Patrol: Page 56

Suspect Haunts

When asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton replied, "Because that's where the money is." If someone were to ask a cop why he conducts patrol checks of motel parking lots, he might very well reply, "Because that's where the dirtbags are."

Lazy Cops Make Life Harder on All of Us, and We Resent It

One of the most widely recognized banes of the job among good cops is other cops’ inability or unwillingness to do their jobs. And nowhere is that inability and unwillingness more manifest than in that age-old ritual known as the "kiss off."

Telling People Where to Go and How They Can Get There

There are times when the information provided is too simplistic. While descending on a suspect who was hellbent on taking out his girlfriend and her family with an AK-47, we were advised that the suspect was "on the right side of the girlfriend’s house." Without a "You Are Here" marker painted on the street, we couldn't tell if it was the right side when facing the house or the right side when looking out of it.

Education: The Key to Preventing Auto Theft and Burglary

Auto burglary and auto theft make up a huge portion of an officer's report writing time. Anyone who has ever worked dayshift knows how many of these calls come in as soon as people wake up and check on their vehicles (or where their vehicle was the night before). While taking these reports, we get to hear the "obvious" ways victims made their car look like a glowing beacon at night to burglars.

Silence is Golden

Reasons for sound-proofing our approaches are myriad. Domestic calls are notoriously dangerous, with over half of the officers who die on such calls killed upon approach. One way to counter this danger is to make your approach in stealth mode.

Simple Things Suspects Will Do to Get Away from Us

The average criminal offender will do just about anything to avoid contact, detention, or ultimate arrest.

On Them and in Them: Places Where Dirtbags Hide Drugs

"Are you holding?" For cops and dopers, this question is the first move in a high-stakes game of hide and seek.

Preventing On-the-Job Injuries

In many U.S. law enforcement agencies, it isn't uncommon for one in five officers to file worker's compensation claims in a given year. And most of these claims are valid.

How Cops Get People Killed

Friendly fire. Erratic driving. Improper medical diagnoses. These are but a few officer-involved errors that have resulted in deaths of innocents. That isn't to say that we aren't conscientious professionals. But we do make mistakes.

In Cuffs, in Custody…and Still Dangerous

Here is a common scene: Cop handcuffs suspect and places him in the backseat of a waiting patrol car. In the movies, this is usually performed with a dramatic flourish punctuated by a Miranda warning. In real life, this is sometimes punctuated by tragedy.

Responding to Off-Duty Incidents

How often do we find ourselves faced with an off-duty situation that would normally require our direct and immediate intervention if we were functioning in an on-duty capacity? Hopefully, not very often. But should we find ourselves in such a position, the extent to which we have planned for it ahead of time can optimize our chances for coming out ahead.

Stay Calm on the Radio and On the Road

I NEED HELP, RIGHT AWAY!!! I’M IN A FIGHT!! GET ME ASSISTANCE, RIGHT NOW!! HELP!!” How would you react to hearing this impassioned plea over the radio? One deputy who'd been off training for only a few months felt that the tone of the broadcast was so emergent that it obligated him to respond code 3 to assist. As he did, he drove 80 mph through a red light and broadsided another vehicle.

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