Tactical Decision Game - A Bump in the Night

[JimFloyd]

Copyright 2009 by James M. Floyd, Jr. All rights reserved.

Tactical Decision Games (TDG) are utilized by the military and public safety agencies as a low tech, yet effective, means of experiencing and discussing the practical application of decision making skills to situations.

Below is a TDG I created to stimulate your thinking. To participate, please read the TDG, and then make your decision, based only on the (intentionally limited) information provided, within 10 seconds. Then post a reply stating your decision and your rationale.

The goal of a TDG is not to seek "the only" or "the correct" answer but instead is intended to create a social learning environment, so please do not hesitate to participate. If you find this useful, I will be happy to post additional TDGs.

Here is the scenario:

A Bump in the Night

TIME: 3:07 a.m.

PLACE: Your residence

WEATHER: Cloudy, 58 degrees Fahrenheit

LIGHTING: All interior lights are turned off

SITUATION: You are a legally armed citizen who is in bed asleep when a loud sound awakens you. You procure your firearm and begin to search your residence. As you approach the bathroom you observe that the door is shut and you can see light under the bottom of the door. Suddenly, the door handle begins to turn.

What is your selected course of action? Make a decision within the next 10 seconds.

[42769vette]

yell "whos there" that way they are identified before the door opens. if they belong there and know me (or most of us i would guess) they know i have a gun on them


jim reped on the good drills

[NWIeng]

Train the gun on the door as I have no kids and the fiance still in bed. No friendly's that could have come from any other part of the house.

Then inquire forcefully as to who is in my bathroom.

[esrice]

As the door opened, I would shine my handheld light at the subject, while I move myself to a more protected area (just behind a corner, low behind a big piece of furniture, etc). Depending on who I saw my actions could then go a couple different ways. If the person is a friendly (my kid getting a glass of water), then I make sure they're OK and proceed back to bed. If it is indeed an intruder, I would verbally challenge with my pistol focused on COM. If they become afraid and want to leave my house, so be it. If they decide to stay they will be ordered down on the ground, face down, and the police will be called by my wife. While we are waiting my wife will gather our two boys into our master bedroom, where she will barracaid them inside with her pistol, just in case he's got "friends" that I'm unaware of.

[Bill of Rights]

My bathrooms have no windows. If someone's in one of them, they came in through a door.

With firearm in hand, I take cover and wait, shielding my eyes. If whoever it is belongs here, I'll see her before she sees me. If it's not a "she", this person is either an invited guest or a trespasser. "GET ON THE GROUND! SPREAD EAGLE! NOW! DON'T MOVE!" With my house layout, there is no possibility of others getting in behind me. My cell phone is next to my pistol, so a call to 911 does not require diverting my attention. Then we wait, with the dispatcher on the phone and my sights on the BG.

Of course, that's if everything goes by my plan. Somehow, I have a sneaking suspicion that situations like this do not normally go as planned.

This is where improvisation comes into play.

Blessings,
Bill

[WETSU]

Well, in my house with two little girls, a loud noise and someone in the bathroom at 0300 means someone is probably puking. I'd check on her and start getting things cleaned up as needed.

Based on the situation as presented, that is the most logical course of action.

[Britton]

I would open fire through the door with a PS90 and not stop until all 50 rounds were expended. Then I would go back to sleep.

Jist kidding. In my house the alarm would go off and I would grab the AR with light and investigate. Most likely it will be one of my boys puking as well.

[Hammer]

As I am going out of my bedroom, I check my daughter's room (her door is right by mine) for her presence.Her door stays closed at night,so if she is in the bathroom her door will be open and the bathroom door will be closed. If my daughter is in her bed and my wife is in bed (she will be snoring so I know where she is) I will call out "who is in there" and wait for a response. They only have one exit door from the bathroom and they will have to pass in front of me to get out or stay in there to the cops come.

[jblomenberg16]

I position myself between my daughter's bedroom and the door, and point my gun at where I anticipate the center of mass of a target would be any one exits the door.

Reasons:

1) Daughter is a todler, so its likely not her in the bathroom since she can't open doors or reach the light switch yet. Very low probability it was her.

2) I was in bed with my wife before I was awakened. She's still in bed. Can't be her in the bathroom.

3) #1 and #2 means who ever is in the bathroom isn't supposed to be there, since all three of us that live in the house are accounted for, and we didn't have any guests staying with us.

4) My positioning prevents the person from trying to exit through my daughter's room.

5) The direction the bathroom door opens (in) will mean that we'll both see each other at about the same time, and I want the element of surprise.

6) Upon ID of the individual:
Someone I know - Shout "Don't move, what are you doing in my house."

Someone I don't know - Shout "Don't move" and prepare to fire if any hint of a threat is percieved. If no immediate threat...instruct my wife to call 911. Continue to keep the person contained in the bathroom with gun. Wait for LEO's to arrive to understand why they are in there.


Risks:

Waiting for the door to open to ID the person in the bathroom may decrease any advantage I have.

My positioning would mean that an exchange of gun fire could result in rounds entering my daugthers room.

Asking questions first may result in a fast draw and first shot by the perp.

[indyjoe]

I would check if Amy is safe before investigating, so I would know if she is there. If she is not there, I would assume it is her in the bathroom and call for her. Otherwise, I would move back to a defensible position, hopefully dark, to reinforce the ruined night vision that the person in the bath room now has. Flashlight up and ready to turn on. Gun in low ready. If the bathroom light stays on after the door is opened, attempt to identify before giving away position by turning on my light. If person is unknown, peg in the face with light and possibly switch to strobe mode and raise gun to cover while I request and explanation.