We see it on TV. We see it in the movies. And we read it in your books. In fact, we see real-life officers doing it in on the street. Yes, many heroes, both real and fictional, use their vehicles for cover when they’re involved in a shootout. But are personal vehicles really an effective means of providing safety from incoming gunfire?

Well, let’s see what the experts had to say. I believe you’ll find the results a bit stunning. Actually, you may want to rethink your options when Billy Badass decides to plink off a few rounds in your direction.

1. When fired straight-on at the engine block from a distance of 25 yards, many .223 cal. (rifle) rounds totally disintegrated, turning into a mass of individual pieces of shrapnel. However, there were rounds that didn’t hit dead center and actually ricocheted and exited the engine compartment by way of fenders, etc. Therefore, an officer using the front fender as cover could be killed by indirect gunfire.

Let’s not forget all those bits of broken-up lead flying around. After all, pieces of shrapnel are nothing less than tiny bullets/projectiles that are just as capable of killing as a full-size, intact round.

2. Next were the car doors. We’ve all seen the hero cop crouching behind his car door, popping up every few seconds to return fire. At 25 yards, the same .223 cal. rifle rounds passed through car doors as if they were melting butter. Actually, at that distance, the rounds passed through the driver’s door, through two mannequins seated as if they were a driver and passenger, and then through the passenger’s side door. At 100 yards, the round again passed entirely through the vehicle, exiting the passenger’s door. This time, however, the bullet had slowed a bit, causing it tumble end over end instead of spinning. By the way, a tumbling bullet leaves a keyhole-shaped exit hole when passing through metal. Imagine what effect that would have on human flesh.

3. I remember my firearms instructor telling us (a class of moon-faced, buzz cut, recruits) that we could use our patrol car wheels as cover . He said they’d provide some protection for us during a gun battle. Well, at a distance of 100 yards, .223 rounds traveled through the steel wheels as if they weren’t there at all.

Those same experts fired a .45 at the driver’s door from a distance of 15 yards. Guess what? Yep, the rounds pierced the doors, striking the mannequins inside. This time, however, the rounds stopped at the dummies. They’d lost enough velocity that they could travel no further. BUT…that’s all the power and distance needed to kill the occupants inside the car.

So, what do we take away from this information? Easy answer…vehicles are NOT a totally safe haven from gunfire. Rounds can pierce metal and hit the officer. They can break apart, or ricochet, and still hit the officer. And they can pass directly through car doors. In other words, a vehicle is not the best option for cover. But they’re better than no cover at all. Then again, a mound of soft and gooey marshmallows is better than no cover at all.

But, as we taught in the academy… YOU (and the hero of your stories) WILL SURVIVE!

In fact, believe that you’ll survive, no matter what, and you’ve won half the battle. Simply because you’ve been hit by a round or two, or even pieces of shrapnel, doesn’t mean that you or your protagonist has to fall down and die.

Don’t believe me? Well, just ask Jack Reacher…

It started Monday morning at 6:09 a.m. with my cell phone announcing, quite loudly, a local Amber Alert about a missing 8-year-old boy named Brock Guzman. Then a beat later came an identical message from the California Highway Patrol (CHP). I was then, without any doubt whatsoever…wide awake.

At 6:27 a.m. CHP (Golden Gate) lit up my cell phone with an all-CAPS description of the suspect’s car—2001 SILVER TOYOTA COROLLA, CA PLATE 5BWF072.

6:41 – Missing Child Update from the local police department – Brock Guzman, 8-year-old male last seen in a silver 2001 Toyota Corolla 5BWF072.

Then at 7:59…Missing child located, unharmed.

8:42 from CHP (Golden Gate) – Amber Alert Cancelled: Vehicle located by an alert citizen & boy found inside safe and unharmed. Thank you for your help.

So, in roughly 2.5 hours a child was abducted and safely recovered. In what was an extremely brief time-frame, the combined teamwork of state and local police along with a community of alert citizens, turned what could have been a worst case scenario into a happy ending.

But it was what happened behind the scenes that was nearly as disturbing as the abduction. Here’s why.

Local police, as they should, divided their search efforts with some combing neighborhoods and streets while others responded to the home of the missing boy. As always, missing person/abduction investigations begin at the home, with investigators searching for clues and for the person who’s been reported missing. After all, it’s not unusual for police to find a “missing” child hiding or sleeping in a bedroom, in a closet, under the bed, etc. And sometimes, unfortunately, they learn that the child has been harmed or even killed, and that parents have attempted to cover up the death. Therefore, as in most cases, police must rule out possibilities as much as they need to include possible scenarios. In other words, a search of the child’s home is an absolute must.

In a nutshell, that’s the setting/back story of how this works. Now, let’s start this day with the 911 call to police.

04:47 a.m. – Call received by Police Dispatch

04:50 a.m. – First Officers on scene

04:56 a.m. – Supervisor requests activation of the County Wide Intersection Observation Plan

05:00 a.m. – Vehicle is entered into the state Stolen Vehicle System

05:11 a.m. – Supervisor requests an Amber Alert be initiated

05:19 a.m. – Emergency Notification Tactical Alert Center at the CHP was contacted to issue the Amber Alert

So, in just over 30 minutes—police received the call, they arrived on scene, assessed the situation, activated the emergency observation plan, entered the vehicle as stolen so officers everywhere could be on the lookout for it, and requested the Amber Alert which was issued. That’s pretty darn quick and efficient.

In the meantime, as I mentioned above, every available officer within the surrounding area was frantically searching for the suspect vehicle, which by the way, was stolen from the home of the missing boy. Actually, what happened was the parents placed the sleeping boy in their car—the Toyota—, started it and left it running, and then went back into the house for their other child. While they were inside someone stole the car with the child inside.

Now, here’s what happened when police arrived at the home of the missing Guzman boy.

Police explained the need to search the home, but the mother refused to let them inside, stating (sometimes screaming) that was her personal space and she wouldn’t allow the search. Then things quickly went downhill. Remember, responding police officers didn’t know if the child had been harmed and that the mother had fabricated the kidnapping story as a means to cover up. It happens…a lot. They have to search the home.

Oh, one important detail…officers witnessed a reddish stain/substance on the floor inside the home (possibly blood?).

Here’s an officer’s body cam video of their interaction with the mother of the missing boy. Remember it was still dark outside.

Now she and her husband are in the process of hiring an attorney to sue the police for abuse. How would you have handled the situation?

*Warning: The Mother Uses Language Not Suitable For Young or Sensitive Ears

Note: The kidnapper in this case was not aware that the boy was in the car when he stole it from the Guzman’s driveway. When he discovered the child sleeping in the backseat he immediately abandoned the car leaving the child with it. The Guzman boy slept through the entire incident. Rumor has it that he vaguely recalls opening his eyes to see the stranger, but thought he might have dreamed it.

*By the way, writers, notice there’s no mention of the FBI? Because they DO NOT handle all kidnapping cases!!!