Well, I did not document as use-of-force in a report, because no use-of-force became involved, but did have a knife in-hand during a tactical entry moment. In an area with a number of thefts and burglaries, using stolen vans of the general E350 type, we approached such a parked, stolen van. The rear doors were slightly ajar, held by bungie cord. The only way to approach unseen by potential occupants was from the rear. I held my karambit folder in the “extended” grip, which means the ring was on my left index finger. This allowed my left hand to be useful as a support hand for my duty pistol, being held in my right hand. Upon reaching the doors, I held my pistol one-handed in a High #2, averted so as not to point the muzzle toward my left hand/arm, and hooked the bungie with the karambit, being held in my extended left hand. I then stepped rearward, which cut the bungie as it drew tightly across the blade, then moved my left hand back to its role support-hand role, and again extended my pistol. The karambit remained on my left index finger, where it did not interfere with handling the pistol. The van was found unoccupied, so no documentable gun-point situation occurred, and therefore no use-of-force documented.
The details? Well, it was an east-west street, in Houston, Texas, probably Johnson or Edwards Street, several blocks west of Houston Avenue. I remember my duty pistol was my P229R DAK, which I started carrying in November 2004, and carried until October 2015. My unit number would have been 1A54N or 91A99. I very much doubt I have any notes, because I do not remember being the primary unit. (Hurricane Harvey made most of my old notes and copies into a mushy mess, anyway.) Now that I am retired, I cannot send anything from a houstontx.gov account, which limits my helpfulness.
Anecdote: While it was almost certainly not documented, and it occurred before I was an LEO, one of my mentors told me that he had used a knife to negotiate a surrender. The disturbed individual was holding a knife, and dared one or more deputies to shoot him. My mentor unfolded HIS knife, which changed the playing field; the disturbed individual may have been ready to die by police gunfire, but was not prepared to be cut, so he dropped his knife, and surrendered, while protesting the unfairness of my mentor’s unusual tactic. (To be clear, I would not recommend this, especially in this day of body-worn video cameras, and everbody and their dog recording us with smart phones, go-pros, and drones.)
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Originally Posted by Flamingo
