How To Survive An Ambush

A study of law ambushes illustrates specific strategies and tactics that could profoundly meliorate your hazard of survival during an deadfall set on

An IACP report of officer ambushes from 1990 to 2012 indicates an boilerplate of ix.3 officers killed by firearms annually. The FBI'south LEOKA studies show that there were 5 deaths in 2013, 7 in 2014 and four in 2015.

According to the NLEOMF, in that location were 21 officers killed by gunfire ambush in 2016, and it was the deadliest year for ambushes against police force enforcement in 26 years. The IACP study also indicates a disturbing growth in the trend, with death past ambush accounting for 12 per centum of deaths of officers from 1990 to 2000 and an increase to 21 percent from 2001 to 2012.

The IACP study defines iv factors that characterize an ambush:

Training to move to cover and return fire has a history of success. — Preparation to move to encompass and return burn has a history of success.

Element of surprise;
Darkening of the assailant, their intention or their weapon;
Suddenness of the attack;
A lack of provocation.

The written report too classifies ambushes into two categories. The outset category is entrapment, which is qualified equally a premediated, pre-planned luring of an officer to the set on site. The second category is spontaneous, which is classified as unprovoked with no pre-planning.

According to the IACP written report, the majority of ambushes (68%) from 1990 to 2012 were spontaneous while 32% were entrapment.

Overall, both non-fatal and fatal ambush totals accept declined from a high of 526 in 1991 to around 200 a year from 2000 to 2007, with a rise in the ensuing years. Firearms accounted for 36% of ambushes with pistols being used 51% of the time, rifles 38% and shotguns 11%.

Ambush survivability

An important aspect of the study is that the blazon of deadfall had a direct affect on the officeholder's likelihood of survival.

Predictably, the entrapment attack resulted in a 41% survival rate with the spontaneous attack at 49%. Among the key factors to increased survival rates was the use of body armor; officers who were in gear had a 53% survival charge per unit compared to a xxx% survival rate for those officers who were not protected.

At that place were ii other factors that almost doubled survivability rates: taking cover and returning burn.

Obviously, getting behind something that will end incoming rounds volition profoundly amend an officer'due south chances of survival. Officer survival rate past taking cover was 68%, only 39% of officers survived when embrace was not used.

Officers who returned fire too had a 68% survival rate and those who did not had a 39% survival rate. Putting rounds on your aggressor will destroy his or her thought procedure and reduce the assailant's ability to accomplish his or her mission.

The study also illustrates specific strategies and tactics to profoundly improve your chances of surviving and winning an ambush, regardless of the type.

1. Environmental awareness

Officers need to recall to identify the nearest and last point of cover during each and every phone call for service.

Are you mentally rehearsing your route to that point when something goes bad? The realization that you are under fire has a detrimental issue on your response time when yous are standing at that place looking effectually trying to decide where y'all need to be.

If you are driving your team machine when you suddenly come up under fire, do you accept a pre-planned response? Do y'all bulldoze through or out of the ambush? Practice you drive over your ambusher? Exercise you finish and fight from inside or outside your squad automobile? Have you planned your response for the dissimilar directions the assail could have place from? Have you factored in dealing with an assault from above-bridge, parking garage or loftier ascension?

Are you leaving enough room between y'all and the automobile in front of you at the finish light or terminate sign to drive out? If you can't come across the dorsum tires when yous stop, you need to give yourself more room.

Do you have a response in mind when an assailant opens fire on y'all during a traffic stop, before you lot leave your team, as you approach the violator vehicle and as you stand up at the door?

ii. Proper use of cover and darkening

Officers need to know the departure between encompass and concealment.

Can you identify those positions of encompass and concealment equally yous drive or walk upwardly to each call location? How oftentimes do yous practice shooting from behind cover? Live burn down exercise from behind cover and concealment is good preparation, only you never get whatsoever feedback from your assaulter. Take hold of a couple of grooming guns and work with a partner in a realistic surround that involves motion and an attacker who can critique your functioning. FX rounds are an even better teacher.

3. Movement

A moving target is harder to hit than a stationary one. Remember, lateral movement relative to your assault does more to increment their likelihood of missing than linear movement direct at or away from an ambush. Brand certain to do lateral and linear movements during your training.

4. Shooting on the move

Shooting and moving is a critical skill.

Equally a firearms teacher for almost 20 years, I have always preached this response to coming under fire: move to cover, return burn down when appropriate. All my trainees who survived their ambushes employed that training. Some, despite being shot in the belong or wounded, moved and returned fire, either killing the suspect or assuasive for them to go to cover, with the suspects apprehended or killed soon subsequently.

My two trainees killed by gunfire both died in ambushes. Neither had a gamble to implement their training because they died before they could take whatsoever action.

Ambush attacks on police are on the rise. Preparation to move to cover and render fire has a history of success. Make information technology part of your trained response when you come under burn down to immediately have action to win the confrontation.

Adjacent: Watch Police1'southward on-demand webinar on ambush prevention and response.

This article, originally published on 3/i/2017, has been updated.

About the author

In February 2014, Duane Wolfe retired from his career as a Minnesota Peace Officer after more than than 25 years of service (beginning in 1988). During his career, he served equally a patrolman, sergeant, S.R.T., use of strength and firearms instructor. He is also a full-time teacher in the Law Enforcement Program at Alexandria Technical and Community College, Alexandria, Minnesota. Duane has a Bachelor of Science Caste in Criminal Justice from Bemidji Country University and a Masters Degree in Education from Southwest State Academy.