Pittsburgh, PA Police – Barricaded Subject
Situation
Pittsburgh police officers respond to calls from neighbors of a Brandon Heights, PA man shooting a gun in his yard.
Officers arrive and find retired firefighter Marc Vranes barricaded in his home and threatening harm to officers if they try to enter.
Problem
Suspect‑driven emergency deployments and operations, including barricaded subjects, hostage negotiations. and serving high‑risk warrants and eviction notices, can turn into life threatening situations.
The limited range and poor vocal clarity of bullhorns and vehicle PA systems put officers in close proximity to armed suspects.
Building walls and other infrastructure impede the delivery of clearly understood voice commands and instructions.
When officers knock on a door or enter a structure during elevated risk operations the likelihood of injuries and fatalities greatly increases for officers, suspects and the public.
Solution
Pittsburgh PD contacted Marc Vranes’ mother and had her record a personal message to her son.
The officers used the department’s LRAD system to broadcast the message to the distraught man.
“We had his mother tape a message that was scripted out for us and then we played that message over our LRAD system and immediately upon the completion of that message, he called us and said he was willing to come out and surrender himself.”
Commander Rashall Brackney, Pittsburgh, PA PD
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