After Pennsylvania ambush, Allegheny County sheriff explains dangers deputies face while serving warrants
A man accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend ambushed five police officers, killing three, when they came to arrest him in York County, Pennsylvania, authorities said. That deadly shooting has police across the state on high alert, especially when it comes to serving warrants.
It's something that the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office has experienced before. Deputies serving a warrant in Pittsburgh's Garfield neighborhood two years ago came under fire from a suspect who was lying in wait with a gun.
Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin Kraus said serving a warrant is one of the riskiest parts of a deputy's job. Every time a deputy knocks on a door, they know the situation can turn deadly in seconds. What happened in York County is a tragic reminder of that risk.
"Horrendous, heartbreaking, unthinkable," Kraus said.
Deputies plan carefully, but Kraus admits that they don't always know what's on the other side of that door. He said they always try to get as much information as possible to tailor their approach when executing a search warrant, but even the best planning isn't foolproof.
"It's not a case of, OK, we have a warrant, let's go break the door down. That's not what we do. We understand the inherent risk of every door we go through cause we don't know what's on the other side of any door," he said.
That situation played out in Garfield in 2023. Officers and the suspect exchanged gunfire, and the standoff ended six hours later when the suspect was found dead.
"In that situation, Sergeant Neil Hall, he was the very first one at the door, once they entered, and based on some of the training he had, that saved his life," Kraus said.
While SWAT is called in for the most dangerous cases, many times it's deputies alone who make that first contact. Kraus said his deputies are well-trained, but he said training alone can't eliminate the danger.
"Appreciate and understand situational awareness, but again, sometimes you gotta react to something," he said.
Kraus said he doesn't believe the system itself needs to change, saying he can't see any other way to more safely serve a warrant. But he said tragedies like York County weigh heavily on every law enforcement family and offered his condolences to the families of the fallen officers.
"How deeply saddened we are. We're all a community, we're all a family," he said. "It's just a terrible time."
Kraus said he talked with the York County's sheriff on the phone Wednesday and told him, "whatever you need, we're here for you."