About 20 years ago everyone who marketed items for sale to law enforcement officers began calling their items "tactical." Everything from boots and key chains to holsters and uniforms became known as "tactical gear." I was confused, but I’m confused a lot. Did I have to replace every piece of equipment and uniform item that I owned and purchase new "tactical" ...

When responding to calls for police service, children can at times be our best sources for information. Whether they are sought out as the only English speaker in a foreign language speaking household to give an account of an incident or they're a victim you need to speak with, the junior members of our society can be a powerful addition to ...

We all know the type in policing. The guy or gal who is never happy. They manage to find fault with the administration, the public, and even fellow crime fighters. It’s an “Us vs. Them” world in their eyes. In a nutshell, this frowny-faced person is a downer and could be crowned the king or queen of morale busting. They practice ...

Stupid is as stupid does. Sometimes crooks shoot themselves in the foot, no pun intended. Check out the hilarious lineup of actual crimes committed by inept thieves. Isn't it nice when they do the dirty work for you? Stealing... from a Surveillance Store? → [page] Stealing... from a Surveillance Store? Feisty Store Manager Fights Back → [page] Feisty Store Manager ...

I am not a supervisor, and I don’t pretend to be able to tell you how to supervise your sniper team. However, I have the advantage of having seen sniper teams all over the country. I have had a close look at good programs and bad programs. As a result, I can tell you, with confidence, how a successful sniper team ...

I had no idea it could get so hot in Maine. It has to be near 100 degrees. The sun is beating down hard on my salty back and red neck as I stare at my target. I’m rubbing my blistered finger tips together listening to the monkeys in my head My back is sore as hell and I can feel ...

*Mindset* - No matter who you train with or how you train, take it seriously. When I train, I try to make it as real in my mind as I can. The targets are not paper. They are the bad guys. Never give up the fight. Weapons break, malfunction or just don’t work sometimes. If it happens to you, think about ...

A ten-year old girl cowers in the corner of a dirty dark room. Standing in front of her is a full-grown man. It is not her father, brother or friend. He is not there to punish her for a wrongful act or comfort her in a time of crisis. He is there to commit an act against her that few of ...

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). Many of ...

These two side arms are said to be the most argued in the self-defense world, law enforcement and military included. Let’s focus for now at these pistols in the back-up role. The most important quality of a secondary weapon is reliability. This quite simply means functioning 100% of the time, no matter what. This being said, the Glock pistols are known ...

A Law Enforcement Pursuit is one of the most dangerous performance skills that a police officer can do. In recent years there have been drastic changes with department pursuit policies and training. Although many states require some form of training in reference to pursuits, several do not. There are four issues that are causing one third of all pursuits around the ...

Often we feel that we can challenge the leadership of a team because the program is not going the way we want it to go. Before you challenge any leadership you must ask yourself: Is this a battle worth fighting because in the final analysis you want to win the war. Sometime your battle can divert the team’s focus. Sometimes your ...

Hello, and welcome to this September’s edition of the Chaplain’s Corner. Friday night…September…and Texas…that means all roads lead to Jacket Stadium. Sting ’em, Jackets! Oh, sorry, got a little carried away there. I’m glad it’s September. That means it will start cooling down in a few weeks and our chances of rain should be going up. Hot and dry gets old ...

Memorial Day, the first Monday in May, is the traditional day for the remembrance of those Americans who have given their lives for our freedoms. When first created after the Civil War it was called Decoration Day and the traditional observance was to place flags or flowers on each grave of the countless Americans who had sacrificed so much for our ...

Around ten years ago, as a patrol division deputy sheriff with the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I walked up some porch stairs to knock on the door of a mobile home. Suddenly, I was tackled on the front porch by a 175-pound sheet rock hanger who was annoyed that I responded to the repeat domestic ...

Many aspects of forensic psychology (behavior analysis) are used to identify suspect(s) of violent crime in modern police investigations. The two most basic aspects of measurable and identifiable criminal behavior in the field of forensic behavioral analysis are modus operandi (MO) and offender signature. In order to perform effective investigations of violent or serial crime, investigators should have a rudimentary understanding ...

What is it about investigative work and detective work that makes it the center of attention in cop movies that Hollywood spits out on a yearly basis? The love affair with detectives and movies seems to go on year after year, from the likes of Dragnet and Dirty Harry, now television in inundated with crime scene investigators from Los Angeles, to ...

Many officers are of the belief that if they have the legal right to detain a suspect, they can automatically frisk that suspect “for officer safety.” However, in 1968, the United States Supreme Court held that an officer may conduct a limited search (frisk) of a suspect for weapons when the officer reasonably believes that the suspect, who is detained pursuant ...

I. Purpose: The purpose of this order is to adopt safety directives and guidelines for dealing with the carrying of firearms while in an off-duty status for dealing with an officer’s duty and responsibility to take action in response to criminal activity while in an off-duty status. II. Policy: The following changes to this department’s policy of carrying firearms while ...

"May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't." -General Patton Like most cops, I was seriously angered when I heard about a certain Ex-Cop and how he had gone from being a police officer to teaching criminals how to smuggle dope. It doesn't matter where you're from, a traitor is a traitor. And a traitor has no friends, ...