Last night I was asked to participate as a hostage on a bus while officers from Yuma PD and the US Marshalls Service practiced takedowns.

I learned it's no fun being stepped on by the entire entry team while playing dead in the isle.

We ran about six different scenarios. Lots of fun and learned a bunch.

When the flashbangs go off keep your head down and your hands up. That way you don't end up with a black mark on your head from a dirty muzzle.

I helped the SWAT team out with one of their excercises once. Nothing cool, we just acted like protesters. Got all the pizza and soda we could eat to yell some nasty stuff at cops, its was pretty fun.

Quoted: we could eat to yell some nasty stuff at cops, its was pretty fun.

That would be payment in itself. :)

Geez.  I had to work 13 hours yesterday.  I'd rather have had flashbangs chucked at me.

When I lived in NorCal, the company I worked for as a carpenter did some work for the Mondavi vinyards. He had an old house on his property that he wanted torn down, but first, he donated the use of it to all the Law enforcement agencies in the area, and finally the Fire Dept who burned it down for him as training.

One day I had to remove some cabinets from the house while the local police were runing some scenario where a husband was holding his wife  hostage in the house. They kept bringing in new teams that had no idea what would actually happen, like they had just showed up to a domestic dispute call. At one point I wasn't paying attention and I walked out of the house right into the middle of a confrontation. The looks on the cops faces was great, the were confused and had no idea what to do with this new element thown into the scenario, some random guy carrying a chainsaw. I'm just glad they didn't shoot me, I wasn't wearing the protective gear they all had on.


After that I stood around for awhile watching, I liked the after action analysis discussions. "So why did you shoot him? Why didn't you shoot him?...

Quoted: When I lived in NorCal, the company I worked for as a carpenter did some work for the Mondavi vinyards. He had an old house on his property that he wanted torn down, but first, he donated the use of it to all the Law enforcement agencies in the area, and finally the Fire Dept who burned it down for him as training. One day I had to remove some cabinets from the house while the local police were runing some scenario where a husband was holding his wife  hostage in the house. They kept bringing in new teams that had no idea what would actually happen, like they had just showed up to a domestic dispute call. At one point I wasn't paying attention and I walked out of the house right into the middle of a confrontation. The looks on the cops faces was great, the were confused and had no idea what to do with this new element thown into the scenario, some random guy carrying a chainsaw. I'm just glad they didn't shoot me, I wasn't wearing the protective gear they all had on. After that I stood around for awhile watching, I liked the after action analysis discussions. "So why did you shoot him? Why didn't you shoot him?...

BAWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

Quoted: Quoted: When I lived in NorCal, the company I worked for as a carpenter did some work for the Mondavi vinyards. He had an old house on his property that he wanted torn down, but first, he donated the use of it to all the Law enforcement agencies in the area, and finally the Fire Dept who burned it down for him as training. One day I had to remove some cabinets from the house while the local police were runing some scenario where a husband was holding his wife  hostage in the house. They kept bringing in new teams that had no idea what would actually happen, like they had just showed up to a domestic dispute call. At one point I wasn't paying attention and I walked out of the house right into the middle of a confrontation. The looks on the cops faces was great, the were confused and had no idea what to do with this new element thown into the scenario, some random guy carrying a chainsaw. I'm just glad they didn't shoot me, I wasn't wearing the protective gear they all had on. After that I stood around for awhile watching, I liked the after action analysis discussions. "So why did you shoot him? Why didn't you shoot him?... BAWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

+1 Ahahahahahahha!!!

Eh, from Yuma? Got names or specialty?

Must have been the warrant squad?

Quoted: I've heard the SWAT teams practicing standoff situations on their channels via the radio (scanning).  The only thing about it that was alarming was that they weren't occasionally declaring this to be an exercise rather than a live op.     If some newsie had been scanning, he might have thought he had the "Breaking news:  hostage situation!" of the day.

Now that would be too funny.

Quoted: Geez.  I had to work 13 hours yesterday.  I'd rather have had flashbangs chucked at me.

Damn crybaby!

Quoted: Eh, from Yuma? Got names or specialty? Must have been the warrant squad?

They had black guns with bright lights on them.

Does that help.

I prefer the DUI classes myself. Free alcohol and rides home.

Quoted: I've heard the SWAT teams practicing standoff situations on their channels via the radio (scanning).  The only thing about it that was alarming was that they weren't occasionally declaring this to be an exercise rather than a live op.     If some newsie had been scanning, he might have thought he had the "Breaking news:  hostage situation!" of the day. Agencies should take a cue from military police and security forces by beginning transmissions with th word "exercise" on a regular basis.   Once, I heard a situation developing at the local AF base regarding a bomb threat and an unattended briefcase that they actually detonated.    They were NOT using the "exercise" protocol at the time, and the event got absolutely NO news or publicity of any kind.    Kind of odd, and disturbing.  (This was well before 9-11-01.)

The newsies always either show up in person, have an eyewitness report, or call the agency to confirm or verify a "breaking" story before reporting it. Never heard of any reporter going public with information gleaned solely from overhearing a scanner conversation. I'm sure it's happened at least once though... somewhere, sometime...

I played a victim in a MVA for the local rescue units to practice their jaws of life on. I was fine even covered in the window glass...until they put the neck brace on me. Damn that thing is uncomfortable....

Quoted: Quoted: Eh, from Yuma? Got names or specialty? Must have been the warrant squad? They had black guns with bright lights on them. Does that help.

Uh no. It's interesting becasue we (agency) don't play well with others. (usually).

Quoted: Quoted: Geez.  I had to work 13 hours yesterday.  I'd rather have had flashbangs chucked at me. Damn crybaby!

Actually that would be "Damned Crybaby" you illiterate tea bagger.

... how did this conflict with your personal constitutional doctrine to always attempt to escape and evade?

During one scenario they decided a hostage (played by an officer) inside would try to escape when the flahsbang went of. The escaping hostage was padded up. We were warned that he would be knocked into the front seats by the point man on the entry team. Well, he passed the point guy and knocked down three others on the steps. They all ended up in a pile on the ground. Oh yeah, they shot him too.

Quoted: Oh yeah, they shot him too.

Did he file a lawsuit?