Featured podcasts - Editor's Corner

The deputies of the Pinal County (Ariz.) Sheriff's Office must be extra vigilant when traveling into the rugged desert south of Interstate 8, following the ambush shooting of deputy Louis Puroll and the shooting deaths of two armed gumen with ties to a Mexican drug cartel this spring. Sgt. Matt Thomas, motor supervisor and assistant SWAT commander, speaks exclusively with POLICE Magazine about patroling this hostile territory, detaining illegals and the ramifications of his state's tough new immigration law. PHOTOS: View our gallery, "How Cartels Smuggle Narcotics Into Southern Arizona."

The Tucson (Ariz.) PD started its home invasion unit two years ago to curb paramilitary raids on drug houses by well-organized crews with military grade weapons. The crews were well trained and often posed as police officers. In an interview from Tucson PD headquarters on Tuesday, the unit's Sgt. Bob Jimenez discussed the unit's approach to enforcement and outlined two recent cases, including a shootout with two former Marines with an SKS rifle. View the "Tucson Home Invasions: The Missing Man" photo gallery of one of the cases.

The lieutenant in charge of the LAPD's Hollywood vice unit sat down with POLICE Magazine to discuss how officers approach enforcement of these crimes. Lt. Jeffrey Pailet emphasizes the "three Cs"—citizen complaints, commercial violations and conspicuous activity. He primarily discusses how officers enforce street prostitution.

Mobile broadband technology has the potential to revolutionize police communications. Kevin McDunn, Motorola's director of its portfolio of broadband public safety applications, predicts how this will change the way you do your job and what we need in terms of technological innovations and network construction to make his prediction a reality. Read about Motorola's unveiling of its new multi-band radio.

Safariland's Training Group will hold a new course for female police officers that's developed and taught by female officers. POLICE spoke with the course's lead instructor Dorcia Meador, former rangemaster of the Fort Worth (Texas) Police Department, about why a training course for women by women makes sense.

Use-of-force researcher Bill Lewinski spoke at POLICE-TREXPO West about the way officers respond to deadly force encounters based on his study of the experiences of more than 1,200 officers. The Force Science Institute co-founder joined POLICE Magazine editors for a short discussion on the topic. Also, read Editor David Griffith's interview with Lewinski.

The National Broadband Plan will be released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in March, and is expected to include a request for congressional funding to create a public safety communications network for police and fire agencies. Who will pay for the building out of this network is still an open question. To help explain how this topic relates to officers, POLICE Magazine spoke with Harris Corp., one of the leading suppliers of two-way radios to LE.

POLICE Magazine caught up with actor R. Lee Ermey at SHOT Show 2010. Editor David Griffith interviewed the former Marine Corps drill sergeant who has created memorable portrayals of military and law enforcement men in numerous movies and television shows. He appeared at the show as the new pitchman for SOG knives. Ermey also endorses Glock pistols.

The Cleveland Division of Police welcomed academy cadet Karl Lloyd five months before his 51st birthday. The older recruit, who has begun patrols in the southeast section of the city, has said it was his lifelong dream to join the department. Prior to completing the 26-week academy, Lloyd escorted prisoners inside the city's jails. To warm yourself up for the podcast, read our initial news story about Lloyd. Then head back and listen to the man himself.

As state budgets tighten all across the country, more and more people are arguing for the early release of the "non-violent" offender. That begs the question just how non-violent are these folks? The answer won't shock police officers. The answer is that most "non-violent" offenders are actually quite violent. They may even have committed violent crimes and plea bargained down to non-violent charges. And even if they are truly non-violent, that doesn't mean they haven't committed serious crimes.