Gerald W. GarnerFrom Gerald W. GarnerPatrolHandling People Under the InfluenceFor the law enforcement officer confronting a person who is intoxicated or "under the influence" of alcoholic beverages or drugs, licit or illicit, one thing remains certain: Anytime a diminished capacity human being is involved, the potential for real danger is inevitably present.November 30, 2006PatrolHow to Stay Safe on Prowler CallsMaking 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.November 30, 2005PatrolMaking Off-Duty ArrestsBecause of the kind of people they are, peace officers have a hard time standing by, doing nothing in the face of danger to others. As a result, many times they intervene even though they are acting alone and without many of the advantages they enjoy while "on the clock."November 30, 2005PatrolFatal Errors: Surviving Traffic DutyIt is easy to get careless while engaged in something you do a great deal. If you are a uniformed police officer and don’t work in a jail, chances are that traffic and vehicles are the bread and butter of your existence.December 31, 2004PatrolFatal ErrorsMaking an arrest, engaging in a traffic contact, and intervening on the scene of domestic mayhem are, statistically, among the most dangerous things you can do. Make an error in your handling of one of these and you should anticipate a really bad day.December 31, 2004PatrolFatal Errors: Surviving Arrest and ControlIn the Southwestern U.S., a patrolman with about a year on the job was shot twice in the back of the head while transporting two robbery suspects in the back seat of his patrol car. The officer had failed to find a .380 caliber handgun concealed on one of the robbers. The officer died of the wounds he received in the 3:30 a.m. incident.December 31, 2004PatrolFatal Errors: Surviving Domestic Violence CallsVeteran cops have always known that responding to a domestic altercation or assault is a high-risk assignment. The reasons for the danger are plentiful.December 31, 2004PatrolGetting Ready for the Big OneTerrorism can happen anywhere, at any time.September 30, 2003PatrolStructure SearchesThousands of times a day in this country peace officers search homes, businesses, schools, and other structures for hidden offenders. Structure searches can turn into a high-risk assignment for the officers performing them.August 31, 2003PatrolSearch PatternsPatting down a suspect is serious business and you can never be reminded enough of the hazards of doing it poorly.April 30, 2003Page 1 of 2Next Page
