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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.
Consider, for example, surveillance operations that do not run 24/7, where suspects are occasionally at liberty to be detained by patrol officers who may not know what they're in for once they pull such suspects over, or otherwise detain them. At these times it’s best to share the info.
Read More →As any cop who works day shift will attest, teachers are often the front line in identifying problems. Tagging, dope dealing, and gang activities are often identified by vigilant teachers. But vigilance is only half the battle. What the teachers do with the information they acquire is just as important. As such, teachers sometimes make well-intended mistakes.
Read More →When Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Carlos Borland pulled over a Chevrolet Blazer on I-80 in response to a call that originated from a nearby truck stop, he did so without the knowledge that the vehicle's driver was an escapee from a North Carolina prison and that he had allegedly murdered two people the previous week. The Blazer was itself reported stolen and bearing license plates stolen from yet another vehicle.
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When two men in a passing Bonneville paid scant attention to him—indeed, made a conspicuous effort to ignore him—Officer Freddy Williams of the Marion (Ark.) Police Department decided to direct his attention to them.
Read More →I understand full well the temptation to administer a little street justice. But while you may be able to rationalize Avenging Angels actions to yourself, you'll have a devil of a time defending it in court.
Read More →On July 27, Phoenix police officer George Cortez, Jr. was shot in the eye and killed after being distracted while handcuffing a suspect.
Read More →Humane issues not withstanding, the situation was a no-brainer: The deer had to be put out of its misery before it caused a traffic accident.
Read More →Ours is a profession that places emphasis on saying what we mean and meaning what we say. However, what we say and what we mean can be wildly divergent in the minds of our audience. What follows are some cautionary tales about using ambiguous wording.
Read More →<strong>Example Three</strong>: Cops ask a resident if she minds if they search a bedroom.“No problem,” she says.The search is conducted and evidence seized, only to be suppressed at trial. The reason? The person that granted permission had no legal standing to do so.
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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.
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