In the wake of the tragic shooting death of North St. Paul, MN, Police Officer Richard Crittenden, it is crucial to note that the fallen badge bearer was not a rookie. Rather, he was a nine-year veteran of the force who, as it was described in newspaper accounts, “died saving someone else.” Another officer was also shot and injured but managed ...

*Report Writing* “Saw drunk, arrested same”. For those of us who are “seasoned” enough to remember the J. D. “Buck” Savage parodies, none is more poignant to report writing than Officer Savage reading his “it’s all there” DWI report in criminal court (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJbuyC9KaJg). That’s right; those four words represented his entire police report. *Painful Memories* As a former Field Training Officer ...

It’s 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. This column details steps that you can take to ensure your tactical and legal survival. While false allegations can come from same sex police contacts, particularly with juveniles, complaints ...

Edged weapons defense often takes a back seat in our use of force training. After all, just three law enforcement officers, all working in correctional facilities, have been killed by edged weapons attacks in the past five years. However, countless cops are injured every year by knife-wielding subjects, and we can’t allow the low number of officer deaths to make us ...

PoliceLink Roundup: Dumbest Criminals of the Year [photo:448386] The stranger than fiction world of dumb criminals never ceases to amaze. Check out some of the best stories we've reported here at PoliceLink about how stupid criminals really can be. See The First Story! >>> [interstitial] Man Gets DUI on Motorized Bar Stool [photo:448247] NEWARK, OH – An Ohio man has been ...

It's been a rough few years for America as a whole, but the public service sector has felt it the most. As budget cuts continue to cut jobs, it’s more important than ever to get the most bang for your buck. And there’s no question about it — when it comes to value, not every U.S. city is created equally for ...

The twenty-one gun salute is one of the most ceremonial honors paid to officers that are killed in the line of duty. I want to talk about this honor in some detail to give Honor Guard Commanders an understanding of the protocol involving the use of a firing party at a police funeral. _Firing parties should only be used when an ...

Back in 1985, when I was a not-so-young U.S. Army 2nd Lieutenant, I found myself attending a grueling two week school called the “Army Air Loader” course. As I originally understood it, this course would teach me all about loading my battalion’s equipment on to an airplane for deployment somewhere overseas. To this day, I am still trying to figure out ...

There is no shortage of strange and outrageous criminals along the United States borders. Check out these outrageous busts from the CBP. See The Photos >>>[page] The famous photo of a man sewn into a car seat in an attempt to illegally cross the Mexican/U.S. border. Next Photo >>>[page] A woman hid a nine-pound stash of marijuana inside her daughter's pushchair. ...

Every television channel has an old, new or syndicated police drama airing sometime, somewhere. The public has a certain romance with law enforcement and why shouldn’t they? Hollywood and their rating systems have cashed in on white toothy smiles, good looking actors and actresses, witty dialogue, fancy suits, and the ability to efficiently wrap up the most difficult crimes in fifty ...

Dr. George J. Thompson is the President and Founder of the Verbal Judo Institute, a tactical training and management firm now based in Auburn, NY. For full details on Dr. Thompson’s work and training, please visit the Verbal Judo Web Site. The most important thing we don’t teach, but should, is a coherent philosophy that can unite the need for physical ...

As the economic crisis for local government has deepened over the past few years, so too has the belt been tightened at law enforcement agencies. Once a seller’s market, the crime fighter hiring endeavor has morphed into a buyer’s market. Many police departments and sheriff’s offices have found that, in the event that they are able to hire, they have the ...

Hello, and welcome once again to the February Chaplain’s Corner. It keeps trying to be Spring here in the Highland Lakes area…highs go from the 40s to 70s to 50s then back to 70s; gives some of us Spring Fever and others “cedar fever.” I just wish it would bring us some r-a-i-n. This drought keeps up, and the birds and ...

When you began your law enforcement career, your organization sent you to a training academy and then, likely, provided you with a field training officer or senior officer with whom to work.  However, when you promote to sergeant, there is little training and nothing like the mentoring of a field training officer system.  Moreover, the transition from police officer to sergeant ...

As you progress through your first few years as a patrol officer, what supervisors and other officers think of you - and say about you - will play a large part in determining your success. Professionally, these years are where you will call the most attention to yourself and establish your reputation. You will feel pressure to simply blend in with ...

I know that size does matter because an attractive waitress once told me so. At the time I think that we were talking about the size of the dinner plate that my meal was being served on, but I’m not sure. I do suspect that she was not talking about a peace officer trying to conceal a pistol under their clothing. ...

Hello, and welcome to the Chaplain’s Corner. Here it is December again. The election is behind us, as is Thanksgiving, and the New Year is rushing at us. I’m ready for life to slow down a little… Christmas shopping’s got to get done again and my 56th birthday coming at me next February - about 20 years too soon. Perhaps it ...

I recently read a historical novel by David Morrell entitled _Last Reveille_ (Warner Books, 1977.) It is the story of Poncho Villa’s attack on Columbus, New Mexico in 1916 and of the resulting punitive expedition after Villa into Mexico led by General “Black Jack” Pershing. World War I was already waging in Europe and the United States was soon to enter ...

From the first moment that you can smell the turkey roasting on Thanksgiving Day until the last of the leftovers are gone after New Years is my favorite time of the year. You might suspect that my interests are tied largely to food and its consumption, and you’d be right. But there is more to it than just the food; the ...

My parents are members of the greatest generation, the ones who grew up during the Great Depression and were young adults during World War II. Like most young men of his generation my father quit high school to join the service to defend his nation against our enemies, following his two older brothers into the United States Navy. He scored highly ...