7.2 Crimes in Progress & Building Searches

7.2 Crimes in Progress & Building Searches

Responding to active, in-progress criminal incidents—such as armed robberies, burglaries, domestic violence altercations, and intruder alarms—presents some of the highest operational risks faced by police officers. Success in these high-velocity scenarios requires strict adherence to tactical principles, disciplined communication, synchronized teamwork, and methodical clearing techniques.

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Dispatch Response Tactics & Scene Arrival

When dispatched to a high-priority crime in progress, emergency vehicle operations must balance rapid response speed with tactical surprise and safety.

Emergency Vehicle Operations & Approach

• Emergency Warning Equipment (Lights and Siren): While emergency lighting and sirens clear traffic under Title 75 (PA Vehicle Code), officers must evaluate when to kill warning equipment. Emergency lights and sirens announce police presence from miles away, giving suspects time to flee, take hostages, or prepare an ambush.
• Silent Approach Protocol: Deactivate sirens and emergency lights approximately 2 to 3 blocks from the call destination (depending on ambient noise, terrain, and weather). Proceed at safe speeds, obeying traffic conditions.
• Final Positioning: Never park directly in front of the target location. Stop several doors down or across the street, positioning the patrol vehicle behind cover (e.g., brick walls, engine block) rather than concealment. Avoid slamming vehicle doors or running loudly on pavement.

Initial Assessment & Perimeter Containment

• Perimeter Setup: The first responding officers must establish a secure perimeter before attempting entry (unless active violence demands immediate entry). The standard perimeter model requires controlling diagonal corners of the building (e.g., Officer 1 covers Corner A [front/left], Officer 2 covers Corner C [rear/right]) to observe all four exterior walls and potential escape routes.
• Exterior Inspection: Look for forced entry indicators (broken glass, pry marks on doors, open ground-floor windows, ladders positioned against walls, or suspicious vehicles idling nearby).

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The Contact and Cover Concept

The Contact and Cover concept is a foundational tactical doctrine designed to prevent officer ambushes, suspect escapes, and tactical errors during multi-officer encounters with field subjects or suspects.

          [SUSPECT(S)]
               |
               |  (Verbal Interaction / Search / Handcuff)
               v
     [CONTACT OFFICER]
               |
               |  (Triangulated Field of Fire / 90° Angle)
               v
      [COVER OFFICER]

Roles and Responsibilities

Key Rules of Contact and Cover

1. No Role Confusion: Roles are clearly assigned prior to contact. The Cover Officer must never break focus to assist with searching pockets, reading IDs, or taking notes unless explicitly directed due to physical emergency.
2. Triangulation: Officers position themselves to create a triangle with the suspect. This forces the suspect to divide attention and prevents officers from placing each other in crossfire lines.

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Building Search Principles & Room Clearing

Searching a structure for a concealed suspect is an inherently hazardous operation. Searches should be conducted with a minimum of two officers (or specialized K-9/SWAT assets when available).

The Fatal Funnel & Threshold Evaluation

• Fatal Funnel: The area directly in front of or inside an open doorway, narrow hallway, or window frame. It is termed "fatal" because suspects inside the room can easily target officers who linger in or pass through these narrow openings.
• Slicing the Pie (Threshold Clearing): A technique used prior to entering a room. Officers stand back from the doorway frame and slowly cut incremental visual slices around the angle of the opening. By moving laterally in an arc, officers clear up to 80-90% of the room interior before ever crossing the threshold.

Room Entry Tactics

When threshold clearing is complete and entry is required, two-officer teams utilize coordinated entry maneuvers:

• Crossover Entry: Officer 1 and Officer 2 position on opposite sides of the door frame. Upon command, Officer 1 steps through the door and moves diagonally across to the opposite corner. Officer 2 simultaneously enters and moves to their respective corner, clearing the near deep corner.
• Buttonhook Entry: Officers position on opposite sides (or same side) of the door. Officer 1 enters and hooks back around the door frame into the immediate corner on their side. Officer 2 enters behind and moves straight or hooks in the opposite direction.

CROSSOVER ENTRY                   BUTTONHOOK ENTRY
+------------------+             +------------------+
| 1             2  |             | 1             2  |
|  \           /   |             | ^             ^  |
|   \         /    |             | |             |  |
|    \       /     |             | +----+   +----+  |
+---[  1   2  ]----+             +---[ 1     2 ]----+

Light Discipline & Search Speed

• Light Discipline: In dark environments, officers use flashlights dynamically. Avoid continuous beam exposure which reveals officer position. Use momentary bursts ("paint and move") or indirect room bounce. Flashlights must be held out from the body (FBI hold or modified cheek weld) so suspect fire directed at the light source does not hit center mass.
• Search Speed: Slow and methodical is smooth, smooth is fast. Never rush past uncleared spaces (closets, attics, crawlspaces, under furniture).

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Alarm Response Protocols

Police respond to thousands of false and authentic alarm activations annually. Officers must treat every alarm as a crime in progress until verified secure.

• Commercial Alarms: Often involve high-value targets, safe vaults, or high forced-entry risk. Officers establish perimeter cover, check doors and windows for forced entry, look for rooftop access ladder placement, and contact dispatch to request keyholder response.
• Residential Alarms: Verify exterior doors, ground windows, and fence gates. Look for pet disruptions, broken glass, or motion sensor activations visible through windows.
• Forced Entry Discovery: If a door or window shows clear signs of forced entry (broken lock, shattered glass, open door), officers do not enter alone. Call for back-up, establish perimeter cover, issue verbal police announcements into the structure, and wait for back-up or K-9 deployment.

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Tactical Communication & Information Sharing

Radio communication during emergency operations must be concise, accurate, and standardized.

Plain Language vs. 10-Codes

Under National Incident Management System (NIMS) guidelines, law enforcement agencies across Pennsylvania have largely transitioned from regional 10-codes to Plain Language Communications. Plain language prevents dangerous misinterpretations during inter-agency multi-jurisdictional responses.

Suspect & Vehicle Description Formats

When broadcasting suspect and vehicle descriptions over tactical frequencies, officers follow standardized structures to ensure dispatch and nearby units grasp key identifiers immediately:

• Suspect Description Order: Gender, Race, Height, Weight, Hair color/style, Facial hair, Top clothing (jacket/shirt color), Bottom clothing (pants color/type), Footwear, and Weapons/Distinctive features (tattoos, scars).
• CYMBALS Vehicle Description Format:
  • C: Color (e.g., Silver)
  • Y: Year (e.g., 2018 or approximate model generation)
  • M: Make (e.g., Ford)
  • B: Body style (e.g., 4-door sedan, pickup truck)
  • A: And License Plate / State (e.g., PA ABC-1234)
  • L: Location and direction of travel (e.g., Northbound on Rt. 30)
  • S: Special features / Occupants (e.g., tinted windows, dented rear bumper, 2 male occupants)