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Associate Editor
Former associate editor of Police Magazine and a retired patrol supervisor and investigator with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, Sgt. Dean Scoville has received multiple awards for government service. He was the author of Shots Fired, Police Magazine's monthly column examining officer-involved shootings as experienced by the officers themselves.
Who becomes a cop? Who are the men and women that comprise the ranks of a profession where they can be killed for no reason other than the fact that they are cops?
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In looking back, I have the advantage of hindsight, some maturity, and greater objectivity. I recognize now that the more I wanted something, the more disappointed I tended to be when I got it.
Read More →Fortunately, some of these hustlers on Huffys give telltale clues to their criminal activities.
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Gilbert keyed his mic to advise responding units that the suspects were now on foot. As one ran by his passenger door, Gilbert noticed the man's dark lavender jacket matched that ascribed to the armed member of the two suspects.
Read More →If you’re ever away from your patrol car and find yourself inordinately concerned about the articles therein, then that hunch is telling you to take some corrective or preventative measures. Often, it comes down to simply not leaving anything in your car that you don’t have to, especially overnight.
Read More →Cops can resent other cops giving them orders. But while it's inevitable that we will occasionally step on some toes, people generally take lesser exception if it doesn't hurt them—certain alpha types included. So tread lightly on the radio while still communicating what needs to be said—before they get more than their feelings hurt.
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The call came in a little past 8 p.m. A suicidal man was parked inside a closed garage with the engine running. The Charles City, Iowa, officer assigned to the call was on his first night out and fell prey to many a rookie's bane: he got lost rolling to the call. That meant that the lieutenant who rolled to assist, Brandon Franke, was effectively on his own.
Read More →It's a recipe for disaster—two patrol cars approaching an intersection on convergent paths. Both have their lights and sirens activated; each expects the other driver to yield; neither can discriminate between their own siren and that of another car.
Read More →The D.A.’s office will give you an explanation for your case’s shortcomings, thereby providing you a means of staying out of the judicial slush pile.
Read More →In the aftermath of a deputy-involved shooting, deputies ran around like chickens with their heads cut off, not communicating anything about the suspect’s description and failing to establish a command post or containment. Meanwhile, precious minutes ticked off, giving the suspect more time to put distance between himself and his would-be pursuers.
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