Shots Fired: Melbourne, Florida 01/11/2004

It was a damned cold night for central Florida. Officer Keith Cowart wasn’t getting any argument from Smokey Stapleter or Gary Markowski on that score. His fellow Melbourne, Fla., police officers had congregated with him for a windshield conference and coffee. Stapleter rubbed his arms to get his blood circulating.

Wide Open Spaces

As it turned out, this was a perfect example of the "bad assignment" that resulted in many positive outcomes.

Sergeant Daniels

By Panasonic Arbitrator PM John Cusick

Officials Break Ground on New Park in Las Vegas Dedicated to Slain Officer

Named the Alyn Beck Memorial Park, it will feature two lighted grass ball fields, basketball courts, a playground and splash pad when it opens in about a year. A second park will be built in the near future in honor of Beck's partner, Officer Igor Soldo.

AR-15/M-16 30-Round Magazines

Brownells’ new AR-15/M-16 30-round magazines are designed to feed with high reliability. The magazines are made of heavy-duty aluminum and are heat treated to MIL-STD specifications to guarantee quick insertion and an exact fit. They are also MIL-STD hard anodized with a dry-lube coating to prevent snags. The springs are made of a high-quality chrome-silicon blend to retain tension and followers are made of a plastic/glass composite for smooth feeding.

Confessions of a Teenage Vandal

I find it hard to be too stern with teenage pranksters. Some say most of the best cops could have gone either way in their youth. I don't know about that, but I'm truly grateful to that good Firestone sheriff's deputy.

Douglas Fishel

Michael Brown