why do police take cover behind

Here are a couple guesses:

- If they do it correctly, the door and the engine block are between them and the bad guy.
- It may be bullet resistant, but not bullet proof
- For camouflage, not cover - the bad guy might not see them through the window or see their feet.;)
- It looks cool on the news.:cool:
- Its better than covering your eyes?:D
 
Last edited:
Sheet metal isn't very bullet resistant, but there are locks and window mechanisms and motors in car doors. Also, the BG might be shooting a .22 or .32.

Cover is better than concealment.
Concealment is better than nothing.
 
Anything at all that abullet hits before it hits YOU is likely to slow it down, deflect it, or somehow reduce the damage it does if it actually hits you. Most cars are surprising bullet-resistant, at least to handgun calibres, and what they don't stop, they are more likely to cause to divert from the original trajectory. This morning, there was a short blurb in the news about a woman who was mugged, and when the attacker fired a shot at her, the bullet was stopped by the assorted crap in her purse, of all things. The moral of the story is, if someone's shooting at you, you want that bullet to have to go through as much stuff as possible before it hits you.
 
Even the sheet metal of a car door can stop some low power bullets or deflect others. And a car door is not just a hollow shell. There are the rails and levers that control the window, and if the window is down, there is the window glass as well.

A car door might not be the best cover, but it is there and it sure beats the gunzine gurus pictured standing straight up, legs and feet at the perfect "approved" angle, making targets (and jackasses) of themselves. (IMHO, that shows that they either are incredibly stupid or have never had anything dangerous coming at them.)

In a gunfight, any cover is better than no cover. A curb, mail box, light post, anything that will come between your hide and flying lead. Cops wear bullet resistant vests; civilians normally do not (and in some states cannot legally) have such protection.

Jim
 
Proper procedure for officers is to park the car at angle to the road and turn the tires, the angle of the car and the turned tires puts the engine and hard rubber and rims of the tires between them and possible threats when executed properly.
 
Two layers of sheet metal is better than nothing.;)

Plus, you'd be surprised at how many people don't shoot at something they can't see.
 
The car door can help if it's at an angle so the bullet ricochets off the door. And of course the glass, if rolled down, will help a little bit (just a little bit as 'The-box-o-truth' website showed.

What really won't help is to stand out in the open and swapping lead.
 
Well we have a door on 2 steel spikes we put up on the range and every other qualification they bring it out and we put holes through it at 15 yards. It is to show us that a car door is not good cover. But if you get in a situation it may be the only means of concealment. If the bad guy has a rifle then you better hope you have the engine in between you and the lead coming at you.
 
One of my bosses a few years ago got to foolin' around with the wrong woman. Her husband took a .45 to my boss' Jag XKE, . . . denting the hood and lodging at the top of the windshield just below the chrome strip.

I was totally surprized when I saw it, . . . because I was totally looking for a half inch hole in the hood and goobers of damage to the internals, . . . just didn't happen.

The hood and doors are not "bullet proof", . . . but like another poster mentioned, . . . at the right angle, . . . they re-direct the travel, . . . just as good as a clean miss.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
Usually what happens is as said above you place the engine block between you and the shooter. Then you open the door and lean out behind the A pillar so you can return fire. Still using the engine block and A pillar as cover. The doors open but your not really behind it using it for cover. Does that make sense? Its kinda the best place to be in a bad situation.
 
What protections do you have available to minimize your vulnerability to being hit by a bullet?

1. Cover
2. Distance
3. Movement
4. Concealment

Rule of thumb:
A car door always seems to provide cover for the bad guy, while acting as mere concealment for the good guy.
 
You can get back into the car quickly. Makes sense if the vehicle is armored (though that applies more to security than most police vehicles).
 
That area near the door hinge/post is as logical an area as any, during a felony stop, etc. That being said, the best place to seek cover is actually behind one of the wheels (of course, that's at a different angle).

Also, I'd imagine most police car doors these days will at least take the edge off of buckshot. Not too long ago your average large-size American auto door would actually stop most buckshot.
 
I'm going to go down a different road to answer.

I HAD to take my first wife to an abandoned house to PROVE to her that you CAN shoot through walls. "They NEVER can do that on tv!" was her response.

Most of the "tv" generation are of the firm belief that walls and car doors are bullet proof. Chances are that most bad guys are of that generation. Cops would take advantage of that.

My $.02.
 
If you are really worried about it just leave your windows up and fill your car doors with sand LOL. Six inches of sand will stop just about anything.

I like to find some secluded place to shoot and try all sorts of real world targets to determine if they are concealment or cover. You'd be surprised. I hear that .223 rifles have a tough time penetrating windshields because of the angle and most just bounce right off.
 
To me, the only part of a vehicle I'd consider adequate cover would be a position where I could place at least one, preferably two wheels between myself and my adversary. Otherwise, the bad guy could just start shooting underneath the car body - and even if he doesn't hit you directly, you're likely to get struck by a ricochet, shrapnel, or debris kicked up off the tarmac. Even if you don't get struck solidly by the bullet, you're likely to be completely distracted by this and out of action while that's all going on.

I think, however, getting behind a vehicle is all about psychology - people tend to do it because they think it's good cover (even if most parts of a vehicle are not), and because they think the bad guy won't try to shoot through the vehicle to get to them.

Fact is, when someone's throwing lead in your direction, you probably won't have a great deal of time (nor the clarity of thought) to adequately consider and choose the ideal cover/concealment position - you're likely to go for whatever seems reasonable and is closest.

And I'd also suggest we all consider that just because a material such as a car door or a windshield may deflect the trajectory of a well-aimed bullet sufficiently to miss the target, there is also a good chance that it will deflect the trajectory of a poorly-aimed bullet sufficiently to send it your way. I certainly wouldn't count on only good things happening in this sort of scenario.
 
car doors if the cars arent bullet resistant at all?
Click to expand...

Here is a test. Drive your car to an area that is out in the open.

Park the car and proceed to get out. When you're going this (getting out of the car), have a buddy take a couple of shots in your general direction.

See where you go for cover:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top