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Type: Media Gallery

Section: Special Units

Narcotic Transporter Bust

With "Project Deliverance," federal agencies cooperating with local LE officers arrested more than 2,000 narcotics transporters and Mexican cartel associates in mid-June. The multi-jurisdictional operation also led to the seizure of $154 million and 74.1 tons of drugs, as well as the arrest of a high-priority target. These photos, which are courtesy of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), show some of the evidence seized in the drug trafficking operation.

July 1, 2010

With 'Project Deliverance,' which was led by the DEA, agents seized $945,685 in drug proceeds, which is packed in evidence bags and labeled for prosecution. The cash is seized, forfeited, and then either goes into the asset forfeiture fund and/or is shared with state and local partners who participated in the investigation.

Oshkosh Defense TPV

Oshkosh Defense's Tactical Protector Vehicle (TPV) looks ready for serious business. It's a large vehicle compared to a passenger SUV, but it's actually smaller than some other tactical rescue vehicles designed for the police market. Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense has been making armored rolling stock for the U.S. military since 1918. The Oshkosh Defense TPV—the company's first tactical response vehicle for law enforcement—benefits from its manufacturer's long history of making military vehicles. Read POLICE Magazine's "First Look" article on the TPV.

June 22, 2010

The TPV was built for urban or rural response due to its 116-inch wheelbase (shorter than other ARVs for better maneuverability), a ground clearance of 13 inches, a width of 85 inches, and a governed speed of almost 75 mph. It arrives with optional four-wheel drive.

Ruger's SR-556 Carbine

Ruger introduced its new SR-556 rifle at last year's National Rifle Association show in Phoenix. The announcement ended years of speculation that Ruger was indeed working on an AR-style rifle, and the SR-556 quickly became the buzz of the show. While the newest Ruger long gun possesses many typical AR features, it also has a Ruger-designed piston drive system. The patent-pending, chrome plated two-stage piston system provides a cleaner, cooler running, and more reliable operation than any standard AR gas impingement system can deliver. Read our full review of Ruger's SR-556.

April 6, 2010

In addition to the piston drive upper, the SR-556 possesses a 16-inch, chrome-lined, hammer-forged barrel, a free-floating railed handguard, folding front and rear sights, and other high-end features and accessories. Ruger not only used components of top quality on this rifle, it obviously has done quite a bit of market research to understand what features savvy shooters desire and incorporated those into the SR-556's design.

'Hot Rod' Mossberg Shotguns

The Mossberg 590A1 is an ideal platform for personalizing a pump-action shotgun, says Mike Shain of AIMPRO Tactical. Shain is one of several shops that offer action jobs, Magnaporting, accesorization and cleaning, polishing and refinishing of police scatterguns. Vang Comp and Wilson Combat are two others that offer shotgun modifications. For less than $250, Shain can reduce felt recoil and muzzle jump, giving operators a shot pattern of 4 inches or less from 50 yards. "What can we do to hot rod this gun," Shain asks, not needing an answer. "It's a great gun out of the box, but how can we squeeze every last drop of performance out of this gun."

February 4, 2010

This 'co-witness' 590A1 with 18.5-inch barrel arrives with a Mesa Tactical buttstock and charcoal gray (Parkerized) finish. The gun includes a Picatinny rail that allows for the mounting of various sights or lights. The co-witness feature allows the operator to use an optic and still retain iron sights for back-up sighting.

Interpreting Gangster Clothing

Have you ever wondered why gang members wear the ridiculous costumes that they do? Why do they wear their pants sagging below their butts exposing their underwear? There's actually a company that stitches boxer-type underwear into the baggy pants to achieve the baggy pants clown look. POLICE gang expert Richard Valdemar explains the information to be learned from gangster clothing. Valdemar provided the images.

February 3, 2010

In the 1970s, Black gangsters wore three-piece suits, three-quarter length trench coats, brimmed hats and wide collars. They dressed 'a cut above' the rest.

Wet Weather Wear

What should you consider when looking at outerwear for duty or most any foul weather? First, versatility. Because quality outerwear is expensive, it needs to serve for at least three seasons out of the year. The second item to consider is whether the outer jacket is truly waterproof or just water resistant; there is nothing worse than being cold and wet. Last is the price. If the clothing breaks the bank it will cause issues.

January 6, 2010

Elbeco's Summit II is constructed from Hiptex 3000 for the outer shell and is waterproof and windproof. The seams are sealed to ensure water doesn't migrate through. So you can be seen on those gray dark winter days and nights, the jacket can be reversed to its ANSI/ISEA Class II side. This is a bright yellow with two-inch Scotchlite by 3M on the body and sleeves. This jacket lights up like a neon sign when light hits it. The Summit II gives officers high visibility when working DUI and traffic enforcement checkpoints.

Lakewood Police Memorial

Nearly 20,000 officers from Washington state, the nation, and Canada gathered at the Tacoma Dome to pay homage to the service of the four Lakewood Police Department officers who were killed in a coffeeshop in late November, before their shift. The memorial service featured tributes to Sgt. Mark Renninger, Tina Griswold, Ronald Owens, and Greg Richards. The officers were remembered for their commitment to public service.

December 8, 2009

Officers arriving at the Tacoma Dome to pay homage to the four slain Lakewood police officers left patches to show solidarity. Pool photo via Seattle Times.

Motorcycle Skills Competition

An annual California police motorcycle skills competition drew almost 500 officers to a sun-drenched parking lot along the Huntington Beach sand to compete for top-rider honors, train on patterns of neatly arranged orange cones and share a few moments of levity about their specialized patrol work. The Orange County Traffic Officer's Association hosted the annual police motorcycle skills competition, which nearly doubled in attendance from a year ago.

October 8, 2009

Officers form a two-by-two line while preparing to run through the test patterns of cones. The event began shortly after 9 a.m., and officers tested their skills of maneuvering bikes that weighed between 700 and 900 pounds through tight spaces and around narrow turns.

White Gang Tattoos

The Aryan Brotherhood, which is also known as "AB" or "The Brand," is a primarily white prison gang with about 15,000 members in and out of prison. According to the FBI, the gang makes up only one percent of the prison population, but is responsible for 18 percent of all murders in the federal corrections system. Members use symbols in their tattoos such as swastikas, SS lightning bolts, the number 666, and Celtic imagery.

August 7, 2009

Prison and Gang Ink Symbols

In addition to advertising gang membership, tattoos provide other details about the bearer. For the incarcerated, images of chains and locks represent the loss of freedom; an hourglass or clock face without hands indicate doing time; a string of numbers may be an inmate's prison ID; one laughing face, one crying face means play now, pay later or my happy life, my sad life; a tombstone with numbers may indicate years of incarceration; the face of a female crying usually means someone on the outside is waiting for them. Caption information provided by POLICE gang expert Richard Valdemar.

August 7, 2009

This tattoo of a prison tower, hour glass, and prisoner breaking out of the prison wall signifies this person has done prison time.

Gang Graffiti

Graffiti continues to be used as a written form of communication between street gangs. An observant patrol officer can read graffiti and collect valuable information about past, current and future gang activities. Graffiti can be used to mark off turf boundaries, give insults to rival gangs, act as a warning of impending death, list fallen comrades, announce the presence of a gang in a certain area of the city or show gang alliances. Editor's Note: Images contain profanity.

August 6, 2009

Latino Gang Tattoos

Tattoos are an excellent tool for law enforcement and corrections officers to use to identify known or suspected gang members. This gallery includes examples of tattoos worn by predominanly Latino gangs such as the Mexican Mafia, MS-13, and the Latin Kings. The number "13" is used because M (or La Eme) is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet and is used to signify the Mexican Mafia, which uses Sureños—gangs that swear allegiance to the Mexican Mafia—to carry out its orders from prison.

August 5, 2009

The Mexican Mafia prison gang, also known as La Eme, was formed in the late 1950s by members of a Chicano street gang incarcerated at the Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, Calif. The initial founding member was Luis 'Huero Buff' Flores, who was previously a member of the Hawaiian Gardens gang. Mexican Mafia symbols include a black hand, the letters 'MM' or the term La Eme.

Tactical Robots

If you think robots are just for bomb disposal, think again. Police robots are often used to handle IEDs, but they can be used in other arenas that are inhospitable to humans. Robots can be used to reach a barricaded subject or hostages and carry information or evidence back out without sending an officer into the line of fire. They can also provide enhanced surveillance and deploy lethal or less-lethal weapons.

July 17, 2009

Tactical Systems' HD can handl;e rough terrain, climb common household stairs and tow up to a 300-pound load. It also has a range of 1,200 feet and an on-board video system that can capture eight hours of footage using a pan/tilt infrared video camera that operates in low-light conditions. It can capture images up to one mile away (line of sight).

Armored Rescue Vehicles

In the past decade, a new wave of commercial ARVs specifically built for law enforcement has hit the market. Few agencies could afford these big-ticket items prior to then, so initially the expense made it slow-going for the police armored vehicle industry. Then 9/11 changed law enforcement's attitude, and the formation of the Department of Homeland Security and its grant programs led to unprecedented funding for local law enforcement equipment, including ARVs. Responding to this increased demand, ARV manufacturers are developing the next generation of ARVs to meet the needs of contemporary tactical officer.

July 17, 2009

Lenco produces the B.E.A.R. (Ballistic Engineered Armored Response). The B.E.A.R. is built on a commercial truck chassis, using commercial parts, that makes it mechanic-friendly and brings warranty support from the manufacturer. The vehicle features certified hardened steel armor and ballistic glass that's capable of multiple hits, blast-resistant floors, specially designed gunports, roof hatches and multiple ingress/egress doors. The B.E.A.R.'s larger size allows up to 15 personnel to be transported and 25 to 30 persons to be evacuated. This is an ARV with multiple uses, including emergency/hostage rescue, TEMS, etc. The interior compartment is capable of housing the logistics needs of most SWAT teams.

Rifle Optics

When it comes to gear and gadgets for duty applications, many of us are drawn to the coolest, most expensive items. That's true of weapons and it's true of weapon accessories such as optics. But what's more important is to find the right optics to fit your mission. Options include red dot sights, variable focal length short scopes often used on shotguns, and of course true precision scopes meant for use on a precision rifle.

July 10, 2009

At engagement distances from a few yards out to 50 yards, you cannot beat a red dot. When you are at contact distance to 10 yards, simply put the target in the tube of the sight and you will get a hit. By the way, this technique was developed by I.P.S.C. shooters, and their performance was the driving force behind the military adopting Aimpoint red dot sights.

Patrol and SWAT Rifles

Ever since the 1997 North Hollywood bank robbery and shootout, the popularity of rifles in patrol operations has exploded. Rifle manufacturers have capitalized on this demand, and they are now making a variety of rifles specifically designed for patrol and SWAT operations. Here's a quick look at some of the long guns now available for service in law enforcement.

July 10, 2009

The AP4 Panther Carbine from DPMS Panther Arms is an excellent basic patrol rifle built on an M4 platform. With a 16-inch chrome-moly-lined contour barrel, the AP4 is suitable for both close-quarter combat and counter-sniper applications. Other features include GlacierGuards hand guards, a flat top receiver with Picatinny rail, and a telescoping fiber-reinforced six-position buttstock.

Tactical Uniforms

Traditional BDUs (Battle Dress Uniforms) aren't nearly as common as they used to be. But the idea of wearing an alternative uniform that's combat ready-originally borrowed from the military-is more popular than ever, as evidenced by the assortment of new BDUs, tacpants, and jumpsuits available for law enforcement.

July 9, 2009

5.11's TDU Shirts are designed to exceed all MILSPEC requirements. Each features a covered placket, 5.11's patented hidden-document pockets, Velcro-closure chest pockets, and rear bi-swing shoulders. Elbows are double-reinforced and come with removable neoprene elbow pads. Like the pants, TDU shirts are triple-needle stitched and treated with Teflon. The shirt is available in long-sleeve, short-sleeve, and tall versions in either 6.14-ounce ripstop or 5.78-ounce twill. Also available in the TDU line is the 5.78-ounce poly-cotton twill TDU Jumpsuit. The design incorporates features like 5.11's hidden document pockets, BBS-compatible cargo pockets, removable knee and elbow pads, triple-stitching, and generous bartacking.

Black Gang Tattoos

Gang members are usually decorated with the marking of their sets, super-gangs, and affiliated prison gangs. Their bodies are also often marked with tattoos that are generic prison symbols that you will find on just about any inmate. The following slide show is a quick look at some tattoos used by some predominately African-American gangs with origins in California.

June 29, 2009

The Black Guerrilla Family is a prison gang founded in 1966 by Black Panther George Jackson, while he was in San Quentin State Prison north of San Francisco. The gang is ideologically based with the stated goal of ending racism and overthrowing the U.S. government. The most obvious BGF tattoo is 'BGF.' You will also see the numbers '276,' with 2 representing 'B,' 7 representing 'G,' and 6 representing 'F.'

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