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December
19, 2006 |
Table
of Contents:
I."Slicing the pie" vs.
"button hook" for room entry
II.
Upcoming Street Survival Seminars

"Slicing
the pie" vs. "button hook" for room entry
By Chuck
Remsberg PoliceOne.com Senior Contributor
Some SWAT operators and
patrol officers clearing rooms on building searches favor the
"button hook" technique, which allows them to enter a room by
wrapping quickly around the door jamb and minimizing their exposure
in the "fatal funnel." They're counting on startling and
overwhelming any suspect who may be inside.
One of the
concerns with this technique, according to three experienced scouts
with the Los Angeles County (Calif.) SD's Special Weapons Team who
conducted hands-on training exercises recently for the Assn. of SWAT
Personnel-Wisconsin, is that the button hook "propels you into
unknown territory."

Once you've made the
turn across the threshold and are in the room, "you're committed,"
says one of the instructors, Mark Schlegel. "You may suddenly find
yourself confronting a suspect who's in an ambush position, and
you'll be at a disadvantage because you'll be forced to make
instantaneous decisions while filly exposed in the room."
Schlegel and his
teaching partners, Rick Rector and George Creamer, favor clearing
much of the room and processing that information from outside the
doorway before making entry, if possible. Their preferred technique
is "slicing the pie."
Assume a three-officer
cell is moving down a hallway approaching a bedroom doorway on the
left, with another uncleared room farther ahead.
In a continuous, fluid
motion, the first officer "pies" across to the opposite (right) side
of the bedroom door with his gun up, ready for an encounter that
might originate from inside the room. The second officer moves with
him but his concentration is down the hallway, protecting the team
from a threat that may emerge down range. Officer No. 3 stays on the
left side of the door, monitoring what he can see inside the bedroom
from his vantage point.
By the time the first
and third officers make entry, they may have been able to visually
clear 75% or more of the room, thereby significantly minimizing the
unknown risk they may confront there.
"If a shooting occurs
while slicing the pie, you're at a greater distance from the threat
than with the button hook and have the opportunity to make better
decisions," Schlegel says.
Particularly if you're
holding a shoulder weapon, being able to shoot proficiently from
either your strong or support side will allow you to widen your
perspective into the room while exposing yourself to less visibility
by anyone inside, Schlegel points out.
He strongly encourages
the use of marking cartridges during practice "to impose reality in
training." You'll see the advantages and disadvantages of each
technique and "you'll learn to used controlled-speed movement and
maintain a good shooting platform during room entries or get your
butt shot off," he predicts.
[Schlegel and his
partners conduct instruction in street-tested SWAT techniques
nationwide for all sizes of departments through their independent
training organization, FTF Tactics, LLC. For more information, check
www.ftftactics.com.]
II.
Upcoming Street Survival Seminars
|
Seminar
Sponsors: |

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|
Seminar Location |
Dates |
Details |
|
Street
Survival Seminar Raleigh-Durham,NC |
January 16-17,
2007 |
Detail
|
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Street
Survival Seminar Atlantic
City,NJ |
January 23-24,
2007 |
Detail
|
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Street
Survival Seminar Atlanta
(Duluth),GA |
January 30-31,
2007 |
Detail
|
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Street
Survival Seminar Kansas
City,KS |
February 6-7,
2007 |
Detail
|
|
Street
Survival Seminar Houston,TX |
February 12-13,
2007 |
Detail
|
|
Street
Survival Seminar Spokane ,WA |
February 21-22,
2007 |
Detail
|
|
Street
Survival Seminar Arlington,VA |
March 5-6,
2007 |
Detail
|
|
Street
Survival Seminar Cincinnati
(Hamilton),OH |
March 12-13,
2007 |
Detail
|
|
Street
Survival Seminar Boston,MA |
March 20-21,
2007 |
Detail
|
|
Street
Survival Seminar Minneapolis,MN |
April 11-12,
2007 |
Detail
|
|
Street
Survival Seminar Denver,CO |
April 17-18,
2007 |
Detail
|
|
Street
Survival Seminar for WOMEN Las Vegas,NV |
April 25-26,
2007 |
Detail
|
|
Street
Survival Seminar Cleveland,OH |
May 16-17,
2007 |
Detail
|
|
Street
Survival Seminar Lake
Tahoe,NV |
May 22-23,
2007 |
Detail
|
|
Not
coming to your area? Please contact
Slavka Younger at Slavka.younger@trinitylearning.com
to find out how you can bring Street Survival seminar to your
department. |
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