Articles - Careers & Training

You know how to respond to a deadly human threat, but you're much more likely to get sick on the job than you are to be shot. Many officers are unaware of these risks. Awareness is the key to prevention. When you know the danger, you can take precautions.

The first year after your academy graduation is critical in building the foundation for the remainder of your career. A great deal of it starts with the personal relationships you build with your peers during your first year on the street.

On Easter Sunday 1998, I was injured when a suspect ambushed another deputy and myself with an AK-47. In the shooting's aftermath, I considered how I owed my survival to formal and informal training that others had given me.

They may seem disorganized, they may act stupid, they may look really young, but they are deadly and cunning as sharks.

Sometimes you can use finesse to gain compliance and stop a situation from escalating into violence.

During this critical period, your agency and your fellow cops are checking you out; make sure they like what they see.

There is no shortage of inducements to work specialized units. Cool tools, flexible schedules, prestige, and the ability to work at something one is truly interested in are but a few of the perks.

Tragically, the lives of many officers have been lost at the hands of suspects who attacked without warning as the officer attempted to apply handcuffs. Fortunately, there is a safer way to gauge a suspect's resistance while effectively controlling him.

Crooks often commit multiple crimes. When you make an arrest and get ready to begin interrogating, you will normally administer the four-part Miranda warning. But if you want to ask questions about more than one crime you think your suspect committed, do you have to inform him of all possible topics of discussion? The short answer is, "No."

“If a man aspires to the highest place, it is no dishonor to him to halt at the second, or even at the third.” —Marcus Tullius Cicero One of the early impressions I had upon graduating from the academy was the need to start studying for the sergeant’s exam that I would be eligible to take in three years. Tucson was a fast growing city and its constant growth was making it a great agency for promotion.