After The Fourth of July's combination of overflowing patriotism and excitement from numerous morons setting off illegal fireworks, the rest of the month can be a bit of a let-down, but here are some things you might want to read that appeared online this month.

Peter Moskos, a Baltimore cop, author, and associate professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, recently shared union recommendations that he was pleasantly surprised to agree with in his post "Good Ideas from the Baltimore FOP." Those ideas include changing the ways CompStat is used and giving cops incentives for living within city limits. Maybe unions in other cities will follow their lead in rethinking policies.

For you supervisors out there, Brian Cain has a reminder of something that's always a good idea. His recent post covers looking out for those in your command and just what that means.

Despite everyone's best efforts, sometimes bad things happen. Like when a car turned in front of a police officer who was chasing a speeding motorcycle rider. Thankfully, Officer Annette Miller of the Waterford (Mich.) Police Department is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing eight surgeries. Her K-9, Tondo, also survived the accident and is especially protective of her now. The two are expected to return to duty in Spring 2013.

Speaking of car crashes, sometimes in police work the darnedest things put you in jeopardy. One officer was lucky to survive to tell the tale of a wandering moose crashing into her cruiser.

And now for a stupid crook story: A man attempting to prove to a police officer that he wasn't carrying drugs proceeded to prove that he was. It turns out his pockets weren't as empty as he thought they were. If only all offenders were as helpful.

Related:

Police Links: The Most Dangerous Job

Police Links: Breaking the Ice