Blogs: Page 74

Women in Law Enforcement

Competency Trumps Gender

It wasn't until I became the first female to reach the rank of lieutenant and subsequently commander in my organization that gender became the focus. The media and the public were trying to shine a light on what I had spent so many years successfully deflecting and it was making me extremely uncomfortable.

Sureños: Understanding Kanpol and Pilli

Sureños identify with the color blue and use tattoos with the number 13, sureño, sur, south sider, or "kanpol" (a word taken from the ancient Aztec language of Nahuatl that means southerner).

Two expressions of Sureño gang allegience include the Aztec symbol for 13 (left) and the Nahuatl word 'kanpol.' Photo: Rich Valdemar

Background Investigations Can Break You

I'm always amazed by the number of applicants who get caught by background investigations. If you think the background investigator will wake up stupid that morning and let you slip through, please think again.

Agencies use polygraph tests to filter police applicants. CC_Flickr: Vibragiel

Two Campuses Deal With Active Shooters

Last week's clinic shooting in Pittsburgh and the Chardon High School shooting in Ohio in February showcased effective responses from officers and the campuses.

5 Drills To Improve Weapon Handling

These five range drills will improve your shooting, moving, weapon manipulation, reloading, and transitioning from one weapon to another. To up the ante, use a stopwatch to time the drill to improve stress inoculation.

The Shooting Square helps trains you on weapon manipulation and shooting on the move. Illustration: Bob Parker

Gangs and Electronic Surveillance—Part II

The girlfriend was provided with a “burnout phone.” A burnout phone is one that would be operational for a few months before being burned out. By that time the bill would have grown to many thousands of dollars, which they had no intention of paying.

Frank 'Bosco' Marquez and Anna 'Banana' Reed. Photos: Richard Valdemar

'Act of Valor:' Where's the Police Version?

If you've been on the fence about seeing "Act of Valor," I hope that you will plop down your 10 bucks and do so. Maybe if "Act of Valor" is a hit, they'll make more movies that honor the sacrifice of the military instead of deriding our warriors.

Photo: Relativity Media

How a Regional Hiring Consortium Works

A police hiring consortium affords opportunities for the applicant as well as the department. They're more popular in certain states, so if you have these in your area or location of interest, utilize them to the fullest.

Whatever Happened to Verbal Judo?

Today's up-and-coming cops have mastered texting, sexting, e-mailing, and Facebook but are less accomplished when it comes to face-to-face interfacing. That’s the art of conversation—and therefore the ability to verbally de-escalate situations—is dying out.

Gangs and Electronic Surveillance—Part I

Sometimes separate local, state, or county police are used for physical surveillance. Occasionally when intercepted communications seem to have gone dormant, the surveillance team will also be used to deliberately arrest or conduct a traffic stop on individuals to cause them to increase their criminal communications or "tickle the wire."

These heroin 'tomatillos' were seized in Men's Central Jail in the mid-1990s. Photo: Richard Valdemar

Video: SHOT Show 2012 Highlights

This year's annual Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas offered plenty of visual curiosities for POLICE Magazine's video crew. Four law enforcement suppliers showed off their new gear, and "Top Shot" Michelle Viscusi told us how she stays on target.

R Video 5 11 Light Entry Kit

I Feel the Need...the Need for...an ER

A person has to know their limitations. No less than Dirty Harry has expressed his opinion on the matter, and I like to think most cops adhere to the philosophy.

Page 74 of 167