Raids

Friday, September 19th, 2014

This early 1970s Federal law enforcement training film, Raids, seems positively quaint:

I couldn’t help but notice a few tactical details. First, everyone keeps their finger on the trigger. They don’t seem comfortable drawing or handling their revolvers, either. I love the way the raid leader switches his revolver to his left hand so he can knock on the door with his right.

I wouldn’t want my cover team armed with revolvers, by the way, twenty yards back, sitting in a catcher’s squat behind the car, either.

Comments

  1. Alex J. says:

    The FBI made a training reenactment video of the Miami shootout. They called it “Firefight”. I’d have called it “Don’t Bring a Pistol to a Rifle Fight.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlSCE88UhyA

  2. Bert E. says:

    Revolvers were seen as the form most often used by the police. Semi-auto pistols were seen as military and too heavy handed.

    Police carrying shotguns up front with them from that era of the 1960s’ was felt by certain “groups” to be deliberate and unfair intimidation.

  3. Bert E. says:

    That man kneeling behind the car needs to have the wheel and tire in front of him. Poor form.

  4. AAB says:

    Bert E. says:

    That man kneeling behind the car needs to have the wheel and tire in front of him. Poor form.

    Those and the engine block:

    Engine blocks and wheel areas can provide more cover than the doors.

    Unless you’re unfortunate enough to be driving an electric car, which of course doesn’t have a hulking great engine block.

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