Training & Education

Dr. Stephenie Slahor You can reach new heights in your law enforcement career if you plan carefully and add supplementary education to your abilities. The traditional routes to a bachelor’s and master’s degree are now common. Many colleges and universities offer programs tailored specifically for the skills and procedures needed in law enforcement specializations and administration. Fortunately, most such programs are now offered on a schedule which can match your availability of time for courses and for completing a degree,…

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…

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…

Stephenie Slahor, Ph.D. Do you spend your shift in a vehicle? Aboard a motorcycle? A bike? A horse?  Actually, you are still likely to spend a good part of your shift as a “pedestrian.” So says Tim Burrows of the National Law Enforcement Liaison Program, and he states that’s why you need to plan how to keep safe when you’re away from that metal barrier. Nick Breul, National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Senior Project Manager, agrees. He participated in…

John G. Peters, Jr., Ph.D. ©2022. A.R.R. Critical thinking skills enable law enforcement personnel to analyze information and process it wisely in order to help determine the value of that information and make a decision. There are too many documented instances of a suspect telling an officer, “I can’t breathe,” only to hear the officer say, “If you’re talking, you’re breathing.” Another example is a handcuffed suspect who tells an officer, “These handcuffs are too tight,” only to be told…

Ralph Mroz “Not possible,” you say? In fact, I think you can, due to confusion between static square range competition-influenced training and training for the real world of the street. Before you start sending hate mail, let me clearly say that I’ve come to believe that people training for the real world have a lot more to learn from competitive shooters than I had ever believed possible prior to several years ago. But, shooting at speed is one area where…

Mike Boyle History has shown that police gunfights typically unfold at very short range. Approximately 90% occur inside of seven yards and a great many take place inside of double arm’s length.    Within close quarters, there is precious little time to react and no special skill is needed to inflict a serious injury or even death. In 2019, the FBI reported that 48 law enforcement officers were feloniously slain in the line of duty. Of that total, 14 were…

Ray Casillas, EMT-Paramedic, and John G. Peters, Jr., CLS, Ph.D. ©2022. A.R.R.  “It’s not fair, I’m telling you, it’s not fair!” “Officer, calm down! Calm down!” said the Internal Affairs investigator in a loud voice. “How can I calm down when the department didn’t train me about what to look for and you guys are now trying to hold me and my backup officers responsible for his death,” replied the officer. Historically, many defensive tactics and/or restraint instructors have taught…

John G. Peters, Jr., CLS, Ph.D. ©2021. A.R.R. Your partner, Officer Don, arrested and fought a resisting male, wrestled him to the ground, applied metallic handcuffs, and then rolled the facedown person onto his side. A few moments later, the male barely muttered, “I’m having difficulty breathing,” and then suddenly, without making sounds or movements, became nonresponsive and died. You and others question how this could have happened. After all, he had remembered to use the Recovery Position to improve…

Todd Fletcher Since March of 2020, ammunition has been in short supply for shooters, police academies and law enforcement agencies. The situation has improved a little bit as of late, but don’t fool yourself into thinking the shortage has ended. The demand for ammunition is still high – especially for training ammunition. Add in the cloud of gun and ammunition control legislation at the federal level and demand may continue unabated into the foreseeable future. For most departments, the ammunition…