Building Search
LAW ENFORCEMENT I
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2
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. These materials are copyrighted © and
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Building Search
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 A building search is a physical inspection of a
structure usually conducted as a result of an alarm,
unauthorized entry, or evidence of a break-in
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Purpose of Building Searches
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 To locate, find or search out someone who is in a
structure and is not suppose to be there
 To do this carefully and prevent the person inside
the structure from escaping, or causing injury or
death to officers
 Apprehend the person and charge him or her with
the offense committed
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The Mindset of the Officer
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 Think tactically, think survival
 Approach the building anticipating an armed
confrontation
 Plan ahead
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While En Route to the Location
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 When dispatched to conduct either a patrol or respond to
an alarm, there are things an officer should take
consideration. These would include




Past alarms or previous and current information of the facility to
help you formulate a plan to conduct your search
Have there been other break-ins around the same time of day?
Where did the alarm originate (from broken glass, main lobby,
etc.)?
Is the building a warehouse or other facility large enough that
there are unlimited places for someone to hide?
 Anticipate the address and the exact physical location of
the structure
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Upon Arrival
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 Do not pull up directly in front of the location; try
to pull up at a distance far enough away to view as
much of the building as possible
 As you approach closer to the building, use your
senses
 Consider available cover and concealment
 Be alert for possible hiding places
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Upon Arrival (continued)
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 Look for suspicious people or vehicles near the
building and make notes of descriptions and
directions of travel
 Give dispatch the license plate of any vehicles
parked in the driveway, parking lot, or in front of
the location
 Look for any suspicious items such as boxes out in
front of the building, or unusual carts that could be
used to carry out equipment
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Upon Arrival (continued)
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 Check the perimeter of the building to see if there
are any signs of forced entry and let dispatch and
other officers know if there is
 Have dispatch contact the owner of the location to
have them arrive at the location so they can
identify what may have been stolen or damaged
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Upon Arrival (continued)
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 Check the phone lines and power lines entering the
building as some criminals will cut these lines
thinking that they may be the only means of
security for the building
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Upon Arrival (continued)
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 Communicate with other officers arriving to the
call through
The radio
 Verbal signals
 Hand signals

 Wait for back up
 Secure the point of entry and any exits
 As other officers arrive, have some of them
establish a perimeter around the location
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Preparing to Make Entry
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 If you must enter the facility, do so cautiously, and
remember that the suspect could still be inside and
armed
 Before beginning the search, prepare to be as quiet
as possible
•
Pre-plan the search with other officers based on available
information
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Basic Rules While Searching
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 Keep your gun close to your chest, not way out in
front of your body
 Be aware of the locations of all officers involved
 Officers stay together and don’t separate
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Basic Rules While Searching (continued)
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 Search each room thoroughly,
secure it, and resume

As officers secure a room, they let other
officers know by saying “Clear”
 Stay out of the fatal funnel
 The fatal funnel is the doorway of a room
that makes a person an easy target if
they stay in it too long
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Basic Rules While Searching (continued)
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 If there is enough manpower or it is safe to do so,
one officer stays posted at the door of a room, out
of the fatal funnel, watching the hallway, while the
other officer or officers search the room
 Search high and low and challenge the suspect
from cover
 If you are searching a room with another officer,
you focus on your area while they focus on theirs
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Basic Rules While Searching (continued)
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 Keep your finger off of the trigger of the gun
 Use lights in the room if they are an advantage or turn them
off if they are a disadvantage
 If you keep the lights off, use the spotting technique with
your flashlight where you constantly turn your light on and
off quickly so that the suspect can never guess your exact
position
 Don’t point your weapon at another officer
 Search all areas thoroughly before bypassing an unsecure
area
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Basic Rules While Searching (continued)
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• Stay aware of your position relative to that of your
partner’s
• Avoid crossfire
• Be conscious of the noise you are making
• If one technique will not work predominately in your
favor find something else that will
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How to Handle Suspects
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

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The first thing an officer should do when he finds
suspects hiding is to instruct them to keep their hands up
and direct them out in the open from a position of cover
The other officer then handcuffs the suspects and takes
them to a secure area to conduct a search
When there is another officer available or the arresting
officer is ready, the search continues
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The Order of Building Searching
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



Begin slowly
Open the entry doors and listen before you
enter
Announce yourself “Police Department,
Come Out”
Do a secondary search after the primary
search is done, checking more thoroughly
in closets, cabinets, under beds, etc.
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Don’ts
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 Don’t backlight yourself
 Don’t give away your position
 Don’t rub or scrape against walls
 Beware of silhouette (turn flashlight
on to search and off when moving)
 Don’t enter an area that you cannot
cover or at least is not covered by your
partner
 Never search a building alone
 Don’t assume anything
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Stairways
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 If possible use stairways since elevators offer no
visibility and no cover
 Take the position that gives you the advantage of a
tactical angle
 Look for overhangs or a balcony
 Don’t bunch up
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Field of View
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 Field of view refers to everything you are able to see from
your position
 An officer needs to consider his or her field of view and the
potential suspect’s field of view
 You should never move into a suspect’s potential field of
view that you or your partner cannot cover
 Any movement that does not permit you to face the danger
area and maintain target acquisition while moving is likely
to be a bad movement
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Moving
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 As you move, your field of view changes. Also
additional areas of responsibility may come into view
 Hallways must be secured and cleared at some point
 Let the design of the building determine how you will
search
 Be creative
 Communicate with your partner
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Method of Entry
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 Crisscross Pattern
 The officer enters a room by crossing from the outside of
the doorway to the inside of the doorway on the opposite
side
 Buttonhook
 The officer enters a room by hooking around the
doorway, thus staying on the same side of the doorway as
they were before they entered the room
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Method of Entry (continued)
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 Open door – both officers on the same side
 1st officer – buttonhook
 2nd officer – crisscross
 Open door – officers on opposites sides
 officers should crisscross
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Method of Entry
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 Closed door that opens out
 Officers should get on both sides


knob side opens the door
throws the door to the other officer

officers should crisscross
 Closed door that opens in
 Officers on the hinge side
 1st officer opens the door and "rides" the door till it stops


checks behind the door
2nd officer crisscrosses
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Clearing Techniques
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 Quick peek
 Quickly look from cover (expose no more than one eye
and part of your face)
 Do not do quick peek from the same level twice in a row
 Slicing the Pie
 Stand approximately 6 feet from the opening
 Face the opening with your weapon raised
 Slowly begin to move sideways with little steps
 Lean out to help your field of view
 Shuffle your steps slowly
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Clearing Techniques (continued)
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 Chunking
 Similar to slicing
 Larger steps
 Must be prepared to engage
 Is quicker than slicing the pie
 Limited Penetration
 Usually follows a quick peek
 Your weapon, one eye, and only a small portion of your
side is exposed
 If room can be cleared without entering, do not enter it
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Stairwells
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 Straight stairs
 Officer 1 covers from the opposite side
 Officer 2 moves along the wall

Stay off the wall
Once at the top
 #2 can continue to clear

Quick peek
 Limited penetration


#1 then moves to join #2
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Stairwells (continued)
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 Reverse stairs – Up
 Officer #1 covers the 1st landing
 Officer #2 covers the far set of stairs
 Officers 3 and 4 move together
#3 covers the 2nd set of stairs and up
 #4 covers the landing area

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Stairwells
(continued)
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 Stairwells – Down
 One covers over the railing


A two-man Team moves outside the wall


Observes the open area while the team moves
Stops at the landing
A second two-man team continues down the steps
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Resources
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 Officers’ personal experience
 Del Mar Regional Police Academy Training
 Learning for Life, Law Exploring, Burglary in
Progress Study Guide
http://resources.learningforlife.org/exploring/lawen
forcement/study/burglary.pdf
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