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Off-Duty Encounter with On-Duty Officers is
Often
the Most Dangerous
Shelly Wilkison, Editor
During the first six months of 2005, four of the 28
officers killed by gunfire were off duty at the time of the shootings, a
statistic that underscores the need for vigilance when working extra jobs or
traveling this summer.
Calibre Press Street Survival Seminar instructors say officers should remember
that if they find themselves in situations where they have to take action off
duty, they must follow the directives of uniformed personnel as they arrive on
the scene being careful to clearly identify themselves as police officers.
The Houston area law enforcement community in mourned the loss of a reserve
deputy constable who was killed on his extra-duty job July 6, 2005 by a Harris
County deputy sheriff who mistook him for an escaping felon.
Nehemiah
Pickens (pictured), a reserve deputy constable, worked off duty as a security
guard at a Houston apartment complex when shortly after midnight a vehicle
fleeing from a deputy crashed into a gate at the complex and the driver fled on
foot. Pickens, wearing dark jeans and a black t-shirt and carrying his
chrome-plated semiautomatic handgun, joined the foot pursuit.
The deputy didn't recognize Pickens as an officer. He repeatedly ordered Pickens
to stop thinking he was the driver of the vehicle he had been pursuing. When
Pickens didn't comply, he was shot four times. Officers later discovered he was
wearing his badge in a black leather holder around his neck. The shooting, which
occurred inside the Houston city limits, is still under investigation.
Pickens, 33, left behind a wife and three daughters.
"Without a doubt, this tragedy will long impact our brothers and sisters in
Harris County law enforcement," said Calibre Press Lead Instructor Dave Smith.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Constable Pickens' family, as well as with
the officer who fired the fatal shots."
In his training DVD Roll Call: Surviving Off Duty, Smith warns
off-duty officers to follow the commands of uniformed officers while verbally
identifying yourself repeatedly and loudly, "Police, don't shoot, off-duty
officer!"
"Responding officers will often be in a high stage of stress, so it is important
to have clear concise language and get your message out," he said.
Smith said many extra-duty security jobs may require that officers wear plain
clothes rather than their police uniforms, "and that makes it more important
than ever for officers to practice, practice, practice doing self announcing.
They should practice it on the range and in their minds.
"One of the most dangerous times for off-duty officers is when uniformed
officers arrive," he said. "You may think every officer knows you, but you don't
know what they're thinking. To them, you may look like any other person with a
gun.
"Show your hands, and expect to be treated like an offender until your law
enforcement status can be verified," he said. "And perhaps most important, if
you have a gun, never turn toward an on-duty officer."
In January 2000, Providence, Rhode Island, Sgt. Cornel Young was shot and killed
by other officers who mistook him for a suspect. He was in plain clothes off
duty at a late-night diner when a disturbance broke out. He saw a suspect with a
gun confront two officers, so with his gun drawn, Sgt. Young approached the
officers to offer assistance. The officers didn't recognize him and ordered him
to drop his gun. When he didn't, the officers from his own department fired at
him, killing him.
Smith says officers should evaluate off-duty intervention along a sliding scale
of urgency.
If an off-duty officer observes a uniformed officer who might need help but is
not in imminent danger, it might be best not to intervene.
"You might be a distraction to the officer, creating an advantage for the
offender. Or, the officer might think you are another offender. Tactically, it's
best to protect the other officer from any threats that he can't see," he said.
"Ultimately, an off-duty officer should decide whether the situation is life or
death. If it isn't, then you shouldn't risk unpredictable consequences by
putting yourself into the situation," he said. "Sometimes, calling 911 from your
cell phone is the best response."
Stay Safe!
Shelly Wilkison, Editor
shelly@calibrepress.com
