Sneaky Bag SB02 Active Shooter Bag Review

Recently I had the chance to review the Sneaky Bag SB02 Active Shooter Bag.  The bag seems to be the perfect size as it is large enough to carry all of the essential gear needed (extra ammo, food, water, spare batteries, door wedges, small electronics, etc), though it is not too large to become cumbersome.  The bag is well put together and appears to take abuse well.  Many Active Shooter bags on the market today have some sort of MOLLE attachment on the outside of the bag that make the bag look tactical.  This bag can be descreetly carried and almost be confused for a laptop bag or shoulder bag if you are looking for a functional bag that doesn't "scream" tactical.  Note:  If you are looking for the descreet look, the multi-cam pattern may not be your first choice.  I chose the multi-cam pattern because I intend not only to use the bag for Active Shooter situations, but also for a go-bag for long-term perimeriter positions.  With the addition of a jacket inside the bag, it will make a nice rest for my long-gun.  In Active Shooter situations nobody will care what color your bag is, as long as you are there to complete the mission and you are properly equipped.  A nice addition that I would like to see for future bags would be a descreet "rip-away" panel on the front flap that could be removed to show markings such as "POLICE", "DEPUTY", "AGENT", etc.

The side pockets are large enough to place two 16.9 oz bottles of water inside.

The SB02 bag has two removable waist/leg straps to assit you in stabalizing the bag if needed.  The option of completely removing the straps is well appreciated since some may find that the straps will become a hinderance and/or feel that they will add something to get caught up on.

The rear of the bag (body side) has a flat document pouch and a grab handle.  The grab handle can be folded into the document pocket and secured with the "hook and pile tape" (aka Velcro), which prevents the handle from becoming a catch hazard.

The front buckle is approximately 2" in width, which assists the user in opening the bag under stressful situations by using gross motor skills instead of fine motor skills.  The buckle is hefty and should hold up well to rigorous use.

The above is a close-up image of the hefty parts used and the sound craftsmanship used to build this bag.

The 2" webbing shoulder strap has a removable shoulder pad.  The padding is thick enough and the strap is wide enough that even with a heavy load in the bag, the strap does not cause undue discomfort or fatigue.

The SB02 bag comes with a Universal Magazine / Utility Insert.  I was able to place six Magpul PMAG's inside the insert.  The insert could be used to house a variety of items and secured in place with the draw string.  The insert attaches securely inside the bag with the entire rear of the panel being covered in "hook and pile tape".

Underneath the front flap, on the front of the bag is a built-in dump pouch.  The pouch is large enough that dropping a partially spent magazine during a tactical reload is quick and easy.

Below is information about the SB02 Active Shooter Bag from the manufacturer's webpage:

Product Description

Weight:
2.25 LBS

Colors available: Black, Charcoal, Coyote, Foliage, Navy, and Multicam.

Dimensions:
Main Interior Pocket Dimensions 10 x 10 x 4
Exterior Pocket Dimensions: Dump/Quick Access Draw corded pocket 10 x 3 x 9
Rear Document pocket 11x 9
Side Utility Pockets 4 x 3.5 x 8.5

Description:
The SB-02 is a single-flap utility bag that functions well as a medical aid bag, active shooter bag, or tool bag. The SB02 is internally stiffened with plastic panels to discourage the bag from collapsing, and to ease tool/weapon/magazine access. The bag is carried primarily by a 2 inch wide flat webbing shoulder strap with a detachable pad. There is also a 1 inch webbing "Grab Handle" on the rear of the bag. The interior of the bag is lined in loop Velcro allowing users to reconfigure the interior of the bag with Utilizigns/Sneakybags hook backed inserts or other manufacturers compatible hook backed accessories. The SB-02 comes with one Universal Magazine/Utility Insert (Item# 3CINS). The exterior front features a draw corded "Dump Pouch" for items like spent magazines or other items that need to be quickly stowed. There are two side mounted flap covered utility pockets sized to fit a 1liter Nalgene bottle or similar sized items The rear of the bag has a small, flat pocket for documents Users may use the attached waist and leg straps to stabilize the bag during vigorous activity or the straps may be removed entirely if not needed.

100% made in the USA with the finest components.

Product Description:The 2 Cell Universal Magazine Insert comes standard in our MSB and SB01 Bags, while the 3 Cell Universal Magazine Insert comes standard in our SB02 Bag. The Universal Magazine Insert holds a variety of different sizes and types of magazines, including AK, AR, and FAL. The back of the insert is covered in hook velcro to be compatable with our bags and other bags as well.

Warranty Information:
All of our products have a lifetime guarantee on work and materials.

Sneaky Bags Homepage

Tactical Design Labs Comfort Panel Review

Manufacturers Link

- Comfort Panel (includes lumbar support and two 9.5 in. Keepers)
- Comfort system provides extra comfort and superior weight distribution.
- High Cycle Velcro loop lining mates to the inner belt
- High Cycle Velcro hook holds our duty belt and gear in place for accurate indexing.

Our unique Comfort Panel is designed to fit across your lower back and around the hip where you bear the weight of a loaded duty belt.  It features an outer belt support loop in the back that will fit any 2.25"duty belts. We've designed the support system to 'float' the duty belt for extra comfort, and superior weight distribution. Removable lumbar pad increases comfort and support.  Most beneficial when purchased with the Professional Comfort System.  Available in 3 sizes: MED (27" - 36" waist), LG-XL (36" - 48"), and XXL (48" - 58").

REVIEW

Any Law Enforcement professional who has been wearing a duty belt for more than a day knows how uncomfortable the belt can be when worn for any amount of time.  Add your handgun, magazines, two sets of handcuffs, a radio, a flashlight, an expandable baton, and any other accessories that you attach to your bat-belt, the weight can creep into the 15+ lbs range.

When I was beginning out as an Officer I really didn't have back pain.  I had some from the Army and from everyday abuse, but nothing serious.  Though after years of carrying a duty belt around my back started taking a toll on me.

About six months ago I started to notice a small lump in my lower back, which every doctor that I went to had a different answer for.  One said it was a cyst, another said it was a tight muscle or muscle spasm, and another didn't have a clue what it was, but prescribed me 800MG of Ibuprofen anyway.  Eventually my right leg went numb and I was having sharp back pains.  Finally a doctor referred me to a spinal specialist and I was able to get a MRI.  Luckily the MRI came back "normal", but I still didn't have an answer for the back pain and leg numbness.

I started to think about what could cause the pain and narrowed it down to my duty belt.  I had seen other Officers wearing a pad on the inside of their duty belt and they gave me the information for Tactical Design Labs.  I did a little bit of research and determined that the $50 price tag of the Comfort Panel was well worth the gamble in trying to get my back to being pain free.

After receiving the Comfort Panel I removed all of the "bat gear" off of my "bat belt" and slid my nylon duty belt onto the Comfort Panel rubber loop.  I attached all of my gear back on the duty belt and adjusted the buckle to account for the additional room needed inside.  Total install time was about 20 minutes.  That may seem like a lot of time to install an addition to the duty belt, but I had to adjust my holster a few times to its new position, since the circumference of the duty belt had been changed.

My first impression of the Comfort Panel once I was wearing it was awkward.  It took me a few shifts to get use to having that extra material around the duty belt, but eventually it became normal and it is no longer noticed.  The Comfort Panel comes with a smaller removable pad on the inside of the Panel that rests on your spine.  I tried it, but I could not get use to the feeling of it under my belt, so I no longer use the small pad.

I will not go back to a standard duty belt without the Comfort Panel and I highly recommend them to new Officers that are just starting out.  They may not feel that it is necessary, but every ounce of prevention is well worth its weight in gold.

During my initial research in looking for a product such as the Comfort Panel, I was not able to find anyone else that offered a similar product.  So I cannot say that this is the best product out there, however it is one that I have had great success with and would purchase again.

Do You Train Enough?

How often we train with our firearms and how effective that training is can have a profound effect on maintaining your skill levels. Firearms skills are a perishable skill that diminishes over time. Overall, for law enforcement, the most proficient an average officer is at their firearms handling skills is probably immediately after they graduate the Academy. The recruit is receiving constant and effective training on a weekly basis, if not a few times a week. Some days the recruit may be training for 2-4 hours, while other days it may be all day on the range.

After a recruit leaves the Academy, their agency may give them additional handgun and/or rifle training to prepare them for the streets and for the agency to ensure that they have indeed trained to a sufficient level at the Academy. Unfortunately, after the initial push of decent training, most officers do not receive on-going training throughout their career.

How often does the officer come to the range? Once a year for qualification? A few times a year for qualification? Is there training built in to the time that the officer is out at the range for qualifications?

Do you consider a qualification as being training? You shouldn't. A weapons qualification is not training. It is only a test. It is a test of your proficiency to continue to carry your firearm for duty use. Do not count your time on the range during a qualification as "training" time.

How often should you train? There are a lot of variables to this question. Cost of ammunition, availability of ammunition, time of the officer being off the street, times the range is available for use, and officer motivation to train on their own are only a few.

A good friend of mine made a good point to me once. I'm not sure if he came up with it himself or if he read it in a book, but he told me; "It is better to train a little bit more often, than to train a long time less often."

The way I translate this is as follows: If you go to the range once a week and shoot only one box of ammo (handgun - 50 rounds) for one year, you will have had 52 training sessions to work on your fundamentals and to maintain, if not improve, your firearms handling skills. If you go to the range twice a year and shoot 26 boxes of ammo (1300 rounds), you would have shot the same amount of rounds down range, but how effective was that training? Sure, shooting 1300 rounds of ammunition in one training day is not realistic. Is it possible, probably, but very likely. More realistically is that you would probably at the max, shoot 200-300 rounds during a training day, if you are truly focusing on properly training. Too much training in one day will cause fatigue and will create training scars. This will cause you to move backward, not forward in improving your skills.

Take every training opportunity that you have. If your agency offers training, mandatory or not, take advantage of it. If you can find a tactical shooting course, take it. You may not agree with everything that the instructors say, but it may help you open your eyes to something that you did not previously know. Train a lot, especially if you can get the ammunition for free.

Here are two links that offer a great wealth of knowledge. The first is the 2008 FBI statistics on Officers feloniously killed and the second link is information once again from the FBI about cop attackers and their mentality.

2008 FBI – Officers Feloniously Killed Stats

Force Science News #62: New Findings from FBI About Cop Attackers & Their Weapons

Here are a few points from Force Science of information on findings from the FBI about cop attackers and their weapons. The entire article is worth the read.

From a pool of more than 800 incidents, the researchers selected 40, involving 43 offenders (13 of them admitted gangbangers-drug traffickers) and 50 officers, for in-depth exploration. They visited crime scenes and extensively interviewed surviving officers and attackers alike, most of the latter in prison.

Several of the offenders began regularly to carry weapons when they were 9 to 12 years old, although the average age was 17 when they first started packing “most of the time.” Gang members especially started young.

Nearly 40% of the offenders had some type of formal firearms training, primarily from the military. More than 80% “regularly practiced with handguns, averaging 23 practice sessions a year,” the study reports, usually in informal settings like trash dumps, rural woods, back yards and “street corners in known drug-trafficking areas.”

One spoke of being motivated to improve his gun skills by his belief that officers “go to the range two, three times a week [and] practice arms so they can hit anything.”

In reality, victim officers in the study averaged just 14 hours of sidearm training and 2.5 qualifications per year. Only 6 of the 50 officers reported practicing regularly with handguns apart from what their department required, and that was mostly in competitive shooting. Overall, the offenders practiced more often than the officers they assaulted, and this “may have helped increase [their] marksmanship skills,” the study says.

The offender quoted above about his practice motivation, for example, fired 12 rounds at an officer, striking him 3 times. The officer fired 7 rounds, all misses.

More than 40% of the offenders had been involved in actual shooting confrontations before they feloniously assaulted an officer. Ten of these “street combat veterans,” all from “inner-city, drug-trafficking environments,” had taken part in 5 or more “criminal firefight experiences” in their lifetime.

One reported that he was 14 when he was first shot on the street, “about 18 before a cop shot me.” Another said getting shot was a pivotal experience “because I made up my mind no one was gonna shoot me again.”

Again in contrast, only 8 of the 50 LEO victims had participated in a prior shooting; 1 had been involved in 2 previously, another in 3. Seven of the 8 had killed offenders.

What knife do you carry?

Whether you are a police officer, military service member, or a civilian, and whether you are on duty or not, most of us carry a knife on our person.  I doubt that the majority of us carry a "Crocodile Dundee - That's not a knife, this is a knife" knife, but for the reason of having one on on our person, whether it be for functionality or for self defense, tends to be a common trend with law enforcement, the military, and the average citizen.

So the question that I pose to you; What knife do you carry?  This is not a closed ended question.  If you carry more than one knife, or different ones at different times, please explain.

Most of the time I carry a fully serrated Spyderco Delica.  It is my general utility knife that I use on patrol and out on the range.  I can beat the living dog crap out of it and if I lose it or break it, I'm only out a few bucks, instead of losing or breaking a $200 knife.  

In the picture above, these are a few knives that I have carried over the years, but definitely not all of them.  The bottom knife pictured (with the wooden handle) was given to me by an Iraqi Security Guard outside of the Minister of Interior's Office in Baghdad in trade for an inexpensive Benchmade knife.

Low Light Considerations

I would guess that the mass majority of Law Enforcement Officers in the United States carry at least one flashlight of any make and model at least part of their shift. Whether the officer works during the day or during the night, every officer should carry at least one light, if not more. There is nothing worse than conducting a building search and have your light’s battery completely drain and not have a backup.

A few years ago, fellow officer and I were conducting a building search of a residence that had the front door kicked-in and the alarm sounding. It was late afternoon so the majority of the first and second floors were fairly well lit by the ambient light from outside. However, Mr. Murphy reared his ugly head as we went to check on the basement. The fellow officer that I was clearing the residence with had that “uhh-ohh” moment when we were about halfway down the basement stairs when his light stopped working. Luckily I was carrying my duty-issued Streamlight Stinger and my personal Surefire 6P. I was using the 6P because I liked the smaller size that allowed me to manipulate door knobs and anything else I needed to open while leaving my strong hand for what the strong hand should be doing, holding my handgun. I provided him with the Stinger and we completed the job. My point to all of this is that your light can fail you at any time, most likely it will happen at the most inopportune time.

One light or two or more?
As I mentioned above, only having one light has its obvious drawback. Aside from the batteries or bulb failing, burning out, or dying, there are some other problems that can cause you to have a bad day. You could drop your light, you could break your light, you could forget your light in your patrol car, the possibilities could be endless. I am a huge advocate of having multiple light sources on your person. I’m not saying that you have to have two full sized flashlights on your duty belt. The days of large incandescent D-Cell Maglights are behind us. I still have a Streamlight SL-20, but I rarely, if ever carry it anymore. My primary light for patrol is the Blackhawk Gladius Maximus, which packs 120 lumen for 2 hours on just 2 CR-123 batteries. It has a robust rotating tailcap that I can select constant on, strobe, and momentary on. I can also dim the light from 120 lumen down to 1.5 lumen. I also carry a SureFire G2 on my belt. Both lights are small and lightweight and produce enough light throw to get the job done. Think outside of the box as well. I carry a small Life Gear LED light on my keychain that doesn’t pack much light throw, but it will assist me in navigation if the other two fail. So what if all three fail? I have a flashlight application on my HTC EVO cell phone that actually puts out quite a bit of light to navigate with. Don’t restrict yourself to the conventional thought of what types of lights to carry, but try to ensure that you have at least two of them.

LED or Incandescent?
With the advancements in LED technology these days, it is hard to beat the brightness and battery life of LED over Incandescent. Some say that LED light produces a cooler, more white color balance which they do not feel is natural. Incandescent lights produce a warmer color balance, which some are more accustom to. However, in my opinion, the LED lights appear to throw light further than the Incandescent lights do. I personally prefer the LED lights over the Incandescent ones.

Small, Medium, or Large?
The size of your flashlight is something that you will have to determine for yourself. I prefer a smaller flashlight that packs a high lumen count. Others prefer a large flashlight that can be used as an impromptu impact weapon. A smaller light can be an advantage when you are in need of doing some sort of manipulation while holding your light, whether it be turning a door knob or racking the slide of your handgun. Before buying a new light, see if someone already has one so you can try it out to determine if it fits your style of doing business. Train with it as well. A lot of officers will clear a building with flashlight in one hand and gun in the other, but never fire that way on the range.

Plastic or Metal?
There are pros and cons for each. Metal flashlights are heavier, which is more weight that you have to carry around with you, however they make a great impromptu impact weapon or can be used to break out a car window if need be. Plastic flashlights are lighter, but may not be the best tool for using to impact anything with. More likely than not, your light will break before your suspect or the window will.

Rechargeable or Replaceable Batteries?
I currently have many different lights. Some are rechargeable, some require new batteries. There are pros and cons to both. With a rechargeable flashlight you can save money over time without having to buy new batteries, but you may have to wait a considerable amount of time before your light is fully charged. With a battery powered flashlight you will have to spend the money to replace the batteries, but once they are replaced you are immediately ready to continue on. Again, another reason to have a backup light.

5.11 Tactical currently makes a flashlight called the “Light for Life”. The UC3.400 model puts out up to 270 lumen and recharges in 90 seconds. Interestingly, the “Light for Life” does not use a conventional rechargeable battery, rather it uses a capacitor.

Strobe Feature?
Does your flashlight have a strobe feature? Yeah, I know they are fun to mess with your friends with and you can pretend that you are in a nightclub, but there are actually tactical purposes for the strobe. When the strobe feature is used in a manner where the user is moving the beam of the light around in a figure-eight pattern while moving the arm around, the suspect has an extremely hard time in determining where the source of the light is coming from. Couple the disorienting strobe effect with the light bouncing off of interior walls of a building in almost complete darkness, an officer can enter a room undetected by the suspect while the officer’s partner is controlling the light. Note: The light has to momentarily be turned off while the officer is entering the room. During a low light class during a Firearms Instructor course, this technique was used. There were eight students in the room, with one acting as a suspect. The instructor showed that he could detect the suspect and another officer could enter the room undetected, which nobody believed. Not one of the eight students observed the second officer enter the room and that officer had the “suspect” at gun-point (dummy gun) before the suspect could react. Obviously this is a tactic that needs to be practiced, especially with both officers, but it is a great technique to be used.

Weapon Mounted Light?
Handgun or Rifle, it doesn’t matter. The largest problem that I have seen over and over with weapons mounted lights is the propensity for the officer to use the weapon mounted light for searching. Unfortunately when an officer uses the weapon mounted light to search with, the officer is violating one of the Fundamental Firearms Safety Rules….”NEVER POINT YOUR GUN AT ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO SHOOT/DESTROY.” If you are searching with your weapon light and are more mindful of where the light is than where your muzzle is, you will be aiming your muzzle at many things/people that you don’t intend to shoot. You can use your weapon light to search with, however, use a light-bounce technique that will allow the light to bounce off of the floor or the surroundings, while maintaining a low-ready or sul position. With a handgun, I highly recommend that you search with a handheld light in one hand and your handgun in the other. You will be able to maintain a low-ready or sul position, keeping your gun pointed in a safe direction, while having the capability of freely shining your light wherever you wish.


Please feel free to contact me with any suggestions, comments, or concerns at washlefi@gmail.com.

Some favorite quotes...

Here are some of my favorite quotes...

"If you look like prey, you will be eaten." - Clint Smith

"If guns cause crime, all of mine are defective." - Ted Nugent

"An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." - Jeff Cooper

“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” –Thomas Jefferson

“You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.” – Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

“Men sleep peacefully in their beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” – George Orwell

“Assault is a type of behavior, not a type of hardware.” - Unknown

"Every time I teach a class, I discover I don't know something." - Clint Smith

"But if someone has a gun and is trying to kill you ... it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun." - Dalai Lama

"I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them." G. Mason

"Amateurs practice until they get it right, experts practice until they can't get it wrong." - Faith Duck

Citizens perspective after an Officer's Use of Force

After a week of incidents around Western Washington that have involved four Officer Involved Shootings and two deadly Taser Applications, there are a lot of questions coming from citizens, who may have good intentions, but are mostly uninformed about how use of force by a law enforcement officer actually works.

A quick synopsis of the incidents:

Monday, August 30, 2010 – Seattle Police Officer shot and killed a man after he ignored commands to drop a knife.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 – Pierce County Sheriff Deputy used a Taser on an unruly man, who later stopped breathing and died.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 – Federal Way Police Officer shot and killed a man after the Officer perceived that the driver of the truck was attempting to back the truck up towards the Officer.

Friday, September 3, 2010 – Tacoma Police Officers killed a man who was threatening people with a knife, then raised the knife and approached the Officers as they attempted to contact him.

Friday, September 3, 2010 – Seattle Police Officers shot a man who pointed an AK-47 at them. This man was wounded, but not killed.

Saturday, September 4, 2010 – Snohomish County Sheriff Deputy used a Taser on a man, who stopped breathing and died.

Let me begin by stating that I do not have any direct knowledge of any of these incidents as I was not there. This posting is not to discuss the tactics used or whether or not the incidents were justified or not. This posting is to discuss the publics reaction to these incidents and how they perceive what happened and what should have happened.

I do understand that there are some who comment on news articles with ignorance, there are also those who speak intelligently and with reason.

Tennessee v. Garner (471 U.S. 1)


http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=471&invol=1


Tennessee v. Garner was a major U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1985 that clarified the “fleeing felon” rule that was law stemming from the beginnings of our country. Basically, prior to the ruling, deadly force could be used for any “fleeing felon” in any felony situation, whether it is Murder, Bank Robbery, Check Fraud, or Stealing a Horse. The U.S. Supreme Court Justices decided that there needed to be some guidelines for when it was reasonable for a Law Enforcement Officer to use deadly force.

There are two prongs to the Tennessee v. Garner decision:

1. Officers are authorized to use deadly force against any person as necessary in self-defense or the defense of another, when they have reason to believe they or another are in immediate danger of death or serious physical harm.

2. Officers are authorized to use deadly force to capture or seize a dangerous suspect when there is probable cause to believe that the suspect has committed a crime involving the infliction or threatened infliction of serious physical harm, and there is no reasonably safe means of preventing the suspect's escape.

What is Deadly Force? (as defined by the Revised Code of Washington)
Deadly Force is the intentional application of force through the use of firearms or other means reasonably likely to cause death or serious physical injury. (RCW 9A.16.010)

What is a Deadly Weapon? (as defined by the Revised Code of Washington)
Deadly Weapon means any explosive or loaded or unloaded firearm, and shall include any other weapon, device, instrument, article, or substance, including a vehicle as defined in this section, which, under the circumstances in which it is used, attempted to be used, or threatened to be used, is readily capable of causing death or substantial bodily harm. (9A.04.110)

What is Substantial Bodily Harm? (as defined by the Revised Code of Washington)
Substantial Bodily Harm is bodily injury which involves a temporary but substantial disfigurement, or which causes a temporary but substantial loss or impairment of the function of any bodily part or organ, or which causes a fracture of any bodily part. (9A.04.110)

Here are a few comments left by citizens on various news forums reference the recent incidents:


“Didn't police used to have some sort of guideline about not using their gun unless they were confronted with one?”

“Ok, I have a six shooter, so I will put a couple rubber bullets in for the guy with a knife if he is acting funny, bean bags if he advances on me, a real bullets encased he pulls a gun. Then I will just select the one I want as I need them.”

“Even a Rubber bullet is much more useful when confronting someone with a knife instead of killing people!!!”

“Two cops with tasers and other non-lethal things couldn't subdue someone with a knife several feet away?”

“Disabling the victim would of been a lot more humane than firing up to 7 shots from 10-15 feet away. One shot can kill a person from fifteen away. “

“Cops train to fight off knife suspects, and nearly every other tactic does not include shooting them.”

“I think these two cops (once they're cleared of wrong-doing and off their paid vacations) should be disarmed and given only pepper spray and tasers until they can learn the difference between a real threat and a dumb__s waving a knife. Seriously, this guy probably could have been knocked down with stick.”

“I stand with the justifiable force for the stolen truck coming at them, but this one. why not shoot his hand or knee?”

“The man obviously had a mental problem. He attacked no-one in the store or outside. 7 shots ...1 shot would have stopped him. Who, has been training these Tacoma Police Officers.....do they get their training in Bagdad,Kabul or Takuhr?”

“7 shots. I received extensive training while in the military. It doe's not take 7 shots to take down a guy with a knife.”

“I can't imagine how 2 highly trained officers with a myriad of weapons and backup available could feel as though their lives were endangered by one man holding a dollar store kitchen knife they had cornered in a bus stop.”

“I have been deer hunting and the good hunters take down their deer with one shot. They don't use a machine gun. I once shot a charging boar with one shot.”

“Our murderers in blue strike again. They were 15 feet away from him. Could they not have kept him contained, called for back up that had a tazer and then waited? Or, are they so filled with bloodlust that they can't wait to kill a man? Hell, even their pepper spray can shoot a fairly long stream.”

“Too many CHERRY officers out there with itchy trigger fingers. Something needs to be done! Better training, education, and proper equipment (tazers, pepperspray, and other non-lethal methods.)”

“Shoot them in the arm, shoot them in the shoulder, shoot them in the leg, just to slow them down - to stop them. But I don't think they have to take their lives.”

“Perhaps the police need advanced training in Krav Maga so they can disarm suspects with their bare hands just like Israeli Commandos or maybe they can shoot the weapon out of the suspects hand just like they do in movies.”

“Why even have a taser anymore?? The only cop who tried to spare a life by using the taser had his victim die anyway!!! Maybe if the cops could actually try to communicate with these victims in a non-threatening manner, they might get better results!”

“I would like to know why do officers shoot to kill every single time?Do the police officers not do target shooting while in training?why can you not shoot too disable,ya know a knee,the leg,that always drops them."

Here are my thoughts of some of the misperceived notions that some citizens have about what the Officers “should have done”. Note: I am not perfect and I do not know all of the facts of the above mentioned incidents. Whether each of the incidents was justified or not will have to be determined through the course of investigation. However, I would like to provide some education to those who do not fully understand the law and/or what the life of a Law Enforcement Officer is really like.

Chuck Norris and Hollywood
Chuck Norris is an American Icon. There are web pages devoted just for him and how great he is. I have never met Mr. Norris, but I am sure he is a nice guy and one hell of a man’s man. However, Mr. Norris’ characters do not live in the real world and he has not been cloned in his Hollywood state to protect the rest of the world.

Many citizens believe that what they see on the big screen or their television is truth. Hollywood portrays horrible firearms handling skills, but that is for another day. Many times Hollywood portrays a suspect being shot in the hand and he gives up or that one shot will kill a man instantly. Are these possibilities? Absolutely. Is this reality, not really.

Enter the CSI effect. This is slightly off-topic, but it will help to paint a picture for you. The CSI effect is what we in Law Enforcement call what typically happens during a trial and how the jury perceives how the investigation should have happened. Pick a CSI episode, whether it be Vegas, Miami, New York, wherever. A murder happens and within minutes of the incident, the cops are standing guard while the armed forensics technicians are conducting the full investigation. Granted, there is usually a Detective Sergeant over watching them, but the forensics techs are the ones doing all of the “real” work. The forensics techs gather the evidence, process the evidence, find the suspect, interview the suspect, and solve the case. This all happens within an hour. Again, is this reality? No, it is not.

Same thing goes for use of force situations. Normal citizens will rarely if never have a real interaction with a police officer. The only law enforcement that they interact with is either on the news or on some television drama or movie. The citizens will typically believe what they see is the truth of how it should be done and except nothing else.

Shoot to wound or shoot to kill?
“Why didn’t the officer shoot to wound the suspect?” The officer should have shot the suspect in the arm, or the leg. That would have definitely stopped him, right? If you have ever shot a handgun or rifle in the past, you probably have shot at a round bulls-eye target. Most civilian ranges will not allow life-like targets that depict humanoid features. I don’t understand this, but it is the way it is. I bet that for those of you who have done some target practice, you were taught to shoot at the middle of the target? It is human nature to always look for the center of an object.

Here is a little test that you can do anywhere: Point your thumb up in the air like you are hitching a ride and extend your arm out in front of you. Pick an object around you, whether it is a doorway, window, television, whatever. Now point your thumb at that object before you read on. You aimed your thumb at the middle, didn’t you? It is human nature to find the middle of any object you are pointing at. The same goes for aiming a firearm, it is human nature to aim at the center of mass of whatever you are shooting at. During stressful situations, you primarily rely on your basic human instincts and your extensive training and experience.

“But what about the arms and legs?” Most people who have done some sort of target practice shot at a non-moving paper target. If you have never shot at a moving target before, it takes a great deal of training to become efficient. If you are shooting at a moving target, I can guarantee that you are going to pick the largest portion of that target (center of mass) to hit and not even think about the arms or legs. If you want to try this theory out, make a rubber band gun with your finger and have someone stand 10 feet away from you. Have them move around and shoot them in the chest (center of mass), then try to shoot them in the arm as they are flailing their arms around. Oh, and don’t forget that there may be someone standing behind your target that you cannot hit with a stray round. If you think that this is easy, give them a straw and tell them to try to stab you before you can accurately hit them in the arm. This is a watered-down version of reality, but hopefully it will give you a better understanding without actually having to shoot somebody.

One Shot, One Kill
“It only takes one bullet to kill a suspect, right?” Maybe. It all depends on where they are shot. Do they have on body armor? It is possible to shoot someone in their torso and completely miss all vital organs. I have seen victims on the street get shot in the head and lived. Not only did they live, they were walking and talking when we arrived.

“Ok, maybe it takes more than one bullet, but they shot 10-15 times. That is way too excessive.” Is it? As a Law Enforcement Officer and as a Firearms Instructor, we are not trained to kill. Period. We are taught to stop the threat. If I can stop the threat in one shot, great. If it takes me 10-15 shots to stop the threat, that is what it takes.

“But why would it take so many shots to stop the threat?” There are a lot of factors. The ammunition used, the clothing the suspect was wearing, if the suspect is wearing body armor, the placement of the shots, what type of drug the suspect is on, the mental state of the suspect, and the list goes on and on of possible reasons that one round may not stop the threat.

The one shot, one kill adage should be reserved for snipers.

Less Lethal Options
Sure there are plenty of less lethal options. The Taser, the wooden baton, the extendable baton, pepper spray, PepperBall, rubber bullets, drag stabilized bean bag rounds, and the list goes on.

If a suspect has a knife and is 50 feet away, he is not an immediate deadly force threat. If the suspect has a knife and is 10 feet away, he is. More about that in the next section.

Less lethal options should be reserved for actively resistant or assaultive (non-deadly) suspects, or in situations where the responding officer has the advantage of cover, distance, and appropriate lethal backup on scene.

Bottom line: Deadly force threats should be met with a deadly force response.

They were 21 feet away and he only had a knife, they should have used a Taser.
There is an exercise called the Tueller Drill which quantified the “21 foot rule”.

The Tueller Drill is a self-defense training exercise to prepare against a short-range knife attack when armed only with a holstered handgun. Sergeant Dennis Tueller, of the Salt Lake City Police Department, showed that it was not that simple.  A common test of handgun skill was to start with one’s hands at shoulder level with a holstered gun and place two shots on a target 7 yards (21 feet) away within 1.5 seconds. Typically, those trained with handguns can complete the drill in 1.3–1.4 seconds, although some have managed the task in less than one second.  Tueller wondered how quickly an attacker with a knife could cover those same 21 feet. So he measured as volunteers raced to stab the target. He determined that it could be done in 1.5 seconds. A defender with a gun has a dilemma. If he shoots too early, he risks being charged with murder. If he waits until the attacker is definitely within striking range so there is no question about motives, he risks injury and even death. The Tueller experiments quantified a "danger zone" where an attacker presented a clear threat. (Source: Wikipedia)

Though shooting and killing a man, armed with a knife, at the range of 21 feet to a normal citizen may not seem reasonable, the mass majority of Law Enforcement Officers know of the real danger of the loss of life potential.

The “21 foot rule” is more of a theory, not a rule, but provides great insight to how serious of a threat a person can be at a range of under 21 feet.

But a Taser is a less lethal tool, why did they die?
I do not know all of the facts of the above mentioned incidents, but the first thought that came to my mind was the potential for Excited Delirium. Instead of attempting to describe something so complex in my own words, here is an excerpt from ExcitedDelirium.org:

”Over the past decade, increased attention has been paid to the sudden and seemingly inexplicable deaths of some highly agitated subjects being held in police custody. In most of these cases, the force required to restrain or incapacitate the suspect was not sufficient to cause death.

Our colleagues in Miami-Dade County, Florida, first described the syndrome of excited delirium associated with cocaine abuse. The symptoms of excited delirium include bizarre and/or aggressive behavior, shouting, paranoia, panic, violence towards other people, unexpected physical strength, and hyperthermia. Throughout the United States and Canada, these cases are frequently associated with psychostimulant abuse, representing the extreme end of a psychiatric continuum of drug abuse effects. However, reports of acute exhaustive mania, physical restraint, Pepper Spray or TASER and sudden death also have been reported that are not related to abused drugs, suggesting further that an underlying central nervous system disorder was the precipitating cause of lethality. Such victims of excited delirium have provoked allegations of police misconduct, unnecessary force and improper TASER deployment.

Medical examiners often have extreme difficulty in identifying the cause of death, but frequently drug intoxication is considered as a contributing factor or cause of death. While the precise cause and mechanism of these deaths remain controversial, we have demonstrated abnormalities in brain that define and confirm the occurrence of the excited delirium syndrome.”

I know that there are still and will always be questions about what Law Enforcement Officers do and why they do it. The job that we do and the split second decisions that we have to make are sometimes difficult ones. We rely on our training and experience to keep ourselves and the innocent citizens that we have sworn to protect alive.

I welcome comments and questions to this post. I will attempt to respond to each of them as completely and as honestly as I can.