May 2006 Issue

Yes, the age of the tactical robot has truly arrived. So it's little wonder that robots were some of the stars of the show floor at the recent TREXPO West trade show in Los Angeles.

It’s easy to think of TREXPO as primarily a trade show. After all, some of the most interesting news to come out of each TREXPO usually involves some intriguing weapon or training aid. But the training and instruction that officers receive during the conference program at TREXPO can pay real dividends in the field. TREXPO West 2006 at the Los Angeles Convention Center was no exception.

It would have been difficult to find two TREXPO West keynote speakers who complemented each other in their message better than Kelly McCann and Col. Danny McKnight.

Much is known about many of law enforcement’s special teams: dive team, air watch, SWAT. In contrast, the hazardous devices team of your department (if you have one) is one that has intentionally kept itself out of the limelight, for good reason.

Old West sheriffs and marshals often carried a Colt .45 called the Peacemaker. But that .45 had the limitations of all handguns, so savvy Western lawmen also kept a short-barreled repeating rifle like a Winchester in their saddle bags. They knew that in a real gunfight, a carbine is the real “peace maker.”

If you are reading this column, odds are that you are a police officer or deputy sheriff who has at one time in your career worked traffic. That means that you have likely come up against people who invoked special privilege when you tried to write them a ticket.

I love being in shape. Running an eight-minute mile, benching 300, riding a mountain bike on rugged trails, playing a rousing game of three-on-three, are all things I would love to be doing. But I can’t do any of them today.

With refinements like a radical dehorning, a DAK double-action-only trigger, tritium front night sight and chambering for the potent .40 S&W cartridge, the SIG 229 SAS possesses everything that an officer or agent could need. And it should. This newest member of the SIG is designed for professionals who carry their guns all day, every day.

During the last hour of his shift, soon-to-be-retired Lt. Roger Sanders of the Des Moines Police Department was headed back to the station when the call of a fight at Walnut and 8th went out.

As a law enforcement officer, what are the odds that the next person you stop has a concealed weapon within easy reach? Of course the answer depends on the circumstances, but nobody would argue that officers face the potential for harm with every single civilian encounter. The problem is that almost anything on or near a person of interest could conceal a covert weapon.

Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) has built its reputation and name on its high-quality, affordable knives. Not only are CRKT’s knives affordable, but the company has been a leader in forging collaborations with well-known custom knife makers.

One of the "firmly established exceptions" to the warrant requirement for searches and seizures is the "consent exception."

The Oneida Indian Nation Police Department fields veterans like Capt. Robert L. Ryan, who has worked in law enforcement for 37 years, including 21 years with the Madison County Sheriff's Department-nearly 10 of which were spent as sheriff.