October 2006 Issue

On the occasion of our thirtieth anniversary, Police Magazine decided to contact veteran officers and ask them how law enforcement has changed in the past three decades.

Attendees to this year’s TREXPO East had the opportunity to attend presentations by two of the most passionate and inspirational speakers on the law enforcement lecture circuit: Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and Col. Danny McKnight, both retired U.S. Army Rangers.

Time was that the only computer in a patrol car was the Casio calculator inside the duty bag of the driver. Now just a decade later, computers are so common in patrol cars that some have more than one.

Every U.S. Supreme Court decision on the criminal justice provisions of the Constitution (especially the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments) is important to law enforcement, but some have a more significant day-to-day impact on police work than others.

Ever long for "the good old days?" I know that some of you do. But before you decide to switch places with yesterday's cop, it's important for you to know that you have much better tools and tactics than we did 30 years ago.

When I started my law enforcement career about the same time that Police was launched in 1976, cop cars were changing. It was the era of the oil embargo and the gas shortages, so the engines in patrol vehicles started to get a lot smaller.

Before you have to work with the press, you should become thoroughly familiar with two things: the law as it applies to journalists, and your agency’s policies and procedures for interacting with members of the news media.

Back in 1994, Matthew Musladin showed up at the San Jose, Calif., home of his estranged wife’s mother to pick up his son. Words were exchanged, and he threw his wife, Pamela Musladin, to the ground. She called for help. Her boyfriend, Thomas Allen Studer, and her brother came to her aid.

OK, I confess. I used to teach how to train the "new generation." You older cops know who I’m talking about: frankly, the generation not as good as ours.

The latest Kahr model, the CW9, is an excellent example of a reliable, compact semi-auto, and it makes an excellent backup or off-duty weapon.

At 11:17 p.m., a 911 call came in to the Tallahassee police dispatch center. The man on the telephone identified himself as Louis Green and advised that he had warrants and wanted to turn himself in. He described himself to the dispatcher, said that he would await the responding officers at 2403 South Meridian Street, and hung up.

Insight Technology built its reputation on producing an affordable, user-friendly weapon -mounted light, the M3. The M3 was and is compatible with Glock’s built-in light rail, works well with the Picatinny rail or Weaver rail, and it weighs a scant four ounces.

When custodial interrogation is imminent and it's time to give the suspect a Miranda warning, what exactly do you have to say? The answer is, nothing exactly. The U.S. Supreme Court, which created the necessity of a warning of rights and a waiver as prerequisites to the prosecutorial use of a statement obtained through custodial interrogation, has never held that any precise wording is required.

Inflatable flamingos, temporary tattoos, and tongue-in-cheek ad campaigns are all part of Iowa State University Police Department's student-safety arsenal, which aims to promote responsible behavior in a fun and fresh way that-omigod!-actually gets students' attention.