Blogs: Page 24

How a California Conservation Officer Took On Illegal Cartel Grow Operations

After two encounters with illegal marijuana grow operations maintained by the cartels—one of which turned dangerously violent as responding LEOs came under ambush attack—Lieutenant John Nores decided to stand up a team of special operators.

Lieutenant John Nores (left) sits with fellow operators with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET) among some pot plants grown illegally on public lands by members of the Mexican drug cartels.

Come Hell or High Water: Policing in Natural Disasters

Policing in an area where a natural disaster is actively unfolding presents some unique challenges. Let's examine some of them so that when tragedy strikes in your jurisdiction—whether that's a hurricane, a tornado, a flash flood, a blizzard, an earthquake, a volcano, a wildfire, or something else—you've got a handle on what you've got to handle.

A Tale of Two Trends: Police Supporters… and Unsupported Police

Several news items in the past couple of weeks clearly demonstrate two trends we've known for years to exist—that police supporters do exist, and where police are not supported, policing suffers.

Broken Windows Small Size

Politics, Press, Police Use-of-Force, De-Policing, and Deadly Hesitation

California Governor Gavin Newsom, Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren, and NYPD Police Commissioner James O'Neill (left to right) have all made headlines in the past couple of weeks that may lead to worsening the continuing trends of deadly hesitation and de-policing in America. Images courtesy of Facebook.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren, and NYPD Police Commissioner James O'Neill (left to right) have all made headlines in the past couple of weeks that may lead to worsening the continuing trends of deadly hesitation and de-policing in America.

Officer Uses Stand-Up Comedy to Relieve Stress, Raise Money for Charity

Commander Vinnie Montez of the Boulder County Sheriff's Office in Colorado has taken his penchant for making people laugh from a hobby to what may be his full-time career upon retirement.

Commander Vinnie Montez—a 20-year veteran in law enforcement—got into comedy in 2007 with a trial performance at an open mic night at the Comedy Works in Denver and now does charity events as well as paid gigs.

Senior Officers Speak Out: "The Best Advice I Got as a Rookie"

There's so much great advice handed down from senior officers to LEOs just coming on the job. It's invaluable institutional knowledge, so if you have the opportunity as a more seasoned officer help out a rookie with something you've learned over the years, make every effort to do it.

An Argument for Equipping More Police Officers with Patrol Rifles

Too many active shooter incidents are conducted by assailants with long guns—Parkland, Sutherland Springs, San Bernardino, Newtown, and others—and police officers need to have the appropriate equipment to respond to such attacks.

POLICE Magazine Contributing Web Editor participates in law enforcement patrol rifle training in late July 2012.

Mad as Hell About Water Buckets—and the Ferguson Effect

One component of the Ferguson Effect is the glorification of anti-police sentiment, anti-police protests that turn violent, and attacks on officers—both verbal and physical. The latest social media videos of attacks on officers serve as proof that this wrongheaded thinking undeniably exists.

Screen grab of video posted to social media of a large group of young people in the Bronx approaching two female police officers on a sidewalk and dousing them with water.

Celebrating the Heroism of American Police Officers

Acts of heroism happen all the time in big cities and small communities alike. Officers with departments of all sizes rise to the occasion on a daily basis to ensure the health and welfare of the civilians they serve.

In an incident that took place in June, a South Carolina deputy saved the life of a 12-day-old baby who couldn't breathe.

Why Police Should Ignore the Starbucks Kerfuffle

The blowback on Facebook against Starbucks was especially vitriolic, leading an outside observer to conclude that mistreatment of law enforcement officers in the company's stores is a pervasive problem (spoiler alert: it's not).

On Independence Day, Words of Wisdom from American History

Let's contemplate the words of some of the people who helped shape this great country.

Saying "Sorry" is Not Enough for Media Irresponsibly Posting Video of Dying Officer

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch made the totally outrageous decision to share on its website the live Facebook stream of a dying officer posted by a citizen.

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