What do they look at?
Entry teams usually have a briefing as to all the information that can be provided so that they are well prepared or as well as they can be.
When you arrive on scene, you are trying to stay calm and absorb as much necessary information as possible. You try to use as much cover and make the least amount of noise as possible approaching the scene. When you get up to the entry point, did you notice where the hinges are? Does the door open inward or outward? Makes a difference when you try hitting the door.
Anyway, enough stirring up the gray matter. Please add your thoughts because a lot of you have experiences that can help a lot of members of this board.
Try this...get your kids or the neighborhood kids, get some super soakers and you play the good guy trying to get to the front door of your house without getting hit. If it's too cold, try nerf guns, or laser blasters(200 foot range) If it's not a water gun, tell the kids to hide out in the house and you go from entering to "clearing" the house.
Your neighbors will only think you're going through your second childhood.
You want to try something challenging? Try getting your shooting friends and you take turns trying to enter and clear a house that you are not real familiar with. You are the only good guy and they are all BG's.
Guaranteed to stunt your growth!