If The Christmas Tree Is In The Yard
“Sheriff One, Frank 32, code 6 (back-up), there’s a Christmas tree in the front yard!” That was an evening! Street Cop Knowledge Back when I was a baby cop, I finished up my field training program on 12/15. A couple of nights later, I went to swing shift (the senior shift) on the senior end of the week. Why? Because the two most senior deputies on the shift had gotten hurt – one broken arm, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]