Also by Dean Scoville

Most officers are conscientious about wearing a protective vest. Many of you are similarly vigilant about having disposable gloves available. But most of you don’t give patrol gloves a second thought. It’s time that you did.

Two hours into his shift, Pellechio monitored radio traffic concerning a developing domestic situation in the 8800 block of Boulevard East. An on-scene officer had requested additional units regarding a barricaded suspect at the location; the excited tone of his voice underscored the volatility of the situation.

A few months ago, I started working as an investigator. I had some 20 years of experience on patrol. But the move was still a challenge, as I was basically thrown into a sink-or-swim situation.

Burnout is a modern American pandemic. Almost anybody who works an office job in this country has, at one time during his or her career, experienced apathy and lethargy while on the clock.

In nicer weather, it would have been difficult not to notice the Plymouth Voyager parked on the center median of the interstate. But the sight of a disabled vehicle on rain-slickened Interstate 81 had in recent days become an increasingly familiar one, even if this particular van was canted with two flat tires. In fact, the Virginia state trooper who came across it was already en route to still another accident further down the road.

Before you have to work with the press, you should become thoroughly familiar with two things: the law as it applies to journalists, and your agency’s policies and procedures for interacting with members of the news media.

Called to a “shots fired,” Officer Richard Pruitt and Officer Mike McDonald had to go in a building and face down a shotgun killer.

Officer Darren Bristow of the Tulsa (Okla.) Police Department came close to avoiding the entire episode. But isn’t that usually the case? It’s the cop who stays an hour longer than he’d planned…It’s the patrolman who swaps shifts to get a day off…It’s the trooper who decides to make just one more t-stop before calling it a day who ends up having a really bad shift.

There is probably no more misunderstood law enforcement duty than traffic enforcement. Cops who perform this duty often think of it as tedious and futile. And the motorists who are pulled over for traffic violations feel like they are being picked on and tapped for fines that fill local government coffers.

How much is a cop’s safety worth? Despite safety concerns, due to shrinking budgets it’s becoming increasingly common for police departments to require officers to purchase their own body armor. Even when agencies pony up some money for ballistic vests, it’s usually not enough to buy the best of the best—which is what most officers want protecting them from bodily harm.

Orange County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Deputy Jennifer Fulford had a lot on her mind on May 5, 2004. Having just paid for her wedding dress, the logistics of her nuptials were weighing on the 31-year-old deputy as she began her patrol. There was still so much to do, and time was a precious commodity.

It was a damned cold night for central Florida. Officer Keith Cowart wasn’t getting any argument from Smokey Stapleter or Gary Markowski on that score. His fellow Melbourne, Fla., police officers had congregated with him for a windshield conference and coffee. Stapleter rubbed his arms to get his blood circulating.

It's one of the maxims of working patrol: No matter what day of the week, no matter what time of night, things can go to hell in a heartbeat. It didn't take long for Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Claus to learn how true this saying can be.

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.

Whether chasing a fleeing suspect or searching for a missing person, the K-9 handler and his assisting officers have a lot of influence on the success or failure of a canine search. What can a street cop do to hedge his bets when it comes to a successful canine search? We asked a few K-9 vets.

While not generally regarded as one of the more obvious dangers of the job, an officer’s lunch break is not without its liabilities.

It was two days before Christmas 2004, and Sgt. Randy Wills of the Pueblo (Colo.) Police Department was a case study in sleep deprivation. It had been a busy holiday season with very little peace on earth and even less good will toward men. Wills needed rest.

In a profession fraught with diminishing resources, one of our most valuable resources is the experience of officers who have already faced our worst nightmares and come back alive.

When it comes to patrol cars, some law enforcement agencies have always wrestled with a variety of decisions. Ford? Chevy? Dodge? How fast? Marked or unmarked?