Looking Back – Thoughts from the far side of the career
(Editor’s note – Editor Emeritus Roy Huntington sent this to me. He offered that the writer’s thoughts were worth my time. I’m sharing it as an OpEd piece with you all) In my younger days, I thought I had a destiny - to be an LEO. Oddly enough, I took the police job on a bet. It came with a $6000 pay cut but had good benefits. I left my good-paying job to be a [...]
Small Agencies: Can We Afford High Tech?
First of all, a hearty thank you to all of you who were kind enough to respond to Roy’s “Staying The Course” editorial (From The Publisher, Feb. 2014). We received a tremendous number of letters chock-full of what you like and don’t like, as well as a lot of requests for topics you’d like to see us tackle. We’ve printed a few of the letters we received in Return Fire in this issue, but I want to address a few things you tossed at us.
Are We Misusing SWAT?
In his article “Rise of the Warrior Cop” (Wall Street Journal, July 22, 2013) Radley Balko offers the opinion that, for a variety of reasons, some law enforcement agencies have become too militarized and are using SWAT resources in incidents not justified in their usage. Several American COP readers, who [...]
Help Us Help You
Let Us Know What You Did, How You Did It, What Worked — And what didn’t. You’ll notice in American COP we regularly use articles submitted by readers. Readers would, technically, be you. While our own crew is damn good (the best, by the way), the legions of “You guys [...]
Are You An Idiot?
Well... Are You? I’ll give you a pass if you make mistakes now and again, or write a ticket you might lose in court, or be a bit lazy with checking for evidence on the next burglary report you take. I’ll even forgive you for not taking the next sergeant’s [...]
Are Specialized Units… Special?
During my career I was assigned to several specialized units. Sometimes on “loan” (can you say playing a hooker for the vice unit? Ahem … ), background investigations (for new hires) and other times driving a “crash car” as a traffic officer, as a commercial vehicle enforcement officer and as an accident investigations detective. I also spent time on the San Diego PD “Beach Team” trying to keep the hordes under control around the beaches and bays. I think there were other assignments, many temporary, but they’ve sort of greyed-out in my memory.
Setting Realistic Expectations
The supervisor of a vice/narcotics unit from a medium-size municipal law enforcement agency asked me to address the issue of selecting personnel for specialty assignments. As he puts it, management is split between those who feel time in patrol should be the determining factor and those who believe additional preparation [...]
A Profession? Or Entitlement Job? Part 2
Last month, we discussed the entitlement mentality within our profession. Now I’d like to explore the issue further, as I believe it’s critical to the question of whether we remain a profession or revert to a time when police work was simply a job almost anyone could do. One of [...]
Staying The Course
Since our first issue in Sept/Oct 2005, American COP has never feared to tread where others haven’t dared to go. We’ve tackled recalcitrant leaders, shoddy equipment, what’s hot (and what’s not) in guns and gear, delivered survival skills to street cops and compelled citizens to be supportive and understanding of [...]
America’s Not-So-Funniest Cop Bloopers
Here in the pages of American COP Magazine we talk an awful lot about the need and virtues of ongoing training. Given the volume of videos (from citizens’ to dash cams), news reports and lawsuits, it’s easy to see why training is critical. Some real gems out of Texas and New Mexico are the poster children for “What were they thinking?” It would seem the Fourth Amendment has been tossed out, or cops — and courts — have taken a literal interpretation of the idiom “Justice is blind,” because there have been some incredibly questionable searching practices occurring.
The Virtues Of Going Custom
Does the idea of a custom gun riding in a cop’s holster seem an oxymoron? I mean, “custom” and “cop” … does that really work? Absolutely. And I’ll tell you why. We’re inundated with “adequate” and “make-do” and “plastic” and “disposable” and, well, things that don’t really seem to matter. Our jobs are full of plastic, our homes are full of plastic and at times it seems we’re being overwhelmed by both instant gratification — and instant dissatisfaction. But I found one way out of the cycle, and so can you.