# How do police/soldiers deal with a dead man's switch scenario **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2013, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340 "2013-12-03T03:30:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/1 "2013-12-03T03:30:57Z")
If hostages are taken by a large number (10+) hostage takers, and several of the hostage takers are equipped with dead man’s switches attached to bombs, how do people manage to take control of the situation? Killing the terrorists will result in the switch being activated and the explosives going off. I don’t know if the Moscow theater hostage situation involved this kind of situation, but what can be done to prevent detonation in that scenario? ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/2 "2013-12-03T10:14:34Z")
I’m kind of concerned that you’re asking this question Sir. Anyway that’s a good question, I imagine the primary response would be to try and negotiate with the terrorists to achieve a peaceful resolution. If they are determined to go through with it I’m not sure how you could avoid casualities and look forward to whatever ideas people have. ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/3 "2013-12-03T10:48:42Z")
Need answer fast? The police cannot always save the hostages in every situation. They generally do their best, but that isn’t their only role. Even if they can’t save the hostages, they can try to guarantee that the suspects leave in cuffs or a body bag. They also don’t have unlimited patience, either. ---
**Author:** ![Willcross](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Willcross](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Willcross)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/4 "2013-12-03T13:05:51Z")
Shoot the hostages? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/5 "2013-12-03T13:37:01Z")
When Israeli commandos stormed [Sabena Flight 571](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabena_Flight_571), one of the hijackers was holding a live grenade in her hand. One of the officers walked up to her, took her hand in his, and carefully took the grenade away without releasing the lever. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/6 "2013-12-03T15:26:50Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > Need answer fast? > > The police cannot always save the hostages in every situation. They generally do their best, but that isn’t their only role. Even if they can’t save the hostages, they can try to guarantee that the suspects leave in cuffs or a body bag. > > They also don’t have unlimited patience, either. In Eric haneys book on delta force he said hostage life was always paramount unless nuclear materials were involved (in that situation the hostages lives were secondary). In the Moscow theater raid they used an opioid gas to knock everyone out. But that wouldn’t work with a dead man’s switch. I play a lot of Tom Clancy games. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/7 "2013-12-03T16:06:32Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > In the Moscow theater raid they used an opioid gas to knock everyone out. But that wouldn’t work with a dead man’s switch. Knock out/kill, you mean. Over 100 people died, most of them hostages, as a result of using the gas. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/8 "2013-12-03T16:14:17Z")
I do remember at some point Colbert making a joke about the Russian zero tolerance policy towards hostages. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/9 "2013-12-03T16:43:37Z")
I believe to delay to tire out the terrorists and psychological tactics may be employed to isolate, confuse and discourage them as well. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/10 "2013-12-03T17:19:10Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Knock out/kill, you mean. Over 100 people died, most of them hostages, as a result of using the gas. And not all of the terrorists were effected. Some had gas masks. There was a running gun battle which caused at least an hours delay in getting to the hostages. Since the Russian government was not completely forthcoming about the operation its impossible to say for sure but it appears likely that a lot of the victims were killed by positional asphyxia and not poisoning. If they had enough medical personnel on scene and were able to get to the victims quick enough the loss of life would probably have been much less. ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/11 "2013-12-03T17:22:27Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > I believe to delay to tire out the terrorists and psychological tactics may be employed to isolate, confuse and discourage them as well. You don’t want to put someone holding a dead man’s switch to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/12 "2013-12-03T17:30:44Z")
> [@sweeteviljesus](#): > > You don’t want to put someone holding a dead man’s switch to sleep. Actually you might what that outcome as opposed to purposefully detonating it in a way to cause the most harm. But no ideally not. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/13 "2013-12-03T21:50:58Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Knock out/kill, you mean. Over 100 people died, most of them hostages, as a result of using the gas. IIRC they used Fentynal in that instance. The same pain killer I used (thankfully I’ve switched to morphine). That stuff is do dangerous that even handling the medication without protection can kill a non-tolerant person. Fentynal is something like 800 times more potent than morphine, very dangerous stuff. I think it clearly does the Russians weren’t very concerned with the safety of the hostages. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/14 "2013-12-04T02:04:04Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > IIRC they used Fentynal in that instance. The same pain killer I used (thankfully I’ve switched to morphine). That stuff is do dangerous that even handling the medication without protection can kill a non-tolerant person. Fentynal is something like 800 times more potent than morphine, very dangerous stuff. I think it clearly does the Russians weren’t very concerned with the safety of the hostages. That is not clear. The type and composition of the gas is still classified by the Russian government. Some derivative of Fentynal has been guessed but it is not certain. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/15 "2013-12-04T02:23:31Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > That is not clear. The type and composition of the gas is still classified by the Russian government. Some derivative of Fentynal has been guessed but it is not certain. Part of the problem was that (from what I know of it) the Russians weren’t willing to tell the medical personnel what gas they used. Either way, with a dead man’s switch doing something like this wouldn’t work anyway. If someone passes out their bombs detonate. If the bombs are connected to a wired trigger (instead of a wireless one which can possibly be jammed) that presents a new problem. I don’t know if a small EMP would work or even be a good idea/realistic in that scenario. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-police-soldiers-deal-with-a-dead-mans-switch-scenario/675340/16 "2013-12-04T10:08:50Z")
It sounds like in this scenario unless the terrorists give themselves up the authorities are just going to have to accept casualties and try to minimise them.