A number
of circumstances may impact your decision to get
involved in any situation. First, you may be alone,
with family members or other non-police personnel.
Second, it is unlikely that you will have all of the
necessary
police equipment while off-duty, for example; pepper
spray, baton, handcuffs or radio. You may be faced with
multiple
suspects or unaware of hidden suspects. There may also
be environmental factors working against you such as:
lack of cover, crowds of civilians, darkness, etc. Your
intervention
may actually spark an escalation of violence. Therefore,
your best plan of action may be to:
1. Gather accurate intelligence
like a good witness until uniformed, on-duty officers
arrive.
2. Remember, you have NO LEGAL OR
DEPARTMENTAL obligation to get involved, especially
if such
intervention places
you in a position of peril or such intervention requires
that you behave recklessly, carelessly or in a suicidal
manner.
3. While department policy mandates
that you “take
action” when witnessing a serious crime, that
obligation is fulfilled by calling the police and monitoring
the
situation from a SAFE vantage point.
4. Most survival-conscious officers
have trained themselves NOT to intervene off-duty
UNLESS their life or the life
of another innocent party is IMMINENTLY in danger.
In other words, you should only consider intervention
when
deadly
force would be justified. You should not intervene
just to make an arrest while off-duty. The decision
to take
action, beyond simply reporting, is a personal one
and is not a requirement of this department.
5. If you decide
you must get involved, attempt to have someone call
911 advising the operator that an off-duty
officer is on scene. Have the caller inform the operator
if you are armed. If possible, have them describe you
and your clothing. This will effect the mindset of
the responding
officers. When uniformed police officers arrive, have
your badge out and visible. (if you carry your shield
while
off-duty, some officers carry only their photo credentials).
Do not rely on showing your identification as a means
of providing any protection. At a distance, in dim
light and
under stress, your badge may not be seen. Or, the identification
may not be given credibility if the responding officers
do not recognize you personally.
6. Some trainers advise
officers to hold their badge next to their gun
for the best chance of being seen because
the eyes of the responding officers are most likely
to go immediately to your drawn firearm. You’re
probably safer to RE-HOLSTER your gun when other
officers arrive,
unless doing so would put you and the responding
officers or innocent civilians, in jeopardy. Until
the responding
officers sort out who is who, your gun is your greatest
personal liability.
7. If you have cover, maintain it.
You can communicate verbally from there.
8. Make your hands visible.
Having responding officers see that you are unarmed
and non-threatening will work
to calm them and protect you.
9. Verbally identify yourself
as a police officer—not
once and not in a normal tone of voice, but repeatedly
and very loud. Keep shouting out: “POLICE! DON’T
SHOOT! OFF-DUTY OFFICER!” until you get acknowledgment
and directions as to what you should do. Remember,
the noise and excitement of the scene, combined with
stress
induced auditory blocking may prevent responding officers
from hearing you initially.
10. When commands are issued by
the responding officers, follow them promptly and
completely. Expect to be treated
like a suspect until your law enforcement status is
verified.
11. When
carrying a firearm off-duty (including finishing
or beginning a tour of duty), It shall be concealed
from
public view by an outer jacket, shirt, sweater etc.
If an off-duty officer’s firearm is observed
and prompts the response of police or security officials,
the off-duty
officer should respond in a manner consistent with
this policy.
12. Finally, the most important rule
of all: If you have a gun in your hand, NEVER, EVER
turn toward
an on-duty
officer
