As Calibre Press Instructor Lt. Kelly DeVoll (ret.) points out in this week’s article, considering repeated day-to-day activities as “simply routine” — things like traffic stops or seemingly low-risk contacts with citizens — runs the dangerous risk of sliding into complacency, which as we know, can be deadly. There are certain officer survival “routines” that can be live-saving, however. One of those is developing and constantly implementing a “priority of scan” strategy.
By Calibre Press Instructor Lt. Kelly DeVoll (ret.)
In the law enforcement community, it is often said that “nothing is ever routine.” The intent of this statement is that officers should try to avoid complacency. No one disputes that idea, but you probably would not have to search very deep into the archives of any officer’s body-worn camera to find some citizen contacts that are very “routine.” Poor approaches on traffic stops, lackadaisical interview stances while speaking with someone, having someone exit a vehicle on the opposite side of a car…the list goes on. Sometimes it is a matter of “life happens” and the everyday concerns of life cause focus to lapse. If nothing bad happens we tend to ignore these simple tactical errors and even mistake “lucky” for “good.”
Because it is nearly impossible to avoid being complacent at times, it is imperative for officers to ensure that their “routine” involves using proper, sound tactics. If sound tactics are your routine, you can usually overcome complacency.
One of the tactical considerations that officers should consider is priority of scan — a tactic I discuss in three Calibre Press courses: Advanced Patrol Tactics, Scenarios & Tactics for FTOs and Street Survival. It seems that priority of scan is disappearing from the arsenal of trainers who are preparing today’s officers for the streets. It must be returned!
When officers are in contact with a person they are in contact with, potentially, one of the most dangerous creatures on earth. For that reason, it is to the benefit of everyone involved that the officers be able to visualize and assess any means of attack that an individual could use. Priority of scan is not a singular approach. There is no “one right way” to do things. There is, however, an absolute need for officers to develop a priority of scan sequence and use it continuously.
For me, the priority of scan has always been hands, waist, face, head-to-toe. Here’s why:
- Hands – just about everyone in this industry has used the phrase, “Hands kill.” Empty hands can be used as weapons by themselves. If a weapon is used in an attack, the hands will typically be involved. It is imperative to see someone’s hands. Both hands. If the hands are concealed, like in pockets, we cannot stand at a position of tactical disadvantage, like directly in front of the individual. Those movements must be controlled by the officer (more on that shortly).
- Waist – people who are carrying concealed weapons often keep those weapons at the waistline. This allows easy and quick access with movements that can be minimal and hard to detect. Look for bulges in clothing at the waist which can be a tell-tale sign that someone is armed and pay close attention to movements around that area.
- Face – the face shows emotion and can often reveal intent. Changes in demeanor and facial expression help us detect the potential for angry or violent reactions and, possibly, intent to attack.
- Head-to-toe – scanning and individual from head-to-toe allows you to see any possible means of attack. For this reason, it is vital to position ourselves and/or the person we are dealing with so that we have a clear line of sight of the entire body. If the person is standing, are they standing with one foot slightly behind the other (potential fighting stance or positioning to deliver a kick)? Do they continually fidget (a sign of stress)? Have they assumed a runner’s position (maybe about to flee)? Are they seated or leaning against an object (gives them leverage under certain conditions)?
There are other methods for establishing a priority of scan. Like I said earlier, no single method is THE method. Regardless of method, an officer should be continually scanning…something the person being interviewed does not even realize the officer is doing. This simple method goes a long way to keeping an officer from being surprised by an attack.
When priority of scan is used in concert with our tactical considerations of time, distance, cover and communication, the contact becomes an invaluable officer safety tool. For instance, if an officer is approaching a subject who is on foot, especially when the person is suspected of having committed a criminal offense, take your TIME and even slow the approach to give yourself the opportunity to scan.
If both hands are not visible, maintain some DISTANCE and begin verbal commands to see both hands. It may not be practical to maintain cover and conduct an investigation. If the nature of the contact suggests that the officer may be dealing with a violent offender, then maintain COVER whenever possible until it can be reasonably determined that there are no weapons immediately available.
When addressing someone who has their hands concealed in pockets, officers will almost automatically give the verbal command, “Take your hands out of your pockets” with little consideration given to his or her positioning related to the subject. The officer is usually standing directly in front of the person, which leaves the action versus reaction advantage squarely with the subject. If they are going to attack, the target is directly in front of them and it only takes a simple motion—one that appears to reflect compliance with the command to take the hands out the pocket—to attack, especially with a firearm. Even if the officer has their own firearm drawn there is little chance the officer can react quickly enough to avoid injury or death. Thought should be given to alternative methods for visualizing the hands. Practice different ideas. Sounds like a good discussion for another article.
If encountering someone on a traffic stop, it can be difficult to scan someone head-to-toe. A safe approach to the vehicle and properly positioning oneself behind the B pillar means that once we have seen the hands and at least part of the waist, we move to the face and then may have to lean slightly or reposition slightly to see head-to-toe. It’s a tactical tradeoff but a very important tradeoff. If the nature of the contact causes the officer to be uncomfortable with moving forward to be able to see the person to their feet, then one of two choices can be made; Leave the scan to the feet out unless movement is made in that direction or remove the person from the vehicle after the officer repositions to an area that provides some cover (back of the vehicle near the trunk and quarter panel) or to a position where the person has to make an overt move to attack.
Think about priority of scan as it could relate to a real-world example (sidenote: this is in no way designed to be judgmental. This is for educational consideration only):
On February 4, 2021, New Mexico State Police Officer Darian Jarrott made a stop on a dangerous felon. Officer Jarrott had information that the suspect could potentially be dangerous. During the stop Officer Jarrott made a passenger side approach and during the contact determined that he should have the suspect step out of the vehicle.
When the suspect began to exit the vehicle, Officer Jarrott recognized that the suspect had a firearm in the waist of his pants. Officer Jarrott asked for consent to take the weapon off the suspect for safety. The driver then exited the vehicle from the driver’s door while Officer Jarrott remained on the passenger side of the vehicle.
The suspect had an M4 rifle in his hands that was not visible to Officer Jarrott and they both began moving to the rear of pickup. The suspect was looking down and away from Officer Jarrott and was looking at the rifle and seemed to be checking its functionality. When the suspect got to the rear tire, he quickly raised the weapon over the bed of the pickup and fired at Officer Jarrott, striking him and knocking him to the ground. Once Officer Jarrott fell, he began trying to retrieve his sidearm to engage the suspect. Unfortunately, the suspect swept around the bed of the truck and began shooting at Officer Jarrott striking him multiple times. He then moved close to Officer Jarrott and fired a final round, almost pointblank, into Officer Jarrott’s head killing him.
The suspect fled in the truck. He was later located and pursued by other officers and was killed by officers in the gunfight that ensued after the suspect was stopped with a PIT maneuver.
It is impossible to say for certain that Officer Jarrott would not have been murdered had he chosen different tactics. But, if Officer Jarrott has the suspect remain in the vehicle then repositioned to an area where he can see the suspect’s hands, waist, face and head-to-toe when the suspect exits the vehicle, then gives verbal commands for the suspect to exit, Officer Jarrott may have been able to see the rifle immediately and could have engaged the suspect with deadly force from a position of cover. He, at least, has a fighting chance. With the tactical considerations of time, distance and cover while communicating with verbal commands and scanning for hands, waist, face, head-to-toe, perhaps there would have been a different outcome.
If an officer becomes proficient at scanning and uses that priority of scan every time they are dealing with a person, it becomes almost automatic. It becomes “routine.” It is this type of routine that helps us overcome those times where the pressures of everyday life let complacency creep in.
Priority of scan is seemingly innocuous but is, in reality, a simple “routine” that keeps us all safer.
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