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 location, description, and license plate of the vehicle and now you are approaching it. This bit of dubious cop wisdom was imparted to me by my first field training officer around 1995 or so. Let's call him "Ol' Sarge." [...]
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, when from my left side I felt a hand touch my shoulder and voice say, [...]
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 SWAT needs these tactics more than patrol cops? But by the time SWAT gets there, [...]
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 of those patrol officers I’m pretty sure every department has; the one convinced he’s seen [...]
A SHOOTING STORY | Should I Feel Bad About Not Feeling Bad?
You could see it in his eyes; he was definitely one mean old SOB. The business ends of two Beretta 92F’s and one MP-5 were pointed at him from about 10' away, and yet he seemed contemptuously unconcerned. “The business ends of two Beretta 92F’s and one MP-5 were pointed [...]
DEATH AT WHOSE HANDS?
GOOD AFTERNOON MA’AM! It’s day two of the police academy. I’m the shrink lecturing right after lunch. Great. I have an hour to talk to these shiny young faces about the toll a police career can take on their psyches. How to get their attention? Pop quiz time. “On average, [...]
Killing Our Students
This post is respectfully dedicated to all law enforcement officers killed by other law enforcement officers. May GOD forgive us. I have never used this bully pulpit to promote my personal livelihood of being in the firearms and tactics instruction business. Occasionally, I’ll make reference to something we learned in [...]
Back-Up Guns
I did the cop-thing for about a decade and since then have continued to teach firearms tactics and work with law enforcement officers for an additional 30 years. Over the last 40 years some things have changed, yet many things haven’t. It’s often referred to as “100 years of tradition, [...]
What’s Your Hurry?
Let me be the first to admit — I’m guilty. We’re all guilty of it. The “it” I’m referring to is stupid or perhaps more aptly, arrogant driving. This term covers a broad spectrum of misdeeds sometimes committed by the average cop. The kind of driving I’m talking about includes [...]
“I DON’T NEED NO STINKING SEAT BELT” | Playing Crash Test Dummy
The atmosphere in the briefing room was jovial and relaxed. Everyone from the rookies to the salty vets were eager to hit the road and begin their shifts. The old guys liked poking fun at the younger ones and the sergeants made sure it didn’t get too much out of [...]
Sudden Assault: Think Outside The Box
Training and years of experience prepares you for your duty ride, but are you really prepared for what might happen in an instant? Reserve academies do what they can to prepare you with the basics, but sometimes the bad guys know those basics as well as you. A few years [...]