Take Ownership of Your Professional Life

What can you do when training, an essential tool to surviving on the job, gets cut due to departmental budget issues? The answer lies in the idea that law enforcement professionals are just that: professionals. Continue

Power of Positive Policing: How to Avoid the Negatives

Law enforcement is the one career where almost everyone thinks they know what the officer or deputy should do more than the trained professional. No other occupation gets such scrutiny. Judgments are often made by civilian overseers, the media, and public with little or no understanding of the facts and nuances behind the incident or issue. Continue

Does Size Matter? Small Agencies: The Cop Career Gatekeepers

Many police departments and sheriff’s offices have found that, when hiring, they have the ability to pick from a much larger pool of applicants than they had in years past. Applicants in an increasing number find themselves thinking: “If only the right person believed in me, I could have a chance to prove myself.” Don’t despair, dear reader, as there is a way to make that thinking work for you and here's how. Continue

Off-Duty Policing: Should You or Shouldn’t You?

This article covers a topic that I have spoken about numerous times with many law enforcers; especially those that are new to the cop career. This is useful stuff to ponder, especially if you’re a newbie, and a great reminder for the veterans. Continue

Surviving Your Prisoner Transport

In the wake of the recent Broward County Sheriff’s Office’s transportation deputy's death here in Florida, I thought an article on transportation mandates would be in order. For some, these bullet points will be an eye opener. For others, they may serve as reminders of things told to you by your academy instructors and your field training officer (FTO). Continue

Answering Common Oral Hiring Board Questions

This column covers how to answer the LE oral board questions. While I can’t give you the exact wording that will work for you, understanding why certain questions are asked, and how to formulate the answer that fits you, is the key to getting hired in the competitive law enforcement hiring process. Continue

5 Must-Do Patrol Car Checks

Whether you have a shared patrol car or a take-home unit, almost every officer, deputy sheriff, and trooper I know checks over their car and its equipment before the shift. While most officers do fine checking things such as the cruiser’s mileage and the emergency lights, here are five things that aren’t checked by all officers prior to the shift. Continue

Creative Cuffing for Small-Wristed Subjects

Unfortunately, not all wrists come in a convenient size to fit our handcuffs. Many people with slender wrists, particularly juveniles, are able to slip out despite our best efforts to do the right things. This column covers what you can do with creative cuffing to control escape-prone wrists. Continue

Death Notifications: A Tough Police Assignment

Handling death notifications is a necessary part of the job that few law enforcement officers enjoy. It can be traumatic for the officer, as well as for the family members. Delivering a death message is a duty that is vitally important with far-reaching ramifications in people’s lives. Handled poorly, extreme situations can develop. Continue

Safe Driver Call Backs

Most officers know that some of the most dangerous activities happen during traffic stops. The driver call-back, or no approach, is gaining traction as officers come to grips with the dangers of roadside traffic stops. Continue

The Bottom Line on Seat Belts for Law Enforcers

It behooves us as law enforcement professionals to renew the cry for seat belt usage. Within the last few years, FBI stats have been released that show a large number of officers die from incidents involving motor vehicles. Continue

Ten Tips For Dealing with the Opposite Sex

Its been the age-old question: how do you deal with the opposite sex. In today’s litigation-laden law enforcement environment, law enforcement professionals struggle to answer that question as they discharge their duties. Learn the steps that you can take to ensure your tactical and legal survival. Continue

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