Over 20 years ago, a couple of co-workers answered an early morning alarm call at a local restaurant. The alarm there was a frequent false-alarm call for our department back then. Dozens of times over many months the midnight shift had answered this call. Every time it was false. Even the numerous times responding officers found an unsecured door, the alarm must have been caused by some other means because it was later confirmed there was no attempt at a break-in and the premises was empty. So many false alarms....
Well you can guess what happened one night. Officers checking the restaurant after an alarm call found an open door. While checking the inside they were surprised when a man jumped up from behind the bar and yelled, "Don't shoot you got me!" It would be hard to tell who was more surprised. The offender or the officer. Had he had violence on his mind, he could have jumped up with a gun and started shooting. He would have had the drop on them and that is a recipe for disaster...
Relaxing too soon. Just another alarm....it goes off all the time....probably nothing....how many times have we heard or said those words? Past results of calls do not guarantee future results on those same calls. At least in the incident with my co-workers, it involved two officers checking the alarm call. This wasn't the case here:
http://thecolletonian.com/celebration-of-life-service-held-for-fallen-officer/
Tiny Smoaks, SC with a population of under 200 in August, 2008, a Deputy Dennis Compton answered a home alarm call only to be confronted by two offenders. Little did he know those two were on a crime spree of home break-ins stealing guns and other items. One of the offenders fired as did the deputy, but the deputy was killed. He was later found by the homeowner who returned to the home because the alarm company called him. He discovered the deputy shot to death in the carport. He used the deputy's walkie-talkie to call for help. The offenders were later caught and agreed to a plead deal to avoid the death penalty. Both blamed the other for shooting the deputy, but under felony murder both received life sentences.
Little consolation for those left behind. Maybe back-up wasn't available. Maybe it wouldn't have helped at all. What I do know, like the call with my coworkers, just because every other call has been fine, it in no way means the next one will be. Complacency makes one relax too soon and then bad things happen. Noted trainer Tony Blauer calls this the "Theory of Presumed Compliance." Everyone else complies, so will this guy. Wrong. It also manifests itself in officers having an inflated opinion of their position. In other words, people will obey just because I wear a uniform and carry a badge. Wrong. The obvious danger is in under-reaction. This syndrome can also cause an over-reaction to an offender's resistance. This can lead to either a sustained complaint, lawsuit damages, or a civil rights violation. Don't take resistance to personally, especially non-deadly resistance. This attitude of "how dare they" run or "how dare they" fight gets cops in trouble. Do your job right.
Regardless of why you presume compliance, it is dangerous. It makes you relax way to soon. If you couple this with a bad search of an offender and you can have deadly results. Just look at Deputy William Giacomo from my backyard of the Nicholas County Sheriff's Department. He arrested a DUI on the early morning of September 11, 2000. The offender hadn't really given him any problems. Everything was fine. Until he pulled a concealed handgun from his boot when Giacomo's back was turned and shot him.
More recently, we saw another example of this in West Virginia when WV State Troopers Marshall Bailey and Eric Workman were killed in their cruiser by an offender they arrested in a stolen car on August 28, 2012. That offender pulled a concealed handgun after being handcuffed in the front and shot and killed both troopers.
I mention these cases of fallen officers not to criticize or to demean their service. Instead, I hope we can learn from them. I think all fallen officers would want us to learn from them. It only takes one mistake at the right time to be fatal. We have to walk that fine line where we protect ourselves and the public while still respecting the rights of those we deal with. It can be done! Presumed compliance makes you relax too soon! The Below 100 program tells us "Complacency Kills!"
Be Safe!
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