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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.
It might not be dialogues with Plato, but sometimes striking up a conversation with strangers can offer up all forms of enlightenment.
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At some point in his or her various travels, the patrol officer will ask a question that pertains equally well to the task at hand and his or her career in law enforcement: Just how the hell did I get here, and where am I going?
Read More →That a stranger would go so far out of his way to offer words of comfort and counsel instead of chastisement and condemnation left each child wanting to do the same as police officers themselves.
Read More →A categorical claim that the availability of TASERs in the field mitigates the need for a backup officer is not only grossly irresponsible, but a prescription for disaster.
Read More →Going in foot pursuit of some fleet-footed felon is a popular rite of passage for cops. As if the natural dangers of heading off some dirtbag’s escape route weren’t dangerous enough, add unfamiliar territory and conditions of darkness, and you’ve got pretty good odds of ending up in full body traction.
Read More →"Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer." —Mark Twain
Read More →Perhaps the saddest of ill-fated partner pairings goes to those orchestrated by the officers themselves.
Read More →Fortunately, some of these hustlers on Huffys give telltale clues to their criminal activities.
Read More →Having a second officer on scene when things are apparently "code 4" can prevent, or at least mitigate, unfortunate surprises. Little things like having a prisoner slip out of your backseat while your nose is buried beneath the front seat of his POV.
Read More →The song asserts that "your enemies won't do you no harm, because you know where they're coming from." But it's getting them identified and on radar in the first place that's the problem, and first impressions at least as they relate to smiling faces and our profession can be an iffy proposition, at best.
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