A MOST MEMORABLE PURSUIT
PROLOGUE Recently Lt. Chuck Smith and I were sitting on my front deck watching Oregon’s Umpqua River flow by, shooting suppressed weapons, killing some brain cells and generally swapping lies when one of us said, in best ‘Harry Callahan’ fashion: “So...tell us about your best felony arrest.” Since neither of us could remember ever having made a felony arrest (I said we were lying!), the subject changed to “Tell us about the most interesting [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]