Articles by publisher

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…


THE WHEELS OF JUSTICE November/December 2022

SERGEANT JAMES POST TRANSPORTATION 2023 P&SN presents its 25th annual report on the latest technical advances in police vehicles, components and aftermarket equipment. Welcome to our annual transportation issue in which we report on all the newest LE vehicles and equipment as gleaned from the Annual Michigan State Police (MSP) Vehicle Evaluation, as well as annual events such as this year’s IACP Conference and Police Security Expo. We’ll first report on the results of the MSP tests of the popular…


Best Practices Leveraging Computer-Aided Dispatch to Enhance Suspicious Activity Reporting

Published through support from the US Department of Homeland Security, the Best Practices Leveraging Computer-Aided Dispatch to Enhance Suspicious Activity Reporting resource was developed to provide law enforcement and fusion centers with promising practices and recommendations on how to develop or enhance the process of querying Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) data to derive or develop information, tips and leads, or suspicious activity. This includes Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) meeting the requirements outlined in the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative. The guidance…


New Training Module on Ghost Guns

The Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) have released a new training module on privately made firearms, commonly known as ghost guns, as part of the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) Virtual Academy. Working collaboratively, ATF and BJA developed the PSP Virtual Academy Ghost Guns course to provide law enforcement with a readily accessible, on-demand, and no-cost way to gain insight into what constitutes privately made firearms and how they may be…


School Climate, Student Discipline, and the Implementation of School Resource Officers

Published by the National Institute of Justice, this report examines the impacts of School Resource Officers (SROs) on outcomes related to school climate and student suspension rates, with a focus on racial differences and the role of school context. This study also examines how SROs perceive their roles and how these roles may be shaped by school contexts. A copy of the report can be viewed at https://tinyurl.com/yucxa3an


Firearms Training: How to “Sharpen the Sword”

Mike Boyle Falling short of your expectations in academics or athletics may be a source of embarrassment, but it will not get you killed. With that said, I am often astonished by the attitudes of some trainers and administrators when it comes to firearms proficiency. By giving firearms training just enough attention to “get by,” they either feel that they, or the people they are responsible for, are prepared to deal with adversity. In the end, it doesn’t matter if…


Drone Piloting Proficiency Takes Flight with Certification Course

It’s a hot August day at the Maryland State Police Training Academy. The sun is shining bright and there’s a constant buzzing in the air. It’s not insects – although those are certainly out and about as well – it’s small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS), also known as drones.  Dozens of officials from across the country, spanning a variety of different federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, have gathered together for intensive training. The “Advanced Open/Obstructed Test Proctor Course for…