FORCIBLE ENTRY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49
“We have pass keys for the school” and other responses in an
effort to dismiss this topic from the agenda.
So you have a key to every business and corporation in your
city? Your SRO has access to every locked room in the school?
The answer of course is “no.” The Virginia Tech shooting and
the Amish School House shooting in Lancaster Pennsylvania
are two of the more highlighted cases of catastrophe that may
have happened as a result of lack of forcible entry. These horrible attacks occurred over decade ago, and yet we still see the
majority of patrol officers have zero capabilities of forcible entry.
Two recent incidents that raise the question once again are
the San Bernardino attacks and the active shooter in Richmond
Virginia, the latter being the event in which Trooper Chad Dermyer lost his life. Having spoken to officers who were at both
scenes, I learned that there was an immediate need for forcible
entry due to unknowns such as injured victims, IED or other
attackers hiding behind those locked doors. In both of these
examples, on-scene officers requested tools that had to be supplied by responding specialized units and other officers, resulting in a delay of clearing all of those unknowns and possibly
saving lives. d
Instructor John A. Dapkins Jr. is a co-inventor and owner of Jersey
Tactical Corp., which provides innovative products and ideas to local, state and federal law enforcement, fire, emergency services and
military professions utilizing effective efficient lifesaving design.
He has more than 18 years of law enforcement service and was an Assistant Team Leader of a Regional SWAT Team in New jersey for more
than a decade. He has taught Active Shooter response, Forcible Entry
for Patrol and Advance Mechanical Breaching throughout the U.S.
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ AUGUST 2016