Todd Fletcher About five years ago, while teaching a class in Las Vegas, I overheard an off-the-cuff comment which has stuck with me since that time. We had just finished cleaning up after class and I approached a group of officers readying to take the range. They were standing around talking, prepping gear and making sure they had all signed in for the evening’s training session. Just being friendly, I asked one of the more “veteran” guys if he was…
Published by the National Institute of Justice, Serial Killer Connections Through Cold Cases discusses cold case investigations and how to better resolve and prioritize cases. In 1965, approximately 80 percent of homicide cases were cleared, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, but, in 2017, only about 60 percent of homicide cases were resolved. An estimated 250,000 unresolved homicide cases exist in the United States and more than 100,000 have accumulated in the past 20 years alone. In part, limited…
This training, funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and hosted by the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), introduces the history of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and the ways they are commonly used – both legitimately and in relation to a crime. It also focuses on the ways law enforcement can gather and analyze evidence involving drones. Topics include gathering evidence, both internal and external to the drone, as well as methods for manually processing flight logs and displaying…
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced the expansion of Operation Crystal Shield. This expansion includes the designation of two additional methamphetamine “transportation hubs” in 2021. Through this effort, the DEA is attacking the entire supply chain, locating and seizing meth shipments before they are broken down and trafficked into communities and neighborhoods. The Chicago Field Division and the San Francisco Field Division have been added to this initiative, along with the nine DEA field divisions originally selected to participate. In…
Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and published by the Office of Community Oriented Policing (COPS) in partnership with the National Police Foundation, Conversations with Rural Law Enforcement Leaders: Volume 2 discusses how rural law enforcement agencies face increasing rates of crime and disorder, often with dwindling resources to combat them. To discuss critical issues in rural policing, this report has convened a listening session series with rural law enforcement stakeholders to discuss rural law enforcement’s common concerns, challenges…
Mike Boyle (photo by Jeremy Alford) For many years, I’ve looked forward to the annual SHOT Show with the same enthusiasm as a kid anticipates a visit from Santa Claus. As a self-confessed gear junkie, I manage to keep my buying habits in check, but I always look forward to walking the aisles to see what’s new. But, this year, that wasn’t meant to be. The SHOT Show might be described as the world’s largest gun bazaar where manufacturers promote…
REAL STORIES OF GENUINE ABSURDITY JAMES L. MCCLINTON, PH.D. Oh, the weather outside is frightful and Santa’s carrying his patrol rifle… In Riverside, California, three men allegedly tried to steal a car at the local mall during a police undercover operation. “Two of the men saw the detective and ran off,” said a police spokesman. As officers swooped in, one yelled, “Get him, Santa!” Sure enough, St. Nick came running and tackled one of the suspects, backed up by a…
Ramesh Nyberg “Thank you, but…” This column is dedicated to the memories of Officer Brian Sicknick, Officer Jeffrey Smith and Officer Howard Liebengood. Rest in peace, brave warriors. Nightmare scenario, perfect storm…whatever phrase you want to ascribe to January 6th, 2021, it probably doesn’t suffice in expressing the trauma, fear, stress, and downright desperation our brothers and sisters in blue suffered at the hands of the raging, violent mob which attacked our capitol building that day. It was the ultimate…