Page 26 - January 2016

JOB WELL DONE
Flash of genius
Quick thinking and a procedural execution led to a textbook apprehension of armed suspects
When responding to a “flash alert” describing the circumstances of an in-progress crime, being “proactive” and “vigilant” often leads to a successful outcome for law enforcement. When faced with a flash alert about a fatal shooting in November 2014, such traits embodied by four CPD officers led to the arrest of three armed offenders before the situ- ation had the opportunity to escalate, according to their sergeant, Tim Bridges.
“The officers’ training, dedication to duty and keen alertness led to a safe outcome,” he described.
The subsequent arrest of three armed offenders conducted by four Chicago police officers - Larry Brezinski, Ronni Kane, Tomasz Zatora, and Alex Zayas of District 18— stood out among the submissions for the 2015 PursuitSAFETY Safer Way Award. PursuitSAFETY, a national nonprofit organization working to reduce the number of vehicular police pursuits, presented its annual award to the officers in October.
On the night of Nov. 16, 2014, a call came in of shots fired and a flash alert announced the description of a fleeing vehicle. Officers Zatora and Brezinski, who were in an unmarked car, decided to head to a nearby highway entrance reasoning that the assailants would use this route to make their escape. The officers were soon proven correct, and observed a car matching the description drive onto the freeway. They immediately called for backup and followed the suspects without acti-
Lieutenant David Case (far left) and Sergeant Tim Bridges (far right) surround (from left) Larry Brezinski, Alex Zayas, Ronni Kane and Tomasz Zatora, the four CPD officers whose actions during a high-risk traffic stop prevented a chase.
26 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JANUARY 2016
vating their lights and siren.
“Several moments felt like forever like waiting to spot the vehicle at
the freeway entrance and planning our approach to the vehicle that had dark tinted windows,” Brezinski recalled. “If my partner and I had walked up to the vehicle by ourselves, without the backup, I think that we would have been shot. The suspect in the backseat had two guns ready to go, and we initially did not know he was there.”
Backup quickly came from Officers Kane and Zayas who answered the call in their marked car. Together with Zatora and Brezinski, the two cars curbed the suspects and began to perform a high-risk felony traffic stop.
Knowing that the suspects were armed, both sets of partners assem- bled themselves into commanding positions with their vehicles stag- gered behind one another, providing clear lines of fire for the officers and a limited field of vision for the suspects. Once the officers got out of their vehicles, they stood behind their doors, using them as shields, and then approached, shining bright flashlights into the suspects’ faces. This act of dominance gave the suspects no other choice but to comply with the officer’ orders.
“The felony stop was conducted perfectly,” emphasized Kane, an 11-year veteran. “We set up right next to them but slightly behind. All four officers were out of the cars and positioned for maximum protec- tion. We could jump back in the vehicles if it came to that. Thankfully, the suspects complied with all the verbal commands, and we took them into custody without any problems.”
Conservative estimates based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data count one person per day dying in the U.S. as a result of a police pursuit. At least one-third of those killed are innocent bystanders, and on average, pursuit crashes kill one officer every six- to-eight weeks.
Zatora focused on the team’s strategy to avoid pursuits whenever possible, stating how they have successfully apprehended other violent offenders who are now serving time in prison for their crimes.
“Our strategy is to follow offenders in an unmarked car after we receive confirmation that we have identified the right vehicle,” he enforced. “We wait for them to park and then make the arrest.”