When working in an environment you must be attuned to threats that are separate from

any “human being threat” that you are searching for. Here are some very important
concepts for you to consider while working in the environment.

THREAT RECOGNITION
KNOWN Threats (Highest Priority)
An individual, or individuals, in plain view that must be dealt with or recognized as a
genuine threat so that he/she can be dealt with. Remember, a room alone generally will
not cause you harm, rather, it is the individual, or individuals, within the room that may
cause you harm, or have ill intentions toward you. Another example can be categorized
as an open door. The possibility of you being able to see IN and the threat(s) having the
ability to see OUT must be considered.

UNKNOWN Threats
A doorway, room, blind corner or any other area that has not been or is in the process of
being controlled. These are potential hiding places for the unknown threat(s) that you are
attempting to locate. Subcategories of unknown threat(s) that need to be considered, but
not necessarily limited to:

• An open door vs. a closed door (which has a higher priority?)

• A shadowed area

GEOGRAPHICAL Threats
There is something in the environment, other than a human being, that can cause you
harm that is unseen or unknown. Examples would include, but not necessarily be limited
to:

• A hazardous area
• A chemical laden area
• Broken steps on a staircase
• A hole in the floor
• A curb
THREAT ANALYSIS/PRIORITIZATION
Based on threat recognition, you must have a sub-conscious, real-time understanding of
each level of threat encountered and the ability to analyze each without unnecessarily
exposing yourself to that threat, or another threat (or exposing a partner to another threat),
or at least limiting the amount of time exposed. Good observational skills, paired with
efficient vertical and horizontal displacement would prove extremely beneficial.

For example, several officers moving through a structure to serve a warrant

may stop and hold while the first two (2) officers make entry into a room.
Instead of holding the hallway, the other officers may horizontally displace
reward and set-up behind a wall or a previously cleared threshold. If this is
not possible, the remaining officers in the hallway have the option to set-up
in a high/low stack while illuminating the area forward that is unsearched.
The illumination will blind any threat(s) that make the decision to step into
the hallway to engage the officers. The illumination will also allow the
officers in the hallway to see any weapon(s) being brought to bear around
a corner for the purposes of engaging the officers.

Subconscious threat analysis/prioritization can be learned and programmed into your

mind through quality and consistent force-on-force training. This will result in faster
recognition and prioritization, as your subconscious mind would have already “seen” the
situation prior through training. This would provide you with a solid response at the ready.

THREAT MANAGEMENT
Once the threat(s) are recognized and analyzed/prioritized, understanding what the most
efficient and effective response to each is the next step.

For example, let’s say there are opposing doors in a hallway and the door
on the left is open and the door on the right is closed. Which doorway
should be shown an immediate emphasis of focus and which has a higher
threat priority? How do you best manage these threat(s), while paying
attention to any other doors in the remaining area of the hallway forward of
your current position?
You should always strive to avoid target fixation on any open door and as a result,
inadvertently turn to address this threat and then exposing yourself, especially your back,
to a blind corner or any other unknown threat area. You should be vigilant and conscious,
to the best of your abilities, in knowing the location of your partner(s).

How do you traverse the environment to leverage an advantage in any situation? The
possibility of “pinning” a doorway with your foot or illuminating an open doorway further
down the hall, may be several options. You should utilize your thought process and
current experiences/tribulations to formulate new ways to address threat management,
while ALWAYS being conscious of the totality of the environment. This is where
experimenting and applying innovative ideas in the training realm result in separating the
“average” officer from the “great” officer.