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As a "profession," law enforcement is growing a body of knowledge, especially as it relates to high-risk activities, such as use of force, driving, and arrest practices. That body of knowledge relies upon certain terminology to illustrate concepts and ideas in an easily understood context. When we choose terminology to illustrate ideas, the temptation is always there to "make it sound good." That's usually OK, but sometimes the effort to make it sound good can create probl
Read More →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.
Read More →You are a SWAT team commander/leader, and you have a dilemma. You have a major mission coming up soon, and you need to pick the right people for the right jobs. For many SWAT commanders, this doesn't present any problem. Every member of their teams is up to speed—trained, experienced, reliable, and trusted.
Read More →The dynamics of Los Angeles and the Crip and Blood gangs of the 1980s presented certain criminal entrepreneurs with to opportunity to control the drug trade in large sections of the city, and the L.A. drug lifestyle provided an unlimited consumer base for expansion; it was supply and demand economics in its most vicious form.
Read More →You have waited for the announcement that your local agency is hiring officers. Then you see it in the newspaper. You cannot wait to make that application to become a cop! So you want to run down immediately to apply. Your enthusiasm is appreciated, but don't let it end your career before it starts. Stop, read the announcement carefully, and comply with what it directs you to do.
Read More →In your quest to become a cop or deputy, you will likely face an agility or physical fitness test. This is no worry, right? Wrong.
Read More →Most departments do not keep firearms qualification scores, opting instead for a pass/fail system. They reason that it's better if plaintiffs don't have access to the written history of marginal performers for possible use in a lawsuit. This sounds like good risk management advice, but it's not.
Read More →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.
Read More →This Memorial Day was an especially reflective one for me, with another tragic police death only three days before on May 25.
Read More →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.
Read More →"When you aren't practicing somewhere someone is and, when you meet him, he will win." This thought-provoking saying was passed along to me many years ago by Terry Thorpe, a warrior friend who lost his courageous final battle with Agent Orange.
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I've been using frangible ammunition exclusively at Valhalla for almost four years now. We've been through several different brands and experienced some interesting results along the way. Let me share some of them with you.
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