February 2005 Issue

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.”

So because every cop can't get a sneak peek at the latest police firearms on the floor of a major trade show, POLICE offers you this roundup of some of the latest in law enforcement tools.

Domestic violence in police families is hidden behind the Blue Wall of Silence, but experts say the only way to prevent this tragedy is to bring it into the open.

Editor’s Note: On Nov. 30, 2003, three officers of the Cincinnati Police Department were called to the parking lot of one of the city’s many White Castle restaurants. There they found an immense 41-year-old man named Nathaniel Jones who was scaring the restaurant’s employees with his bizarre behavior.

The reason for the 870's popularity with the men and women of American law enforcement is easy to understand. It's a proven weapon that works not only as a long gun but also as a means of intimidating the bad guy into peaceful compliance.

Today, a lot of police work involves specialization. In large departments nationwide we have harbor/shore patrol units, water rescue, high-country search and rescue teams, SWAT units, K-9 units, and the list goes on and on. That’s why many officers are looking beyond traditional patrol flashlights and at “specialty” lights designed for hikers, climbers, hunters, and divers.

As a kid growing up in the late 1950s and early ’60s, one of the toys I received one Christmas was a Mr. Potato Head. If you’re from that era, you may remember Mr. Potato Head. He was a goofy plastic guy, or should I say, “spud,” of a thousand faces. Using creativity limited only by your imagination and, of course, available parts, you created faces that only your Mom and maybe Picasso would love.

Some law enforcement activities are more likely than others to generate citizen complaints, tort claims, and lawsuits (use of deadly or serious force, for example). But even routine detentions, searches, and arrests also present civil liability risks. What can you do to reduce the chances of becoming a defendant in a lawsuit?

While police scampered around the countryside looking for their lost convicts, investigators at the scene were concluding that the "explosive" that blew out the iron bars of a window and collapsed the adjacent wall wasn't an explosive at all, but rather a corrosive agent: human urine.

Time after time, officers end up in dangerous situations where they perform simple tactical errors and take for granted that their lives are not endangered.