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Sniper-Observer Techniques

Written by Ed Van Winkle

Law enforcement sniper-observer teams are envisioned as a precision element in a well-contained critical incident scene, waiting for a lone suspect with a hostage to present himself at a door or window when negotiations fail. This mental picture is accurate in some specific situations. However, the mission of the law enforcement sniper-observer team must progress into a much more reactive tactical element, ready to respond to a variety of ever-changing situations.

In the modern world of domestic terrorism and active shooters, the role of the sniper-observer team must change, just as the role of the patrol officer has changed in the years since the Columbine incident and other high-profile active shooter situations. It is imperative that law enforcement sniper-observer teams learn to train and respond to constantly changing tactical environments, including deployments from a variety of platforms such as including vehicles.

Old Habits

Law enforcement sniper-observer training has been performed for decades in substantially the same manner: Team members engage static targets at fixed distances (usually 100 yards) from the prone, sitting and possibly kneeling and standing position. That’s it. When the sniper community learned several years ago that the average law enforcement sniper engagement occurs at distances less than 100 yards, many teams began practicing at 75 and 50 yards, just to cover all of the possibilities.

Of course, engaging threats from various distances also requires the sniper to learn and record his rifle’s “dope” (changes to elevation on the scope to account for changes in the strike of the round due to the ballistics of the projectile). Though these drills are appropriate for basic sniper training and to start the training day for the experienced law enforcement sniper, more advanced and dynamic training is necessary for today’s tactical environment.

Multiple Threats

The first three-round string of each sniper training session will assess the strike of the individual sniper’s “cold bore” shot. The “cold bore” is the first shot fired before the rifle has warmed up from firing strings of shots, and it is this that “counts” in the real world because most sniper engagements consist of a single shot. After firing a few three-round strings from different distances and shooting positions, it’s time to move up to multiple threat engagements.

Targets can be in the form of specific suspect faces or random items spread across several lines. Any target which requires the sniper to identify and engage a specific threat is better training than firing at a bull’s-eye target. Of course, the observer will assist the sniper by providing him with a picture of the suspect or telling him which shapes to engage on which line, along with providing feedback on the results of each shot. The sniper can then advance to multiple shots on the same threat, single shots on multiple threats and multiple shots on multiple threats.

Rapid Deployment Drills

Just as it is necessary to get snipers out of the static mindset of a “traditional” SWAT incident, sniper-observer teams must be ready to quickly deploy and engage threats under time pressure. Rapidly evolving incidents often don’t provide the team with the ability to methodically set up, observe the incident scene, and assess the distance to specific doors or windows on the target location.

Therefore, snipers must train to quickly deploy as a team to respond to a suspect emerging with a hostage at an unknown distance. Getting into a solid shooting position while estimating the range to the target is critical to a successful resolution before the suspect is able to mobilize or harm a hostage.

Rapid deployment drills can be set up with numbered threat targets at random distances. The individual sniper or sniper-observer team is given certain numbers to engage at various distances, requiring the quick use of a laser rangefinder or range estimation skills. With experience, rapid deployments and range estimation drills can be used at the beginning of the sniper training session, rather than as a stepping stone in a progression of training.

They Don’t Stand Still

Engaging stationary targets is common for sniper-observer training because most law enforcement firearms ranges don’t have the capability to present moving threats. However, critical incidents rarely lend themselves to calm suspects who loiter in front of doors and windows for long periods of time, waiting to be shot by sniper-observer teams.

Building simple moving target systems adds an additional level of realism to sniper-observer training. Moving targets can be incorporated into rapid deployment drills and multiple threat scenarios for additional difficulty and multi-tasking by the sniper-observer team.

The simplest moving target system consists of a rope or cord strung across the target line with a target hung from the cord. A second cord is attached to the side of the target and pulled by a person who is in a safe location behind cover. More advanced target systems can be made with rails and motorized targets, but these can be cost-prohibitive for many agencies. Even so, snipers are known for their resourcefulness, and a friend with a welder can create a simple track system with a few lengths of angle iron. By adding a target with wheels, sniper-observer teams can train with maximum realism on an inexpensive moving target system.

Mobile Hostage Drills

Putting basic skills together in the dynamic tactical world is the goal of all tactical training. So, sniper-observer teams must work toward combining their skills with the ability to deploy from a variety of platforms. A mobile platform is the most challenging type of platform and may include armored vehicles, SWAT vans or patrol cars.

This type of training can prepare sniper-observer teams to locate and engage mobile threats (suspects with a hostage on foot or in a vehicle), or to engage stationary threats when there is little time to set up a sniper-observer team in a fixed location. Whichever platform is used in training, the goal of the training drills is to arrive in the area where the threat is located, quickly identify the threat and engage it.

The mobile hostage drill is conducted within the sniper-observer concept. Regardless of the mobile platform, the observer is key to assisting the sniper in identifying the threat and coordinating communication with the SWAT commander. The observer must have all necessary intelligence and description information on the suspect in order to quickly identify him and inform the sniper. The observer will also coordinate with the vehicle driver in order to put the sniper in the optimal position to engage the suspect.

For a successful engagement to occur, the sniper must have a firm shooting platform within the vehicle. If the mobile platform is an armored vehicle or non-armored SWAT van, the sniper should get in a prone or supported sitting position. If the mobile platform is a patrol car, the sniper will shoot from a supported sitting position, using the door of the patrol car for support.

The mobile platform chosen must balance the sniper-observer team’s need to quickly deploy with the need for cover based on the dynamics of the tactical situation. Additionally, the observer or another SWAT member will need to operate the vehicle door (for armored cars and SWAT vans) to expose the sniper to engage the suspect.

When training for the mobile hostage drill, specific threat targets should be set up with a variety of suspect faces, requiring the sniper-observer team to properly identify and engage the suspect. A hostage target can also be used to simulate the suspect using the hostage as “cover.”

Possible threat targets may be set up at various distances, requiring the sniper-observer team to estimate ranges while attempting to identify the threat target. Once the threat is identified, the sniper engages the threat, and the observer communicates the result to the SWAT commander. Of course, when firing from mobile platforms, safety precautions should be in place to ensure that the vehicle is not damaged during training.

Active Shooter Drills

Though snipers should operate within the sniper-observer concept as a rule (and not as individual riflemen), there may be times when it is tactically necessary for a law enforcement sniper to engage a threat without an observer present. This situation would most likely present itself during an active shooter incident.

Because active shooter scenarios are rapidly developing and dynamic by their very nature, the quick deployment of a sniper may lead to an early resolution of the situation. However, the sniper will be limited in his capabilities without the assistance of an observer, which could compromise his safety in some situations.

Training for the active shooter begins with the sniper seated in his patrol car, because most law enforcement SWAT teams are part-time and have other full-time duties (patrol, detectives, narcotics, etc.). The sniper exits the patrol car, retrieves his rifle from the trunk, and quickly sets himself up to cover an area and possibly engage a suspect.

The patrol car is a natural choice for cover and concealment, though the dynamics of the incident may require the sniper to set up on the hood, trunk or roof of the patrol car (depending upon the elevation and distances involved). The sniper must then be able to identify the threat, estimate the distance to the threat and successfully engage the target.

The Future

Since law enforcement SWAT teams were born out of the Texas Tower incident in 1966, the sniper-observer team has been an integral part of these elite units. Basic training in the fundamentals of marksmanship, camouflage and stalking suspects forms the foundation for sniper-observer operations.

However, training our sniper-observer teams to respond to complex and dynamic tactical situations will better enable them to support the other SWAT team elements, thereby protecting the public. With domestic terrorism as an ever-present threat, and active shooter situations occurring across the United States, sniper-observer teams that are able to react to these constantly changing tactical environments will be successful at engaging and neutralizing threats and keeping our cities safe for decades to come.

Ed Van Winkle is a retired captain from the Gainesville, Fla., Police Department. Van Winkle spent 12 years of his 20-year career as an operator, team leader and team commander of the GPD SWAT team. He is an accomplished tactical trainer, in addition to being a helicopter pilot and flight instructor. Van Winkle may be reached at gatorhelo@yahoo.com.