The Basics of Breaching Tools
Breaching tools are an essential part of any law enforcement tactical operation. They are used to gain access to a location that would otherwise be secured, whether in the midst of a critical incident or for a less time-sensitive operation such as a felony warrant, search and seizure or civil eviction.
The use of a breaching tool in a forcible entry operation allows an officer to gain quick, secure access to a specified location while minimizing the risk to officers and others who may be injured in the course of conducting the operation. The style and function of a breaching tool are not restricted to forcible entry alone – breaching tools can also be used to block and stabilize doors or windows , breach drywall, and manipulate locks.
This set of training videos presented by Zak Marowski of the law enforcement equipment manufacturer EOD Gear instructs law enforcement officers how to effectively and safely use individual breaching tools. These videos outline the use of the tools involved and demonstrate their proper techniques; they are designed for officers and supervisors preparing for both specialized and routine tactical operations.
Various Types of Breaching Devices
The most basic of the breaching tools are the battering ram, the pry bar or hallagan, and the reclaiming bar. Other tools with technical names like the Hallagan, Kelly or Trashers may or may not be interchangeable with the pry bar, and a tool called the Kelly tool is not a pry bar. Keep in mind that only the Pry Bar and Reclaiming Bar (also called a Kelly Bar) have pointed ends and blunt ends. The blunt end is used for prying and the pointed end is used for ramming. Either end can be used for ripping. A hallagan or pry bar cannot be used for ramming, but only for prying and ripping. And, the reclaiming bar is in fact the Kelly tool. Always check with your manufacturer’s specifications to ensure you have the right tool.
Other more capable breaching tools are the hydraulic spreader/retractors, also known in the trade as hydraulic shears or jacks. There are many different makes and models of these tools from various manufacturers, and their weight and reach vary widely. They work in roughly the same manner regardless of the brand, and are usually used to pop open doors, without the need for an electric saw or torch. Pressing the head of the tool up against the door frame will often chip the concrete, but the door may still pop if you give it a moment or two. If the tool gets stuck, it will usually free itself when the engine gets depressed, depending on the machine being used.
There is also a smaller hand held tools using a battery-powered hydraulic jack, or jab saw, which works similar to a pistol grip hydraulic jack. Many of the hydraulic jacks are screw down hydraulic devices, which work basically the same way as corner jacks which also work in similar manners. Some of the jacks stand on their own. Others are called "door stops" or "foot plates" and need a second person to hold them in place. There are also larger hydraulic saws with foot and pistol grips. As well, there are pneumatic jacks available, although many firefighters think that they are a pain to work with because they need a constant supply of air. The battery operated jacks are portable, but may require charging before use. Usually they are the same price, and offer the same benefit.
Another tool is the wrecking bar which has a sharper end and a less blunt end. It is a very strong and capable tool that can be helpful in force entry situations in certain conditions. While it might be well advised to contact other resources before using this tool, it is good to be familiar with what it looks like and how it works.
There is the cellular ram which works to pop open a door, and it can also work when the door is popping from the bottom since the pressure of the ramming will be directed downward. This tool is also known by other names including the K-Tool and the Jammer.
The battering ram is designed to take care of doors with a constant mass, so it can’t be easily controlled and guided. The battering ram is not a very practical breach or breach bar. It is typically a long barrel with a quick connection or hook of some sort on both ends. It is carried by two people who sear the barrel into the opening of the door frame and pulls back on the barrel to lift it up onto the exterior of the door as they quickly run it perpendicular to the door frame. This is better known as the ramming technique.
There is also an assortment of portable power saws currently available in many configurations. It may be a power auger for boring, or just the usual assortment of saws. There is a chain saw which has a motor, chain, and "blades" like a knife. A cinder saw also called a "Dozer Saw" works the same as a chainsaw but is for cutting through concrete. The bolts in the chain are serrated, rather than having teeth, and their speed and height allow them to function simply by scraping which gives them the name "scrapper".
Finally there is the hydraulic door prop which is a lever and piston assembly which can be attached to a door in order to hold it open. It has the advantage of not requiring power or air in order to operate. It comes with two controls. The "home" button retracts the door prop and locks it in position. The "Away" button allows the door to move. It has rubber pads, so it doesn’t harm the door or frame, and once you apply it, the door will pop right open. It’s work well for all types of doors.
Latest Developments in Breaching Equipment
Advances in breaching technology have made their way into the law enforcement and first responder marketplace. In recent years, the demand for electric breaching tools is on the rise. Battery powered tools for breaching doors, windows and obstacles have become very popular. Law enforcement officials have embraced the convenience of these new breaching tools because of their ease of use. Specials Weapons Teams and SWAT teams across the country are now using battery powered breaching saws, battery powered reciprocating saws and battery powered cut off saws for their breaching operations. Law enforcement officials rave about the productivity levels that these electric breaching tools provide. For instance, the average hydraulic ram operation can take around 10-15 minutes. Whereas, the new electric saws allow Special Weapons Teams to open doors in seconds.
Technological advancements in the law enforcement breaching marketplace have not been limited to electric breaching tools. The introduction of mechanical breaching tools has also played a pivotal role in the industry. Mechanical breaching tools are generally non powered, and take a little longer to operate than an electric tool. However, many new mechanical breaching tools have also seen efficiencies that were previously lacking. For example, one of the leading mechanical breaching tools includes the new PRISMA Breaching Tools. The patented PRISMA breachers make breaching much easier and faster. The special design of the tool helps to maximize energy transfer to the target with up to 40 Joules of variable striking force. The PRISMA breaching tools are also compact, and fit easily in tactical kits. Another popular mechanical breaching tool is the Serepax Breaching Tool. This high quality mechanical door breaching tool performs better than a ram, battering tool and sledge hammer.
Education and Safety Procedures
In the high-stakes world of law enforcement operations, ensuring the safety of officers and civilians is paramount. This is particularly true when it comes to the use of breaching tools to open doors, windows, and other barriers. A proper understanding of training and safety protocols is essential to successfully implementing these tools.
One of the most common forms of training involves the use of simulations in controlled environments. These can range from having officers practice the mechanics of using the various tools to live-fire exercises where the focus is on the ability to work quickly and accurately under pressure. Additionally, many departments utilize computer-based training programs to give officers a general overview of how the tools can be used effectively.
In terms of safety, much effort is placed on ensuring that officers know the correct positioning when using the tools to avoid injury to themselves or to others. Officers are trained to maintain a clear line of sight with their team members, to avoid the possibility of friendly fire. Proper grip techniques are emphasized to reduce the risk of injury to the thumb, fingers, or face.
Safety protocols should also extend to civilians in the vicinity of an operation. Whenever possible, law enforcement agencies try to establish a safe zone around the area where a breaching operation will take place. Warning signs may be posted so that civilians are not caught unaware in the chaos that could ensue if a door is blown or a window is shattered.
Finally, minimizing collateral damage is of great concern. Officers are trained to engage as few tools as possible in order to make a breach. This limits the possibility that bullets will travel through walls, for example, endangering civilians in other rooms of a building.
As with all situations involving potential conflict or danger, the key is to remain as calm as possible when utilizing breaching tools. Law enforcement officers are trained not to react impulsively or show any sign of emotion when trying to open a door. The consequences can be dire if a mistake is made. Through the use of rigorous training and adherence to safety protocols, law enforcement agencies try to ensure the safety of all during a breaching operation.
Legal and Ethical Implications
The use of mobile device breaching tools in the context of law enforcement must be conducted with careful attention to the applicable legal framework. Law enforcement agencies across the country are subject to legal restrictions, stemming from both the US Constitution and federal and state law, in the circumstances in which they may seek to search a physical object and seize its contents, including a cellphone or mobile device. In some contexts, law enforcement will be required to obtain a warrant in order to search and seize the contents of a mobile device, assuming that such a warrant is even appropriate in the specific circumstances at issue. At a minimum, any law enforcement agency deploying mobile device breaching tools within the United States should establish a written policy governing the use of the tools in order to ensure that the agency itself is not in violation of the law. Guidelines should define when use of the devices is permissible, for what purpose, and with what restrictions, such as requiring review by a supervisor or another officer. Reviews may alert an officer’s supervisor to improper use of the devices or other law enforcement misconduct. Law enforcement officers must also be cognizant of the recent Supreme Court ruling in Riley v. California, in which the Court unanimously held that searching the contents of a cellphone pursuant to a search incident to arrest exception to the warrant requirement was not permissible, and that officers are required to obtain a warrant prior to accessing cellphone data . Although the Court left open the possibility that searches of cellphones might be justified under other exceptions to the warrant requirement, the practical effect of the ruling is that officers must obtain a warrant before conducting a search of an arrestee’s cellphone, absent exigent circumstances. Along with legal considerations, law enforcement agencies must also take ethical considerations into account in establishing policies and procedures for the use of mobile device breaching tools and the review of information accessed through those tools. For example, some systems have default settings permitting access to previous cellphone data backups, including copies of text messages, calls, and photos, which are stored remotely on icloud.com or a similar service. Although the Fourth Amendment question as to whether such data can be searched without a warrant pursuant to the third-party doctrine is a difficult one, the fundamental premise of the list and other ethical frameworks is that the potential for unethical or illegal conduct includes more than just criminal violations. Thus, although the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have not yet publicly adopted ethical guidelines specifically governing this type of conduct, they should focus on the protections found within those ethical frameworks and adopt prohibitions and standards of conduct that would ensure compliance.
Practical Uses and Examples
While the full spectrum of law enforcement fosters inter-agency cooperation at every level, some tools are uniquely suited to very specialized operations offered by a few select agencies. Other tools have long-standing applications in criminal justice, having been validated by time. A perfect example of this is Ciper, a tool developed by an agency of the United States federal government that has assisted many agencies in successfully bypassing modern security technology. Ciper is the most popular tool in this family of applications, and is especially prized because it is one of the only essential toolsets that continues to work even when the phone is completely off. It is not uncommon for Ciper to provide access to data within minutes even when the phone’s lights are off and it is enjoying a long battery life. Another example of a widely used tool within many law enforcement circles is SIM card readers. Once the SIM card is removed from the device, the reader retrieves messages, stored contacts, and call history. A common application of this practice is to have the reader obtain a direct data dump from the chip. This practice works well on the majority of current generation phones, however, gains in security are forcing the evolution of the reader as the industry moves toward a "subscriber ID embedded into the phone" model. As the phones move toward a biometric or a pattern-based system, the SIM will ultimately become a relic. However, it is important to note that even in the era of biometric security systems, net-net almost anything can be bypassed when data is stored on physical media. In many of these situations, the SIM card can be cloned within seconds using readily available programs and hardware. But such standard programs are not always as effective when it comes to newer chipsets, which can be quite difficult to clone. Real-time protection and detection continues to evolve, but absent the ability to directly observe the activity, it is virtually impossible to prevent accurate technology from being able to access data. It can be very easy to make an untraceable call like this:
The Betty number on the screen is not real—this is because the phone was modified to allow calls to be made without dialing from an address book entry. This practice can mimic that of a "burner" phone, where the "subscriber identity" is changed regularly or is constantly updating.
There seems to be no end to the possibilities, and a list would be incomplete without mentioning digital forensics techniques that are widely used by large agencies to very small police departments. These tools are the backbone of policing due to their versatility and applicability, Bluetooth tools would be another example of a more universal type of application. Since Bluetooth is ubiquitous, the ability to detect and capture information has enabled law enforcement to conduct counter-terrorism operations targeting connected vehicles, smart televisions, watches and phones as well as any connected infrastructure.
While the vast majority of police departments may apply these tools in their day to day missions, many of these same tools are also utilized in counter terrorism and counter trafficking investigations as well. Tools like the document reader have been used in many missing persons cases, fraud, and other investigations around the world. From time to time, shortcuts may be used or may not work in the particulars of a case. It is important to maintain the chain of custody for all evidence, and to log the use of each tool.
Difficulties and Future Directions
While it’s easy to point to the methods and tools that make law enforcement officers’ jobs easier, it’s also important to address potential challenges to the use and perception of breaching tools. Some advocates are concerned that the public might perceive these devices as a step closer toward more intrusive privacy invasion, especially when more and more devices are being connected in the Internet of Things (IoT). For example, many of our phones have connected apps and health and fitness monitoring that could be a potential future threat to those devices’ privacy.
In regard to the price of breaching tools, the device manufacturers of phone breaching technologies, such as Cellebrite, GrayKey and others, do not make their prices public . Case in point: Cellebrite and GrayKey (the main manufacturers of iOS breaching tools) do not publicize their prices, as they have to adhere to certain government procurement regulations. However, previous estimates have put the cost of these devices at tens of thousands of dollars or more — certainly a significant investment but also, for many, the appropriate price to pay to protect others’ lives and property.
There also remains the question of whether governments will place restrictions on the use of these tools in all types of investigations. While that is not currently an issue, as technology continues to advance, not only in mobile devices, but in the mainspring, we may see new concerns — particularly in regard to the investigation of violent crimes where broader protections are currently in place.