Tag: Officer Safety: Page 25

Patrol

We Need Ballistic Helmets on Patrol

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has recently acquired ballistic helmets for its patrol personnel. While there are still a lot of stupid practices within my alma mater, LASD has a deserved reputation for emphasizing officer safety and equipping its personnel accordingly.

August 21, 2011

Weapons

Familiarize Yourself with Firearms

The more you know about firearms, the more likely you are to be proficient and capable in their use. Having this knowledge can have a significant impact on your ability to survive in the field.

August 2, 2011

Technology

The Threat of Technology

Officer safety remains a paramount concern even if some choose to ignore it. We are losing our basic skills by relying too much on modern toys to do our jobs for us. In today's world, one of the biggest unrecognized threats to officer safety and survival is technology.

July 10, 2011

Vehicles

Code 3: The Hazards of Friendly Police Units

Hazards from other responding units include a neurological response known as "auditory exclusion" that may limit the officer's ability to hear another unit's sirens.

July 10, 2011

Patrol

An Unsung Lifesaver

Upon hearing of the circumstances surrounding his friend's death, Houze decided to do everything he could to ensure that his friend's death would not be in vain.

June 23, 2011

Patrol

Federal Grant Expands Police Fatigue Study

The study will focus on the role of fatigue and distraction in police officer performance, and will be completed at the center, which is located at Washington State University in Spokane.

June 14, 2011

Patrol

Officer Seat-Belt Safety

Cops are cursed by a tragic mix of impatience, skewed priorities, and self-preservation instincts that sometimes fail to rise to those of a drunken frat boy. As a result, traffic collisions have for decades been one of the top two causes of officer fatalities.

June 13, 2011

Careers

The Bling Factor: Jewelry on Patrol

Most departments have a policy or regulation regarding jewelry. The boilerplate verbiage could include a limit of one wristwatch, one bracelet, and one necklace that's not visible to the public. One ring per hand is standard. Earrings are usually allowed for females, and policies may now also cover male officers.

May 8, 2011

Patrol

Chemical Suicides

When called to suicide scenes, emergency personnel don't always know what they're up against. With some 90 percent of chemical suicides posting warnings on the windows of the cars and rooms in which they kill themselves, one would hope that officers and firefighters would think twice before opening doors and breaching windows.

April 17, 2011

Patrol

Lone-Officer Patrols: Going Solo

Caught between diminishing tax revenues and citizen demand for greater police protection, law enforcement leveraged the challenge onto the backs of its patrol personnel. By splitting two-officer units into separate cars, police agencies were able to effectively double the area of patrol coverage.

March 27, 2011

Training

Safe Searching: The Standing Basic Search

We search people in a variety of field situations and legal circumstances. As far as officer safety skills are concerned, I believe pat search techniques to be one of the most critical skills given too little emphasis in training, and therefore worthy of analysis.

March 27, 2011

Careers

Maintain Your Gear, It Could Save Your Life

I've seen handguns that have not been cleaned and cared for. I've seen holsters with cobwebs and dust lines, telling me the weapon hasn't been removed in months.

March 27, 2011