Training Must Address the Specific Needs
of the Bike-Mounted Officer
by Officer Lou Ann Hamblin
Van Buren Township Department of Public
Safety
print
this story
In recent years, there have been a
number of documented police cyclist involved shootings and other associated
deadly force encounters. By tracking these encounters, trainers have been
able to identify firearms, tactics, and survival-oriented training specific
to the needs of a police cyclist. In a 1998 survey conducted by the International
Police Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA), 67% of officers who responded indicated
that their agencies provided no firearms training or qualification specific
to mountain bike officers; however, 94% felt there was a need to at least
qualify with the equipment associated with mountain bike patrol.
What is the justification for special firearms training for mountain bike
officers? Most well-informed trainers will agree that the more specialized
a unit is, the more specific and tailored the training must be. Training
has been designed to reflect the duties and challenges of many types of special
unit officers, including K-9 units, marine patrols, undercover officers,
and mounted patrols. Mountain bike officers are no different. Firearms training
for bike officers must address a variety of issues, including equipment,
the lack of secondary weapon carrying options, weapon retention, and physical
fitness.
Equipment
In the 1998 IPMBA survey, 46% of the respondents reported using nylon gun
belts with holster retention systems that differed from those of their leather
gear. The different retention systems can cause problems with drawing the
firearm, particularly under stressful conditions. This is especially evident
in part-time or seasonal bike officers. Another consideration is the placement
of equipment. Ideally, a nylon duty rig should be set up identically to leather
gear. However, because of the placement of keepers on bike shorts and pants,
officers may find themselves positioning equipment slightly differently than
is their custom. Again, this can become a problem when they need to access
their equipment - baton, O.C., or pistol - quickly and easily. This difficulty
can be addressed by moving the keepers to match the locations on class A
uniform pants or by discarding the manufacturer's sewn-in keepers altogether.
Finally, bike officers should be encouraged to practice with their secondary
gun belt systems. Range exercises should mandate practice on drawing all
weapon systems and quickly transitioning from one weapon system to another.
Another equipment-related issue to address involves the effects of cycling
gloves on the officer's ability to shoot a pistol and handle intermediate
weapons, including handcuffs. Cycling gloves are generally equipped with
padding in the palm area. Depending on the thickness of the padding, the
pad can actually enlarge the overall surface area of the handgun. This can
change how the officer grips the gun, which ultimately may effect the point
of aim and the accuracy of the shot. Loose-fitting gloves will allow the
pistol to shift in the shooter's hands, especially when experiencing recoil.
Sloppy gloves have been known to inhibit the proper insertion of a magazine
into the magazine well. Working outdoors in inclement weather brings up another
consideration: full-fingered gloves. Indexing the trigger can be more challenging
with gloves on and therefore should be the subject of additional training.
Benefits to wearing padded gloves include the reduction of perceived felt
recoil, and an improved grip in humid and warm environments.
Indexing all tools is more challenging while wearing gloves, whether or not
they are full-fingered. The glove acts as a barrier between the skin and
the handcuffs, chemical aerosol, magazines, etc., causing the items to "feel"
different. For this reason, it is highly recommended that officers perform
a series of weapon manipulation drills in order to become familiar with these
differences.
Secondary Weapons
A third equipment concern inherent to bike patrol is the lack of secondary
weapon carrying options. Those officers who are accustomed to wearing an
ankle holster containing a back-up gun are in for a rude awakening. Ankle
holsters and bike patrol just aren't made for each other. Most bike patrol
officers wear shorts, and when they wear long pants, they choose bike pants
that have stirrups or are cinched at the bottom to prevent entanglement with
the bike chain. These pants make carrying and drawing from an ankle holster
virtually impossible. Body armor holsters are very popular among bike officers;
however, many officers wear polo-style bike uniform shirts, which can make
accessing a torso-style holster a challenge. Another viable option is the
"inside the pocket holster," as long as the pocket is large enough to accommodate
a smaller frame handgun. Due to the activities bike officers engage in, the
officer must be able to close the pocket and secure the pistol in some fashion.
Because of their limited ability to carry secondary weapons, if they do carry
them, proof of proficiency in accessing and using the weapons is paramount.
Weapon Retention
An area that cannot be ignored is weapon retention for mountain bike officers.
In a recent IPMBA survey, a number of officers reported having been pushed
or pulled from their mountain bikes. Envision for a moment the standard riding
position. The position leaves most weapons on the gun belt exposed while
the officer's hands are occupied on the handlebars. Officer Gary McLaughlin
of the Sacramento Police Department designed an exercise that illustrates
the officer's vulnerability. In this exercise, which simulates a crowd situation,
one cyclist at a time rides slowly through a "gauntlet" of people. The officer
rides through the channel, offering no resistance as items are removed from
his or her gun belt and mountain bike. Open-ended baton holders and level
one holsters are defeated easily. After a number of officers have "Run the
Gauntlet", a discussion takes place regarding equipment, positioning, weapon
retention techniques and defensive tactics. Most officers will agree that
while riding or straddling the bike, they would respond to a weapon disarming
attempt as if the bike were non-existent. The next level of the drill involves
only one member of the crowd attempting a pistol or baton grab at about 50%
speed. The cyclist exits the bike quickly while maintaining his or her weapons,
then handles the threat in the appropriate manner. As a result of this drill,
officers are better able to recognize problem areas and situations where
the best tactical option is to walk the bike rather than ride.
Physical Fitness
In addition to equipment, fitness and heart rates can have a significant
impact on an officer's motor skill performance in handling weapons. Officers
in poor physical condition will be limited in the types of tasks they can
perform on the mountain bike. Fitness level is also a determining factor
in gauging the level of difficulty of any given range exercise. Sprints leading
to crossover dismounts and power slide dismounts involve complex motor movements,
or "a series of muscle groups in a sequence of movements involving timing
and visual tracking." (Siddle). Range exercises involving sprints prior to
dismounting should be included in training; however, sprinting and dismounting
should not be the sole focus of the range training. Rather, the exercises
should be designed to allow the officer to experience the physiological effects
of riding hard to a call, including the effects of physical exertion on
performance at the scene. Although it is not a bad idea to bring an officer
to his or her personal physical threshold, a building block approach is highly
recommended. In other words, first condition an officer to master the skill
at slower speeds, then increase speeds, vary the terrain, and enhance the
complexity of the exercise. Riding an officer to exhaustion will cause muscle
failure and loss of cognitive processing ability, leading to a negative training
experience. Bike officers should be trained to and condition themselves to
be an asset at a scene. They must understand the need to decrease their speed
prior to dismounting, as failure to do so can result in a fall. Additionally,
there are tactical issues in teaching officers to slow down as they approach
a scene, i.e., scanning, breathing, accessing, and identifying threats and
cover options.
Training Considerations
What types of range exercises should the firearms instructor include? Exercises
that emphasize the need to be cognizant of their changing 360-degree environment
and constant lack of cover. Officers should be trained to recognize when
the bike no longer serves them tactically or mechanically and how to exit
the bike quickly when needed. Range exercises should incorporate shooting
on the move as well as stationary and moving dismounts, weapon manipulation,
use of cover, shooting from relative positions, and drawing back-up pistols.
Greater distance shooting may fit into the training philosophies of some
agencies. Due to the lack of a readily available shoulder-mounted weapon,
and the cover and speed of a patrol car, officers may find themselves confronting
suspects at greater distances. In 1994, there was a police cyclist involved
shooting in which an officer engaged, and effectively neutralized, a suspect
from 71 yards. Because a speeding bullet will beat a pedaling officer to
the scene every time, being proficient with one's pistol at greater distances
may be a necessity. In this drill, non-reactive steel target systems reward
an officer for using proper sight alignment and trigger control by providing
instant feedback. Officers can fire from a variety of positions at whatever
distances the range will accommodate. Naturally, range drills will depend
on the range facility, but most limitations can be overcome. For instance,
an indoor range can easily accommodate stationary dismounts, slow roll dismounts,
and weapon manipulation. Stationary bikes or track-stand style trainers can
be used to simulate sprints to increase the heart rate.
Range exercises should also include realistic scenarios. As mentioned above,
there have been a number of documented police cyclist involved shootings
and a number of reported assaults against bike officers. One outcome of the
analysis of these deadly force encounters is the recognition that a high
number of spontaneous encounters resulted from the officer's silent and nearly
invisible approach. Although the mountain bike affords a stealth advantage
to officers, it can also put the police cyclist "in the mix" much sooner
than he/she expects. Because of this, police cyclists can sometimes experience
vulnerability in the same environment which they dominate. They must practice
overcoming this vulnerability, particularly in situations identified in police
cyclist deadly force encounters, such as gang activity, foot pursuits, narcotic
activity, alcohol use and vehicular assaults against bike officers.
The annual conference of the International Police Mountain Bike Association
(IPMBA) offers extensive scenario-based training both in the IPMBA Police
Cyclist Advanced Course and in the Officer Survival workshop. In these training
sessions, real world encounters are utilized in scenario fashion to raise
the attendee's levels of awareness and better prepare them for their duties.
Scenarios include single or multiple officers responding to a variety of
calls which result in lethal or less-lethal encounters. Officers are "dispatched"
to assist other officers in need of emergency assistance, to investigate
suspicious person(s) or patrol a particular area where particular challenges
await. These types of scenarios are effective in increasing heart rates both
chemically and physiologically and enhance decision making capabilities.
Scenarios are performed utilizing inert O.C., FX marking cartridges and proper
safety gear, with one exception. Standard groin protection is reported as
being very uncomfortable while in the saddle. Industry representatives have
taken note.
On Shooting from the Saddle
Bicycle officers have unique tactical issues that must be incorporated into
firearms and associated training exercises. Because of this, IPMBA has taken
an official stand on the concept of discharging a firearm while riding a
mountain bike. First, it has been established that there are no tactical
benefits in engaging in a firefight while on a moving mountain bike. The
1998 IPMBA survey posed this question to respondents: Do you think you could
fire effectively from a moving mountain bike? Of the 145 responses, 37% responded
as follows:
"Yes," if they "didn't have to stop or turn"
"Yes," if the "target remained stationary"
"Yes," but with "less accuracy"
"Yes," with "proper training"
63% of the respondents stated they could not perform this task effectively
and gave the following reasons:
"Too much movement"
"Not enough stability"
"Not enough time to train to become proficient"
"Against department policy"
In examining this issue, consider this question: Just because it is possible
to do something on a mountain bike, does that mean it should be done? Too
often, officers and trainers overemphasize the use of the bike. Forget for
a moment the issue of whether it is a trainable task. Ask this question instead:
What is the tactical soundness of training someone to control a bicycle while
firing at an adversary, who is probably firing back? Years of conducting
scenarios with police cyclists provide evidence that supports teaching officers
to dismount the bike prior to engaging the suspect(s). In documented deadly
encounters involving bike officers, officers report having dismounted the
bike prior to engaging their adversary. Compared to running, the bike offers
greater speeds; however, an officer's movements are quicker off the bike.
In high threat situations, being quick is more important than being fast.
On the bike, the officer's movements are very predictable, similar to those
of a gliding duck in an arcade game. Off the bike, the officer can be a quick,
moving, and unpredictable target. Trainers must teach their officers to take
the safest action under the conditions. For these reasons, IPMBA does not
advocate training officers to shoot from a moving bicycle.
Although re-inventing the wheel is not a necessity, the firearms training
needs of bike officers should be researched and explored by each agency.
Bike-specific firearms training should emphasize officer survival rather
than just line drills, similar to the methods employed by Heckler & Koch
(H & K) in Survival Skills for the Mountain Bike Officer Course and the
IPMBA courses described earlier. Police cyclists as well as firearms instructors
have the obligation to one another, and to their agencies, to design and
implement firearms training to accommodate the bike officer's needs.
Lou Ann Hamblin is a 10-year veteran with the Van Buren Township Public
Safety. She is a certified firearms and defensive tactics instructor as well
as a police cyclist instructor certified through the International Police
Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA). She has developed firearms training programs
for police cyclists, co-authored the Firearms Training Issues for Police
Cyclists video, and conducted studies on deadly force encounters involving
police cyclists. She is also an adjunct instructor for Heckler & Koch
International Training Division. Questions and comments may be directed to
her at
louannblackwidow@aol.com
This article originally appeared in the April 2002 issue of Law and Order
magazine, www.lawandordermag.com.
|
