2019

Legal Update January February 2019

Larry E. Holtz, Esq. Driveway Car Searches Unlawful Without a Warrant       Does the automobile exception permit a law enforcement officer – uninvited and without a warrant – to enter the curtilage of a home in order to search a vehicle parked at the top of the home’s driveway? Recently, in Collins v. Virginia, 584 U.S. ___ (2018), the United States Supreme Court said, “No!”  “The automobile exception does not afford the necessary lawful right of access to search a…


Law Enforcement Leadership January February 2019

Michael Carpenter …Down the Road: Part II So, the idea of a well-paid second career teaching criminal justice classes at a college after you retire appeals to you? Well, you won’t get this second career teaching criminal justice classes based on your outstanding “police résumé.” As I mentioned in Part I, you need an “academic résumé.” And, you may need to start NOW to put that academic résumé together, even though your 20 year mark (or whatever your earliest retirement…


BUSTED! – Real Stories of Genuine Absurdity January February 2019

James L. McClinton, Ph.D. Without stupidity, there is no intelligence… When the owner of a hardwood floors business in Grand Rapids, Michigan, arrived at work, he discovered that someone had broken into the store. Surveillance footage showed that around 2:00 a.m. the day before, a burglar had thrown a rock through his store window, apparently tempted by the “gold” bars stacked in the window. The not too bright thief failed to realize that the bars are promotional items made of…


…AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH January/ February 2019

Werewolves Hiding in Plain Sight Among Sheepdogs Ed Nowicki – Guest Columnist Many of you are familiar with Lt. Col. Dave Grossman’s brilliant metaphor, “Of Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs,” when Col. Grossman equates the role of law enforcement to be similar to that of a sheepdog, protecting the herd (society) from the wolves. I absolutely agree with Col. Grossman’s observations. There is another predator I see lurking among the sheepdogs. While this predator may not be as physically dangerous as…


S.W.A.T. Management Software

Bill Siuru, Ph.D., PE Law enforcement, including S.W.A.T. teams, are under ever increasing scrutiny by administrators, the media and the public in general. Thus, complete and accurate records are vital in order to address any queries or concerns with accurate details. Teams must also manage their equipment, including firearms, munitions, vehicles, and other miscellaneous items, so that they know the status of each, such as being in-service, under repair, requiring repair, or need to be replaced. And, of course, there…


Who Ya Gonna Call? Various Types and Applications of Armored Rescue Vehicles

Jim Weiss and Mickey Davis Dateline 2017: Two heavily armed suspects in a high-intensity drug trafficking area barricaded themselves in a car. Cleveland (Ohio) Division of Police uniform patrol officers called for a SWAT assist. SWAT responded in their Dragoon Patroller, an Armored Rescue Vehicle (ARV), nicknamed “Mother II.” Cuyahoga County (OH) Sheriff’s Office SWAT also responded in their Lenco BearCat® ARV. Both law enforcement vehicles, Mother II and the sheriff’s BearCat, sandwiched the suspects’ car in between them. Even…