2021

RECOVERY POSITION, BREATHING AND IN-CUSTODY DEATHS: MYTHS VS. SCIENCE

John G. Peters, Jr., CLS, Ph.D. ©2021. A.R.R. Your partner, Officer Don, arrested and fought a resisting male, wrestled him to the ground, applied metallic handcuffs, and then rolled the facedown person onto his side. A few moments later, the male barely muttered, “I’m having difficulty breathing,” and then suddenly, without making sounds or movements, became nonresponsive and died. You and others question how this could have happened. After all, he had remembered to use the Recovery Position to improve…


The Ammunition Shortage: An Opportunity to Evaluate Firearms Training

Todd Fletcher Since March of 2020, ammunition has been in short supply for shooters, police academies and law enforcement agencies. The situation has improved a little bit as of late, but don’t fool yourself into thinking the shortage has ended. The demand for ammunition is still high – especially for training ammunition. Add in the cloud of gun and ammunition control legislation at the federal level and demand may continue unabated into the foreseeable future. For most departments, the ammunition…


New National Public Safety Partnership Sites

Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced ten new National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) sites which will work with the DOJ, local agencies and community organizations to reduce violence in areas with elevated crime rates. PSP serves as a DOJ-wide initiative which enables communities to receive coordinated training and technical assistance and an array of resources from DOJ’s programmatic and law enforcement components. The ten new cities are Antioch, California; Aurora, Colorado; Charleston/North Charleston, South Carolina; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Gary,…


The Importance of One-handed Shooting Skills

Michael T. Rayburn The firearm you carry on your hip is a handgun, not a hand(s)gun. It was originally designed and built to be shot with one hand. I know what you’re thinking, “Two hands are better than one,” and you’re absolutely correct, but one-handed shooting is always going to be faster. If you have the opportunity, go ahead and use two hands for your grip. It’s certainly going to be more stable, but chances are you’re not going to…


Combatting Future Biological Threats

Published by the White House, this key strategy document, “American Pandemic Preparedness: Transforming Our Capabilities,” outlines critical action needed to transform the United States’ “capabilities to respond rapidly and effectively to any future pandemic of high consequence biological threat.” The preparedness and response plan identifies the following five pillars as key areas requiring urgent attention in the effort to protect the country against future biological threats: Transforming our medical defenses, including dramatically improving and expanding our arsenal of vaccines, therapeutics…


New 2021 Toolkit: Cybersecurity Awareness

Published by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Cyber Security Alliance, this toolkit is useful for government agencies and private industries alike. The toolkit provides a variety of resources to ensure that every American can stay safe and secure online, while increasing the resilience of the nation against cyber threats. Specifically, the toolkit provides the following and more: Four Weekly Key Messages – Week 1: Be Cyber Smart; Week 2: Fight the Phish!; Week 3: Explore. Experience. Share.;…


THE WHEELS OF JUSTICE Nov/Dec 2021

Sergeant James Post TRANSPORTATION 2022 P&SN presents its 24th annual report on the latest technical advances in police vehicles, components and aftermarket equipment. Welcome to our annual transportation issue when we announce the results of the annual Michigan State Police (MSP) pursuit vehicle evaluations and introduce you to recently released vehicle and equipment announcements. Unfortunately, like our 2021 report, the results for 2022 have once again been impacted by worldwide events, primarily COVID-19. From politics to fuel shortages, to the…


Brand-new App Available

Behind every sexual assault case is a person whose life has been irrevocably altered. The first responders, law enforcement investigators, forensic nurse examiners, laboratory analysts, victim advocates, and attorneys who support and interact with victims in different ways can work together to positively impact a victim’s post-assault experience and improve healing and recovery. The Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting (SAFER) Act is focused on the accurate, timely and effective collection and processing of DNA evidence in sexual assault investigations. In…


BUSTED! REAL STORIES OF GENUINE ABSURDITY Nov/Dec 2021

JAMES L. MCCLINTON, PH.D. And what happens when they stop getting paid?… A new program intended to alleviate rising gun violence in the city of San Francisco will pay people who are at high risk of shooting someone not to pull the trigger. The Dream Keeper Fellowship will pay ten individuals $300 each month to not be involved in shootings, said the executive director of the Human Rights Commission. She explained that the program is not “transactional,” but will rather…


Announcing the Launch of LETTAC – Serving Victims by Supporting Law Enforcement

Funded by the Office for Violence Against Women (OVW), the National Violence Against Women Law Enforcement Training and Technical Assistance Consortium (LETTAC) Resource Center was developed for criminal justice colleagues in the field. LETTAC is a streamlined, comprehensive program for OVW grantees (and potential grantees) to request law enforcement related technical assistance tailored to their communities and priorities; access online materials and training 24/7; and stay up to date on the latest funding and other opportunities from OVW, stakeholders, and…