March 2005 Issue

When it comes to capturing, subduing, and arresting bad guys, law enforcement currently has four types of less-lethal and less-than-lethal tools: physical restraint such as handcuffs and Ripp Hobble restraints, chemical weapons such as oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray, electrical shock devices such as Tasers, and impact tools such as batons and Asps.

Deciding who should be hired to a high-ranking position at a law enforcement agency is a difficult job, no question. And the last thing any department wants is for such decisions to be viewed as arbitrary or unfair. This is why many agencies now use a structured process that incorporates the opinions of many people within and outside the department to evaluate prospective employees.

When you’re in a high-risk situation, nothing is more important than effective communication to keep you and fellow officers alive. Equipment that keeps you in touch with other tactical officers is invaluable at such times.

Every investigation is a process of elimination. When a crime has been committed it is an investigator’s job to narrow the field of possible suspects until he or she can build a case against an individual or a group of individuals.

Every crime scene, like every picture, tells a story. There are times when an obvious piece of evidence, complete with its own documented history, stares us right in the face, and we pass it by.

The 19th-century German monarch Otto von Bismarck once famously said, "Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made."

What was surprising, however, was the performance of a low-price rifle, the DPMS Panther Arms Panther 16-inch AP4 Post Ban configuration rifle with Miculek compensator.

The importance of force-on-force training in law enforcement and military operations cannot be overstated. Human beings learn in three ways: seeing, hearing, and doing.

SIG Arms takes its SIG Tac knives as seriously as it does its handguns. The Tactical Auto's handle is made of aircraft-grade aluminum alloy, which is hard anodized for durability. ATS-34 steel is used in the blade because it is easy to sharpen and holds a good edge.

Last year I devoted two columns to reviews of different computer forensics software. This month I’m revisiting computer forensics once again, but this time let’s look at a hardware device developed for the cybercrime investigator.

By now, most banks and convenience stores have installed video cameras or still cameras to preserve evidence of any criminal event. Following a robbery or other crime, law enforcement officers can use the surveillance video or photos to trace the crook and put together a photo array or lineup to be displayed to witnesses for identification.

Back when I was working patrol for the New York Police Department, Sgt. Torre handed my partner and me a business index card to complete for a new bank on Queens Boulevard. It was a weekday, so we drove by the new bank when we turned out. The bank was small with two sets of revolving doors instead of the doors you push open.