Evaluating Police Tactics: An Empirical Assessment of Room Entry Techniques

The approach that should be used by law enforcement officers in order to safely and effectively enter a room is a point of contention among many police trainers. Based on five experiments conducted over a two-year period, Evaluating Police Tactics demonstrates that the conventional wisdom is not optimal. Using the scientific method to systematically assess current room entry philosophies and techniques employed by police, Evaluating Police Tactics offers suggestions for examining the current philosophies and determining how patrol officers can enter scenes of ongoing violence, find the shooter, and stop the killing as safely and effectively as possible.

About the Real-World Criminology Series

More than just textbooks, the short books in the Real-World Criminology series are designed to be of interest to particular fields within criminology. They can be policy primers, spurring innovations in policing and corrections, theoretical works dealing with policy implications, or program evaluations incorporating theoretical foundations. Each book covers something that is happening –or should be happening―in the world of criminal justice.

J. Pete Blair is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Texas State University. He is also the Director of Research for the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) center at Texas State. Dr. Blair has published research on a variety of police related topics including a book about active shooter events and response. He has also presented his research on active shooter events and police tactics to diverse audiences across the country including the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Texas Association of School Boards (TASB).

M. Hunter Martaindale - Hunter is a Ph.D. student at Texas State University - School of Criminal Justice. Hunter works as a research assistant for both the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) program and the Texas School Safety Center. His current research projects entail active shooter analysis and improving law enforcement tactics and efficiency.