Taser Weapon Confusion
You’ve probably seen videos of officers in stressful confrontations mistaking their pistols for their Taser (Electronic Control Weapon-ECW), causing them to shoot the suspect. There have been at least 18 incidents of weapon confusion in [...]
Press Checking The Trunk
"Now listen here, rookie. When yer makin' a traffic stop, you gotta push down on the trunk lid when you walk by, see? Or you'll get killed in the streets!" You've called out the [...]
Contact & Cover Re-Visited
Our profession – policing – has had some hard-earned lessons. Lessons that were caused by the deaths of or serious injuries to officers. Some of those lessons might be considered “old,” but their validity should [...]
Lessons Learned, Forgotten, And Ignored
It’s disappointing that we don’t pay better attention to our own history I am writing this just after returning from Las Vegas and the SHOT Show. An outstanding trip, a much-needed reunion with friends, and [...]
Where Did These Words Hurt You?
Anytime two or more shooters get together, there will be disagreements, discussions, or differences on something, just like with any other group. The discussions between those shooters can be more spirited because of their emotional [...]
Where Are They Taking My Gun? — Post-Shooting Forensics
Whether you work for a department having civilians or sworn in charge of your forensic investigation unit, there are certain common denominators throughout the country. Understandably, no matter what the circumstances of an officer’s shooting [...]
The Significance Of S.H.I.T.T.
Perhaps the most gratifying thing a police supervisor can hear is one of his officers telling another, “Yeah, the sarge really has his shit together,” or any of those other scatological allusions which convey the [...]
August is Shooting Sports Month
Do you know what month it is? If you answered August, you are correct. However, you are not completely right. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), has designated August as National Shooting Sports Month. [...]
Target Selection
What targets do you use for practice, qualification, and teaching classes? Does it matter? I believe so. Saying that it doesn’t discount a lot of research, experience, and anatomical factors in defensive shootings. These are [...]
Large Scale Event Prep For The Individual Officer
Most communities have hosted a festival, Fourth Of July weekend, a car show, or a marathon race - some multi-day event. Many bigger cities that have major league or college sports teams that have won [...]
Code 3 vs. Pursuit Driving: Is There A Difference?
I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure most of us became cops so we could drive fast legally. Who can deny the attraction of having droves of people get out of your way [...]
Competitive Shooting — Dangerous Diversion or Practical Pastime?
Nothing says training can’t be fun. Action-based competitive shooting is both derided as the province of silk pajama-wearing game players, and praised as the single most important exercise you can do to improve your shooting. [...]
Emergency Medical Response Is In Your Hands
In a world where uncertainty is the only certainty, medical emergencies occur without warning. Preparedness can be the difference between life and death. This is where the importance of first aid kits, trauma kits, and [...]
Alien Gear’s TAQ-STRAP Integrated Tourniquet
If there are ever any benefits that come from war, specifically protracted ground combat, it would be the advances in trauma medicine and equipment narrowly focused on life-saving interventions. On the equipment side, the acceptance [...]
You Have Got To Stop The Bleeding – medical training and equipment
Which are you more likely to use: Medical skills? Defensive firearms skills? Before we look at the numbers, I’ll say that on the day you need either one, that skill set will be the most [...]
Dark Angel Medical Direct Action Response Training: Essential Lifesaving Skills
Basic first aid training was once considered sufficient for law enforcement officers. That is no longer the case. When survival is measured in seconds, will you know what to do? Just as we train for [...]
Dry Practicing Safely
It's good to see that there is a solid consensus on the importance of dry practice. Trainers of all backgrounds are recommending it to their students. There is a lot of discussion about what to [...]
A BUG From My Pocket
While revolvers are filling a retro niche these days, they are often overlooked and unappreciated by a fair amount of law enforcement. And there are many generational and equipment reliability reasons behind that. Reasons [...]
50 ROUNDS | A Minimalist Approach To Practice
It’s a constant mantra for American police, “Do more with less.” Today, with officers taking pay and benefit cuts it can be trying for LEOs to stay motivated and focused on training. Addressing personal fitness [...]
Why? Why did they choose their gun? Why do they continue training?
Why anyone makes the decisions they make is an interesting topic. What are the Whys behind the firearm someone chooses, taking their first class, venturing across the country to train once, and then doing it [...]