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- Importance of the Color Triage
- Surveillance Techniques: Are you giving yourself away?
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- Informants: Worth Keeping?
- Crisis Negotiations: You as a hostage
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Welcome to our third edition of the L/E Newsletter. We hope you are enjoying the small sampling of the training contained in our library of law enforcement courses. Also, you may have noticed our new and improved website. Take a quick moment to check out our new look and find out more about our courses at www.thebackup.com.
Stay Safe
Rick Gallia
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Importance of the Color Triage |
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Shots fired at the local park- you enter the scene and notice two of your fellow officers lying in the field. You cannot see the shooter, but are unsure if it is safe for you to enter into the field. What do you do? Although help is on the way, what things can you do NOW to help? First, scan the scene and get as much visual information as possible.
Your buddy has a large bloody spot on his shirt around his lower left abdomen. He is moving around furtively as if looking to see if the suspect is still around. He is breathing, has normal skin color, and appears to be moving quite well but he is not applying pressure to the wound.
Your female partner has at least one bullet wound to the torso but no other visible wounds. Her skin color is pale and you can see perspiration running down her face. Her eyes are open and she occasionally moves but she does not appear to be alert to the situation.
If you want to get your partners out alive, before you run out to save them, you must know what you are going to do to help and the order in which you are going to do it. This can be determined by classifying victims into a color triage consisting of 4 primary colors.
Green - Minimally wounded- can move to safety under own power and follow instruction.
Yellow - injuries can worsen if not cared for, but probably can move to safety under own power
Red - Unable to leave the scene due to injuries and will need immediate care.
Black - Dead or injured so seriously they will not survive even with care.
The male victim should be considered green or yellow depending on the exact nature of the wound. Tell him to place direct pressure on his wound with his hand. Give him directions to exit park when you are certain of a safe direction to send him.
Your female partner is considered in the red category and she desperately needs your help. She is probably suffering shock and will die if unaided. You can bide precious time for her by placing dressing on her torso wounds, raise her feet to keep blood in the torso and make sure airway is clear.
Being able to accurately recognize and categorize victims into a color triage will not only help you to determine who needs immediate help and who may just need direction, but it will save you valuable time when confronted with a critical situation. In a situation like this, you may only have a couple of minutes to react in order to save a life. More wounded officers and civilians will survive with your help and expertise- without it, they may die.
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Surveillance Techniques: Are you giving yourself away? |
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When you are off duty, how aware are you of your surroundings when driving, either in the city, suburbs, or a rural area? Do you pay attention to the vehicles around you? Can you recall what vehicles were on the road when you last drove to the grocery store? The answer is probably no. In fact, most people do not pay attention to these kind of details when they are driving. Focus is primarily on your speed and what happens in front of you. A criminal, however, may have an entirely different agenda when traveling from his house to meet an accomplice. He will pay close attention to vehicles and people around him. When you are following a target, there are certain things you need so you do not blow your cover.
Things to remember:
- Is your dashboard clear of all items? Is your antenna clear of objects? Do you have objects hanging from your mirror? These items appear as signatures and can cause the target to zero in on them.
- Are you following the 51 percent rule? If 51% of cars have there lights on, then you better have yours on.
- Do not brake sharply, especially at night. Braking hard will cause the front end of your vehicle, and the headlights to dip, which draws attention.
- Are you using your visor? Unless it is needed - do not use it. This will draw unneeded attention.
- Do not leave your seatbelt on when parked or leave the engine running, both will draw attention.
- When in heavy traffic or behind a large vehicle, do not swerve to the left or right. Swerving to the left will imply you are planning on passing and never do- swerving to the right will make you stand out as an observant target
- Do not creep up on the target while he is held at a red light. Most people pull up right behind the vehicle in front of them
- Do not pull right up to the bumper on the vehicle in front of you. If that car stalls, you will not be able to get around him without a major hassle. Pull up until you can see the bottom of his tires over the hood of your vehicle
Remember: You want to blend in. Don’t drive like an idiot- real life is not like the movies. With the use of common sense and awareness of how you appear to other people, you will be well on your road to success for surveillance.
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Informants: Worth Keeping? |
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Everyone knows informants can either make or break a case. Using an informant takes you from being part of a criminal investigation and lands you right in the middle of the criminal organization. Some of the most valuable information you receive will come from informants.
So, what driving forces motivate informants?
- Money – Everyone needs it. Money is a driving force for everyone, especially informants. If the money talks, so will the informant.
- Revenge - The need for revenge can often be caused by domestic disputes, family feuds, custody situations, dishonest partners, etc. In this case, ex-wives, ex-girlfriends, ex-employees, and ex-business partners may contain important information that could be used to 'payback' the person that hurt them.
- Good Citizens - Some people are just looking to put the criminals in jail where they belong. They are fed up with crime and those who commit it.
- Wannabes - Some people act like cops, walk and talk like cops but are just plain wannabes. Their goal is to expose the corrupt dealings of today’s world by playing the hero role.
- Eliminate Competition - An informant may be trying to cut out his competition in order for his business to thrive.
- Fear - Some people feel threatened by the law and/or other criminals.
- Ego - An informant may feel the need to outsmart someone to make himself feel more superior.
Informant use is an age-old technique. Informants can provide specific information that you could not find from any other sources. Sammy “The Bull” Gravano spent a mere three years in prison after admitting to killing nineteen people. The Bull, an informant for the police, was responsible for putting John Gotti away in prison for life. Used the right way, many informants have successfully aided in cracking large cases. However, keep in mind that all informants have a motive. Successful management of your informant comes from knowing what motivates them, and staying one step ahead.
Prepare well in advance so you know your informant's point of view. And above all, keep your eyes and ears open for any non-verbal signals, clues or tip-offs, both favorable or unfavorable, that will give you the power to keep him handy. When you can figure out what drives him, he'll practically jump at the chance to 'help'. The challenge is: with your informants' motives in mind, are you benefiting more from the association - or are they?
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Crisis Negotiations: You as a hostage
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Any officer’s nightmare is to find themselves in a hostage type situation. Although this may seem far from home, this situation can occur anywhere and anytime. Often times, as a first responder, you are the first to enter areas which could ultimately lead to hostage situations. You should always be alert to which situations lie ahead of you. Your ability to calm a hostage down might come as second nature, but as part of the hostage environment, you may find it hard to control yourself.
Some common mistakes made by officers in hostage situations:
- They immediately try to reason with the captor - The first minutes of a hostage situation are very tense and dangerous. Instructions must be followed without further agitating the captor.
- They view the exit door as an escape - Unless you are sure of your escape, it should not be done.
- As the phone rings, they attempt to persuade the captor into answering it, explaining that it is there lifeline to freedom - This information coming from someone inside could ultimately be devastating if something goes wrong.
- They remain tense through the entire hostage situation - Peaceful resolutions can take awhile. The ability to relax and rest during this process is important. The longer you are with a captor, the less likely they are to hurt you.
Our hope is that you will never find yourself in this kind of situation. Use the information above to educate yourself and others of the common mistakes made and the proper steps to take if a hostage situation takes control of you. With every hostage situation, other ultimate outcome is one in which all hostages are released peacefully and unharmed.
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The Backup Training Corporation
301 North 3rd Street, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83814
Call Toll-Free (800) 822-9398 | Phone (208) 765-8062 | Fax (208) 765-1059 |
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