Detecting Concealed Weapons Fort Lewis Force Protection Division

Detecting Concealed Weapons Fort Lewis Force Protection Division This product was generated in response to a request for support from a North Carolina Highway Patrol Officer

Detecting Concealed Weapons • Outside of the obvious suspicious bulge, or an actual gun butt protruding from someone's clothing, it is very difficult to know if an individual is carrying a concealed firearm. • One way to deal with this ongoing problem is to assume that every subject or individual that you meet is armed until you prove otherwise.

Detecting Concealed Weapons • Consider this: How many years have you been carrying a legally concealed handgun? How many times have you been stopped by fellow officers because someone spotted your gun and notified the authorities that you were armed? Most People Won’t Spot A Concealed Handgun • Below Link provides insight into the issue: • (right click on it and select open hyperlink) http: //www. yellodyno. com/Tuck_in_Your_Shirt. html

Detecting Concealed Weapons • Illegally armed individuals use a variety of methods to transport and conceal firearms. Criminals have hidden guns in their crotches, in special pockets in their baggy jeans, in concealed compartments inside their pants, and very often in their waistband.

Detecting Concealed Weapons • The overwhelming majority of offenders who carry a gun tuck it into their right front waistband, between their navel and hip. • The second most common hiding place is the small of the back, but this is relatively rare because it tends to be very uncomfortable. • In practically all cases, an illegally carried hidden firearm will be unholstered. • This works to your advantage from an observation standpoint… the gun’s uneven weight can cause it to move on its own” and require adjustment.

Detecting Concealed Weapons • As you observe a potential suspect, try to determine his strong side. Typically, wristwatches are worn on the weak arm and first steps are taken with the weak leg. Generally, people use their strong hand for most actions, such as lighting cigarettes, shoving someone, holding or moving objects and rolling dice in a craps game. Even in the absence of confirming cues, you can count on “ 85 to 90% of people in the world being right handed.

Detecting Concealed Weapons • As suspects move, watch for a “security feel”. . . Because the gun is loose, the suspect is constantly in fear it will slip, and he will periodically touch it, consciously or unconsciously, to be sure it’s still there and in place.

Detecting Concealed Weapons • Closely related to the security feel is “protective body movement. ” • This is particularly noticeable when an armed subject is running or moving abruptly; he holds his arm against the concealed weapon, either stiffly or with a very restrained swing. “Even if the suspect is just walking, you may see that he takes a full stride with his opposite -side foot but the gun-side stride will be shorter, almost like a limp in some cases” because he’s trying to clamp the gun in place and minimize its slipping or its risk of falling out.

Detecting Concealed Weapons • Of course, look for telltale bulges. A gun is not flexible and doesn’t conform well to the shape of the human body, so it may reveal itself in the form of a protrusion. While the entire firearm may not be outlined, tight clothing may reveal bumps that relate to a hammer, grip or muzzle.

Detecting Concealed Weapons • As you study a subject’s clothing, ask yourself: Does it fit the season? In cold weather, is a coat unzipped or unbuttoned? • Is the subject wearing only one glove, leaving his shooting hand bare? • Is he wearing a belt that’s not through his pants loops, thereby capable of cinching tighter against a hidden gun? • Is a coat weighted down lower on one side? When he walks or runs, does his coat or jacket bounce off his leg as if something heavy is in the pocket? • Does a loose-hanging hood seem weighted down, causing the drawstring to pucker?

Detecting Concealed Weapons • If a subject seems to have a wallet in his pocket but is wearing a fanny pack, then what’s in the fanny pack? • Is footwear mismatched, with one shoe larger than the other to possibly conceal a small handgun? • With bikers, the favored hiding place for firearms is inside boots. • Some may also use special pockets sewn into their colors. • Watch females who are with bikers. Most of the time they carry for the males, capitalizing on the tendency of too many officers to dismiss females as a threat.

Detecting Concealed Weapons

Detecting Concealed Weapons

Detecting Concealed Weapons

Detecting Concealed Weapons

Detecting Concealed Weapons

Detecting Concealed Weapons

Detecting Concealed Weapons

Detecting Concealed Weapons

Detecting Concealed Weapons

DON’T LET THIS BE THE LAST THING YOU SEE

References • Officer Survival: Spotting Armed Suspects http: //www. policeone. com/policemarksman/32 -4/1640166 -Officer-Survival-Spotting-Armed. Suspects/ • How to Spot a Concealed Firearm http: //www. policemag. com/Articles/2007/11/How-to-Spot-a-Concealed-Firearm. aspx • Exposing an Armed Criminal: What Can We Learn from Psychology and the Police? http: //www. in-mind. org/issue-4/exposing-an-armed-criminal-what-can-we-learn-from-psychologyand-the-po-2. html • Concealed weapons http: //www. policelink. com/training/articles/9184 -concealed-weapons • Learning To Spot Concealed Weapons http: //www. usconcealedcarry. org/Inner. Circle/pdf/USCCA-Inner-Circle-Intro-Issue-10. pdf

Fort Lewis Force Protection Division Mr Mike Chesbro at 253 -966 -7303 Mr Tom Rudd at 253 -966 -6914 or 253 -677 -9752 (24/7)