Mike Rayburn When the moment of truth has arrived, the time for preparation has passed. Are you training for the fight or are you training for the range? There is a difference, even though there shouldn’t be, but some departments are still doing “range practice” when they should be teaching “street fighting.” In today’s world of touchy-feely PC police departments, where we cry when we retire and can’t wait to show off our latest dance moves on YouTube, God forbid…
Chris Fleming, Tod W. Burke, Ph.D. and Stephen S. Owen, Ph.D. Implementing overdose reversal programs has provided law enforcement agencies with a number of collateral benefits, including improved community relations. However, it is imperative to weigh both the benefits, as well as any potential drawbacks, before making any commitment. In Wisconsin, police were dispatched to the scene of an unresponsive two-year-old after he allegedly consumed OxyContin® pills, an opioid derivative. Despite interventions from first responders, the toddler was pronounced dead…
Sergeant James Post A CONDENSED HISTORY OF POLICE CAR ENGINES (AND A FEW COOL CRUISERS, TOO) PART ONE We all think of history in different ways. Your high school history teacher probably traced history by the dates of significant events, while architects categorize history with building styles and sports fans track history by the big (or bad) games of their favorite teams. But, automobile fans (car guys/gals) organize their thinking by favorite years, makes and models. However, performance-minded buffs go…
US Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Police in DC House Party Case Larry E. Holtz, Esq. A boisterous, late night Washington, DC, party leads to the arrest of partygoers and, ultimately, to a decision regarding probable cause. Recently, in District of Columbia v. Wesby, 583 U.S. ___ (2018), the United States Supreme Court rejected a claim made by 16 trespassing partygoers that the police lacked probable cause to arrest them. The circumstances unfolded at about 1:00 a.m. in the…
Michael Carpenter Are You a Good Boss? Do You Want to Find Out? The reality is that honestly determining whether or not you are a good police commander can be difficult. There may be people around you who will praise your virtues, no matter what you do. Of course, there will also be those whom you will not be able to satisfy, no matter how good you really are as a commander. Somewhere between those two extremes is the truth…
Rebecca Waters How does an officer’s physical appearance influence public opinion? Recent events involving police use of force have compelled law enforcement to spend more time considering their relationship with the communities they serve and how to improve the public’s perception of officers and their role in the community. In addition to public outreach programs designed to bring citizens in contact with officers in constructive, positive ways, recent research suggests that an officer’s appearance can influence public opinion. “It is possible…
James L. McClinton, Ph.D. He’s an intense man with a busy schedule… Police officers were working a crash in midtown Gainesville, Florida, when a man pulled up and started honking his horn. His honking was not a gentle tap of the horn button, but a rather excessive use of the device. When police approached his vehicle, they immediately noticed the smell of marijuana wafting from the opened car window. Inside the car, they found a handgun, a loaded magazine and…
Ramesh Nyberg A Master Interviewer – Gregory M. Smith April 19, 1953 – October 27, 2017 You’ve heard it before: Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach. As one who did and one who taught (and still does), I respectfully disagree. But, I won’t use myself as an example because that would be presumptuous. Instead, I’ll use as an example a guy named Greg Smith who just passed away a few months ago. Greg was a really special…
Mike Boyle One constant in any discussion among law enforcement firearms trainers is controversy. Back when the Earth was flat, we engaged in heated debate as to whether pistols offered advantages over revolvers or the stopping potential of the 9mm versus the .45ACP. Some of these issues have played out, but others will persist until we can put our phasers on stun. One area where both practitioners and instructors would probably agree is that only hits count. The ability to…
Todd Fletcher When I got the chance to evaluate the P365 handgun, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on SIG’s newest offering. For more than a decade, I carried a department issued SIG SAUER® P226® as my duty handgun. In addition to being used on duty and during department firearms training, that well-worn P226 was used in a variety of competitive shooting events, firearms training classes and many afternoons practicing on my own. I put tens of thousands of…