gun wounds too numerous to count. Again, he had been very fortunate. One of the pel- lets that struck him in the neck had missed his left carotid artery by a meager 1/6 inch, and so many pellets had been stopped by his body armor that they had spilled out on the fl oor of the ambulance when the front panel of his vest was removed, causing one of the paramedics to slip and fall. Later at the hospital, a nurse suf- fered the same fate when the back panel was removed. T ough humorous, these events pro- vide a sobering example of how important it is to wear body armor. Despite serious nerve damage to his arms that threatened his full recovery, Schoen spent only four days in the hospital and was able to return to full duty two months later. He left the sheriff ’s department several years later for a career in federal law en- forcement.
Sadly, Falco died from his wounds. But his death had meaning. Schoen believes that it was Falco’s shrill barking that kept Shimpi from fol- lowing him into the tree line. Angered by the noise, the crazed gunman went after the dog instead, which gave Schoen time to escape.
DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS Deputy Schoen was understandably caught off guard by Shimpi’s unexpected attack. While it is important to consider the few mistakes he made leading up to the attack, it is equally important to recognize that it was his tactical awareness and preplanning that saved him from almost certain death. Had he not thought beforehand about his vulnerability and what he could do about it, it is highly unlikely he would have been able to jump off the porch before Shimpi’s barrage disabled or killed him. T at single momentary forethought made all the diff erence. T e following analysis will address this point in greater detail, as well as a number of other key lessons from this incident—lessons that can save lives. We owe it to Deputy Schoen and all our other fellow offi cers to learn as much as we can from this incident. Before you read the analysis, however, please review the following discussion questions and work through your own answers.
ANALYSIS
Danger Signs and Planning Ahead Offi cers often get hurt because they fail to no-
41 The Police Marksman Jan-Feb 2014
tice danger signs and/or, having noticed them, fail to take appropriate action in response to them. Deputy Schoen certainly didn’t fall into the fi rst category. In fact, he was probably more alert than most offi cers would be under simi- lar circumstances, as indicated by the way he intuitively picked up on the tactical problem presented by the house. However, in one sense he failed to take appropriate action in response to the danger signs, in that he exposed himself in the doorway. But in another sense, he did take appropriate action. He didn’t dismiss his concerns or try to rationalize them away as of- fi cers sometime do, but listened to them and then planned a response in case something happened, which probably saved his life. Often that is all we can do because circumstances won’t always allow us to take any overt action. In this case for instance, there was no way to even reach the door except to climb the ladder and walk across the porch. Certainly, we should try to take whatever actions we can to reduce the risk (Deputy Schoen should have taken a position to one side of the door, for example), but sometimes the best we can do is ratchet up our awareness, make a plan, and then proceed cautiously as we move ahead. T e plan doesn’t have to be complicated. Often it can be as simple as Schoen’s was, but in order to be truly eff ective, it has to become a habit. We should develop the mental habit of always asking ourselves: “What is there about this situation that makes me vulnerable and what can I do about it?” “What can go wrong here and what will I do if it does?” Like physical habits, mental habits are created by repetition. By continually asking these kinds of questions on every call we handle and every street con- tact we make, no matter how “routine” it may appear to be, this mental game will eventually become a habit.
Once this game becomes a habit, it is still important to continue “playing” it consciously, but even when you are not at your best, it will be operating in the back of your mind to pro- vide you with options in case something goes wrong.
Another very important aspect of this habit is that it helps develop mental fl exibility over time. When done only when the need for it is obvious, preplanning may only prepare you for the particular threat you planned for, which leaves you vulnerable to any threat you didn’t anticipate. But this isn’t the case when it is done
often enough to become a matter of routine. T e human brain has a remarkable capacity to change with use. Like muscle groups, various parts of the brain can be targeted for devel- opment. And like muscles, those areas grow stronger and better as they are exercised. With repeated use in a particular way, the brain learns how to pick up important patterns, quickly spot what is important and what is not, and then respond accordingly. Like playing a computer game or sport, the “game” of thinking about possible threats and how to deal with them becomes second nature. T reat assessment and decision making are no longer a matter of trying to analyze every piece of input bit-by- bit in an attempt to gauge its importance, but about quickly taking in the entire picture and automatically knowing what to do, sometimes even without being consciously aware that we are doing it. T is was perhaps Deputy Schoen’s greatest asset. He had always played the game, not just with regard to police work, but in other ways as well. In the military he had done it, and even when driving he had done it. When driving, he was always watching, analyzing, trying to think about what other drivers might do to endanger him, and planning what to do if they did. T is carried over to his patrol work, K9 duties and SWAT operations, and it served him well when he walked into Shimpi’s ambush. Return to Question 1
Door Entries
Deputy Schoen’s most obvious and signifi - cant mistake was the way he entered the door. Whereas he had done a good job of planning ahead earlier, this time he was misled by his logical, yet mistaken conclusion that the house was vacant. T is point highlights the fact that even the best prepared offi cer can sometimes make a mistake. T is is where tactics come in. Besides conveying a message of preparedness to any potential adversary and providing you with a tactical advantage if attacked, they act as a safety net in case you make a mistake like Deputy Schoen did. For example, if he had stood farther to one side of the door, paused, listened, and then quick peeked once or twice before stepping into the doorway, it probably would have made up for his momentary lapse into complacency. However, in order for tactics to work, they must be in place when needed, and the best way to ensure that happens is to
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