OFFICER SURVIVAL | What If Grasshoppers Had Machine Guns?
I often flashback to certain past events in my life, like Marine Corps School of Infantry (SOI), circa 1989. I was an 18-year-old Private sitting with the others in my platoon, paying close attention to [...]
Situational Awareness: Condition Orange At All Times?
My partner and I were working the graveyard shift and had taken a coffee break in a restaurant. We were engaged in an intense discussion about something so important I can’t remember what it was, [...]
Street Cop Tactics
Over the years, I’ve watched what’s been written about tactics and their application by cops. I noticed much of the material is geared toward SWAT and specialized units. Perhaps this is because the perception is [...]
THE ARROGANCE OF IGNORANCE | Are You That Good … Or Just Lucky So Far?
There’s an old saying you can’t fix stupid, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep trying. I started pondering that issue the other day, following an interesting discussion I had with an officer. He’s one [...]
The Walking Wounded
Stepping out of the car is the only viable option for drawing from a front pocket holster. I’m going to put you in a boot for a month,” the doctor said with [...]
Six Shots For Six Sergeants
This came out of a scratch gathering of sergeants, discussing the drumbeat of petty details, the constant “white noise” and perpetual distractions that plague the job, and their worst effect: distracting them from the core [...]
Teacher Or Instructor … Which Are You?
Look back to your youth and ponder your school days. Did you have teachers you admired, who made the learning process fun and exciting? Could you see their passion for the subject and did they [...]
Some Simple Sergeant’s Rules
I was asked if I had some “simple rules” for success as a sergeant; dealing with issues other than training, tactics or administrative stuff. Many years ago, after reading Benjamin Franklin’s personal rules, I came [...]
Shooting in Virtual Reality
Scenario-based training in my academy class involved role players – often more than one - and evaluators spread out across the grounds of the academy. In addition to those people were the scenario coordinators, a [...]
Self-Defense
The term "self-defense" means different things to different people. To a police officer, self-defense differs significantly from defensive tactics or DT, as it is known in the law enforcement training community. From a civilian perspective, [...]
Like a box of chocolates – vehicle stops and approaches
“Life is like a box of chocolate; you never know what you’ll get until you bite into one.” Whether pro-active policing is still a thing or not, working street cops will make traffic stops. [...]
Review – Active Shooter Response Training: Lone Wolf to Coordinated Attacks
Once again, Active Killer events are back at the forefront of everyone's mind. While there are a lot of questions, there are not always enough well-researched and thoughtful answers. This article reviews author Scott Hyderkhan's [...]
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 [...]
Working the Thumb Safety for new 1911/2011 Shooters
It has been interesting to watch the re-invention of STI into Staccato and, simultaneously, see the resurrection of a 1911-style pistol into the police duty-use world. I used a 1911 pistol on patrol and in [...]
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 [...]