RESERVE-2
It’s uncommon for agencies to allow reserve officers to patrol alone as primary beat units, most often assigning them to positions of backup or secondary units. But Ontario PD in Southern California is a little more progressive in their thinking. They allow reserves who’ve achieved more training and given more time to the agency to work solo patrol — as primary units. Such was the case with Reserve Officer Jones, a Level I reserve officer, when he got the proverbial “man with a gun” call.
The suspect’s girlfriend’s sister called the police and said the estranged boyfriend had held her disabled sister at gunpoint for the past 24 hours. She said further the suspect was a drug addict and a parolee who wore a bulletproof vest, carried a handgun, and was attempting to steal money from the victim. She said the suspect had also battered and tortured the victim in the past.
Another reserve officer was first on the scene. When Jones arrived he had the foresight to place his patrol car in front of the garage door to block the suspect’s escape using a vehicle, and then started to secure the scene. As other units arrived and the scene became secured, Reserve Officer Jones set up in the number three position to watch the rear of the townhouse (ground floor, the rear of the garage and the upper bedroom) and to prevent the suspect from escaping. About the same time other officers went to surrounding residences and evacuated them for their safety.
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