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Dean Scoville

Dean Scoville

Associate Editor of Police Magazine and a retired patrol supervisor and investigator with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, Sgt. Dean Scoville has received multiple awards for government service.
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September 2010 (1)
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Patrol

Blog - Patrol

Displaying 1  -  10  of  150
Photo via Flickr.com (tomswift46).

Investigative Sloppiness is Criminal  

September 2, 2010
Your notes are legal record. Make them complete as possible and keep them safe and secure. Failure to do so can compromise a prosecution.

Click It or Die Bleeding  

August 26, 2010
While vehicle crashes attributed to just 26 percent of all law enforcement deaths between the years 1980 and 1982, they comprised 54 percent of officer deaths between 2005 and 2007. Fatalities incident to foot or motorcycle patrol remained largely unchanged, yet deaths in patrol cars spiked.

Dealing With the Non-Compliant Threat  

August 19, 2010
The one thing you have undeniable control over is yourself and your response to the situation. Your goal is to resolve the situation using the lowest degree of force possible.

Establishing Trust Is a Two-Way Street  

August 11, 2010
Generally speaking, subordinates aren't comfortable with the prospect of opening up to some tight-assed supervisor. The perception that such people will always look out for their own best interests—a paradigm that would inevitably color their every decision when it comes to dealing with subordinates—might have something to do with it.
Image via Flickr.com (OpenSkyMedia).

When In Doubt, Whip Out Your Pistol  

August 4, 2010
Whether it was on vehicle approaches, pedestrian stops, or door knocks, I made a habit of having my gun out if I felt there was any possibility of danger.

Let's Talk About Racism  

July 28, 2010
The pro forma accusations of racism that I endured on patrol involved detainees who routinely accused me of stopping them because they were black/Hispanic/Asian/albino—despite the fact that their features had been completely obscured by the tinted windows for which I was pulling them over in the first place.
Image via Wikimedia.

You Are In Eric Holder's Crosshairs  

July 22, 2010
Our A.G. is seemingly convinced that cops are if not inherently racist, then at least subject to serious lapses in judgment when it comes to race.
As a tactical flight officer, Pasadena (Calif.) PD's Brad May handles the police work, while pilot Sgt. Mike Ingram flies the chopper. Photo by Paul Clinton.

9 Ways to Improve Coordination With Helicopter Units  

July 19, 2010
Read these nine pointers for patrol officers to improve your working relationship with the sky patrol during pursuits, surveillance or other joint missions.
Photo via Flickr.com (Aneurysm9).

Pushing the Envelope In Your Patrol Unit  

July 14, 2010
Nothing so raises the adrenaline charge like a fellow officer's radioed cry for help. That so many cops end up over-driving and crashing long before they get to that call for help is what makes for a briefing-room caveat.
Photo via A.Curell (Flickr.com)

Don't Drug Test Cops  

July 7, 2010
The occasional Raphael Perez notwithstanding—which happened to be more a problem of negligent hiring in the first place; the guy was known to be a less-than-ideal candidate at the time of his hiring by LAPD—I believe cops just don't take, toke, or smoke anything they're not supposed to.
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