The NRA’s Life of Duty has a video about an US Air Force unit that is designed to respond to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents. These folks deal with the scariest stuff on the planet.
Archives for February 2012
Spyderco OpFocus Catalog for Those Duty-Bound
Spyderco, Inc. has come out with a special on-line Flip Book and PDF catalog designed specifically “for the duty-bound armed professional, first responder, martial artist, or defense-minded civilian.” It is called OpFocus.
OpFocus developed by Spyderco Special Projects Coordinator Michael Janich. I caught up with him at SHOT Show and he was very proud to have written the catalog. He said it reflected the high quality and responsiveness of the brand.
From its text, “This “Operational Focus” is designed to highlight the mission-oriented tactical applications of our products and enable you to quickly and easily compare them to choose the knives that best meet your needs. The products featured in OpFocus were specifically chosen because of their relevance to this defined focus.”
New Bust a Cap Strike Bezel for Surefire
Todd Summers, inventor of the Bust a Cap window breaker for batons and flashlights, has a new product that debuted at SHOT Show 2012. He was kind enough to give us a short video. It is a Bust a Cap crenellated bezel for Surefire flashlights. He said it will fit four models: P6, G2, Z2, and C2.
Bust a Cap products are already available for 15 different models of batons and lights made by ASP, Streamlight, and Maglite. Because Surefire lights have a tail-cap activation button, standard Bust a Cap ends were not compatible. Problem solved!
Rapid Containment Baton
Aaron caught up with Vic Morales at the Rapid Containment Baton previously, but Aaron wanted to follow that up with an article on some of the Rapid Containment Baton’s specific advantages.
Although new to me, the RCB has been around since 1997. The RCB design was purchased by Winchester and became known as the “Winchester Baton”. Vic advised that the inventor decided to buy the patent back in 2004. That was brought on when the inventor discovered that a large manufacturing company involved in the distribution of the RCB was making knock-off batons of other manufacturers. That brought a lot of bad press, and the inventor (a real cop from Long Beach, CA), didn’t want to see the merits of the RCB flushed by association with that company.
Peace Keeper International is the new manufacturer and distributor of the RCB.
THE DESIGN
The RCB is similar to other expandable batons in that it uses a friction/tension lock system to lock the baton in the expanded position.
Warrior Wives
Thanks to the NRA’s Life of Duty for remembering the spouses of our military.
CRKT Ultima Knife
Having recently purchased my first CRKT knife I checked out their booth at SHOT Show this year. Although not a new product I was intrigued by the CRKT Ultima fixed blade knife. This fixed blade knife had a lot of new features that made it stand out compared to many other fixed blade knives and I wanted to know more.
CRKT ULTIMA DESIGN
The Ultima is a design by knife designer Michael Martinez. Part of the concept behind the Ultima was Michael’s experience in martial arts and edged-weapon training. Michael is quoted as saying, “In my edged weapons training, I kept noticing how many knives didn’t feel right, didn’t have a grip that gave both control and comfort in the four fundamental tactical grips.”
The Changing Face of Law Enforcement – BlueSheepdog Podcast 36
Does the look of the person in uniform make a difference to you or the public?
Today I discuss the trend in law enforcement away from the clean cut look of Adam 12 toward beards, goatees and tatts. Should an officer be allowed to sport a full beard? How about full sleeve tattoos? Does it make a difference? Should it?
Sound off in the comments section. What do you think is a professional appearance?
Please go over to the Blue Crew membership section and support our sponsors. The Blue Crew sponsors of today’s podcast are Tuff Products and PoliceFunerals.com.
- Tuff Products has a wide range of unique firearms and law enforcement gear. Randall reviewed the Taclett previously and found it to be a great CCW/off-duty carry option. Tuff also offers the Ankle Tourniquet Rig I mentioned in today’s podcast. All Blue Crew members get 10% off their Tuff Products purchase PLUS free shipping on their order. Great products and a healthy discount – check them out!
- PoliceFunerals.com is an unfortunately necessary resource for law enforcement officers and departments. Many agencies have no idea of how to plan for, or respond to, a line of duty death. John Cooley was the funeral coordinator for the Los Angeles PD and he handled more than 80 funerals. You won’t find anyone with more experience on the topic. He has put together two packages to help departments and officers that include an e-book, checklists, and so much more. PoliceFunerals.com offers a $100 discount to all Blue Crew members on either package.
The only way to get those awesome deals is to be a Blue Crew member. Click this link to see these and all of the other incredible discounts from our sponsors.
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ASP P12 Baton – In the Wild!
The new ASP P12 baton was recently spotted by one of the BlueSheepdog readers at a local shop in Hollywood, Florida. Here is what Matt had to say about it:
Hey Richard,
I was at my local toy store (911 Store in Hollywood, FL) and came across the new 12″ baton, took some comparison pics using a standard 21″ baton.
The baton, in my opinion is almost too small, but I can definitely see the practical applications.
The design is identical to the 16″ Agent, same knurling on the grip and pocket clip. But, it uses the standard Friction Lock like most ASP batons. I believe that’s what makes the price do drastically different too.
If you’re not able to see it in the pic, the baton is priced at $31.95, compared to the Agent’s price of $129.95.
Feel free to use the pics and any info I included on the site.
Stay Safe,
Matt
Thanks to Matt for the information and photos!
Brite-Strike EPLI Flashlight
Need a bright, compact flashlight as a back-up or to carry off duty? Take a look at the Brite-Strike EPLI flashlight. The EPLI is a refined lighting tool that can easily blend in with any off-duty carry. However, Brite-Strike claims it is rugged enough for tactical operations.
EPLI stands for Executive Precision Lighting Instrument. Frankly it looks like it should be at home in the boardroom. However, don’t let it’s polished look fool you. This compact brute still throws 160 lumens and includes a strobe mode. In the constant-on, high power mode, the flashlight’s 2 AAA batteries will run the EPLI for about 1.5 hours.
MSRP is $80, but you’ll pay less than that at Amazon.
Field Training and the iPod: BlueSheepdog Podcast 35
Field training can be very rewarding, but it can also be a very trying experience. New officers sometimes come to the job lacking skills they need to be an effective police officer. Believe it or not, their iPod or iPhone might be able to help.
iTunes University is part of the Apple experience. The University offers free online classes on a very wide range of topics and at all educational levels. All you do is search iTunes for the skill you’d like to learn and download what you find. For example, if you have a recruit that is having problems with grammar, bounce over to iTunes U and grab one of the English language classes.
Please go over to the Blue Crew membership section and support our sponsors. The Blue Crew sponsors of today’s podcast are Mil-Spec Monkey and Safety Solutions Academy.
- Mil-Spec Monkey offers a generous 25% discount on all of their products to Blue Crew members. Mil-Spec Monkey offers a variety of patches, t-shirts and other morale items in addition to tactical gear. My favorite? The SWAT version of the Danger Close patch. Go to the Blue Crew discount section for the coupon code, enter it at check out and save a bunch of cash.
- Safety Solutions Academy is a “go to” resource for firearms training. Well beyond the basic “how to hold a gun” class, Paul puts together fighting classes to teach you how to use a pistol, carbine and shotgun to dominate a lethal encounter. Blue Crew members get a 25% savings on all classes they sign up for. Don’t miss their daily podcast either!
The only way to get those awesome deals is to be a Blue Crew member. Click this link to see these and all of the other incredible discounts from our sponsors.
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