Newsletter for June 2004

Inside this issue:

Warning Signs of Deadly Violence Ahead
Overseas Opportunities for Sworn Officers
Proper Mindset Provides Valuable Time Window
Preliminary Statistics for Law Enforcement Officers Killed in 2003
The Question Could Be a Test
"Just Like Class" for Real Life Weapon Disarm
More Safety, Security and Self-Defense

"The enemy is not a one-dimensional sheet of paper. He is a 3-D, moving, tricky, human body with independent thought, grabbing on you or shooting back, all in a cluttered urban or rural landscape." 

Hock Hochheim
 

Warning Signs of Deadly Violence Ahead

 Ed Lovette offers several clear indicators of when the level of violence is about to escalate to deadly levels:

• You are forced into a car;

• Someone forces their way into your home;

• You are ordered to lie down on the floor;

• The attacker begins to tie you up;

• You are gagged and blindfolded;

• You are carrying a concealed weapon and the bad guy begins to search you for weapons or valuables.

"In incident after incident these actions have proven themselves as reliable indicators that the situation is about to become violent," he says. "A decision has been made for you.  If you can't run, this may be the only chance you will have to, literally, fight for your life."

You've probably heard both Steve Kardian and I preach about not allowing yourself to be taken to a secondary crime scene.  The odds of you being seriously injured or killed rise dramatically if you let the attacker take more control of you and physically move you to another location.  I've found Lovette's list to be consistent with the anecdotal evidence that I've collected over the years.  

This includes employees who are herded into the freezer or back office; women who are forced into an empty office or bedroom; and robbery victims who are forced to kneel.

Every situation is different, but generally you will not be able to rely on the mercy or the promise of a criminal who will do or say anything to get you to a position of weakness. 

Overseas Opportunities for Sworn Officers

If you have at least five years of experience as a sworn law enforcement officer, there are contracts available for overseas work. 

Pacific Architect Engineers-Homeland Security Corporation (PAE-HSC) was recently awarded a United States Department of State (DOS) CIVPOL (civilian police) contract.  DOS has need of former and current law enforcement professionals (all pay grades and specialties) able to deploy to the Balkans, Middle East, Africa, and Mediterranean.  PAE-HSC has been tasked with identifying, recruiting, training, deploying, and supporting CIVPOL Professionals for specific DOS missions.  A typical deployment is usually for a period of one year although all successful officers/officials are generally afforded the opportunity to participate longer or on other missions if desired.  Duties generally range from training and mentoring to developing entire criminal justice systems.  Additional information as well as the on-line application process can be found on  www.paecivpol.com  or by contacting PAE-HSC CIVPOL PROGRAM, Director of Recruiting, 1601 N. Kent Street, Suite 900, Arlington, VA  22209, (703) 248-1667.

Proper Mindset Provides Valuable Time Window

"If you look at the after action reports of violent confrontations, whether police, civilian or military related, you will see one fact pop up repeatedly.  Time and again, an individual who was trained to an acceptable skill level on the range goes down before a bumbling and inept attacker on the street, seemingly without really knowing what happened to them.  The reason why is quite simple: Either they hadn't pre-set their minds for the reality of mortal combat or they had formed the bad habit of not paying attention to their immediate surroundings.  In all but a few cases, a small window of a few seconds will exist where one about to be attacked can observe the situation, adjust, and make an appropriate response.  Thus, there will be enough time, if you have thought about it beforehand, and if you have a simple response already in mind."

Rick Miller

Preliminary Statistics for Law Enforcement Officers Killed in 2003

According to preliminary statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 52 law enforcement officers across the Nation were feloniously killed in the line of duty in 2003.

The number of slain officers is 4 fewer than the 56 officers killed in 2002.

Geographically, 29 officers were killed in the South, 12 in the West, 8 in the Midwest, and 3 in the Northeast.

By circumstance, 13 officers were killed during traffic pursuits/stops, 11 in arrest situations, 10 while responding to disturbance calls, 9 in ambush situations, 7 while investigating suspicious persons/circumstances, and 2 while handling and transporting prisoners.

A breakdown of the weapons involved in these slayings revealed that in 2003 firearms continued to be the weapon most frequently used in the killing of officers. Forty-five of the 52 officers were killed with a firearm. Of these 45 officers, 34 were killed with handguns, 10 with rifles, and 1 with a shotgun. Six officers were killed with vehicles, and 1 was slain with a police baton.

At the time they were slain, 35 officers were wearing body armor. Eleven of the 52 slain officers were killed with their own weapons. Eleven officers' weapons were stolen from the scene. Ten officers fired their weapons, and 9 officers attempted to fire their weapons during the 46 fatal incidents.

In addition to the officers feloniously killed in 2003, there were 81 separate incidents in which 82 law enforcement officers were accidentally killed in the performance of their duties. This is 6 more than the 76 officers accidentally killed during the previous year. The FBI will release final statistics and complete details in the Uniform Crime Reporting Program's publication Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 2003, in the fall of this year.

The Question Could Be a Test

"If a total stranger invades your privacy without warning and for no apparent reason, beware, because the next step can be much more drastic.  They may ask for the time or an opportunity to use the phone or bathroom in your home or apartment, but what they're really doing is testing your ability to fight off that intrusion.  If you acquiesce, they know you will be an easy mark.  They'll think, 'Good, I'm superior, he's inferior' and proceed with their attack.

"If you turn to confront them or tell them off, they know you may fight them and chances are they will back away."

Bill Langlois (former San Francisco decoy cop)

"Just Like Class" for Real Life Weapon Disarm

Disarming an armed opponent using only empty hand techniques is one of the most dangerous and challenging tasks a martial artist can face.  But, it can work as the article below attests.  As with most mental and physical tasks, the key to success is training.  Your training should be realistic in nature, the techniques based on gross body motions (which hold up better under stress), and should include enough repetitions for you to become proficient.

Your training goal should be that the real situation ends up feeling "just like class".

Martial Artist Foils Robbery Attempt

by Robert McLain
ARLINGTON, TX— Steve Swyhart, chayon-ryu green belt student at the Arlington Dojang, foiled a robbery at a local Stop-N-Go convenience store here using a gun-defense technique.

Swyhart had stopped at the convenience store after class and was still wearing his uniform (minus the belt). He entered the store and noticed that several people had gathered in the back. A large man stood near a magazine rack at the front of the establishment. Swyhart walked past the man, who then spun around with a pistol in his right hand. “I didn’t think,” Swyhart said. “It just happened like we train in class.” He avoided the muzzle and pushed the weapon aside, then grabbed the barrel and twisted the pistol and locked the gunman’s finger in the trigger guard. The criminal immediately dropped to his knees and screamed in pain.

Swyhart said he heard some “cracking and popping” before he ripped the weapon out of the gunman’s grasp. The martial artist then held the moaning robber at bay with the weapon. The clerk grabbed a roll of tape and used it to bind the gunman’s hands until the police arrived.

The entire incident was caught on the store’s video surveillance system. The police reviewed the tape and were reportedly amazed at what Swyhart had done. The gunman is being held for attempted manslaughter, for having pistol-whipped the clerk and for stealing $75 from the store.

More Safety, Security and Self-Defense

We've been receiving a lot of feedback from members and visitors to Defend University.  You've been asking for more information on self-defense, safety and security.  You've also been asking about self-defense strategies and techniques appropriate for children as well as for non-martial artist adults.  You've also been asking for more information on weapons that can be used in self-defense situations. 

So you'll be seeing more articles and information on these and other subjects as we apply our research and development to these areas.

Go here if you want to access the newsletter archives.

Train like your life depends on it.  Someday it might.
 

Brad Parker