The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | March 2017 Continued from previous page
not properly armed and equipped should be prohibited from wearing their uniform to and from work. Swift action by command may save an officer’s life.
Any uniformed officer out in public view may, at any time, be placed in a situation that requires law enforcement action and the officer must be fully prepared and equipped to react to and respond to a law enforcement situation. As we all know, these situations are unanticipated, unpredictable, dangerous, and fast moving. An example would be an off-duty uniformed officer stopping at a convenience store on their way home and inadvertently walking in while an armed robbery is in progress. He/she could suddenly and unexpectedly be a target just by virtue of their wearing a police uniform.
Off-duty uniform properly armed and equipped should be defined in the policy as, AT A MINIMUM, an authorized firearm in a retention holster and handcuffs. Preferable, but perhaps not practical, would be wearing issued protective body armor, the full duty rig with retention holster, extra magazine/s in holder, handcuffs, portable radio, and alternative use of force tools, i.e., OC spray, asp, baton, and taser, etc.
The purpose of this writing is to reinforce the point that uniformed officers should always be prepared, but in the real world, our officers should also be made aware that if they encounter a law enforcement situation WHILE NOT FULLY PREPARED AND EQUIPPED TO RESPOND SAFELY; they should consider becoming very good witnesses and call 911 to report the incident to police of jurisdiction.
In another recent example, an off-duty County Corrections Officer, while driving his personal vehicle to work, was suddenly and unexpectedly involved in a potentially life threatening situation. The officer, in full uniform, observed an actor knock a male victim to the ground and pointed a handgun at the victim’s face as he stood over him. The officer, who was properly equipped and armed, interceded and made an arrest. The officer’s quick and decisive actions thwarted an armed robbery or worse.
While prioritizing and emphasizing officer safety while in uniform, a secondary consideration should be the actual wearing of the uniform and the image presented by the officer to the public. While in public view, the officer represents himself/herself, his/her department, and law enforcement as a whole. At all times, the uniform should be neat, clean and present a professional image. If an officer decides to simultaneously wear civilian clothing to cover/mask the uniform/firearm, he/she must always be cognizant that their identity may still be recognized and they must continue to exercise caution and situational awareness.
Even though this writing focuses specifically on officer safety- commuting to and from work in uniform; command should also be aware of legal and administrative considerations that time does not permit me to address, i.e. civil liability, work hours, compensation for donning and doffing uniform/equipment, third party tort liability, injury and workers compensation, accidents, and traveling employee doctrine, etc.
It is the obligation of command staff to become fully cognizant of the ever changing dangers in police work and provide proper training to officers as well as establishing policy with the goal of enhancing officer safety. It is also extremely important that individual officers understand the importance of exercising due caution and situational awareness while out in public view in uniform (on or odd-duty)—IT CAN SAVE THEIR LIVES.
SERGEI P. DUDA Instructor Sergei Duda has held the position of Training Officer- Law Enforcement, with the Hudson County Department of Corrections since August 2007. He assists the Office of Professional Standards/Training Unit in the planning, development, and coordination of all departmental training. Mr. Duda is a thirty-five-year career law enforcement professional with extensive state/county law enforcement, corporate fortune 500 security, and entrepreneurial experience. He was a Special Agent in corporate security for Exxon Company USA. He served the citizens of New Jersey for over 25 years in the New Jersey State Police and retired with the rank of Lieutenant as a Unit Commander. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration and a Master of Arts degree in Education and Administration from Seton Hall University. Mr. Duda writes periodically on law enforcement issues whose works were published previously in the New Jersey Police Chief Magazine and the NJ Blue Now magazine.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR AND DO NOT REFLECT THE OFFICIAL POLICY OR POSITION OF THE NJSACOP
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