STREET LEVEL | Morale Building: No Programs, Please!
Somewhere in the basement there’s a cigar box contain-ing military medals and commendations. The only mementos of that period on display in my home are the lone surviving photo of my best friend, killed on the DMZ in 1966, and a wooden boat paddle bearing a small plaque from 1st Recon, delivered thirty years late by a younger generation of warriors. Two boxes full of police awards are … somewhere; I’m not sure. Items displayed [...]
WHY DO YOU NEED TO KEEP YOUR TRIGGER FINGER UP OFF THE TRIGGER (AND ON THE FRAME)?
Rule #3 – KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON TARGET. The bottom line is that you do not ever want a negligent discharge with a firearm in your control. I think we can all agree with that. Then, the question is, why are we telling [...]
PERFORMANCE UNDER FIRE | Who Wins, Who Dies, and Why
Human factors are a significant thing, especially in those career fields or endeavors where failure can have a catastrophic consequence to an individual or a group. The aviation community has successfully worked these issues and the related science into their evaluation and training processes. Law enforcement and the self-defense community [...]
LESS LETHAL
What's the real story behind "less lethal," and why is it considered a critical force option for both law enforcement and civilian application? The term "less lethal" is applied to any technique, system, or methodology utilized to slow or stop an aggressor (physical threat) without loss of life. Civilians who [...]
LIFE SKILLS | Problem Solving
One thing you can be assured of living in today’s dynamic society is the need to solve problems. Your two choices are to allow a problem to persist or to solve it straight up. If you choose to solve the problem so that it doesn’t recur, then there’s a useful [...]
LIFE SKILLS | Daily Readiness
Given the way things are going today, both law enforcement professional and concerned citizen alike must be prepared to confront anything from bullying to full scale civil unrest and everything in between (including a never-ending pandemic). The underlining preparation question is ‘Are you ready?’ but for what? Top contenders are [...]
LIFE SKILLS | Mind-Eyes-Hands
The word “protection” is a term applied to “the activities and planning of any individual who may be seeking to protect themselves and their loved ones from harm.” Such harm comes from real-world threats which can negatively and permanently impact both your professional and personal life. The world just isn’t [...]
LIFE SKILLS | Better Judgement
A necessary skill to have on board should you find yourself in an exigent situation, is the ability to make sound tactical decisions and in a timely manner. In other words, use better judgement. Needing to make an urgent decision introduces additional and contributing factors. Although interrelated these are best [...]
LIFE SKILLS | Attack Cycle
Home invasions, random muggings, peaceful protests, a mob of people attacking your vehicle when you and your family are in it, being subject to ‘the knockout game’ and the like are all undesired events. Such bad things that happen to good people don’t just occur out of the blue. Instead, [...]
LIFE SKILLS | Normalcy Bias
Bad things happen to good people. Anything bad that can happen to you anywhere or anytime is referred to as an “active threat.” An active threat can be anything from an act of terrorism to an active shooter at work, at school, when you’re out shopping or at a restaurant. [...]
THE GRAY MAN CONCEPT | The Art Of Blending In
We are living in troubled times. We have entered a new period of conflict and instability. A Princeton University group study of three months of protests in 2020, found that 96% of U.S. urban areas saw violent unrest. Even greater unrest is possible, that could last well into the decade. [...]