Search Result: How-To Guides

Some of us still remember back when Disneyland used to issue coupons for its rides. The coupons started with “A” tickets for the tame kiddie-type rides and graduated all the way up to the “E” coupon for the especially wild rides. Hence the phrase, “you’re in for a real E-Ticket ride.”

The number of reserve officers is increasing throughout the country as more law enforcement organizations utilize this cost-effective means to add manpower. As with any organization, a reserve unit is only as good as the people on its roster, and this all begins with recruitment.

Gone are the days of simple two-way radios and revolvers. Now each officer must carry a multitude of less-lethal weapons in addition to a gun and probably a PDA. While grants are useful, they aren’t the only means by which to acquire funding for equipment.

School resource officers serve as important liaisons between police departments and local schools.

If federal agencies have problems cooperating and sharing information, how can local law enforcement work with them? The answers are certainly not simple, and may depend on just who is doing the answering.

The position of police sniper is one of the most unique and difficult in all of law enforcement. It carries with it high expectations and great responsibility. Yet, many agencies put little thought into setting a proper foundation for an effective sniper program.

Private security is one of this country’s biggest growth industries, bringing in billions of dollars every year and ranking as one of the fastest growing sectors in the global economy. In the last decade it accounted for the largest number of new jobs; it has grown so fast that security officers now outnumber police officers 3 to 1.

Research shows that properly calibrated ordnance gelatin is a highly reliable tissue simulant. The ordnance gelatin used by the FBI is mixed in 20-pound blocks using the following recipe.

Police officers and sheriff’s deputies across the country are many times handcuffed by the complexities of dealing with a transient—and often mentally ill—population. Fortunately, new ideas—as well as a few reliable old ones—are available to help.

Today, more and more departments all over the world are adding bicycles to their arsenal of tools. Like any new tool or method, of course, barriers must be torn down. In the case of bicycles, the old attitude is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome when starting a bike patrol unit.

People have their own opinions about what makes a good cop and what constitutes a successful law enforcement career. Most people agree that moving up the ranks is a good indicator of success. For those of you who are looking to add some stripes to your uniform, here’s some advice from people who have been there.

The regular patrol force is being tasked with taking immediate action in those fortunately infrequent events where SWAT would have been called in the past. We are finding that not only do patrol officers' tactics need to change, but the equipment patrol brings to the field needs to change as well.

It’s your home. For eight hours a day, your patrol car is your home and office. But is it also the local junkyard? It doesn’t need to be. Today there are a number of ways to keep your mobile office organized.

Gang activity continues to steadily rise throughout the United States, despite law enforcement’s attempts to deal with the epidemic. It’s like a cancer that begins in a vital organ and then spreads its deadly cells throughout the body, defying efforts to eradicate the disease. The most essential tool in fighting this battle, departments say, is communication.

In retrospect, last year’s sniper crisis is as much an anomaly as it is a brilliant case study, holding surprises that would have rattled the most veteran of public information officers PIOs. But while it is impossible to anticipate every media situation, a few guidelines do exist.

Since the majority of OISs are up close and personal, with no cover available, movement becomes an essential element in any gunfight.

Today and every day, thousands of people worldwide are being victimized by computer crime. That’s why just about every major municipal or county law enforcement agency in the United States now has a new breed of detective: the computer crime or “cybercrime” investigator.

When an agency evaluates the concept of creating an air support unit, there is always someone at the tip of the spear.

In the days following 9/11, many citizens wondered aloud if their local public safety agencies were prepared to protect them if their communities were attacked. Unfortunately, until recently, the answer to that question was often, No.

They may seem like big, expensive hunks of metal on wheels, but many agencies have come to realize that mobile command vehicles offer many advantages for the cost.