Lessons From a Shootout Not Always So Clear

Predictably, Friday’s terrifying firefight between two heavily armed bank robbery suspects and Los Angeles police has led to a question. Are the standard weapons issued to patrol officers still adequate for the dangers they face on a regular basis?

Currently LAPD patrol officers carry 9-millimeter handguns capable of holding nine to 15 bullets. Their squad cars come equipped with shotguns that carry four rounds. Both weapons are most effective and accurate at fairly short range. By contrast, rifles are more efficient, and precise, at far greater distances.

Friday’s bank robbers were armed with automatic rifles manufactured for one purpose, the battlefield conditions of a war. At full automatic, assault rifles fire continuously as long as the trigger is held back. In this mode, accuracy is lost and the user simply sprays a shower of bullets toward a target.

Some citizens were quick to conclude that LAPD patrol officers, facing unknown dangers, need similar armaments. But the fact is, these are limited-use weapons best confined to specially trained Special Weapons and Tactics or SWAT-type teams, and used only in rare situations. It’s an imprecise, dangerous weapon in the hands of criminals and the untrained.

Assault rifles only spread the danger. Perhaps it would be advisable for police supervisors to carry a high-powered rifle, a pinpoint weapon at great distance, for special situations.

One of the most important aspects of police firearms training is knowing when and when not to shoot. Officers have to fight the brain’s inclination to focus solely on the threat before them. They must keep track of whether bystanders are in line of fire. That’s difficult when you’re firing one bullet at a time, much less pulling the trigger on an assault weapon and firing several at a burst.

In fact, Friday’s police response may have gone about as well as it could have. For all of their firepower and apparent murderous intent, the robbers did not kill anyone, although several officers and bystanders were wounded. Officers suspect that one robber shot and killed himself. The LAPD’s version of a SWAT team killed the other.

The wake of the shootout, in fact, did bring renewed calls for added police weapons, but not automatics that burp out endless slugs. What some cops want more than anything else are .45-caliber handguns, a heavy weapon with more stopping power than the 9-millimeter pistols currently used by police. The 9-millimeter weapon is not powerful enough at short range, officers say. Some wounded suspects can continue to resist. In the wake of Friday’s incident, LAPD Cmdr. Tim McBride said “the department recognizes the need to take a look and evaluate” the current equipment of patrol officers. “We’re in the process of doing that right now.”

The LAPD’s top brass is reportedly divided over the need for .45s, some saying that current handguns are sufficient. The public needs to hear these arguments, and an explanation of why a pilot program for stronger handguns has not begun. Friday’s traumatic shootout raised deep concerns among citizens, and they deserve an explanation of what the department requires, and what it does not need.