Surviving the Street: Officer Safety and Survival Techniques.

by Gerald W. Garner, published by Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, Illinois, 1998.

Surviving the Street: Officer Safety and Survival Techniques represents a straightforward, no-nonsense treatment of the issues involved in law enforcement survival. The author, a 28-year veteran of law enforcement, begins each chapter with three excerpts relevant to that chapter's topic from one of the FBI's annual Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted reports. These openings describe the circumstances surrounding particular law enforcement fatalities.

Instead of including diagrams, illustrations, and detailed tactical instructions, the author provides a logical framework for proceeding in a variety of situations (e.g., serving warrants, making vehicle stops, handling calls involving individuals with emotional problems or mental illness, and managing hostage situations). While the majority of the book concentrates on situations patrol officers encounter, chapters dealing with management issues, the proper response when encountering crime while off duty, and the unique threats posed by terrorism also receive attention.

Each chapter ends with a summary and a survival checklist that reinforce points covered in the chapter. While veterans may believe the author's points represent merely commonsense techniques employed by any experienced law enforcement officer, the majority of anecdotes at the beginning of each chapter involve the death of seasoned officers.

In addition to discussing survival of the physical body, the author addresses job survival and psychological considerations, as well. The author defines job survival as taking law enforcement action in a professionally and legally defensible manner, preserving not only officers' health but also their employment. For example, in the chapter on vehicle pursuits, the author stresses that officers should remain in control, not only of their vehicles, but also of their emotions. He cautions the reader to take traffic and weather conditions into account during vehicle pursuits, as well as the seriousness of the underlying offense versus the danger of the chase, departmental policies, and the consequences when the pursuit ends (disciplinary action, possible loss of innocent lives, etc.).

One of the psychological topics discussed by the author includes the realization that, if a subject still receives injuries despite all efforts to bring an enforcement action to a peaceful resolution, the offender's actions are to blame, not the officer's. The author's observations on confronting situations when an officer is not adequately equipped or trained make for interesting reading. These situations include intervening in a crime while off duty, attempting a rescue from a raging river, entering a burning building in search of occupants, and becoming involved in a hazardous materials incident. The author recognizes the officer's urge to help those in jeopardy but emphasizes the need to realistically evaluate the chances for success without adding another victim - the officer - to the situation's casualties.

The author concludes that, with the appropriate training, equipment, and caution by the officer, the vast majority of such deaths remain preventable. Surviving the Street: Officer Safety and Survival Techniques offers solutions not likely to conflict with a police department's policies. Not preachy or judgmental, the book offers an easy-to-follow evaluation of items to consider in a variety of law enforcement situations and serves as a helpful primer for new officers or an excellent refresher for seasoned veterans.

Reviewed by Special Agent John Louis Stubing FBI, New York Office