December 2005 Issue

Making assumptions about the source of a prowler complaint can get you hurt…or worse. All you can assume safely is that every prowler call holds the potential for danger.

If there is a sacred cow grazing in the field of law enforcement, it can be named in two words: community policing.

A Marine died in Anbar Province, Iraq, yesterday. It’s Nov. 8 when I write this. And a Marine died yesterday in Anbar Province. Far from his or her loved ones.

Ah, December, the holiday month, the month of giving and joy and general goodwill. However, if you wear the badge and gun, walk the cell block, or handle the calls of traumatized citizens, you may be thinking "bah humbug!"

Back in the late 1990s, a new polymer pistol called the HS 2000 hit the market. Made in Croatia by I.M. Metal, the HS 2000 suffered from poor marketing, a poor supply of holsters and accessories, and ultimately, poor sales.

It was a damned cold night for central Florida. Officer Keith Cowart wasn’t getting any argument from Smokey Stapleter or Gary Markowski on that score. His fellow Melbourne, Fla., police officers had congregated with him for a windshield conference and coffee. Stapleter rubbed his arms to get his blood circulating.

Because of the kind of people they are, peace officers have a hard time standing by, doing nothing in the face of danger to others. As a result, many times they intervene even though they are acting alone and without many of the advantages they enjoy while "on the clock."

A criminal suspect has a Fifth Amendment right not to be compelled to incriminate himself, so he cannot be forced to make a statement. But if he is lawfully in custody, he can be compelled to submit to particular tests or to provide exemplars of his physical attributes. Under some circumstances, he can also be compelled to behave in certain ways (“modeling”) in order to assist in identification.

Growing along with the city has been the Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety (RRDPS). In less than two decades, the city-with a growing population of nearly 70,000 residents-has watched as the public-safety agency experienced a staggering 455-percent increase in personnel resources.