Survival After A Shooting
Ron Barber’s In the Line of Duty training videos have been a tremendous asset to law enforcement for many years. One of his latest is, I submit, a “must see” for working cops. On September 16, 2016, Officer Betty Shelby of the Tulsa, Oklahoma Police Department was enroute to a domestic disturbance when she came across a Lincoln Navigator stopped in the middle of the road, its operator shambling aimlessly about some distance away. He [...]
Phazzer Enforcer
By Ben Douglas Phiscally-Phriendly Conductive Electrical Weapons. Aagh!” was all I could get out as I seized up and fell to the mat. I had “enthusiastically” volunteered to experience a full 5-second TASER cycle back when my department approved them for carry in 2006. Others in my training group managed [...]
Lock It Up!
By Ben Douglas Responding to tragedies is a huge part of being in law enforcement, and our job is to handle the situation no matter how benign or catastrophic. At first we often ask “Why?” until cynicism sets in and we realize the why isn’t so important. “Why?” is eventually [...]
Project Triage
By Ben Douglas Life-Saving Tourniquets. On August 18, 2012, St. Croix Police Chief, Christopher Howell and his partner, Officer Elsworth Jones, an experienced SWAT officer, were working a recent armed robbery series when they responded to a robbery at a restaurant in a remote area of the island. They were [...]
Guess Who Knows You’re A Cop?
By Ben Douglas Remember how excited you were upon completing the academy and getting sworn in? I sure do. What an amazing day honoring a great accomplishment. Back then, standing on the stage, shaking hands with the chief, it was easy to think about how we’re adored by those citizens [...]
Perils Of A Hazardous Patrol Vehicle
By Ben Douglas The present-day patrol car is as much a marvel of modern innovation as it is a sad example of automotive design. Think of all the dangerous things we have the potential to be exposed to on a shift: Tainted blood, puke, feces, hazardous gasses, armed adversaries and [...]
It’s What’s Underneath
By John Thomas Grohn I absolutely hate the saying, “It’s just another tool for your toolbox.” I actually cringe when I hear it. We carry a lot of defensive gear on us when we’re working. All this gear is heavy, so my “toolbox” is sort of full. I sometimes feel [...]
Taking The Shot
By John Thomas Grohn Are You Good Enough? Ah, the Internet. Where people can sit in the relative safety and comfort of their humble abodes (whether they live with mom and dad is really not relevant) and spout off at all things of which they probably have little exposure to. [...]
The Light Switch
By John Thomas Grohn I recently viewed a store security tape following an incident. Store security called the police after watching a “shopper” acting strange. At first, they thought he was a shoplifter, but he wasn’t. As I watched the tape I realized I was watching a predator in action. [...]
What Are We Looking For? Really
By John Thomas Grohn A major aspect of officer safety is the proper and thorough search of suspects. I know a great portion of the basic academy is given to defensive tactics and searches, as it should be. It is that important. For me, officer safety is comprised of these [...]
Do More With Less
By John Thomas Grohn It’s a sad state of affairs. There’s no money for training unless you’re a super secret squirrel uber-detective/deep cover domestic operative with the standard issue scowl, facial hair, greasy mane, mechanic work shirt with the name Bob sewn on the front, and nifty little ball cap [...]