Articles by publisher

Specialized Circumstances: Searching Individuals Wearing Medical Apparatus

John G. Peters, Jr., Ph.D. CTC, CLS and Michael Coleman ©2018. A.R.R. Most Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) are trained to perform pat-downs and searches on suspects, but few have been trained on how to properly and safely do these procedures on people wearing medical appliances and/or prosthetic devices. With approximately 185,000 amputation surgeries taking place each year in the United States, it is estimated there are about 1.9 million amputees here currently. Similarly, there are also millions of people wearing…


How to Acquire Law Enforcement Grants

Dr. Stephenie Slahor Federal, state, local, private, and foundation grants can mean fostering a new project, providing more training, acquiring better equipment, or developing improved processes. Whether city, county or state law enforcement, the fact remains that grants can provide a useful source of funds when the budgets are tight, but projects are worthy. Public and private grant funding can help finance all, or part, of a program, training or equipment, but competition is high for those funds. To obtain…


When Officers Become the Target: How to Protect Yourself from Doxing

Leischen Kranick With today’s heated political climate, it is more important now than ever to protect yourself and your family from “online vigilantes.” According to Wikipedia, the term doxing or doxxing (from dox, an abbreviation of documents) is the Internet-based practice of researching and broadcasting private or identifiable information (especially personally identifiable information) about an individual or organization. It is typically done with malicious intent. The information published can be anything from home addresses to vehicle identification to social media…


Three Ways Rugged Tablets Are Revolutionizing Forensic Mapping

 Andrew S. Klane and Mario Gosalvez Purpose-built rugged tablets designed with specific capabilities for certain tasks can save both time and money while driving superior outcomes. With the recent advent of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) rugged tablets, forensic mapping is being revolutionized. These new tablets enable something previously not possible: scientific-grade accurate measurements for those engaged in non land surveying work. These rugged tablets can deliver centimeter level measurement accuracy faster and easier than using conventional…


Providing an “Unfair” Advantage: The New Seek Thermal™ Reveal ShieldPRO

Mike Boyle                       Darkness presents special challenges for law enforcement officers. The collective police history illustrates that violent crime spikes in the evening hours, often with tragic consequences. For centuries, criminals have used the cloak of darkness to help conceal their illicit activities. Humans are visual creatures and, when our primary sensory receptor is compromised, performance suffers. In poor light, even simple tasks such as navigation through unfamiliar surroundings can be problematic. Locating and assessing potential danger is more…


Automated License Plate Recognition Technology Evolves

Rebecca Waters         Rapid changes in technology can make it difficult to stay ahead of the game. The above statement is particularly true when it comes to Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems which combine cameras, data processors and character recognition software, all of which are constantly evolving. Even law enforcement’s use of the technology continues to evolve. Once used only to recover stolen vehicles and track expired vehicle registrations, ALPR is now used to solve a countless number of offenses….


The Wheels of Justice September October 2018

Sergeant James Post A CONDENSED HISTORY OF POLICE CAR ENGINES PART TWO This is the second part of our retrospective covering police car engines starting in 1932 when Henry Ford’s first V-8 appeared. We’ve covered other significant engines, too, such as the big- and small-blocks from Ford® and GM and, of course, the Gen I and II HEMI®s from Chrysler. Along the way, we also discussed some of the significant police cars which were powered by these engines. Part two…


Legal Update September October 2018

Larry E. Holtz, Esq. Supreme Court Protects Cell Phone Location Information             Does an individual have a constitutional right of privacy in his (or her) cell phone location information? Recently, in Carpenter v. United States (US 6-22-18), the United States Supreme Court said, “Yes!” The Case: Police arrested four men suspected of robbing a series of RadioShack® and (ironically enough) T-Mobile® stores in Detroit. One of the men confessed that, over the previous four months, the group had robbed nine…


BUSTED! – Real Stories of Genuine Absurdity September October 2018

James L. McClinton, Ph.D. So, where does a thief work after he gets “canned”?… The sheriff of Bay County, Florida, was on his way to lunch with his chief deputy and a major when they heard an emergency call broadcast: An armed robbery suspect was at a food store in Youngstown. The trio was closest, so they quickly responded. The suspect exited the store holding a hammer as if it was a gun, but retreated back into the store with…


Law Enforcement Leadership September October 2018

Michael Carpenter The New Commander – Problems and Solutions    “Congratulations, Lieutenant. You are hereby promoted and assigned to the 7th District as the commander of that unit. Good luck!” These can be exciting words at the promotion ceremony, but both the agency and the new commander might be surprised at what he/she may be facing after receiving those new stripes or bars. The phrase “good luck!” can have a very positive meaning when the preconceived ideas of becoming a…