FOREFRONT Think like Soldiers, Act like Cops feature
ine a protracted attack lasting for a day, not four, as was the case in Mumbai. Is any American Law Enforcement Agency ready for such multiple attacks? As individual offi cers, have you taken the time to acquaint your- self with the tactics associated with 4GW, or asymmetrical warfare tactics? If these tactics sound foreign, they should. Law enforcement offi cers are not on the whole granted extraordinary powers to fi ght wars by the citizens who appoint them. T ey are conservators of the peace, bound by substantive criminal laws and case laws to operate within constitutional restraints.
However, those operating procedures do not preclude law enforce- ment offi cers from gaining greater knowledge of military-style tac- tics. For a start, Google fourth-generation warfare, Mumbai attacks, or the Al-Qaeda Training Manual, then read and digest the tactics used, then begin to strategize how to counter the attacks, using LBT. Law enforcement offi cers as a matter of offi cer safety need to think like soldiers if confronted by a terrorist attack, and predetermining tactical strategies that aff ord the average law enforcement offi cer the abilities to determine the RBT being employed is essential at the onset of the attack.
It has been politically expedient to demonize the militarization of law enforcement in recent months; however, it is state and local law enforcement offi cers who will answer the call to protect their com- munities from terror and they must understand the tactics and they must be equipped to handle a prolonged criminal assault on their communities, albeit IEDs or ground swarm attacks. T ere has not been a political solution to the crisis on the South- ern Border of the United States, again, not a law enforcement prob- lem; however, the problems associated with illegal immigration along with a reported high number of arrested Illegals being classifi ed as “Other T an Mexican” (OTM) should be alarming to all state and local law enforcement agencies.
While no hard numbers of OTMs is available, there have been several media reports over the past few years that have mentioned members of Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and Iranian Quds Force have been using the lawless area in South Amer- ica where the borders of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay meet— known as the tri-border area (TBA)—to run criminal rackets and funnel the profi ts back to the Middle East.
More recently, some media outlets have reported Jihadist terror- ist training camps in Venezuela and that at least some terror orga- nizations have aligned themselves with Mexican Drug Cartels who operate just across the Texas border in Juarez, Mexico. While the political debates have continued, there can be little doubt that an unknown number of terrorists are hiding in plain sight in various locations throughout the country. T ey may be hardcore members of the Iranian Quds Force, or homegrown lone-wolf Jihadists, but they are here planning and plotting acts of terror on American citizens. Starting in August of 2014, the world has been introduced to the barbarism of ISIS, who beheaded two American journalists they had taken hostage. On Sept. 25, at the beginning of the dinner hour, Americans were horrifi ed by the breaking news that a self-proclaimed
10 The Police Marksman Mar-Apr 2015
Jihadist, an American, entered a business from which he had been terminated, and savagely beheaded a woman, then attempted to do the same to another in Moore, Okla., not in Syria, or Iraq, but in Oklahoma.
Mark Vaughn, a Reserve Oklahoma County Deputy, and Chief Operating Offi cer of the Company, according to his Sheriff , retrieved his vest, and a fi rearm, then used his training, and confronted this psychopathic killer, severely wounding him and stopping the barbaric attack on the second female victim. Deputy Vaughn, who is not a full- time offi cer, was prepared, assessed and understood what tactics he had to employ. He thought like a Soldier, and acted like a cop. T e time has come for all law enforcement offi cers to realize that the idea that politics are so far removed from the jobs of the average street cop, that politics should be of no concern to them in their com- munity is no longer realistic. In reality, national political policies of any Presidential administration, or the policy debates and posturing of the Congress have major implications when it comes to offi cer safety. T e fallout from bad security and defense policy on the national and international levels aff ects every American. State and local law enforcement offi cers are the last line of defense when these policies fail to provide adequate protections to local communities. Illegal im- migration through porous borders have lead an unknown number or foreign fi ghters, Jihadists, and drug cartels to infi ltrate American communities, and by taking advantage of the freedoms we all enjoy, they have secreted themselves while preparing to strike our homeland from within.
Law enforcement offi cers are not at war with people they serve; however, they must be prepared to go to war with the criminal ele- ments of society, whether their motives are greed, power, or religious fanaticism. It does not make a diff erence whether offi cers wear BDUs or Class A uniforms, drive military vehicles, or smart cars, carry Glocks with high-capacity magazines, or six-shot model 10s. What does make the diff erence is the warrior spirit each offi cer should have, coupled with the ability to understand how 4GW tactics can be used against them, how they seek out training to better themselves, and gain a greater understanding of what they might face. Finally, if they do face terrorism head-on, they need to think like a soldier and have a deep understanding of the military-style tactics or RBT that may be used against them and how to counter those tactics, by acting like a cop and ensuring those tactics protect them, their communities, and the liberties of American citizens. PM
Jim Smith is a 40-year law enforcement veteran and an ILEETA Charter/ Advisory Board member. Currently he is a Railroad Special Agent. He is an active trainer and author and has a BS in Criminal Justice/Communication and an MA in Homeland Security Studies.
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