Finally was able to put together a poster that is designed to stress the importance of being aware of “Ambush” when chasing a suspect on foot. Foot chases are very very dangerous because the fleeing suspect can hide and lay in wait! The problem with foot pursuits is the Police Officer is often so hell-bent (I have done it many times) on apprehending the fleeing suspect that he/she fails to slow down or stop when the suspect disappears from view. I have read many Officer Down reports over the years where Police Officers are shot and killed in this situation. We need to stress to Police Officers the need to STOP or at least slow down when losing sight of the suspect and then use tactics to proceed with caution and/or call for a dog. I very recently spoke with an armed security guard who was chasing a burglary suspect through an apartment complex and he lost sight of the suspect who rounded a corner and he stopped and then proceeded forward slowly and when he began to round the same corner he was shot at 3 times by the suspect who was waiting to ambush him. The suspect got away but the security guard was unharmed.
