Avoid Being Complacent
After more than two decades in police work, I sometimes struggle not to get complacent on patrol. After you have conducted thousands of traffic stops and, most of the time, nothing bad has occurred, you [...]
SHOOT TO KILL | Explaining Deadly Force Can Be Tricky
This “bad guy” is presenting a very large target, so a center of mass shot would be in order. Kids can ask the damnedest questions. I’ve stood in front of a variety [...]
CARS AND CRASHES | Traffic Stops: Drive Side Or Ride Side?
We’ve all heard the two most dangerous parts of our job are the domestic violence (DV) call and the traffic stop. Parking in front of the DV house isn’t a smart thing to do and, [...]
REALITY CHECK II | Tier 1 Training Everyone Deserves It
In military jargon, Tier 1 or Tier 2 often designates the degree of funding a unit receives. The tier number also decides where these people fit in the big picture of real-world application. If the [...]
Is “Tactical” Overworked?
Is there anyone besides me who thinks we may have reached the point where “tactical” as a description of what we wear, carry and how we work is perhaps becoming just a bit overused? Or, [...]
CARS AND CRASHES | In ‘N Out
I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of cops dying. I hate seeing updates via ODMP.com (Officer Down Memorial Page) every time a cop is killed. In the last decade, I’ve been [...]
Principles of Protection
Why reinvent the wheel when formal training in elite protective services began even before the introduction of the praetorian guard into the Roman Empire? The principles of protection are the same today as during the [...]
STREET LEVEL | Looking Versus Seeing: The Art Of Perception
You’d never tag Amy Herman as a law enforcement trainer. Tall, chic and sophisticated, you might guess she’s an expert on fi ne art, working for a major gallery or perhaps a Manhattan corporate attorney. [...]
CIVILIAN INVOLVED DEFENSIVE SHOOTINGS | Be Fair, Be Honest and Be Clear
Civilian who uses deadly force may suffer post-shooting trauma and civil litigation, and will most certainly be subjected to widespread, mostly unqualified second-guessing. The civilian usually has no standing legal immunity, and no agency, union [...]
Driving While Shooting – Just Because We Can, Doesn’t Mean We Should
We have seen numerous officers across the country engage in officer-involved shootings (OIS), firing rounds out of their patrol car's windshield. You can explain shooting out of the windshield if your car is either parked [...]
Roka Arms’ Downrange Tab and Training for Off-body Carry
Most of us carry concealed firearms in or on our beltline, whether with a strong side hip holster, inside the waistband, or “appendix-ish” carry. At least one American Cop writer advocates for carrying smaller revolvers [...]
REALITY CHECK II | Plastic Practice
Probably one of the biggest shortcomings of law enforcement is the lack of training or time in the area of firearms. Mainly, it’s due to budgets, manpower and lack of range facilities. Here, I won’t [...]
SEAL THE BOX | Treating Sucking Chest Wounds
With an open chest wound, the victim may develop tension pneumothorax. Tension pneumothorax is the second leading cause of preventable trauma deaths on the battlefield. It is the progressive build-up of air within the [...]
STOP THE BLEED, SAVE A LIFE | An Overview of Hemostatic Agents for Tactical Field Use
Trauma is the leading cause of death for Americans age 45 or younger. Hemorrhage Is the leading cause of preventable death in combat trauma. It is the secondary cause of death in civilian trauma. [...]
THE TOURNIQUET An Essential Component of EDC
Is a tourniquet part of your everyday carry (EDC)? If not, it should be. The capability of being able to take a life with the moral responsibility of being able to save a life. And [...]
Trauma Care
In the middle of nowhere. How long will it take you to get an ambulance? What if the ambulance was for you? Most of you probably keep some sort of medical bag in your patrol [...]
Roka Arms’ Downrange Tab and Training for Off-body Carry
Most of us carry concealed firearms in or on our beltline, whether with a strong side hip holster, inside the waistband, or “appendix-ish” carry. At least one American Cop writer advocates for carrying smaller revolvers [...]
See The Threat Or Hear It?:Training for visual stimulus with Reactionary Gap’s Muzzle Flash Simulation System
Do we respond more quickly to an auditory stimulus or a visual one? A significant amount of the research I’ve looked at, including two papers linked at the end of the article, says we respond [...]
STOPPING THE THREAT | Pairing Natural Response with Engagement Method
To incapacitate a threat as quickly as possible, many will agree shot placement is a key factor, accomplishing this with the double tap or controlled pair, (two aimed shots) into a vital area being taught [...]
MANTIS LASER ACADEMY | Affordable High-Tech Firearms Training at Home
It takes time and practice to become proficient with firearms. It’s an art that needs to be developed. And no matter how finely tuned a shooter you have become, shooting is a perishable skill. This [...]