A Switch that Triggers the Switch to a New Strategic Mindset

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, warns that machine gun conversion devices (e.g., Glock switches, drop in auto sears and force reset triggers) are illegal to possess under federal law. Possession of these prohibited devices can result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

Federal authorities suspect that thousands of machine gun conversion devices have been illegally imported into the United States from China, in some cases ending up in the hands of convicted felons,

North, South, East, and West, machine gun conversion devices commonly referred to as, “Glock Switches”, or “switches”, are generating concern across the nation’s law enforcement community, as more and more are turning up in violent crimes.

North:  Machine gun found in teen's pant leg after graduation event at Michigan high school

South: Suspect involved in Dallas officer shooting was using a "Glock switch"

East: Massachusetts law enforcement agencies seeing uptick in ‘Glock switch’ recoveries

West: Sacramento massacre shows rising dangers of handguns converted into automatic weapons

With a flip of the switch the pistol fires as a machine gun. Machine pistols have higher rates of fire, which in the hands of most people means more bullets flying through the air in wild and random patterns. More bullets flying means more people are struck, injured, and killed. More people include innocent bystanders who had been minding their own business and going about their daily routines. It means children are struck while playing on the sidewalk or asleep in their bedrooms when an errant round slams through the siding of their home. It means police officers on patrol can turn a corner and suddenly find themselves outgunned or worse, in a hailstorm of automatic gunfire.

In light of the forgoing dangers these switches pose to the public and the police, it may be time to switch up a bit on the tactics and strategies to address them more strategically, with the tools currently at our disposal.

For example, tactically, we know that when gunfire detection systems are well-integrated into police operations, they can:

·       Overcome the underreporting of unlawful gunfire by alerting police when 911 callers do not.

·       Alert police to gunfire faster than 911 callers.  

·       Provide police with the exact locations of gunfire more accurately than 911 callers. 

·       Increase the number of gunfire events police respond to.

·       Increase the collection of ballistic evidence.

·       Speed the on-scene delivery of emergency medical treatment to shooting victims.

·       Increase the recovery of illegal firearms, particularly at the scenes of fatal shootings.

·       Dispatch police more often, closer to gunfire events, and for longer periods.

The good news is that, strategically, gunfire detection systems can provide quantitative analysis of the data they collect, regarding alerts and locations, over a specified period, and present it in various formats including tables, graphs, and maps. This allows users to discover patterns and trends that may drive the implementation of new tactics, strategies, and policies.

The better news is that robust gunfire detection systems, facilitate the differentiation of machinegun fire from other modes of gunfire, and pinpoint its location. Therefore, their analytic protocols can also be configured to report exclusively on machinegun fire data for tactical and strategic value.

What Shift Commander, Chief of Detectives, or Chief of Intelligence, would not want to know that machinegun fire was recurring nightly in the big empty lot next to a three-story walk-up known for drug activity? The same goes for the agents at the local ATF office.

Moreover, in terms of officer safety, what police officer, patrol supervisor, or detective, would not want to know that the gunfire alert they have just been dispatched to, involves one or more machine guns?

Gunfire detection technology exists today that can do all of this – all the users have to do is switch to an additional analysis and reporting mode, coupled with a new strategic mindset.

###