August 2007 Issue

Some cops could use a hug. Others could use a Huggy Bear. Like Starsky and Hutch's trusty tattletale, reliable informants provide us with a worm's eye view of their sordid social circles, a heads up on threats to officer safety, and the groundwork for search warrants. They hang in circles we wouldn't want to enter. There is no question that the access they have and the intelligence they acquire is often invaluable to law enforcement.

When John Matthews developed the first SureFire flashlight, he realized that for officers to get the most benefit out of the light, they would need special training. So Matthews, now president and CEO of SureFire, created the SureFire Institute, one of the nation's premier low-light combat training academies.

The detective rapped on the front door. Then three seconds later, instead of waiting for a resident to answer, one of the officers on his team kicked in the door. They had expected to find a meth lab in the apartment, but the man and woman they'd awakened in the middle of the night and handcuffed had committed no crimes. The officers had raided the wrong apartment.

Go to the Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, and you will quickly realize that there are a multitude of companies making long guns. The following is a brief guide to help you discover what's available in the patrol rifle and carbine market.

Talk to any SWAT team leader, and he will tell you that one of, if not, the most important members of his team is the breacher. After all, on a raid, on a search, on a hostage rescue, nothing happens until that door or obstacle entry point is moved. The whole operation depends on a successful breach.

Although Smith & Wesson is one of our oldest and largest surviving gun companies, the iconic manufacturer is a relative newcomer when it comes to tactical rifles. The only problem that I've heard associated with the S&W rifles is their availability. It seems that demand far exceeds supply. Just recently, I received the test sample that I had ordered at last year's seminar.

At first, the term "stalking" was mostly associated only with cases involving deranged, obsessed fans who were harassing beautiful movie stars. But statistics show that one in 12 women and one in 45 men are victims of stalking at least once in their lifetime.

Durante arrived at the scene just as Bright was putting out a crime broadcast with descriptions of the couple seen leaving the vehicle. Both had been seen running eastbound on Coleford before making a right on the next street, Newmarket.

The grisly murder of six-year-old Adam Walsh in 1981 was a wake-up call for America. Not only did it bring national attention to the growing problem of missing and abducted children, it also fostered an overhaul in the system.

A search conducted under a valid search warrant can still violate the Fourth Amendment if it is conducted in an unreasonable manner. "It is incumbent upon the officer executing a search warrant to ensure the search is lawfully authorized and lawfully conducted." (Groh v. Ramirez)