Ramesh NybergGod Has Already Blessed America I’m writing this column from the other side of the Earth. Yes, once again, I’m in India, sweltering in heat and humidity which makes me long for Miami weather, as hard as that is to imagine. Once more, wherever I go in the world, I can’t help but be drawn to the police: What are they wearing? What are they carrying? What are they doing? I’ll start with Bali. Since we were vacationing in…
John G. Stephenson Images courtesy of Dana Safety Supply A patrol vehicle is one of the most important pieces of equipment a law enforcement agency will ever purchase. It is also one of the easiest to get wrong. Today’s police vehicle is no longer simply a sedan, SUV or pickup with a light bar, radio and prisoner partition. It serves as a mobile office, emergency response platform, communications hub, prisoner transport area, equipment storage system, and highly visible symbol of…
REAL STORIES OF GENUINE ABSURDITY JAMES L. MCCLINTON, PH.D. Some people will do anything to save a buck… Louisiana police are investigating a Pineville Chinese restaurant after officers allegedly found roadkill stored in a freezer with food intended for customers. The investigation began after a viral social media post accused the restaurant of placing a dead animal in its freezer, prompting Pineville police to respond to the business. Once there, officers determined the animal was a deer, reportedly picked up…
Michael Brown PCP may not be making headlines, but its quiet return is creating a volatile mix of gang violence, toxic labs and unpredictable street encounters for law enforcement. America’s long running opioid battle has shifted into a new, quieter, yet more complicated, phase. There has been a quiet resurgence of Phencyclidine (PCP), largely driven by two well established Los Angeles-based gangs, the Bloods and the Crips. Generally known as “angel dust,” PCP is a hallucinogenic and psychoactive substance synthesized…
The United States continues to face an unprecedented and evolving drug threat driven by illicit fentanyl which is increasingly mixed with a dangerous array of synthetic substances emerging in the illicit market. These combinations are making an already deadly drug supply even more unpredictable and lethal. Law enforcement and public health officials are seeing fentanyl combined with highly potent substances such as xylazine, nitazenes, cychlorphine, and medetomidine. Many of these substances are not approved for human use and are often…
Jake Ganor What are the latest developments and advancements in technologies designed to improve ballistic protection? The past year has been a relatively quiet one for advances in body armor materials. New composites, new soft armor materials and new metal alloys or ceramic materials have not been broadly fielded. UHMWPE (Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene) is more dominant than it has ever been – with Avient and Honeywell both struggling to keep up with demand – and advances in Kevlar®, beyond…
John G. Stephenson Walk through any tactical equipment display or team staging area today and one thing is clear: Modern SWAT operators have more options than ever – better armor, lighter helmets and improved communications. Thermal devices, night vision, drones, robots, rifles, optics, breaching tools, medical gear, less-lethal options, tactical vehicles, and a growing list of specialty equipment all promise to make teams safer and more capable. Most of it can be valuable. The problem is that every new piece…
The National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, DC, recently announced the launch of a new digital exhibit, Preserving Democracy: Law Enforcement in the New Nation, offering visitors an in-depth look at the early history of American law enforcement and its evolution alongside the nation. Created in recognition of America’s 250th anniversary, the online exhibit explores how law enforcement developed from colonial era systems such as sheriffs, constables and night watches into the more organized, professional agencies which emerged in the…
By Larry E. Holtz, Esq. Supreme Court: Using a Routine Wristlock to Move a Resistant Protester Does Not Violate the US Constitution On the day of the governor’s inauguration in Vermont, roughly 200 demonstrators gathered at the State House, where some, including Shela Linton, staged a sit-in to press for universal healthcare. As evening fell and the capitol closed to the public, 29 protesters remained in the legislative chamber, seated on the floor with their arms linked. Police officers warned…
By James L. McClinton, Ph.D. Llamaforcement… Police were hot on the heels of a thief they were chasing, until they lost him when he leapt over a fence and onto a farmer’s property. As it turns out, that was not a wise move. This farmer has eight llamas on his property and these are animals which are very possessive about their territory. The llamas, which can reach a height of six feet and are well-known for their nasty habit of…