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An annual California police motorcycle skills competition drew almost 500 officers to a sun-drenched parking lot along the Huntington Beach sand to compete for top-rider honors, train on patterns of neatly arranged orange cones and share a few moments of levity about their specialized patrol work. The Orange County Traffic Officer's Association hosted the annual police motorcycle skills competition, which nearly doubled in attendance from a year ago.
This week's announcement that General Motors is bringing back the Chevy Caprice patrol car, an officer favorite it stopped producing in 1996, put the editors of POLICE Magazine in the mood to remember the Chevy patrol cars of years past. Chevy has a strong legacy in the patrol car market, and the reintroduction of the Caprice patrol car has excited officers who remember the hot pursuer of the 1990s. We'll start off with the 1954 Chevy Bel Air, a patrol car that was affordable and powerful.
General Motors executives announced they plan to begin production of a new rear-wheel drive Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle today at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Denver. The 2011 Caprice PPV will be available in two configurations: a 355-hp V8 that generates an estimated 384 lb-ft of torque and a tamer V6. An undercover version will also be available. Regardless of how it is configured, the sleek Caprice PPV is likely to make an impression on traffic scofflaws. Revealing the concept car, GM executive Jim Campbell touted the car's bold and commanding presence. He asked, "Can you imagine this baby in your rearview mirror?"
Officers patrolling for agencies that purchased motorcycles from the 2009 model year will be riding one of six models. Harley-Davidson, which began producing police motorcycles in 1908, offers the Road King and Electra Glide (identical engine with sidecar mounting). BMW's R1200 RT-P is a favorite of the California Highway Patrol and Los Angles Sheriff's Department. The company also offers the G650. In 2007, Honda began producing its ST1300, a compact, performance bike. And H-D subsidiary Buell began producing a police version of its Ulysses sportbike in late 2008. Roads can't contain that bike, which has already been put to use by several rural departments.
The first law enforcement simulators were 16 mm projectors that flickered their filmed images onto sheets strung across shooting ranges. When the bad guy went for his gun, the officer had to fire and then await the judgement of his trainer as to whether it was a good shoot. Today's simulators are high-tech computer systems with digital projectors that play complex interactive scenarios. They are designed not only to teach officers when and how to shoot guns and less-lethal weapons but also how to talk to suspects to avoid escalation and confrontation.
The Aryan Brotherhood, which is also known as "AB" or "The Brand," is a primarily white prison gang with about 15,000 members in and out of prison. According to the FBI, the gang makes up only one percent of the prison population, but is responsible for 18 percent of all murders in the federal corrections system. Members use symbols in their tattoos such as swastikas, SS lightning bolts, the number 666, and Celtic imagery.
In addition to advertising gang membership, tattoos provide other details about the bearer. For the incarcerated, images of chains and locks represent the loss of freedom; an hourglass or clock face without hands indicate doing time; a string of numbers may be an inmate's prison ID; one laughing face, one crying face means play now, pay later or my happy life, my sad life; a tombstone with numbers may indicate years of incarceration; the face of a female crying usually means someone on the outside is waiting for them. Caption information provided by POLICE gang expert Richard Valdemar.
You might not be Cinderella or even Prince Charming, but you deserve a pair of boots that meets your finicky standards. Good looks are only part of the criteria that need to be met. Your boots should provide proper fit, comfort, and durability, in addition to any other personal preferences. New footwear styles for patrol include such features as side zippers, new waterproofing technologies, and improved shock absorption, not to mention good-looking designs.
Graffiti continues to be used as a written form of communication between street gangs. An observant patrol officer can read graffiti and collect valuable information about past, current and future gang activities. Graffiti can be used to mark off turf boundaries, give insults to rival gangs, act as a warning of impending death, list fallen comrades, announce the presence of a gang in a certain area of the city or show gang alliances. Editor's Note: Images contain profanity.
Tattoos are an excellent tool for law enforcement and corrections officers to use to identify known or suspected gang members. This gallery includes examples of tattoos worn by predominanly Latino gangs such as the Mexican Mafia, MS-13, and the Latin Kings. The number "13" is used because M (or La Eme) is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet and is used to signify the Mexican Mafia, which uses Sureños—gangs that swear allegiance to the Mexican Mafia—to carry out its orders from prison.
Cable network TLC has debuted "Police Women of Broward County." The network returns to the Florida county that spawned police reality pioneer "Cops" for a show that follows female law enforcement deputies from the Broward Sheriff's Office, as they pursue suspects, make arrests and hone their skills at the firing range. Photos courtesy of TLC.