Articles

Staying Safe and Smart: How Modern Handgun Safeties Help You Avoid Legal Trouble

Larry J. Nichols Officers and armed citizens must maintain their defensive firearms to factory standards, with all safety features intact, as they are liable for the weapon’s condition in court. As an honorably retired law enforcement firearms instructor, armorer and firearms expert witness, it has become abundantly clear to me that the significance of maintaining a defensive handgun to factory specifications has largely become lost on many individuals who carry a personal defense handgun. This has prompted me to share…


FBI Releases Annual Internet Crime Report

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has released its latest annual report. The “2024 Internet Crime Report” combines information from 859,532 complaints of suspected Internet crime and details reported losses exceeding $16 billion – a 33% increase in losses from 2023. According to the 2024 report, Alabama is ranked 26 out of all states in the number of complaints received by the public. As a group, people over the age of 60 suffered the most losses at over…


Legal Update May/June 2025

Larry E. Holtz, Esq. Gun Kits Which Readily Convert Into Working Firearms In Bondi v. Vanderstok (US 3/26/2025), the United States Supreme Court upheld the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) rule treating ghost guns as deadly firearms. Ghost guns are unserialized, untraceable firearms which can be easily put together in minutes from parts acquired without a background check. The federal Gun Control Act (GCA), 18 U.S.C.§ 921(a)(3), defines a “firearm” to include “(A) any weapon (including a…


Edged Weapon Defense: Lessons from the Past

Michael T. Rayburn Present-day officers must relearn and strengthen their ability to recognize threats; understand the deadly potential of even small weapons; and accurately judge when the use of deadly force is appropriate. Lately, it seems we have been inundated with numerous videos of officers being attacked with edged weapons, resulting in multiple cases of officers being slashed; stabbed; and, in some instances, stabbed several times. I am not here to point fingers, but, clearly, somewhere along the way, the…


DEA Releases New Ketamine Resources

The DEA has a new Web page on the Diversion Control Division Website dedicated to ketamine. Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic which has some hallucinogenic effects. It distorts the perception of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and not in control. It is referred to as a “dissociative anesthetic hallucinogen” because it makes patients feel detached from their pain and environment. Learn more about ketamine trends, common street names, and enforcement related to the drug


Beware of More Potential Land Mines: 15 Principles for Reducing the Risk of Restraint-Related Deaths

John G. Peters, Jr., Ph.D., and Darrell L. Ross, Ph.D. ©2025. A.R.R. In September of last year, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) unveiled its report, 15Principles for Reducing the Risk of Restraint-Related Deaths, sparking critical discussions within the law enforcement community. While PERF’s standing as a trusted advocacy organization lends weight to its recommendations, many of these principles demand scrutiny before adoption. As seen with the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s Model Policy on electronic control weapons –…


Busted! Real Stories of Genuine Absurdity May/June 2025

James L. McClinton A real Cokehead… Colombian police arrested a 40-year-old man attempting to smuggle cocaine under a carefully attached toupée. He was detained at Cartagena’s airport before boarding a flight to Amsterdam. A scanner revealed 220 grams of cocaine hidden beneath his “narco wig,” with an estimated street value of 10,000 euros. A police video showed an officer removing the wig, uncovering about a dozen drug packets. Authorities confirmed the suspect had two prior drug trafficking convictions. (Cut and…


AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH May/June 2025

Ramesh Nyberg When Life Gives You Lemons, Ask for Salt and Tequila There I was, swooping down a blue marked ski slope, making gentle, almost majestic turns through the perfect layer of powder. The satisfying, crunchy swiisshh of our skis was music to our ears as Sgt. Luis Alvarez, my traveling partner, paralleled my serpentine trek down the mountain. We came to a ledge where I executed one of my better 90 degree sharp stops. I turned to Lou and…


Preliminary Law Enforcement Investigation Checklist: Threat of Imminent School Violence

The Preliminary Law Enforcement Investigation Checklist is intended to assist patrol and school resource officers in asking the appropriate questions to assess for imminent risk of harm and to identify factors which may require additional resources to assist students. The first part of the checklist consists of questions designed to establish Motive, Opportunity, Means, and Intent (MOM-I), and the second focuses on assessing whether the individual being questioned is experiencing life challenges which may increase the risk of self-harm or…


Guiding Principles for School Resource Officer Programs Flyer

Local law enforcement agencies across the United States have hired School Resource Officers (SROs) nationwide to improve and preserve safety in schools, often using grants from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). This flyer outlines 13 principles to guide the COPS Office’s work relating to SROs and jurisdictions choosing to implement SRO programs. These principles should not limit communities in their consideration of the range of programs and interventions which can help improve safety on school campuses….