Tag Search Result: How-to Guides

We’ve all heard the saying, “guilty by association,” right? Despite what the defense lawyers may say, this saying holds a lot of truth in police work. Just as police officers have a network of contacts and informants, most criminals have a network of people’s lives they affect, both for the good and the bad.

With the right tests you can determine whether a pistol makes the grade as your next duty or off-duty weapon.

The actions you take as a first responder can determine the value of crime scene evidence for investigators and prosecutors.

Anyone who has ever watched “Star Trek: The Next Generation”—that’s the one with Picard, not Kirk—has probably noticed a special room on the Enterprise called the “Holo-Deck.” The Holo-Deck uses holograms, transporters, replicators, and other unlikely science-fiction technologies to create an immersive virtual reality that can be used by the Enterprise crew for both recreation and ultra-realistic training.

Making assumptions about the source of a prowler complaint can get you hurt…or worse. All you can assume safely is that every prowler call holds the potential for danger.

The looters hit the gun stores in New Orleans first, loading up with rifles and ammunition to better fend for the crimes to follow. Then they descended upon other stores. Before long, they moved from the business districts to nearby residences. And what Hurricane Katrina hadn’t ravaged or left destroyed, they did.

The excitement of working with a K-9 partner can sometimes overshadow the amount of care and upkeep these animals need. Of course, just like people they need to maintain overall health to excel in the field.

Even if you’ve never been asked to produce a policies and procedures manual, you can well imagine what a huge undertaking it is. If you are planning to develop or even update your agency’s manual, the suggestions contained in this article should help you save time, produce a quality manual, and avoid some frustrations that can occur.

When on scene, most tactical teams contain more testosterone than a crowd at a British soccer match. But there is one balancing element that keeps it all in perspective. The crisis negotiation team steps up to play a vital role in this very real life-or-death game of wits.

Back in 1965, a few years before he helped found Intel, a scientist named Gordon Moore postulated a law of technology. What the brilliant Mr. Moore said is that the power of computers will double every year. Some say he said every 18 months.

One of the most ignored aspects of our work is report writing. But it shouldn’t be. Whether we are patrol officers or investigators, we write reports each and every day. And these reports stay with us from the day we write them all the way through the court process and beyond.

If jobs were like mental illnesses, the office of sheriff could be said to have multiple personality disorder. On one hand, you’re a by-the-book law enforcement officer. On the other, you’re a consummate, cunning politician. You’re expected to crunch numbers like a slash-and-burn CEO, but turn on the celebrity charm when the TV cameras arrive. So who in their right mind would run for sheriff? Plenty of people, as it turns out.

Beyond the basic dive certification that most enthusiasts get from the PADI, an agency will probably have to depend on a more specialized source for training.

There are all sorts of things that can take place in or hide in bodies of water. Some will be the result of criminal actions; some will be accidental. Many will require police to respond in order to recover evidence or further an investigation, and this requires personnel specially trained and equipped for such duty: a dive team.

Most law enforcement agencies have been through the process of buying and equipping cars many times before. But just because you’ve done it before doesn’t mean you have to do it the same way every time. There are many choices when it comes to outfitting your patrol cars with lightbars, partitions, deck lights, and all the other accoutrements that make cruisers patrol ready. Maybe it’s time for your department to look into the different options.

Deciding who should be hired to a high-ranking position at a law enforcement agency is a difficult job, no question. And the last thing any department wants is for such decisions to be viewed as arbitrary or unfair. This is why many agencies now use a structured process that incorporates the opinions of many people within and outside the department to evaluate prospective employees.

Watch the leaders, or those in leadership positions, and you will learn much as a student of leadership. I try to key in on how supervisors address groups of officers and I always look to see how the officers respond.

Some of us still remember back when Disneyland used to issue coupons for its rides. The coupons started with “A” tickets for the tame kiddie-type rides and graduated all the way up to the “E” coupon for the especially wild rides. Hence the phrase, “you’re in for a real E-Ticket ride.”

The number of reserve officers is increasing throughout the country as more law enforcement organizations utilize this cost-effective means to add manpower. As with any organization, a reserve unit is only as good as the people on its roster, and this all begins with recruitment.

School resource officers serve as important liaisons between police departments and local schools.