Also by Melanie Basich

As the officer got into his Dodge Ram truck, the man with the duty belt started firing on his vehicle. Thornton lay down along the front seat as glass from his truck's windows shattered around him. He kept peering up to check the assailant's location.

Here's a primer on the types of apparel offered by uniform companies for law enforcement officers.

Prepare yourself for cold weather with these jackets for duty.

LCOA Composites has harnessed its experience creating military vehicle armor and deployable ballistic shelters to develop new DeadStop lightweight police shield technology. The company's ported lightweight Level IIIA shield weighs less than 14 pounds so it can be held with one hand.

For his perseverence under fire, Officer Ray Blohm of the Upper Darby (Pa.) Police Department has been selected as the November 2010 Officer of the Month by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Ocean Systems' dTective is a video analysis software suite devoted to the task, which the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office in Texas routinely uses to run one of four regional labs across the country dedicated to retrieving and processing video evidence.

Computer mounts and docking stations keep information at officers' fingertips while in their vehicles.

Traffic collisions continue to claim the lives of more law enforcement officers than any other type of incident each year. HG2 Emergency Lighting aims to lower that statistic with its Runner lighting solution, debuting at the International Association of Chiefs of Police show in Orlando this month.

Wildlife Officer Michael K. Neal of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission stopped a father and son duo from killing more people by ramming his truck into their vehicle. For his actions, he has been named the October 2010 Officer of the Month by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

As patrol responds to more and more calls formerly reserved for SWAT teams, tools that equip these officers to handle violent incidents are increasingly important.

While he was on a plainclothes detail, he recognized a woman he'd seen in a video still, leading investigators to the murderer of an elderly man. For his investigative skills, Paidousis has been named the September 2010 Officer of the Month by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Find a command center on wheels to meet your agency's needs.

Acquiring any big ticket item for a law enforcement agency takes lots of time and lots of money. So when the Indiana Department of Homeland Security had the opportunity to purchase a new mobile command center from Supreme Specialty Vehicles, Response Director Shane A. Booker wanted to do it right the first time.

On Dec. 13, 2009, Officer Rob Angelo of the Bangor (Maine) Police Department drew on his 18 years of law enforcement experience to keep a distraught woman from jumping into an icy river to her death. For his actions he was named the August 2010 Officer of the Month by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

On patrol, you never know what you'll need protection from. Think of gloves as an essential tool no matter the time of year.

When your body armor warranty expires and you receive a new vest, what do you do with the old one? From recycling to repurposing, there are multiple options depending on your agency's policies and resources.

It's hard to imagine that a pair of goggles could train the brain to more quickly recognize and respond to threats, but that's exactly what ARE Innovations' training goggles do.

Arriving before firefighters, Cpl. Christopher Sturgeon and Officer Trent Ginn used common sense and instinct to fight through choking smoke and rescue a woman from her flame-engulfed house. For this they have been named the July 2010 National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund officers of the month.

POLICE-TREXPO East first response training conference and expo will take place Aug. 17-20 in Chantilly, Va. The event will feature a keynote address on the Islamic terrorist threat, a panel on U.S. border threats, classes taught by experts in close-quarter combat and law enforcement tactics and techniques, and a world-class exposition.