TACTICS

Don't Have It On You?

If you don't have it on you, you don't have it to use. Equipment carried on the body is the officer's only guaranteed resource.

Police officer running to active shooter incident with safety tips and equipment advice.

The moment an officer exits the patrol vehicle during an Active Shooter / Mass Casualty Incident, the operational environment changes completely. Movement becomes rapid, chaotic, and unpredictable. Returning to the vehicle for equipment may no longer be possible due to ongoing gunfire, movement deeper into the structure, evolving assignments, or the immediate need to render aid.

That is why the principle matters: "If you don't have it on you, you don't have it to use."

The Reality

Many preventable deaths occur from survivable injuries — extremity hemorrhage, airway obstruction, penetrating trauma, delayed evacuation. Consider:

→A tourniquet locked in the trunk does not stop bleeding
→A radio left in the car cannot communicate a secure corridor
→A flashlight sitting on the seat cannot help clear a dark hallway
→Extra ammunition stored in a patrol bag is useless if separated from the officer during movement

Essential On-Body Equipment

→Rifle or primary weapon system

→Spare magazines/ammunition

→Tourniquet

→Medical gloves

→Flashlight

→Radio

→Small trauma kit

→Breaching or rescue tools (mission dependent)

Seconds matter. Movement is constant. Going back to the car may never happen.

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