Articles - Careers & Training

The threat of active shooters is on the minds of both the public and law enforcement. Now that so many people in law enforcement and the public are looking for ways to prevent active shooter attacks, it's time to rethink the way that we respond to these attacks.

As time went by, not only was PTSD diagnosed of war veterans, but of others who'd suffered some damage to their psyche as the result of being exposed to a traumatic event. High on the list of professions associated with the condition are first responders, including fire, EMS, and law enforcement.

As for responding officers, the question for us becomes twofold. First, do we appreciate the importance of CSI's role and, second (oftentimes more important), do we appreciate the importance of our own role in crime scene handling and processing?

The plan here is to introduce a Monday-Wednesday-Friday exercise regimen that is unique, fast (sub-30 minutes each), and cheap. Do as you read here for six weeks and you'll be nothing less than shocked at the level of strength and conditioning you attain with so little time invested in each workout.

As law enforcement officers we find it hard to think of ourselves as "victims." We tend to think that robberies, burglaries, and home invasions happen to other people, not to us. After all, we're the cops. Unfortunately, crime can affect anyone, even us.

Disabled federal agents face severe and unwarranted reductions to their Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) benefits should Title III of S. 1789, the "21st Century Postal Service Act," become law.

Any time you react you are processing information and making decisions using the OODA loop. The OODA loop consists of four parts: Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act.

Everyone is well aware that humans are visual creatures. It is far and away our most dominant sense and that is one of the reasons I get so frustrated that we have so many distracters in our modern patrol vehicles.

What happens if a suspect has closed in on you to a point where you do not have time to clear a handgun jam, replace an ECD cartridge, or re-holster a canister of OC spray? Training to use your force option tools as impact weapons may help prepare you for such an encounter and could help stop or slow an assault against you.

In-progress calls evolve within a framework of controlled chaos. You can help improve your management of the situation by remembering the ABCs of in-progress calls: Assess the situation, Basics rule the day, and Contain it or lose it.