'Protective overwatch (PO-W)' counter-ambush tactic could save lives

[Wendell]

...When an officer and their backup officers are busy with a traffic stop or assigned call, if there is another officer available they respond to the area as well. After assessing the scene, this additional officer is placed in a position of advantage to provide a PO-W of their fellow officer(s) at the scene of the contact or call. This overwatch can be maintained to allow for the PO-W officer to observe the avenues of approach for possible developing threats. The PO-W should choose a position that allows them to identify and warn of an impending threat, or even respond to diffuse those threats. The PO-W officer should preferably be low profile...
https://www.policeone.com/Officer-Sa...-police-lives/

[voodoo_man]

Good idea.... But where do you get the manpower for that? We'd be in the hole every day more than we are if we did that...

On top of all that, training and complacency is a serious issue. Which directly impacts this. Most of the officers I work with I wouldn't trust to do this.

[Dagga Boy]

Good idea.... But where do you get the manpower for that? We'd be in the hole every day more than we are if we did that...

On top of all that, training and complacency is a serious issue. Which directly impacts this. Most of the officers I work with I wouldn't trust to do this.

Ditto. When most metropolitan areas are having problems getting officer's to in progress violent felony calls right now, how is this supposed to work. Then....we have agency's working at the absolute bare minimum of force training as is (but getting lots of cultural sensitivity training), when, who and how are we going to be doing training for this?

If folks are doing a good job with established cover and contact protocols and excercising solid situational awareness, this should be part of that process already. If that isn't getting done, it is a staffing failure and training failure at the agency executive level and the political class running the government side.

[EM_]

Great in theory but we can't even get people across the country to be certain they are using proper contact/cover. Madison, WI just had their chief send a memo enforcing the general order that they can not refuse or cancel their backup without a supervisors approval. This is not a town known for their hard line officer safety protocol, either. It's a pretty liberal, progressive town. But still, even their chief saw the dangers coming down the road and is now going from "this is good safety protocol" to "you WILL do this or get reprimanded" if you don't use cover officers.

I'm also not saying he's completely altruistic. There are penalties out there he acknowledged stating they are also concerned about the safety of offenders...perhaps they'll respond better to the force option of two officers and not have to result in any use of force.

Just seeing orders like this give should tell everyone how unconcerned the average street officer is with officer safety at it's most basic level...always outnumber the bad guys on a scene. Look at my pet peeve: the retail theft / shoplifter "in custody" call from a retail establishment. It's one of the few calls we go to in which there is almost a guarantee of a physical arrest when we arrive and it's still pretty common for places to only dispatch one officer, or for that officer to cancel the other units, because it's "just a shoplifter." I can think of many, many real life encounters with shoplifters or forgery suspects at a big box store that resulted in a deadly force encounter.

[PearTree]

Ditto. When most metropolitan areas are having problems getting officer's to in progress violent felony calls right now, how is this supposed to work. Then....we have agency's working at the absolute bare minimum of force training as is (but getting lots of cultural sensitivity training), when, who and how are we going to be doing training for this?

If folks are doing a good job with established cover and contact protocols and excercising solid situational awareness, this should be part of that process already. If that isn't getting done, it is a staffing failure and training failure at the agency executive level and the political class running the government side.

Agree with all of this. In my agency, I'm lucky to even have a backup unit enroute to me when I'm on an in progress felony call. Not to mention the backup coming will be 10-30 minutes away. We are running at 50% staffing right now. No way this would ever happen, we will never have enough people.

[voodoo_man]

Agree with all of this. In my agency, I'm lucky to even have a backup unit enroute to me when I'm on an in progress felony call. Not to mention the backup coming will be 10-30 minutes away. We are running at 50% staffing right now. No way this would ever happen, we will never have enough people.

I'm the other direction, I always have backup coming but they are more than likely worthless and we are probably in the 30% staffing level right now.

[andre3k]

[QUOTE=voodoo_man;537278]Good idea.... But where do you get the manpower for that? We'd be in the hole every day more than we are if we did that...
QUOTE]

My exact thoughts.

[Hambo]

I'm the other direction, I always have backup coming but they are more than likely worthless

Since it's apparently impossible to pass over idiots and cowards when hiring, my answer would be two man cars that handled backup and hot calls. That way at least you would know you're getting somebody who will get in the fight. Of course that will never happen because it costs money, and most admin doesn't want to hear shit from the public about heavily armed death squad violate your civil rights cars.

[JustOneGun]

One of the realities of police work is to understand your agency's manpower, policies and work in a safe manner to make that happen. As many point out that makes it darn near impossible to conduct traffic stops and on site activity safely. There is an answer there, don't conduct on site activity. Where mandatory traffic and on site stats are required there is a way to make it much more safe. I've given many a housewife or grandma a mandatory warning. Hot calls? Do it safely and according to procedures. If you are supposed to wait for back up, then wait for it. As a mentor of mine would say, "Any unit to clear" is not your designator. Do your job correctly and safely.

Obviously this makes the city go to hell because the lazy people never do their job. Now those few in each agency that are cleaning up the city are now avoiding getting killed and maimed due to the environment created by the leaders and ultimately voters of the town. Police work goes in cycles. Officers will become the heroes again. They will eventually get more money, manpower or more sway in how they do their job. Until that time I find it to be perfectly reasonable for an officer to do what they have to do in order to not get killed in this environment.

[Dagga Boy]

I always find it humorous when something bad happens or there is a bunch of high profile activity many agencies start running two officer cars........for two weeks, then right back to one. Any place serious about the safety of their officers in today's world will be running two officer units.....period. Then, they can start taking force training serious instead of sensitivity training. Until that happens....quit talking about good fairy ideas.