January 2023

New Research Article Available: Indicators of Sex Trafficking in Online Escort Ads

Law enforcement have long used online escort advertisements to identify sex trafficking victims and investigate cases. Investigators have used and shared several indicators with each other in practice over the years, but these indicators have not been empirically tested for predictive power to support investigative decisions or the use of ads as evidence in court. This study has two objectives: Examine whether there are indicators which can differentiate escort ads related to sex trafficking from ads for consensual, non-trafficking sex…


It’s in the Eyes

Ward W. Brien © 2021 A little bit of the science behind precision shooting helps to explain a lot. Riflescopes, spotting scopes and binoculars share a similar purpose. The optics are designed to magnify the image of an object you are looking at. Lenses are designed to focus or concentrate a large amount of light into a narrow beam of light through the center of the lenses so that, upon exiting, it will match the size of your pupil. This…


Ballistic Shields Part 1: Basics and Tactics

Jake Ganor The shield is older than civilization itself and no other implement has shaped warfare to such a tremendous extent.  Shield walls and phalanx tactics are plainly visible in carvings from ancient Sumeria which date back to 2600 BC. Shield wall tactics were also used by ancient Egyptians. In Ancient Greece, all infantry tactics were built around the shield – a hoplite was not considered armed without his aspis which enabled the phalanx formations of the age – and…


THE WHEELS OF JUSTICE January/February 2023

Sergeant James Post Protecting the Thin Blue Line Is Job One A patrol car can be a vulnerable place to stow a firearm. What current solutions are available to help safely store and secure your agencies’ weapons? Cops today are under fire more than ever before…police assaults, ambushes and murders are at an all-time high. As of December 1, 2022, 302 American officers have been shot in the line of duty last year – 56 fatally.  Dissecting those horrific numbers,…


Alien Gear Holsters® Honors Law Enforcement Appreciation Day with Online Donations

Alien Gear Holsters® offers customers a chance to support law enforcement charities by rounding up their purchase at checkout. Alien Gear  Holsters®, designers and manufacturers of American-made holsters and firearms accessories, and the Rapid Force™ line of Level 2 and Level 3 Duty Holsters, announce that in honor of Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, Alien Gear Holsters have launched a new way to support law enforcement on their website. “At Alien Gear Holsters, we want to show our deep appreciation for…


What Are the Leadership Principles of Elite Tactical Teams?

Jon Becker The question of what creates elite performance in a team is a frequent topic for discussion in both law enforcement training and textbooks. The strategies and approaches for creating elite performance are myriad as are the number of “leadership gurus” who, for a price, will teach you their foolproof method for forging a high performing team. Yet, somehow, despite this abundance of information, poor leadership continues to occur and we continue to see catastrophic failures during critical events…


BUSTED! Real Stories of Genuine Absurdity January/February 2023

JAMES L. MCCLINTON, PH.D. What do you call a moron who’s had too much to drink? A cab… The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said a person called in a report, saying that “there appears to be a man on the back of this truck.” It all started in Wichita when investigators say a 30-year-old man hopped on the back rail of a semitruck as it was leaving a shipping yard. He held on for 130 miles – nearly two hours –…


FBI Article: The Fatal Five – Off-Duty Threats to Law Enforcement

Published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), this article discusses an analysis of data collected from 2017 to 2019 on law enforcement suicide deaths. The analysis revealed ten risk factors present in many cases. Of these, five were noted as significant among police and corrections officers: interpersonal relationships, substance abuse and addiction, sleep and related disorders, physical and mental health, and access to firearms. Careful examination of these issues will help reduce negative outcomes. In addition, changing the paradigm…


…AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH January/February 2023

Ramesh Nyberg From Defund to Retool The joke goes: A man is having a bad day. He gets fired from work, goes out to find his car vandalized, then goes home to find that his home was burglarized. It’s a busy day in the district and the nearest available officer is a K-9 unit. The sunglasses-wearing officer gets out and the German Shepherd comes bounding out of the vehicle after him. The man laments, “Oh, God…I’ve been fired…my car gets…