Robbery in Progress a Police

Robbery in Progress

A police Commander responding to a bank robbery, where the suspect is known to be armed and dangerous and on the loose, is not an easy situation to handle. There are many issues that need to be addressed in a very short amount of time. However, given certain parameters one can postulate certain objectives that would help mitigate the danger to civilians and officers in pursuit of the suspect as well as measures that would hopefully bring the robber into custody in a relatively short amount of time. Given the scenario laid forth, here are several directives that would help stabilize the scene in the aftermath of a bank robbery.

The first order of business is to, as Paul Seibert discusses in his article, "SafeCatch: An Educational Partnership Offering More Customer Development and Less Crime" is to get a positive ID on the suspect or as close to a positive ID on the suspect. Most bank robberies wish to remain inconspicuous, as he explains, "The goal of most bank robbers is to remain as anonymous as possible when approaching a teller -- to "fade into the surroundings," so to speak (Seilbert, 2011). Therefore, as soon as the first squad car arrives, one of the first things they need to figure out is, who is the robber? What does he look like? What is he wearing? Where is he currently?

Assuming his exact location is not known, but his general location is, the next order of business is to evacuate all at-risk areas including those nearby restaurants, stores, and shops and set up a perimeter to enclose the suspect. Of course, those employees of the bank who had visuals on the suspect would be interviewed to help the officers figure out the "who" questions.

It was stated in the parameters that he was in a two-block radius. Units would be dispatched to roadblock the surroundings, one at each intersection and one at each alleyway entry/exit point. After the majority of the crowds have evacuated a clear directive would be made to officers, "No one gets in or out of hot zone until they've been questioned." A command station would be set up in front of the bank.

The sniper would be placed on the tallest building in the area, the three-story building across from the bank. He would be given the directive to shoot suspect on sight, as Don Coker says in his "Banking Security Principles and Issues" regarding the predilections of bank robbers, "Regardless of what anyone anywhere states, no criminal wants to get shot…" (Coker, 2010). Of course this is a rather serious directive, but assuming he is armed with the intent to hurt or injury innocents, a shoot to kill directive is not extreme.