The death of Baltimore PD Officer William Torbit Jr. underscores the tremendous danger of operating in plainclothes.
Somehow, in the chaos of a large fight outside of a nightclub, Torbit was mistaken for a suspect with a weapon as he was trying to break up the fight. Baltimore police say that fellow officers fired the gun shots that killed the plainclothes officer. Police say Torbit was wearing his badge but there were no other indicators he was police.
Other than the aforementioned, we don't know additional details of this tragic and deadly incident. The bottom line is that an officer is dead and the shots were fired by law enforcement.
Unfortunately, blue-on-blue shootings of off-duty/plainclothes officers are a reality of the job we have. A phenomenon of large police agencies and locations where a large number of small agencies co-exist in a tight geographical area, it is impossible for responding officer(s) to recognize the large number of officers in soft clothes that may pass through or have business in their patrol district.
This said, it’s the responsibility of the plainclothes officer who takes enforcement action to ensure that they are recognized by responding uniformed officers. Remember the basics of plainclothes encounters:
- In general, remember that off-duty or plainclothes incidents are dangerous and often plagued with problems. Use a great deal of discretion, and err on the side of caution.
- Assume that arriving officers do not know you are a police officer, especially if you're in another jurisdiction or in a large metro area.
- If you call something in or have someone call for you, make sure dispatch advises responding officers that there is a plainclothes officer on scene.
- Clearly identify yourself both verbally and with your badge. If possible, hold your badge high where responding officers can see it and clearly state you're a police officer.
- If you're ordered to do something by responding officers, comply while verbally identifying yourself.
LawOfficer.com Related Training:
Below 100: What We Can Do To Save Officers' Lives
Mental Rehearsals for Life-Threatening Situations