I had a bust week last week with SWAT stuff and with prepping/teaching in service for my departments Sergeants. Funny to me that I teach all over the NW, but this is the first time my own agency has leaned on me for tactical training to my peers. Weird.

Anyway, one of the missions we did was a large compound, multiple houses and multiple bad guys. My team, another large team and a portion of a third team were required to handle this job. All told we used 7 armored vehicles and had roughly 65 SWAT men on the job. Everything went smooth as silk. None of the five pit bulls had to killed, all of the 27 weapons were recovered and some career criminals are in the jailhouse.

My wife says that shit went smoothly because I’m the best damn team leader on the planet and my plan and execution of that plan was flawless. (She’s my wife fer chrissakes, shes supposed to think like that!) I think the plan was good and I owe thanks to another T/L who helped plan and ultimately convinced me the 7th piece of armor was needed. The guys did well in executing the plan, by and large it went as I thought it would.

On to the title though. These guys certainly had enough guns on scene to qualify as means. The guns were there, they had bullets and were in good working condition. So the means to shoot at us was there. We used S&C tactics, so they certainly had ample opportunity to pick up the guns, clean-lube-load, and either pre-emptively assault us or wait until we were vulnerable in some fashion. Last they probably have the mindset to kill cops, we’ll never know since they eleceted not to.

So, means, opportunity and mindset were all present. I cant effect the means; if guns are there I cant control them until I control the target. I can kinda control opportunity by way of tactics, a faster tactic might let me bounce a guy before he can acquire the means to assault. It might also send me dashing into a hornets nest. S&C gives bad guys opportunities that Dynamic does not, it’s a fact. The reverse is also true sometimes. I dont really think we can control mindset, a predisposition to violence does not simply go away.
 
So how come we were not engaged with gunfire? I think that an overwhelming show of force, an aggressive posture, might cause someone to rethink their plan. Although many bad guys might want to harm us, the futility of starting that fight might stay their hand. For the guys that would be inclined to read this blog, that was a big “Duh!” moment for you. Our detractors would say that 7 armored cars and 3+ score of SWAT men is overkill. It is too much, it is excessive. Well, we do know that no gunfight erupted, none of the officers were injured or killed and none of the suspects were harmed.

Whats the point? The point is choose the tactics that gives you the highest chance of controlling Means, Opportunity and Mindset. And bring alot of men with guns.