offi cer down: Off-Duty Ambush: The Steve Franks Incident Winning Mindset
Despite being caught off guard by Barnes’ ambush, Franks fought back aggressively and without hesitation. His training had a lot to do with this response, but so did his fighting spirit. Then, as the situation worsened in the face of his wife’s panicked reaction to the attack, he did what he had to do to save her in spite of the danger. Later, when he was struck to the ground by the gunshot to his knee and then tried to return fire, only to find his gun un- expectedly empty, he again focused on what he had to do and quickly reloaded. Finally, despite Mary’s continued fro- zen response to the crisis, he bore down, dragged her to safety while returning fire, forced her to pay attention to him, and made their escape. This ability to remain optimistically focused on what needs to be done rather than the hopelessness of the situation, sometime referred to as war- rior’s optimism, is a common trait among winners. It keeps them in the game re- gardless how bad things get, and often drives them forward to victory against all odds. Capt. Franks’ response to Barnes’
Return to Question 8
SUMMARY Never underestimate the danger posed by stalkers.
Stay alert for danger when off duty, especially when your surroundings or circumstances place you at increased risk of being ambushed or otherwise involved in a violent confrontation. T is is even more important when in the company of loved ones. As hard as this may be, the safety of your family demands it.
Trust your instincts. Plan for the possibility that an ambush
or other armed encounter might occur while in the company of your loved ones, and discuss your concerns and plans with them in as nonthreatening a manner as possible.
Be especially cautious when respond- ing to any call that makes you suspect a possible ambush.
If ambushed, immediately exit the hot .
ambush offers an excellent example of this trait in action.
zone, or, if immediate escape isn’t pos- sible, immediately return fi re as you go for cover. You can then plan your next move from there.
Firearms and other offi cer safety tech- niques must be as congruent as pos- sible with our natural instincts.
Quick movement out of the line of fi re is crucial to winning in a gunfi ght, especially when combined with imme- diate return fi re.
T e equipment offi cers carry must fi t the individual offi cer’s body build and personal style.
Consider carrying one or two extra spare magazines and a backup gun in case you are ever involved in a gunfi ght involving the expenditure of unusually large amounts of ammunition.
Always fi ght back no matter what, and stay focused on what you have to do to win. PM
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Tell Us About It! Police Marksman intends to run an “Offi cer Down”
article every few months. In order to obtain incidents that provide clear and relevant case studies, we would like to draw from our largest available resource—you, the reader. If you have, or can obtain, factual informa- tion on actual incidents you think we can use, please contact Brian at:
7412 Lynn Grove Ct. Hazelwood, MO 63042 E-mail:
pmbrianod@charter.net Tel. 314/921-6977 (call collect) Cell: 314/941-2651
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brian McKenna is a retired lieutenant from the Hazelwood (Mo.) Police Department, where he served in patrol, traffic, mobile reserve and training. He is a 32-year police veteran, with a strong background as a police trainer at both the recruit and in-service levels, and served his department as lead firearms instructor as well as in various other training functions. He is a state certified police instructor, a certified force science analyst, and holds a Master’s Degree in human resource development. Brian is a member of ILEETA and IALEFI, writes extensively on officer safety topics, and trains police officers nationwide in winning mindset and other topics related to officer safety. His book, Offi cer Down: Lessons from the Streets, is based on this column and is only available for purchase on his website. Contact him at
pmbrianod@charter.net or visit his website at
www.we-training.com.
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51 The Police Marksman Mar-Apr 2015
www.policemarksman.com
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