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, [...]
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 [...]
OFFICER SURVIVAL | The Value Of The FTO
We need good cops now more than ever. Unfortunately, with budgets and the political climate being what they are, it’s getting harder than ever to attract quality people to our line of work. Every time agencies are under attack and budgets cut, it becomes that much more difficult to recruit [...]
STREET LEVEL | Not If, But When: Will You Be Ready?
On Aug. 27, 2011, Hurricane Irene made landfall over North Carolina’s Outer Banks and began a trail of destruction stretching all the way to Canada’s eastern seaboard. Irene impacted almost 100 million people, with over 50 million suffering the brunt of her effects. Tens of millions went without electric power [...]
STREET LEVEL | The Moving Shooter: Everybody’s Nightmare — A Sergeant’s Role
Scene 1: Just as you pull up and slam the gear lever into park, 40-50 screaming, sobbing, panicked people pour out of the north double doors of Sunrise Mall, and with them, the unmistakable staccato popping of gunshots. The instant the apex of the stampeding mob sees you; they wheel [...]