Also by Dean Scoville

The Occupy protestors have been willing to forego "nine-to-five" picketing in favor of setting up camps on public land. And that has presented two major problems for law enforcement: crime within the camps and civil disobedience once the protesters are legally ordered to disperse.

Officer Tim Gramins let loose with a barrage of rounds hoping that what he might lose in accuracy would be compensated for by its suppressive nature. The only thing separating Gramins and his assailant was a windshield that was fast disintegrating from ingoing and outgoing rounds.

Stationary roadblocks are no longer in wide use, but several innovative products could help officers safely end vehicle pursuits.

Officers who underestimate a suspect's resolve to evade capture or overestimate their own limitations or those of the patrol car only enhance the dangers of vehicle pursuits. It's not just the lead unit in a pursuit that is imperiled. Upon hearing of a pursuit in progress, other officers may attempt to catch up and join the chase.

While we're a far cry from replacing man with machine, technological innovations have vastly improved the safety, speed, and accuracy with which today's patrol officers do their jobs.

By ten o'clock that morning, Edina Police Officers Mike Blood and Shelby Lane were relying on parkas and hot coffee to stave off the cold when they heard a call go out for a bank robbery in progress. For Edina's finest, things were about to warm up considerably.

A rape investigation presented immediate barriers for Fort Smith PD's Det. Jeff Carter, such as a reluctant victim and informant with a criminal record and chemical dependence.

After sovereign citizens ambushed two West Memphis officers, Arkansas Game and Fish Warden Mike Neal came face to face with the cop killers in a Walmart parking lot. After taking AK-47 fire, Neal returned fire and rammed them with his truck.

Online social networks are already proving themselves invaluable assets to law enforcement. Websites such as Facebook and MySpace provide suspect leads; communities are alerted to missing children and area threats through law enforcement-generated Twitter feeds and e-mail.