Author Archive
Milwaukee PD Latest to Switch to Smith and Wesson M&P40
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Last week I reported that the Detroit Police Department converted to the Smith and Wesson M&P40 for their officers. This week S&W announced that Milwaukee PD is switching to the M&P40 also. Like Detroit, Milwaukee is converting from a non-S&W handgun to the M&P40.
Smith has delivered the first batch of pistols to Milwaukee, which have been issued, and more shipments will follow as Milwaukee converts its entire force of 2,000 officers to the M&P40. Read More→
Layoffs Continue…
Posted by: | CommentsCops all over the country are wondering if they will be the next to lose their job.
Stockton, CA is one of the latest to lay off police officers. Fifty officers got their pink slips today. Losing 50 sworn officers results in a net loss of almost 14% of the entire Stockton force. Additionally, 35 civilian employees are out, and seven sergeants have been demoted.
But Stockton PD is not alone. I’ve detailed before how agencies like the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department have laid off law enforcement officers, and how the state of Florida has dumped hundreds of probation officers. Read More→
Detroit PD Adopts S&W M&P Pistol and AR-15
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The Detroit Police Department has adopted the Smith and Wesson M&P40 pistol as their official sidearm, and the M&P15 as their AR-15.
The adoption is a significant gain for S&W as the Detroit PD is a new customer, moving away from another brand of sidearm. The initial order is for 5,000 pistols and 350 rifles.
The adoption of the M&P40 brings the total number of law enforcement agencies issuing or approving the M&P to 505. Read More→
Understanding the Citizens’ Right to Use Force
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Police academies are woefully inadequate at teaching criminal law and criminal procedure. Typically, 40 hours or less are devoted to teaching criminal law (I’ve seen some states only require 16 hours). Generally, the teacher is a street cop, who may not spend a lot of time reading the statute books or slip opinions.
The focus of the classes is typically on defining what a “burglary” is, the difference between “assault” and “battery,” and elements of each crime. Very little time is put on the rights of citizens to use force to defend themselves and their property. Unfortunately, this means that police officers sometimes arrest the wrong people. Read More→
Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED Flashlight
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Let me be up front and tell you the Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED flashlight is one of the best flashlights I have ever tested for police work. I have field tested this flashlight for two months, and I have been absolutely impressed by its performance. In fact, it is now my primary light, replacing my personally owned, full-sized Streamlight SL-20, and it puts my department issued MagCharger to shame.
I found the PolyStinger DS LED to be very bright, very durable, and have an excellent run-time. Not only was I impressed by it, at least four other officers on my squad have already purchased this light after seeing mine. Several other officers have said they are setting some of their money aside to buy one also. Read More→
High Times
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New officers don’t always have the “street knowledge” they need to make good drug cases. Street knowledge is something that often takes years to build before an officer can recognize common drugs and activities surrounding their use and sale.
Training is not a substitute for experience, but it does give the officer additional information to use while on the street to hasten their learning. However, drug training is often not available to new officers. Read More→
