Shots Fired: Tulsa, Oklahoma 10/13/2002

Officer Darren Bristow of the Tulsa (Okla.) Police Department came close to avoiding the entire episode. But isn’t that usually the case? It’s the cop who stays an hour longer than he’d planned…It’s the patrolman who swaps shifts to get a day off…It’s the trooper who decides to make just one more t-stop before calling it a day who ends up having a really bad shift.

Bob Davis

Michael Coleman

Visualization Doesn't Work for All Officers

Law enforcement training has embraced this theory of information processing and adapted it to mental preparation and conditioning. Based on information from the world of athletics, visualization techniques are seen as proven a method of ingraining the most desirable programs into the subconscious mind.

Police and Politics

Politics, politically correct ideology, and the police. The "three Ps." How well do they work together?

Are De-Escalation Policies Dangerous?

The origins of today’s concepts of de-escalation derive from the evolution of crisis communications. While these concepts are practical and effective in some situations, they are useless and even dangerous in others.

The Danger of the Surrendering Suspect

When we're apprehending a suspect who is surrendering, we're at our most vulnerable. This is precisely what suspects are counting on, and they'll look for an advantage to escape. It's known as fight or flight, and can often be fight and flight.

Reaching the Call Safely

How can officers stay safer behind the wheel when responding to calls? Driving instructors from the Michigan State Police and the Georgia Public Safety Training Center share their tips.

Engage Your Brain Before Acting

Let me ask you this: If the driver had been a fellow cop, would you have cited him? And if you wouldn't have, would it be because of "professional courtesy" or something else?