2019

Training & Education September 25, 2019

Training with Steel Targets: The Basics

Todd Fletcher Why are steel targets a great training tool? One reason is because they don’t need to be changed over like paper or cardboard targets, thus saving valuable time which can be used for training instead of range setup.  When using steel targets, there’s no need for staples, target backers, tape, spray adhesive, or any of the other range supplies we typically need when using paper or cardboard targets. A little bit of spray paint and you’re good to…

News September 25, 2019

Law Enforcement Cyber Center

The Law Enforcement Cyber Center (LECC) is designed to assist police chiefs, sheriffs, commanders, patrol officers, digital forensic investigators, detectives, and prosecutors who are investigating and preventing crimes which involve technology. The LECC addresses three principal functional areas: cybercrime investigations; digital forensics; and information systems security. The LECC is a collaborative project of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National White Collar Crime Center, and the Police Executive Research Forum. It is made possible by funding from the Bureau…

Hand holding a pistol inside a church.

Training & Education, Uncategorized September 18, 2019

Threat Concerns to Religious Places of Worship

Brian P. Haughton August 20, 2019 – Indianapolis, Indiana  Thomas Matthew McVicker was arrested after issuing plausible threats to carry out a mass shooting and suicide at an unspecified church in Memphis, TN. McVicker, a truck driver, was apprehended before his plan could be carried out. The arrestee’s mother had revealed that McVicker possessed a handgun and was taking medication for schizophrenia. April 27, 2019 – Poway, California A gunman armed with an AR-15-style rifle opened fire inside the Chabad…

Training & Education September 18, 2019

Shades of Gray: Color-blind Individuals May Prove Beneficial for Law Enforcement

Carley Swetz, Dr. Tod W. Burke, and Dr. Stephen S. Owen Individuals with color blindness can benefit law enforcement and other first response agencies in a number of different ways. Consider the following hypothetical scenario: An armored truck is robbed at gunpoint by a group of individuals who made their escape in a privately owned vehicle. The two uniformed officers are injured and unable to pursue the perpetrators who also elude local law enforcement. Footage of the robbery and parts…

The Wheels of Justice September 18, 2019

The Wheels of Justice September October 2019

Sergeant James Post BREAKING NEWS… Nat King Cole once sang about “Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer” and that’s what it certainly has been here in the great USA, what with floods, heat waves, politics, and criminals running amuck. Here’s the latest breaking news from the world of police wheels which you may have missed…vehicles, accessories, alerts, and recalls. Police Vehicles Electrifying news: The Arkansas Democrat Gazette announced that Harley-Davidson® released news about their electric motorcycle which will be unveiled later…

Technology September 18, 2019

Fighting Crime with ALPRs

Bill Siuru, Ph.D., PE Technology available to fight crime and guard against terrorism and other dangers brings challenges to the expectation of privacy and protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. Data collected by Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems can enhance law enforcement’s ability to investigate crimes and enforce the law.  However, at times, it also raises concerns that the information collected may be inaccurate; placed into databases shared without restrictions; retained longer than necessary; or used and abused in…

Mans face

Technology September 18, 2019

Is Facial Recognition Technology Ready for Prime Time?

Bill Siuru, Ph.D., PE Facial recognition is considered to be the most natural of all biometric measurements by virtue of individuals being recognized not by scanning their fingerprints or eyes, but by looking at their face. Facial recognition could become the future investigative and surveillance tool of choice by law enforcement because it is much more accurate than the human eye in recognizing faces. It is also easy to implement; verification and/or identification of faces can be very fast; and,…

car tire with bottle of beer on the road nearby

Legal Update September 18, 2019

Legal Update September October 2019

Larry E. Holtz, Esq. High Court Permits Warrantless Blood Draws from Unconscious Drunk Drivers Is a warrant required for a blood test when an officer has probable cause to believe a motorist has been driving while under the influence of alcohol, but the motorist is unconscious and cannot be given a breath test? Recently, in Mitchell v. Wisconsin (U.S. 2019), the United States Supreme Court said, “No.”In such cases, “the exigent circumstances rule almost always permits a blood test without…

Busted September 13, 2019

BUSTED! – Real Stories of Genuine Absurdity September/October 2019

James L. McClinton, Ph.D Not quite Ocean’s Eleven material… Video captured three masked men as they tried to steal an ATM from a convenience store in Silver Spring, Maryland. They used their pickup to smash through the front windows of the store, exited the vehicle, and entered the store with a hand truck. The leader of the pack then punched one of his colleagues in the arm for failing to do his part. In the meantime, the getaway driver got…

....and nothing but the truth September 13, 2019

…AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH September/October 2019

Ramesh Nyberg Recently, I had this dream – a bad dream. Officers were getting shot with regularity. In fact, some were being hunted, ambushed and killed without even an interaction with anyone. In my nightmare, law enforcement was synonymous with racism, brutality and corruption, so much so that police became the object of cynical late night jokes. Comedians would get an easy laugh talking about some poor “person of color” being the target of a drooling, bigoted policeman.             This…