Skills and Mindset — The AUFIRE Trainer
Just before SHOT, a buddy with the LAPD's Metropolitan Division told me I needed to check out the AUFIRE training system and then see it. AUFIRE is short for Actions Under Fire. I'm very glad I listened to him. In the SO Tech booth, I met with the developer, Tim Pierce, a retired LAPD officer, and a rep – Jim Grady – who had been the sergeant in the Tactics and Survival section of the [...]
What’s New At SHOT Show 2023 — Day 2
https://youtu.be/dp08Bfw1DTc A conversation with Mike Wood, author of "The Newhall Shooting — A Tactical Analysis: Survival Lessons from One of Law Enforcement's Deadliest Shootings." Be sure to follow American Cop on Instagram @americancop_magazine.
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 to 22 funerals. The lion’s share of these has been in the last 7 years, [...]
OFFICER SURVIVAL | Perception
The rain was pouring down on us as we took up positions of cover on the quiet residential street. We’d responded en-masse to deal with a deranged man who’d just stabbed his father — luckily only inflicting minor injuries. The man had then taken every knife in the house and [...]
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 may not use as much caution as you once would have. After checking your 500th [...]
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 of tiny urchins in my time and I’ve learned the hard way: you have to [...]
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, at some point, we have to walk to the door, listen and knock. There aren’t [...]
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 Army has a very qualified unit comprised of the finest of all troops, it would [...]
Qualification Vs. Training – Part 1
Qualify or Train? Is there one of these that a law enforcement agency is legally required to do? If not, what about ethical or moral requirements? If you said Qualify, well, you would generally be mistaken. The courts have consistently addressed the need for agencies to train their officers [...]
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. Most of the time, the officer has no idea who is in the vehicle and [...]
DEADLY DEA
As an FBI agent, I was fortunate to be “loaned” to the DEA for three years in a training capacity. My tactical training and survival unit was supervised and populated by some of the finest agents I’ve ever known. Three of its members, Chuck Franklin, Victor Cortez and Frank White [...]