Articles by publisher

Shotguns in the Squad Car

Weaponry September 19, 2025

Shotguns in the Squad Car: Still a Tactical Asset?

Mike Boyle For over 50 years, the shotgun was the dominant police shoulder weapon. After WWII, it reigned supreme, until recently, when the patrol rifle became more common, leading many to view the shotgun as obsolete. The move away from the traditional shotgun to a patrol rifle got me thinking about an old quote attributed to Mark Twain in which he stated, “Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Much of the same can be applied to the shotgun. I…

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....and nothing but the truth September 16, 2025

…AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

Ramesh Nyberg A Badge by Any Other Name: 60 Years of Law Enforcement Rebranding In September of 1982, I could not have been more excited in my young police career. I was leaving the North Miami Police Department, a 90 man agency in the north central part of a sprawling county, then known as “Dade County.” For those of you who enjoy history, the name came from Major Francis Langhorn Dade, an army commander who was killed during the mid-1800’s…

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Busted September 11, 2025

Busted!

James L. McClinton, Ph.D. “Umm, it’s not mine. It’s his!”… Police in Springfield Township, Ohio, recently had an interesting experience during a traffic stop. Officers crossed paths with a “bandit” holding a meth pipe in its mouth during an arrest. The miscreant was not arrested because he is a raccoon. Officers had pulled over a vehicle whose owner had an active warrant and a suspended driver’s license. The driver, a 55-year-old Akron woman, was detained. But, when an officer walked…

Investigator analyzing biometric data using AI-driven forensic software, highlighting emerging technology in evidence processing.

Technology August 28, 2025

Forensic Breakthroughs: How AI Is Transforming Evidence Analysis

Carl Mazzanti After a deadly school shooting in November 2021 at Oxford High School in Oakland County, Michigan, AI tools were vital to the investigation and subsequent conviction of the shooter’s parents, who had provided their son with the weapon used in the crime. “It was clear to me very quickly that there was this mountain of evidence that may or may not be relevant on the phones that we were not finding…,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. “…There’s…

Heavily equipped law enforcement officers in tactical gear and modern body armor standing in formation, representing advancements in ballistic protection and gear technology.

Technology August 25, 2025

2025 Innovations in Body Armor and Ballistic Materials

Jake Ganor What cutting-edge developments are shaping the future of ballistic protection for police? Last year’s article, “2024 Innovations in Body Armor and Ballistic Materials,” explored three intersecting storylines. First, it chronicled how UHMWPE (Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene) composites displaced aramid across vests, plates and helmets, measuring the jump from legacy SK76 fiber to Dyneema® SK99 “Force Multiplier” laminates and attendant weight cuts (e.g., Level  III plates falling from 3.3  pounds to 2.4  pounds). Second, it signaled Dyneema’s unnamed post‑SK99 fiber…

Cover page of a Bureau of Justice Statistics report detailing 2022 training topics and instructor data from state and local law enforcement academies in the U.S.

News August 20, 2025

New Report on Law Enforcement Training Academies

The BJS recently released State and Local Law Enforcement Training Academies’ Training Topics and Instructors, 2022 – Statistical Tables. This report describes the number and types of basic training curricula of state and local law enforcement training academies in the United States in 2022. Findings in the report are based primarily on the 2022 Census of Law Enforcement Training Academies (CLETA), the fifth iteration of the data collection.  Conducted periodically since 2002, CLETA collects information from training academies which are…

Close-up of law enforcement officers holding smartphones displaying a life-detection app interface, part of new technology delivered by the Department of Homeland Security for locating hidden individuals.

News August 12, 2025

DHS S&T Delivers New Capability for Detecting Presence of Life to Law Enforcement

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has delivered the Detect Presence of Life (DepLife™) technology to industry partner MaXentric Technologies LLC. MaXentric will make this first responder solution available to law enforcement agencies across the United States. DepLife enables agents and officers to easily and safely identify whether any individuals are inside a room when direct line-of-sight is not an option. S&T funded the radar-based DepLife capability and developed it in collaboration with Fort Lee,…

Cover of the DEA’s 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment report, highlighting U.S. and global drug trafficking threats and enforcement priorities.

News August 4, 2025

2025 National Drug Threat Assessment

The US Drug Enforcement Administration recently released the 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA), the DEA’s comprehensive review of the threats posed to the United States by deadly illicit drugs and the violent domestic and international drug trafficking organizations responsible for producing and trafficking the drugs poisoning our communities. In addition to highlighting current trends and emerging threats, this year’s NDTA includes overviews of the cartels and criminal organizations which were designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated…

Blurred view of police cars with emergency lights at night, representing the high-stakes environment central to the Supreme Court’s 'moment of threat' decision.

Legal Update July 30, 2025

Legal Update: Supreme Court Rejects the “Moment of Threat” Rule

Larry E. Holtz, Esq. In Barnes v. Felix, 605 U.S. ___ (5/15/2025), the United States Supreme Court determined that, in assessing whether an officer acted reasonably in using force, a court may not simply consider the precise moment of the threat. According to the Court, the “moment-of-threat” rule improperly narrows the proper Fourth Amendment analysis. “To assess whether an officer acted reasonably in using force, a court must consider all the relevant circumstances, including facts and events leading up to…

Two tactical officers in full ballistic gear kneeling behind cover during a training exercise, showcasing modern body armor and protective equipment.

Equipment & Apparel July 25, 2025

Ballistic Armor Update: 2025

P&SN Staff The ballistic protection industry has seen steady advancements over the past year, with new upgrades and design enhancements improving armor effectiveness. Here’s a look at some of the latest developments. Adept Armor Armorfoam is Adept Armor’s new protective material which is a self-bonded hybrid of ultralight Ivoryguard™ elastomer foam with high tenacity ballistic fibers. Weighing only 0.2 g/cc, these flexible pads are lightweight, yet deliver protection beyond what most foams can offer. A 10″ x 12″ ballistic trauma pad…