The beginning of year 2013 has been one of the most violent periods in California law enforcement history since the Gold Rush era. Five officers have been murdered along with two civilians with law enforcement ties as well multiple officers attacked and wounded in the last 90 days.   Questionably, Is the current training and safety standards of law enforcement officers meeting the needs required to engage and defeat a new breed of increasingly violent criminal?

Realistically, there can only be a few in the United States law enforcement community that are not aware of the events associated with the rampage committed by ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner. For two weeks, a homicidal psychopath systematically administered his revenge against law enforcement personnel, based upon, his perceived mistreatment and injustice.  Dorner had one of the most dangerous personalities any government entity could ever encounter. He was not suicidal but rather meticulously homicidal.  He did not kill or injure randomly but rather adhered stridently to a well defined plan. He would forgo multiple occasions to attack when the risk to the overall completion of his mission was too high. By laymen assessment, Dorner did not allow emotion to affect his overall goals and implementation of his plan. Arguably, he was well trained physically and mentally and his extreme behavior evident.

Dorner remained focused on the objective to inflict as much possible pain and suffering on his "hit list" of LAPD personnel as well as any law enforcement officers, who tried to stop him.  He chose tactical techniques that afforded him the lowest risk of being captured and the highest success in accomplishing his objectives.  His intelligence and prior training led him away from any direct confrontation with his enemy.  Prior to the "last stand" which resulted in Dorner's death, he used only ambush tactics with no forewarning of attack.  He did not appear to be interested in any single act of violence; he pursued a systematic goal of completing his mission of revenge and atonement.  He was committed to the operational security and patience needed to complete his entire manifesto of justice.

Regardless of the assignment, all law enforcement positions have an inherent risk and potential for violent encounters. For those assigned to hunt for Christopher Dorner, while the ideal of a peaceful resolution was preferred, preparations were for a very tragic and violent finale.  The search teams envisioned a head on battle with Dorner.  Not all law enforcement assignments prepare for daily violent encounters. Even though the majority of California agencies require all their patrol and special operations officers to wear body armor, this is not typically the standard for investigative units. Rarely will a detective wear body armor while performing routine duties.  Is this practice dictated by culture or a belief that investigators only have encounters that are low risk? Sadly, any miss-perception was disproved with the tragic shooting of two Santa Clara detectives while performing a field interview.

With today's criminals likely to be highly trained killers with access to more advanced firepower technology, no law enforcement role should be considered safe from harm's way.  During an after action review of any on duty death or injury, it is paramount not to be critical of the fallen. Yet, the analysis should include all the pertinent facts of the event with attention directed on deficits in training, equipment or trends with the objective of better preparing officers for similar events in the future. While it may not be appropriate to suggest a different outcome would have occurred in Santa Clara if body armor had been worn, it is appropriate to note that recognizing the risk and danger in all law enforcement assignments outside of patrol and special operation assignments is necessary today.
 
Risk assessment is not just the responsibility of policy makers and law enforcement  supervisors, it is the responsibility of every police officer/deputy sheriff regardless of the assignment.  Regrettably,  basic law enforcement policy and culture have not kept up with today's world of violent criminals.  Each officer, therefore, must take added precaution for safety regardless of departments standard protocol. It is important to have risks of every operation evaluated independent of the standard operating procedures. Relying solely on general non specific policy or protocol may actually cloud an accurate assessment of the dangers.  Convinced that he would eventually personally confront Christopher Dorner during the Big Bear manhunt, a San Bernadino Sheriff Deputy donned rifle body armor which he had purchased with his own personal funds.  The reward for his own risk assessment and personal responsibility for safety was his life being saved after being shot in the chest by Dorner

Unfortunately, the SWAT teams cannot be utilized for every criminal encounter.  Because of this, it is important that the risks of every operation be evaluated without allowing culture or department tradition to cloud an accurate assessment of the dangers.  Individual objective risk assessment and responsibility for personal safety is a relatively new paradigm in law enforcement mindset. Unfortunately, the economic environment prevents many agencies from affording the newest and improved safety equipment and training that can be instrumental in  mitigating the increasing dangers faced by law enforcement officers. This leaves officers with one choice.....do it yourself!