September 2018

The National Tactical Officers Association Releases Updated Tactical Response and Operations Standard for Law Enforcement

The National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) announced the latest update to its Tactical Response and Operation Standard (TROS) for Law Enforcement. This document establishes a basic set of standards for law enforcement agencies and serves as an efficient core set of concepts and principles which improve standardization within the profession of tactical law enforcement services. The NTOA’s mission is to enhance the performance and professional status of law enforcement personnel by providing a credible and proven training resource, as well…


New Free S&T App Tracks Locations and Vitals, Keeping First Responders Safe

When first responders are on a mission, being able to quickly and easily track the location of their fellow responders can be challenging, especially in situations where the team is spread out. Many responders are only able to coordinate their locations by radioing each other or the command post and providing a very detailed message on their exact location. This can be time-consuming and can change every second if they are in an emergency situation or on a call. Recognizing…


Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model: An Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence

On June 12, 2018, the United States Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center released “Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model: An Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence.” The guide provides schools and communities with a framework to identify students of concern; assess their risks for engaging in violence; and identify intervention strategies to mitigate those risks. The Secret Service also recommends that, among other actions, schools should establish a multidisciplinary threat assessment team which meets regularly and establishes…


Tips and Tricks for Building Better Fundamentals

Todd Fletcher Once we build a solid foundation based on the fundamentals, we can continue to push our skills in courses of fire and scenarios which stress our ability to apply marksmanship. Over the course of my career as a police officer and firearms instructor, I have met some instructors who are good at setting up courses of fire designed to test a shooter’s combative firearms skills. Most of these include a variety of skills important to law enforcement officers….


Specialized Circumstances: Searching Individuals Wearing Medical Apparatus

John G. Peters, Jr., Ph.D. CTC, CLS and Michael Coleman ©2018. A.R.R. Most Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) are trained to perform pat-downs and searches on suspects, but few have been trained on how to properly and safely do these procedures on people wearing medical appliances and/or prosthetic devices. With approximately 185,000 amputation surgeries taking place each year in the United States, it is estimated there are about 1.9 million amputees here currently. Similarly, there are also millions of people wearing…


How to Acquire Law Enforcement Grants

Dr. Stephenie Slahor Federal, state, local, private, and foundation grants can mean fostering a new project, providing more training, acquiring better equipment, or developing improved processes. Whether city, county or state law enforcement, the fact remains that grants can provide a useful source of funds when the budgets are tight, but projects are worthy. Public and private grant funding can help finance all, or part, of a program, training or equipment, but competition is high for those funds. To obtain…


When Officers Become the Target: How to Protect Yourself from Doxing

Leischen Kranick With today’s heated political climate, it is more important now than ever to protect yourself and your family from “online vigilantes.” According to Wikipedia, the term doxing or doxxing (from dox, an abbreviation of documents) is the Internet-based practice of researching and broadcasting private or identifiable information (especially personally identifiable information) about an individual or organization. It is typically done with malicious intent. The information published can be anything from home addresses to vehicle identification to social media…


Three Ways Rugged Tablets Are Revolutionizing Forensic Mapping

 Andrew S. Klane and Mario Gosalvez Purpose-built rugged tablets designed with specific capabilities for certain tasks can save both time and money while driving superior outcomes. With the recent advent of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) rugged tablets, forensic mapping is being revolutionized. These new tablets enable something previously not possible: scientific-grade accurate measurements for those engaged in non land surveying work. These rugged tablets can deliver centimeter level measurement accuracy faster and easier than using conventional…


Providing an “Unfair” Advantage: The New Seek Thermal™ Reveal ShieldPRO

Mike Boyle                       Darkness presents special challenges for law enforcement officers. The collective police history illustrates that violent crime spikes in the evening hours, often with tragic consequences. For centuries, criminals have used the cloak of darkness to help conceal their illicit activities. Humans are visual creatures and, when our primary sensory receptor is compromised, performance suffers. In poor light, even simple tasks such as navigation through unfamiliar surroundings can be problematic. Locating and assessing potential danger is more…


Automated License Plate Recognition Technology Evolves

Rebecca Waters         Rapid changes in technology can make it difficult to stay ahead of the game. The above statement is particularly true when it comes to Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems which combine cameras, data processors and character recognition software, all of which are constantly evolving. Even law enforcement’s use of the technology continues to evolve. Once used only to recover stolen vehicles and track expired vehicle registrations, ALPR is now used to solve a countless number of offenses….