Many police officers and police trainers believe there is no way to prevent ambush killings, and this may be true to an extent. Police officers, however, can take certain steps to guard against ambushes. They should always assume every contact or call they respond to is potentially fatal. Police officers should work in pairs, recognize that the most vulnerable area of the police vehicle is the rear, and scan their surroundings every few seconds. Various other safety precautions to prevent police ambushes are described, including the evasive driving technique to deal with terrorist roadblocks, the use of ramming speed if an attacker blocks the police officer's path with a car, and the importance of making a quiet arrival to a reported crime scene. 1 photograph