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BAD TACTICS OR JUST PLAIN DUMB?

By Russ Adler 

While “runnin up town” on an errand this afternoon, I was going through one of the bad neighborhoods (because that’s the only way to get into town from where I live), I witnessed a probation officer preparing to enter a business, most likely to arrest a violator.  I surmised this because he was wearing body armor outside of his clothing and a tactical belt with his 511 trousers tucked into his combat styled boots.  I’ll offer a few points of interest here before moving on.

Most of the probation officers that I have dealt with over the years usually dress business casual (polo shirt, slacks and loafers or comfortable shoes – some of the ladies even wear heels) even while working in the field.  Over the last few years I’ve seen more and more probation officers dressing more tactically (511 type clothes or BDUs [not necessarily tucked in or bloused]) but their weapons still remain concealed so as not to spook their violators or cause any other kind angst in the ‘hoods that they travel in.  This brings me to my next point.  This officer that I mentioned was wearing visible body armor and a tactical belt with a holster, magazine pouch, cuff case and either Pepperspray or an expandable baton, but the holster (the one that a pistol would fit in, was EMPTY!  That’s right, the guy was going through a doorway in a bad part of town, with an intent look on his face as if he were on a mission, dressed in a somewhat tactical compliment, and his holster was EMPTY!  I emphasize EMPTY, because his pistol that would normally go with the EMPTY holster was NOT, I emphasize NOT, again, in either of his hands!  You are not misreading this; empty holster, empty hands!

So, being either the nice and honorable guy that I am or the guy that was looking for a little bit of morbid entertainment from a safe distance (you be the judge), I pulled over briefly to witness the event unfold before me, perplexed and somewhat confused.  It was one of those existential moments where you are about to witness an accident that you can’t stop from happening and you are screaming to yourself, “NOOOOOOOOO…” but no sound is coming out.

Anyway, after a minute or two (and no, it didn’t seem like an eternity, though it should have), the guy exits the business, walks to his vehicle about a half-a-block away (totally oblivious to his surroundings), enters and departs the area. 

Now, in the guy’s defense, I don’t know exactly what he was doing.  I do know that he was a probation officer because of the logo that was peeking out of the body armor, and I’ve seen him around in my travels (good side of the law, not the bad).  He was in a bad neighborhood at a business that is questionable (a lot of arrests happen there).  And he was entering the business in a somewhat tactical fashion from his equipment/appearance to his demeanor.  With that in mind, even if he was following up on a lead, stopping in to make an appointment or interview someone, etc., his most effective means of protection was missing!  If he was not on an arrest mission, or just on a follow-up, interview or whatever else it might have been, he could have very easily happened upon a crime in progress or someone with a warrant that saw the appearance of someone who was going to take them to jail and was intent on that not happening, and add that said criminal was armed, Mr. Probation Officer was unprepared.  Game over!

With the criminal trends across our country with criminals from all walks of life having nor regard or sanctity for human life, not only law enforcement officers, especially probation officers (whether they are on an arrest or a field check), but law abiding, permit carrying civilians should always be prepared for the worst.

Remember, the first rule of a gun fight is to have a gun with the second being to have the biggest one that you can comfortably carry given the circumstances that you are in.  The next element is to train regularly with what you carry as often as you can to develop the necessary skills to meet whatever threat that might befall you.

While I could continue on this subject and the specific incident that prompted this piece, namely the need for backup, etc., I’ll keep it short and save some material for later.  Bad tactics or being just plain dumb is not an option when it comes to survival.

Until Next Time … Take Care and Stay Aware!