Deployment scene awareness is important from the moment the system is unpacked and to the entire deployment process and recovery. This is a most important time to keep your guard up, and not doing so is what I call High Risk #1. A special Stance provides superior results and keeps you safe.

Stance

The stance places the officers body in a position where he can collect all the important data for deployment or to seek cover. The stance can be used in both the pre-deployment method and also in the curb side deployment method.

Body Orientation and Visibility

The stance places your body in an orientation where it can see three important areas. 1) Facing traffic, target and pursuit vehicles. 2) the deployment area to one side and 3) the path to cover to the other side.

Body Orientation and Repositioning of Body

The stance is designed to plant your body low and prevent forward movement and allow for rotation of your torso and hips for backward movement. Backward movement might be deploying a pre-deployed system or it might be seeking cover. When used to deploy it serves as a way of counting your steps to accurately position the system in the traffic lanes. (very useful at night) When used to seek cover it prevents the officer from backing up and tripping over something.

The stance is very easy to do and its benefits are much more complicated to explain than to do. During training it comes natural and the officers see all the benefits come together as he scans from traffic.. to spikes ..to cover.

Being in the ready position facilitates a quick deployment from the cover position to the recovery of the spikes. Officers are more confident as they experience the stances and see it all come together.