October 2007 Issue

The greatest challenge that any chief or sheriff faces when deciding to equip his or her officers with night vision is how to justify the cost. No doubt the powers that be—meaning the bean counters—will see NV gear as exotic and expensive toys with little or no use in everyday police work. Nothing could be further from the truth. While NV stuff can be pricey; it can also quite literally be a life-saver.

What can today's cop learn from the misfortune of ancient Greek infantry? Plenty, according to Siddle.

In the past six years, I've attended 12 TREXPO conferences. Each time the exposition floor at the conference has had a unique character. There was some kind of trend that you could see in the products showcased up and down the aisles. TREXPO East 2007 is no exception. This year the trend was tactical vehicles.

The conference portion of the 2007 TREXPO East offered a little bit of something for every attendee. Once primarily SWAT oriented, the TREXPO conference now includes classes of interest to tactical medics, SWAT operators, patrol officers, and gang officers.

You don't need to have majored in biology to know that men and women are not created equal—in measurements, that is. That's why female officers need ballistic vests made especially for their unique shapes. And now that women make up a more significant amount of the market share in law enforcement, body armor companies are taking notice.

On average, 60,000 officers are assaulted on the job every year. That's an average of 164 per day. The risk level you face on the job makes it important not only to resist complacency and to follow prudent tactics, but also to understand how to ensure that your interactions with suspects are constitutionally justifiable, so that you are never forced to choose between being safe and being sued.

Few artists have done more to change the way that cops are portrayed in popular culture than best-selling author Joseph Wambaugh. While Jack Webb's Joe Friday was all about the facts, ma'am, Wambaugh's cop characters were and are all about the heart and soul. They are human and their profession takes a toll on them as individuals.

If I were a crook these are some of the methods and techniques I would use to victimize the people in your jurisdiction. Believe me, bad guys in your patrol area are doing exactly what I would do if I was a crook.

You've heard a lot about interoperability in the last few years. Here's a quick look at what's being done to make it easier for everybody in public safety to communicate when something really smelly hits the fan.

We've all heard the occasional grumbling from officers who feel cameras in their patrol cars are tools for the brass to spy on them. But we've also no doubt heard reports of in-car video revealing criminals' true colors in court, and effectively sealing their fates. The following is a sampling of mobile video systems that will back you up on the stand.

Baaah! Baaah! That's the sound of me once again becoming a sheep. I thought I had shed my wool back around 7:30 a.m. PST on Sept. 11, 2001, when I watched a second airliner slam into the World Trade Center.

The PT1911, like other handguns in the Taurus line, sports a lot of really nice "custom" features, it is made from high-quality components and, best of all, it's affordably priced at around $703. Here's my up close and personal look at this gun.

Elbeco's Meridian jacket was created with one goal in mind: versatility. It's kind of like that old Certs commercial with the tagline "Two mints in one." The Meridian is many jackets in one.

There are reasons why Panasonic is the world's leader in the production and sale of ruggedized notebooks for law enforcement, the military, and business. One, Panasonic is a huge company with lots of resources for research and development. Two, the company has a strong reputation for quality and ergonomic design. And three, Panasonic just makes excellent products.

While such acts are rarely reported in the media, one in three schools has reported acts of vandalism each year. In 1990 more than $600 million in damage to school property was caused by vandals. By understanding the nuances of vandalistic acts, patrol officers can develop specialized responses to help minimize future attacks.

Officer Paul Ware found himself facing an occupied train passing. He waited in his truck for the train to pass. Maybe he'd still get home at a decent hour. But if fortune had smiled on Ware, the grin had been one of a shining skull. For in coming to a stop in the shorter lane, Ware found himself abreast of a gold 1963 Chevy.

Back in 1988, Calibre Press released a stunning law enforcement training tape titled "Surviving Edged Weapons." The tape is great, but it has led to a dangerous myth. Over the years, this simple demonstration of draw speed has morphed into an astounding misconception that now permeates law enforcement and security training, "The 21-Foot Rule."

Homer Brown, Larry Lingo, and Lowell Cain—the three detectives who work the Agricultural Unit of Hillsborough County, Fla.—aren't afraid to get down and dirty. "We just got done rounding up some cows at 10 this morning," says Det. Brown, referring to a case the trio and their horses handled on a hot, humid day last July.

It's not uncommon to hear or read about officer-involved shootings where multiple officers emptied their loads into the suspect and anything within 10 feet of him. Asked about why they opened fire, bystander officers may reply, "When another officer started shooting, I just reflexively started shooting, too."

Testing for promotion, specifically from an officer to a sergeant, can be a stressful time of studying and then awaiting results. While I can't do anything to help you pass the time during the waiting process, I can give you some tips on how to maximize your testing experience.