Dynamic Entries: Leasons Learned:

As part of the full-time Columbus Ohio Division of Police S.W.A.T. Section, I have been involved in over 1,300 dynamic entries, 210 hostage / barricade situations and 630 high-risk stakeout and surveillance missions.  As much as I would like to say that our skill level and tactical expertise were responsible for surviving these missions, Irish Luck and Saint Michael actually carried us through many of them.  The fact is; our tactics were somewhat flawed for many years.  Fortunately, our systems of planning, briefing and most importantly debriefing with humility, permitted us to make needed changes, when problems were finally recognized. 

During the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, my team was heavily involved in “Crack House” raids.  We would hit four to six houses per night, five to six nights per week.  Other than hostage / barricade situations, we did little else.  We would “Scout” the missions in the morning, “Plan” the missions in the afternoon, “Brief” and “Execute” the missions throughout the night and “Debrief” the missions immediately following.  To say the least, it was very labor intensive. 

Like most teams, we are always looking for ways to improve.  Our lives and the lives of others depend on us being the best we can possibly be.  “Close Calls” and ‘Fear of Failure” tends to limit cockiness and enhance humility.  We were confident during the “Crack House” days, but we retained enough humility to remain open to new and better tactics.  In the space I have remaining, I will attempt to summarize some changes we have made and how we evolved to our current 5-phase Dynamic Entry System.  I emphasize current, because no system can ever be complete.  If a system goes without change, for an extended period of time, we have probably overlooked something. 

Scouting Phase:  The mission begins when we receive the request.  We demand a great deal of information from the detectives, but we do so diplomatically.  Most detectives don’t understand our needs, so we have to educate them.  Many detectives think that we only need an address, when we actually need to know everything from the wording in the warrant to the backgrounds of the suspects.  Are there kids in the house?  Are there guns or dogs?  Are there barricaded doors or lookouts?  We have to sometimes pry this information out of the detectives, but our tactics will depend on the information they provide.  Obviously, mission success depends on our tactics.  Do we execute the mission during the day, or under cover of darkness?  Do we deploy diversions and where should they be deployed?  Will a ram work, or should we take a chain saw?  Information is the key to success!  Encourage your detectives to provide this information early, so you can complete a thorough scout.  Some detectives wait until the warrant is signed, before informing their tactical team of an impending entry.  Then, it’s rush-rush-rush!  We need to convince them that we can better serve them, if we have plenty of notice. 

In the early days, some tactical teams permitted non-tactical team members, (detectives), to conduct the scouts.  Obviously, this policy met with some disastrous results.  The Scouts are the “remote eyes” of the team.  They need to have the ability to “paint a picture” for the rest of the team.  Even within the tactical team, some members are better at this than others.  We have designated Scouts on our team and we depend on them heavily for mission success.  They prepare a package complete with pictures, maps, routes, descriptions of structures, evidence of dogs, kids, lookouts, suspect information, criminal history of suspects and patrol calls to residences, etc.  With the help of the Entry Team Leader, they plug this information into a PowerPoint Presentation format that will be used during the Briefing.  Because they are most familiar with the target, we always assign the Scouts to drive the entry and containment teams to the target. 

Planning Phase:  While the Entry Team Leader will have the final say in the tactical plan, he/she should require input from all team members.  Obviously, a smart Team Leader will rely heavily on suggestions made by the team members, especially the Scouts.  In the following paragraphs, I’ll discuss some of the recent changes we have made to our planning phase. 

How many entry team members will be required?  A motel room may only require 3 or 5 tactical officers.  If we are dealing with a 2-story structure, with a basement, our system now requires 10 on entry.  For many years, which involved hundreds of entries, we used eight officers (two 2-officer teams downstairs and two 2-officer teams upstairs).  The need for a “Cover Officer” didn’t pop into our thick skulls, until we almost got shot by a suspect who was able to advance on us from an unsecured area.  We introduced a 1^st floor and 2^nd floor Cover Officer to fix that problem.  I’m aware that some teams don’t have the luxury of a 10-officer entry team.  I believe a dynamic entry can be accomplished with less, but I wouldn’t sacrifice the “Cover Officer” position on either floor.  With a 6-officer line-up, you could have a “Penetrator”, “Utility” and “Cover” on the first and second floors.  The tactic is sound, but it will take a little longer to secure the structure with six rather than ten. 

What will we do if we receive gunfire, prior to breaching the door?  What will we do if we receive gunfire once the door is breached?  What will we do if an officer goes down?  The planning phase is all about playing the “what if…” game.  Once again, for many years and hundreds of entries, we had no plan for where the Entry Team could tactically move, to get behind cover, if the need arose?  The need did arise one day and we found ourselves scrambling in several different directions.  To fix that, we always designate a “Safe Spot” that the team can move to if an “Abort” is called by anyone, for any reason.  If we start receiving gunfire, prior to the door being breached, we normally go to the “Safe Spot”.  Containment Officers hold their positions while Entry Officers re-evaluate and develop a new plan.  If we receive gunfire, once the door is breached, we normally continue through the structure and secure it.  In our opinion, once the door is breached, WE own the structure.  Backing out of the structure can be more dangerous than advancing on the gunman.  If an officer goes down, we employ our “Officer Down” drill. The closest officer steps in front of the injured officer and returns fire, as the next closest officer(s) extract the injured officer.  The injured officer is taken to the “Safe Spot”, where medics will be waiting.  As long as we’re on the subject, let me tell you about an unwritten promise members of my team have made.  No police officer will ever die in a crack house or out in public view!   We have all had the misfortune of viewing news reports that show dead police officers lying under a sheet, in public view.  We know how it makes us feel.  Imagine what effect those images have on the officer’s family members.  Let’s fix that!  No matter how dead the officer is, we need to get them transported to a hospital.  The officer’s family deserves the opportunity to view their loved one in a place of dignity.  Most fire medics will gladly transport, if they are encouraged to do so.  They need this encouragement, because detectives have always instructed them to preserve the crime scene.  Make the decision quickly, before all the bosses show up, and get the officer transported.  Do it yourself, if you have to.  It’s the right thing to do, so plan for it now. 

Briefing Phase:  By the end of the planning phase, Entry Team Officers and Containment Team Officers have discussed the mission and received their assignments.  Now it’s time for a full mission briefing.  (When possible, we attempt to get “eyes up” on the target one hour prior to execution.  Normally, we assign this task to a detective.) 

Rules:  Everyone involved in the mission must attend (Entry Team, Containment Team, Patrol, K-9, a Detective, etc).  Complete attention is given to those speaking.   

The briefing is conducted in PowerPoint format.  For many years we passed around and discussed maps and pictures, while the scouts and/or team leaders were discussing the plan and drawing routes on the grease board.  You can’t absorb audible information, when you’re digesting visual information, unless it’s a coordinated presentation.  We learned this the hard way, but we fixed it.  The PowerPoint presentation starts out with the Mission Commander’s introduction of the mission.  The briefing continues with the Scout’s description of the gathered information, complete with photos, routes and diagrams.  The Entry Team Leader explains team assignments and coordinates activities with the Containment Team.  The Containment Team Leader follows up with specific assignments and coordinates diversions with the Entry Team Leader.  The goal is to have everyone leave the briefing with not only a clear understanding of their assignment, but also a clear understanding of all assignments. 

Execution Phase:  The execution phase begins with the seating in the transport vans.  Everyone must be seated in the proper location.  If thought is not given to this seemingly unimportant task, bad things happen.  Entry Team members get out of line.  Containment Team members cross through the Entry Team Line.  Officers don’t get to their assigned locations on time.  We experienced these problems, so we fixed it.  Once everyone is properly seated, it’s time to relax for most of the ride.  The drivers give us a “heads-up” when we’re about 3-5 minutes out from the target.  This is when things get very quiet, as each member starts visualizing his/her specific assignment and plays the “what if” game.  Final updates are received from the detective and we get ready to bail out of the vans. 

If the earlier phases were done properly, the mission normally goes very well.  The structure is secured, occupants are cuffed, pictures are taken, diagrams are drawn and detectives are called in.  Then, it’s time to leave.  There was a time when our exit was less than organized.  Let’s face it; we conduct most of our business in some pretty rough neighborhoods.  Once we realized that we were putting ourselves in harms way, we decided to fix it.  We developed “SWAT Out” procedures.  They are simple, but effective.  When the Entry Team Is ready to exit the structure, the Entry Team Leader advises the Containment Team Leader of that fact.  The Containment Team Leader instructs the Entry Team Leader when it is safe to bring the team out.  The Entry Team exits the structure and loads up into the van.  The Entry Team Leader advises the Containment Team Leader that his team is loaded and the Containment Team Leader instructs his team to load.  Once The Containment Team Leader advises the Mission Commander that his team is loaded, the Mission Commander announces a “SWAT Out”.  All vehicles leave together and all officers remain watchful for threats.  This procedure, and the professionalism it displays, discourages attacks on these vehicles, by hostile individuals in the area. 

Debriefing:  The Columbus Ohio Division of Police S.W.A.T. Section has experienced a great deal of success over its’ 31-year existence.  There are many reasons for this success, but none more important than the members’, (past and present), ability to properly debrief each mission.  Debriefings, if properly conducted, are brutal, humbling and absolutely necessary.  They reinforce those tactics that work well and recognize the need to change those tactics that don’t. 

Debriefing rules: 

·    They must be conducted directly following a mission.  Never put it off until the next day.  You’ll never get everybody together again soon.  Members are more likely to discuss problems directly following a mission, than two days later.

·    Everyone must attend.  It doesn’t matter if everyone has been up for 24 hours or if you have to get to your child’s birthday party. 

·    Rank does not matter.  Be respectful, but be honest. 

·     Say what went right and what went wrong.  Critique the action, not the person.  Don’t direct things personally and don’t take things personally.  (You’ve got to have thick skin to do this job!) 

·      If it’s broken, let’s fix it!  You must admit that it’s broken before you can get to fixin’ it! 

It is important, and certainly more enjoyable, to slap each other on the back and talk about what went right on a mission.  It’s equally important, although less enjoyable, to discuss what went wrong and who went wrong on a mission.  As I grow old in this profession, I recognize two facts.  Number 1 – I’ve never been on a perfect mission!  Number 2 – I’m as responsible as anyone for fact Number 1. 

Although I have been a SWAT officer for many years, only recently have I truly recognized how our profession has evolved to where it is today.  Previous Tactical Officers, through sacrifice, trial and error, created systems that make our job much more efficient and safe.  They had the humility to identify problems and the courage to fix them.  We owe it to the next generation of Tactical Officers to do the same.  

About the author:  Officer James J. Scanlon is a 27-year veteran of the Columbus Ohio Division of Police.  He has spent 13 of those years on their full-time S.W.A.T. team.  He is also a co-owner of North American SWAT Training Association, (NASTA), and has provided tactical training for thousands of police officers throughout the world.  He can be reached via their web site, at www.nasta.ws  

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