NCJ Number
194898
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 50 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2002 Pages: 72-74
Date Published
2002
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article focuses on criminal snipers and effective police response.
Abstract
A criminal sniper incident can happen anywhere, anytime. The majority of these incidents go underreported and unknown unless there are large body counts. Criminal snipers fall into one of two broad categories. The Hit & Run Sniper is the more prevalent. These individuals take up a position of concealment, fire a few shots, and then withdraw or move to another hide. As people or police begin to recognize their presence and respond to it, the Hit & Run Sniper will retreat. His escape will allow him to attack again, at a time and place of his choosing. The other category is the Barricaded Sniper, who sets up his firing position, attacks his targets, and is still there when the police arrive. He represents the most dangerous threat officers will ever face because he has decided to continue his killing spree until stopped. Preparation is the essential element for a safe and effective response. Potential sniper encounters should be anticipated in many scenarios. These include riot situations and events of civil unrest, dignitary and protection details, ambushes, and SWAT calls. There is a distinctive attack profile associated with the criminal sniper. First, a sniper attack is rarely a spontaneous event. There are usually no hostages involved. There are no demands from the shooter and negotiations are pointless. The shooter does not usually know his targets. Criminal snipers attack with a plan. The sniper will choose a kill zone, use some method to draw targets into his kill zone, and make a determination to stay or continue to kill. In the beginning the sniper has the upper hand. However, there is a tendency to underestimate the sniper. Law enforcement should begin with a proactive approach to the potential problem. Agencies must establish policies dictating responses of all involved resources. Plan for the worst-case scenarios, and train for them on a departmental level. Take special care to properly prepare all patrol personnel. Develop a structured operational sequence for locating, isolating, and neutralizing the sniper as quickly as possible.