Police Magazine

Robert O'Brien

SWAT Sergeant (Ret.)

A member of the TREXPO Advisory Board, Sgt. Robert "Bob" O'Brien Cleveland SWAT Ret. is the founder of the R.J. O'Brien Group Ltd., a law enforcement training and consulting service that advises and trains a number of local, state, and federal SWAT teams. O'Brien co-founded Cleveland's full-time SWAT team, and he served with that unit for 25 years. He is a former consultant to the National Tactical Officers Association and a former vice president of the Ohio Tactical Officers Association.

Inside the Badge •by Robert O'Brien•September 10, 2009

Dog Days of Summer (Part 3): Less-Lethal vs. Vicious Dogs

Without formal training, police must rely on their preservation instinct and use whatever force is deemed necessary against attacking dogs. While lethal force is acceptable, it's a last resort. There's a less-lethal alternative that's proven effective, one I've personally employed countless times and highly recommend.

Inside the Badge •by Robert O'Brien•September 3, 2009

Dog Days of Summer (Part 2): Don't Just Shoot Them

Whenever another "family/friendly" dog is shot by LE, the condemnation by critics is immediate. I believe the days of the "just shoot them" policy are over. And if we don't solve the problem, someone from the outside will do it for us.

Inside the Badge •by Robert O'Brien•August 13, 2009

Dog Days of Summer (Part 1): Intro To Dog Attacks

The reality is street cops are the first responders to virtually every type of emergency, including dog attacks. The following figures on dog bites are both revealing and startling.

Inside the Badge •by Robert O'Brien•August 4, 2009

Tough Times for Jersey City Police

When the door was forced open with a ram, Officer DiNardo was first in, and immediately hit by a shotgun blast to the face from five feet away.

Inside the Badge •by Robert O'Brien•July 21, 2009

Keep Summer SWAT Deployments Balanced

There's a potential danger for full-time teams that become so successful departments start to employ SWAT for everything. When this happens, the troops can easily become fatigued or view missions as "routine."

Inside the Badge •by Robert O'Brien•June 24, 2009

Summer: SWAT's Busy Season

Summer is America's vacation time and law enforcement is no exception. Right when their "busy season" starts, so do vacation requests. More crime, fewer police—the predictable result is a strain and drain on LE agencies and their personnel.

Inside the Badge •by Robert O'Brien•June 10, 2009

Moving Forward: NTOA SWAT Standards and Oakland PD

The SWAT community, while still affected by the recent tragic loss of fellow officers in the line of duty, are coming together to improve tactics and do what they do best: stop the bad guys.

Inside the Badge •by Robert O'Brien•June 9, 2009

Is Time On Your Side?

With active shooters, and snipers before them, time is on the bad guys' side, not ours. With lives on the line, every second counts. This lesson about time wasn't fully learned until the deadly Columbine High School attack.

Inside the Badge •by Robert O'Brien•May 27, 2009

Embrace the Ripple Effect

The loss of multiple officers in a single incident results in a ripple effect that almost always results in significant departmental changes, and is never forgotten. This ripple effect often reaches far beyond the effected agency itself.

Inside the Badge •by Robert O'Brien•May 26, 2009

Two California Departments Reeling From Officer Deaths

To understand the gravity of controversy involving police actions, we need look no farther than the 1992 Los Angeles Riot, the deadliest riot in modern U.S. history, sparked by the acquittals of four LAPD officers. Or the more recent series of violent protests and clashes with police in Oakland, Calif., stemming from the January 1 controversial BART Police shooting of an unarmed man.

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