從拉斯維加斯員警勤餘休息時遭到狙擊案學到的三條安全守則

從拉斯維加斯員警勤餘休息時遭到狙擊案學到的三條安全守則

翻譯：李孟澤

警察是能見度很高的公眾人物，因此不論何時在公開場合，不管是做什麼，都很容易遭受攻擊。

2014/06/08 上午11:22，兩名拉斯維加斯大都會警察局員警在餐廳裡用餐時遭到兩名激進的武裝份子狙殺。此案類似2009年11月一個咖啡店攻擊案造成四名萊克伍德員警死亡的案件。比照該案，本案再度激起大眾討論員警勤餘在公開場合休息之問題，我們應當討論一下相關的風險和減少風險的策略。

在最近的狙殺員警案引起大眾矚目後，某些機關可能反應過度，制定政策禁止或限制員警勤餘時在公共場所休息(撰寫報告、處理個人事務、用餐等)。雖然這可以舒緩領導階層的緊張，但這並不切實際，且忽略了一個更大的問題，那就是員警是能見度很高的公眾人物，因此不論何時當他們在公開場合時，不管他們做什麼事情都有可能遭受攻擊。

勤餘在公共餐廳休息並沒有特別或獨特的風險，員警等紅燈或在人行道查詢某人時也同樣面臨風險，因此，加諸不合理的限制並無多大意義。相反的，專注於戰略和戰術運用以增強安全會有用得多。

1.改變休息的地方

策略之一就是讓員警保持不可預測性，避免允許攻擊者預測員警的固定行經路線和模式。我們都有自己最喜歡的餐廳以及在餐廳我們最喜歡坐在哪一桌，但假若您老是在同一個地方、同一個時間、同一週、同一天，並坐在同一個地方，您等於是將敵人狙擊你所需的全部資訊都給他。

拉斯維加斯槍擊案看來就像之前的萊克伍德槍擊案，歹徒並未事先經過周密策劃，被害員警僅僅只是一個「機會目標」，但是為何員警會變得如此容易遭受攻擊?

嘗試不同的用餐地點、將食物外帶、選擇不同的時間和不同的餐桌，在不同的地方停車，改變您的日常生活路徑，避免給敵人精心策畫攻擊和脫逃的機會。

勤餘休息時，讓自己變成很難遭受攻擊的目標。如果情況允許，請與另一個單位同仁共同休息，這樣您就可以彼此支援，兩雙眼睛和兩支槍會比較有利。選擇偏遠處的餐桌，當您坐在那時是否有密室或與外部隔絕的部分? 這可以讓您遠離人潮、淡出公眾視野，並防止您成為歹徒剛好碰巧撞見的「機會」目標。

避免靠窗戶坐下(尤其是在晚上，攻擊者可以清楚地看到您，而您卻看不到他。)或者坐在隔間，讓您看不到另一邊的人。選擇一個您可以好好觀察所有接近者的餐桌位置，增加反制的時空差距。

2.選擇餐桌，而不是包廂位置用餐。

保持您的機動性，您可以舒適的坐在包廂裡頭用餐，但您最不想遇到的事就是被困在包廂裡頭，這會妨礙您使用武器和快速逃離攻擊線的能力。坐在外面餐桌將允許您有更大的機動性讓您可以在攻擊點迅速離開，進入戰鬥位置。

我們建議您與同伴並肩坐著，而不是面對面坐著，這看來似乎有點好笑，但取決於環境的佈局，特別是如果您可以將背靠在牆上時，將能讓您有更大的能見度和對周遭環境的觀察。

3.處於黃色燈號狀態，放鬆但注意周遭事物，保持警戒狀態。

最重要的是，保持警戒。休息時您很自然的想要放鬆警戒，尤其是當您和朋友在一起時，這就是為什麼英文休息稱之為 break的原因，對吧?。當您在熟悉的環境中時，您也會很自然的放心，但您絕不能讓自己掉進陷阱當中。您和同事在每次勤餘時去的當地咖啡店「分駐所」可能會讓您覺得好像是您的第二個家—一個友善的停靠港口—但這並不是真的，因為鯊魚每天都會游過這些水域，所以不要偷懶，不要讓自己因為處在過於安全舒適的環境當中而喪失警戒。

當您在公開場合(即使在當您著「便衣」，幾乎無須對攻擊者隱藏您的警察身分時)，您也不能就此認為處於白色燈號的完全安全狀態。

盡量保持在「黃色燈號」警戒狀態，注意四周的人在做什麼。抬起頭和眼睛看看。從看報告、電腦螢幕，或者煎餅當中定期抬頭掃描您的周遭環境。必要的話，將您周圍分成幾個區域，並請您的夥伴監看負責的區域，彼此交換站起來監看、警戒對方用餐。

以上建議是否讓您覺得聽起來很愚蠢、沒必要? 希望您不要如此認為。因為至少有一位拉斯維加斯的員警被擊中頭部。萊克伍德槍擊案中同樣的事情發生在至少一位，甚至兩位員警身上。我們永遠無法得知假若這些殉職員警能夠先看到攻擊者，是否能夠快速反制，避免遭到槍擊，但我們可以十分確信，當員警遭到無法預見的暗中狙擊時，其存活的可能性為零。

當您在公共場合時，您是一個攻擊目標，請盡量讓自己保持清醒，保持安全。

資料來源

3 lessons from the Las Vegas police ambush about on-duty breaks

Police officers are highly visible public figures who are vulnerable to attack any time they are out in public, regardless of what they are doing.

The murders of two Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers who were dining in a restaurant by a pair of radical militants happened less than a week ago, and the heinous crime is still under investigation. Details are sketchy at this point — but we know it was similar to the attack which left four Lakewood (Wash.) officers dead at a coffee shop in November 2009. Memories of that crime — combined with what we know about the recent murders — have reignited discussions about officer safety during on-duty breaks in public, and it seems appropriate to discuss for a moment the associated hazards and the tactics to mitigate them.
In the wake of this most recent attack, some agencies may overreact and enact protocols which will prohibit or restrict officers from taking on-duty breaks (for report writing, personal business, meals, etc.) in public locations. While that may soothe the nerves of the chain of command, it’s not a particularly realistic course of action and it ignores the larger issue that officers are highly visible public figures who are vulnerable to attack any time they are out in public, regardless of what they are doing. 
There is no unique or special risk associated with dining in public during an on-duty break — officers are equally at risk when idling at a stop light or interviewing a person on the sidewalk, so it makes no sense to put unreasonable restrictions on the former. Instead, it would be much more helpful to focus on strategies and tactics that enhance safety.
1. Vary Your Break Locations
One of those strategies is for officers to stay somewhat unpredictable by avoiding routines and patterns which would allow attackers to predict the officer’s actions. We all have our favorite restaurants and our favorite tables at those restaurants, but if you meet at the same place, at the same time, on the same day every week, and if you sit in the same spot, you’ve handed your enemy all the information they need to set up an effective ambush. 
It appears that the Las Vegas shooting — like the Lakewood shooting which preceded it — was not planned far in advance and the officers were only selected as “targets of opportunity,” but why make it easy for your attacker? 
Try a different place. Order take out. Pick a different time or a different table. Park somewhere different. Vary your routine, and deny your enemy an easy opportunity to carefully plan his attack and escape.
When it’s time to take that on-duty break, make yourself a hard target. If circumstances allow, take your break with another unit so that you can provide mutual support — two sets of eyes and two guns are better than one. Pick a table in a remote part of the restaurant — is there a back room or closed section where you can be seated? — that will keep you away from the traffic flow and out of the public eye, and prevent you from becoming a “target of opportunity” for the whack job who just happens to stumble across your path. 
Avoid sitting by a window (particularly at night, when attackers can clearly see in but you can’t see out) or next to a partition that hides the people on the other side from your view. Pick a table that allows you a good view of all the people who would approach you and which increases your reactionary gap.
2.) Choose Table, Not Booth Seating
Preserve your mobility as well. They may be comfortable for sitting, but the last thing you want is to be trapped in a booth that hampers your ability to access your weapon and quickly move off the line of the attack. Sitting at a table in lieu of a booth will allow you much greater mobility and will enable you to “get off the X” and get into the fight much more quickly. 
While we’re talking about tables, it may look a little funny to sit side-by-side with your partner instead of across the table from each other, but depending on the layout of the environment, it may allow you greater visibility and awareness of your surroundings, particularly if you can put your back to the wall.
3.) Stay in Condition Yellow
Most importantly, maintain your vigilance. It’s natural to want to let your guard down and relax when you’re on a break — that’s why they call it a “break,” right? — especially when you’re among friends. It’s also natural to feel secure when you’re in a familiar environment, but you cannot allow yourself to fall into either of these traps. The local coffee shop “substation” that you and the guys hit on every shift might feel like a second home — a friendly port of call — but it’s not and sharks pass through those waters every day, so don’t get lazy and don’t let yourself feel too secure in your comfortable surroundings. Stay alert.
When you’re out in public (even in “plain clothes,” which do almost nothing to hide your LE status from alert predators), you cannot slip into “condition white.” 
Strive to stay in “Condition Yellow” and be aware of the people around you and what they are doing. Keep your head and your eyes up. Look up from that report, that computer screen, or those pancakes and scan your environment periodically. If necessary, split up the area around you into zones and agree with your partner which ones he is going to watch and which ones you are going to watch. If necessary, stand watch while your partner grazes for a bit, then switch. 
Does that sound silly or unnecessary to you? I hope not. It appears that at least one of the officers in Las Vegas was shot in the back of the head and never saw it coming. The same thing happened in Lakewood to at least one, and possibly two, of the officers. We will never know if these fallen officers could have reacted quickly enough to avoid being shot or to launch a successful counterattack if they had seen their attackers first, but we can be damned sure that they had zero chance of surviving an unseen ambush.
When you’re out in public, you’re a target — make yourself a hard one. 
Stay alert, and stay safe out there.