thin enough without chasing rabbits in four different directions. As Jennifer neared the target, she switched on the van’s bright lights; the cars following extinguished theirs. The intended effect was to blind anyone in the yard so they couldn’t see the trailing marked police units.
Usually the team parked around a corner and approached the target on foot, but the logistics of this particular warrant required a faster response. The neighborhood contained too many spotters for a foot approach to be feasible; any drugs would be well on their way to the Arkansas River via Tulsa’s sewage system before officers made entry. The same concerns prevented Thorpe from having a surveillance team monitor the residence prior to their arrival. An unfamiliar vehicle or pedestrian would be noticed by lookouts. Spotters were most often young men who patrolled the area on foot or bicycles. They were either paid cash or given small amounts of crack they could then sell on their own. Sometimes the spotters were addicts who received free product for their security services.
Jennifer pulled along the right curb, one house short of the target. Thorpe broadcast over the radio that there were three black males in the driveway and again told officers not to chase. Most cops seem afflicted with extra nerve endings in their legs, which cause them to pursue anything that runs. Sometimes they had to be reminded to switch the impulse off. Thorpe then advised “Police One,” one of two helicopters operated by TPD, to make its approach.
The team poured from the van with the distinctive sound of weapons being unloosed from molded laminate holsters. One of the suspects broke into a run for the backyard. Another ran through the open front door, slamming it shut behind him. The third froze—eventually dropping to the ground in compliance with officers’ commands.
Two officers had the assignment of running to the back of the residence for rear containment. They had permission to pick one individual fleeing the house and pursue.
Thorpe went directly to the front door, and since the team had been compromised, was permitted to forgo the “reasonable amount of time” rule. He ordered Donnie to breech the door and announce, “Tulsa police, search warrant.”
Donnie swung the heavy ram. The door exploded inward, catching a skinny female smoker in the face. The term “crackhead” took on new meaning as the woman, with a flap of skin hanging from her forehead, flailed backward onto a glass coffee table. Jennifer and Jake tactically “split” the door, meaning Jake stood to the right of the opening and Jennifer to the left, both with opposing views of the room inside. Thorpe performed a “step around,” acquiring a sight picture of the center portion of the living room. After several announcements, Thorpe gave the order to enter the residence. The two officers did so simultaneously, Jennifer low with Jake coming over the top, both pistols scanning the deep corners as Thorpe followed on their heels.
The rear containment team broadcast they had a suspect in custody in the backyard but another had dived out a window fleeing west toward a drainage culvert. Police One advised they were “10-97” (on scene), and were tracking the target running northbound in the canal. The helicopters were equipped with “FLIR,” a thermal-imaging camera that picks up differences in temperature. FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) track persons and vehicles by their heat signatures and is most effective in colder temperatures and at night. The projected image resembles a film negative. The best aspect of FLIR is the operator can track a person without him or her knowing; there is no spotlight to indicate to the suspect he is being followed. In fact, the crew often directs the NightSun away from the “hidden” suspect to make him feel all warm and cozy, as if he’d successfully avoided detection; all the while the helicopter crew is directing officers with boots on
Usually the team parked around a corner and approached the target on foot, but the logistics of this particular warrant required a faster response. The neighborhood contained too many spotters for a foot approach to be feasible; any drugs would be well on their way to the Arkansas River via Tulsa’s sewage system before officers made entry. The same concerns prevented Thorpe from having a surveillance team monitor the residence prior to their arrival. An unfamiliar vehicle or pedestrian would be noticed by lookouts. Spotters were most often young men who patrolled the area on foot or bicycles. They were either paid cash or given small amounts of crack they could then sell on their own. Sometimes the spotters were addicts who received free product for their security services.
Jennifer pulled along the right curb, one house short of the target. Thorpe broadcast over the radio that there were three black males in the driveway and again told officers not to chase. Most cops seem afflicted with extra nerve endings in their legs, which cause them to pursue anything that runs. Sometimes they had to be reminded to switch the impulse off. Thorpe then advised “Police One,” one of two helicopters operated by TPD, to make its approach.
The team poured from the van with the distinctive sound of weapons being unloosed from molded laminate holsters. One of the suspects broke into a run for the backyard. Another ran through the open front door, slamming it shut behind him. The third froze—eventually dropping to the ground in compliance with officers’ commands.
Two officers had the assignment of running to the back of the residence for rear containment. They had permission to pick one individual fleeing the house and pursue.
Thorpe went directly to the front door, and since the team had been compromised, was permitted to forgo the “reasonable amount of time” rule. He ordered Donnie to breech the door and announce, “Tulsa police, search warrant.”
Donnie swung the heavy ram. The door exploded inward, catching a skinny female smoker in the face. The term “crackhead” took on new meaning as the woman, with a flap of skin hanging from her forehead, flailed backward onto a glass coffee table. Jennifer and Jake tactically “split” the door, meaning Jake stood to the right of the opening and Jennifer to the left, both with opposing views of the room inside. Thorpe performed a “step around,” acquiring a sight picture of the center portion of the living room. After several announcements, Thorpe gave the order to enter the residence. The two officers did so simultaneously, Jennifer low with Jake coming over the top, both pistols scanning the deep corners as Thorpe followed on their heels.
The rear containment team broadcast they had a suspect in custody in the backyard but another had dived out a window fleeing west toward a drainage culvert. Police One advised they were “10-97” (on scene), and were tracking the target running northbound in the canal. The helicopters were equipped with “FLIR,” a thermal-imaging camera that picks up differences in temperature. FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) track persons and vehicles by their heat signatures and is most effective in colder temperatures and at night. The projected image resembles a film negative. The best aspect of FLIR is the operator can track a person without him or her knowing; there is no spotlight to indicate to the suspect he is being followed. In fact, the crew often directs the NightSun away from the “hidden” suspect to make him feel all warm and cozy, as if he’d successfully avoided detection; all the while the helicopter crew is directing officers with boots on
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