Search Result: Officer Safety

When called to suicide scenes, emergency personnel don't always know what they're up against. With some 90 percent of chemical suicides posting warnings on the windows of the cars and rooms in which they kill themselves, one would hope that officers and firefighters would think twice before opening doors and breaching windows.

We search people in a variety of field situations and legal circumstances. As far as officer safety skills are concerned, I believe pat search techniques to be one of the most critical skills given too little emphasis in training, and therefore worthy of analysis.

Caught between diminishing tax revenues and citizen demand for greater police protection, law enforcement leveraged the challenge onto the backs of its patrol personnel. By splitting two-officer units into separate cars, police agencies were able to effectively double the area of patrol coverage.

Searching people in a standing position is something deputies and officers do every day. As such, officer safety is a primary concern. View this photo gallery for a step-by-step approach to help you safely conduct a pat-down or Terry search for weapons. Read the full article, "Safe Searching: The Standing Basic Search." Photos courtesy of Sgt. James Harbison.

When asked to demonstrate weapon retention, most officers place both hands on their holstered handgun and move their hips violently from side to side. This is a good technique. Here are three additional techniques that can help you keep your duty weapon out of the hands of the bad guy. For the full story, read "Stopping Gun Grabs."

The odds of you dying in a traffic accident are much higher than the odds of you being shot while restrained in your car.

Winter poses unique dangers for the patrol officer. Dealing with these threats is a matter of weather-proofing yourself both mentally and physically.

Over the years, I've heard multiple accounts of handcuffed subjects who later escaped or attempted to escape. One particular incident involved a young kid who fled on foot. His ability to outrun two officers with his hands behind his back demonstrated just how focused a person can be if he wants to escape.