One of my “black swan” fears is my front door crashing open and people screaming “Police”. Is it a real raid or a home invasion? Am I dealing with cops or criminals?

Greg Ellifritz over at Active Response Training has an excellent article up on how to identify if it’s the police coming into your house or bad guys.

SWAT Raid or Home Invasion?

You really need to read the whole thing. Some takeaways:

  1. Is it happening in daytime with an announcement? Probably cops
  2. Are there uniformed police or marked cars outside? Probably cops
  3. Are there six to twelve persons or only two to four? The former means they’re probably cops
  4. Are they using weapon mounted lights and tactical gear? Probably cops

Definitely good food for thought.