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Serving Those Who Protect: Police Training and Officer Survival Tips

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Entries Tagged as 'Officer Safety'

Recognize A Deadly Force Situation: Tasers Are Not Appropriate

March 26th, 2008 · 2 Comments

Police officers have enjoyed the use of the Taser X26 (and the effective M26 before that) as an excellent intermediate force option that allows the quick incapacitation of an offender while minimize the chance of harm to the suspect and officers involved. Tasers tend to be effective where pain compliance techniques are not.
However, Tasers […]

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Tags: TASER · Edged Weapons · EDP · Drugs · Officer Safety · Firearms Training

Foot Pursuits: Use Care When Chasing Suspects

March 23rd, 2008 · 2 Comments

Police officers receive a lot of training in vehicle pursuits, yet most cops get very little training in foot pursuits. The reason comes down to lawsuits.
If an officer initiates a vehicle pursuit and subsequently the suspect or officer strike an uninvolved citizen, the officer’s city will be facing an expensive lawsuit. If the […]

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Tags: Officer Safety

Another Covert Weapon: Make Sure You Are Searching the Neck, Chest, and Back

March 15th, 2008 · No Comments

The Ghost Hawk Neck Knife offered for sale by GG&G is a concealable knife of an unusual shape and design. The knife weighs a mere 1.65 ounces and comes with a Kydex sheath for wearing around the neck. The knife, which is only 0.1″ thick, could easily be concealed under a t-shirt, sweater, […]

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Tags: Disguised Weapons · Officer Safety

Excited Delirium: Signs Police Officers Should Look For

March 14th, 2008 · No Comments

The nature of excited delirium is debated among medical professionals and police trainers. Whatever its causes, and no matter what we call it, excited delirium exists, and it is dangerous.
A person who is in a state of excited delirium is clearly a threat to the officers and others, but they are also in danger […]

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Tags: EDP · Officer Safety

If-Then Thinking: The Ultimate Shortcut to Winning a Fight

March 12th, 2008 · 2 Comments

If-Then thinking is a simple visualization technique that you can employ to help yourself win a violent confrontation. The concept is relatively simple. Any time you have a free minute, think about IF something bad happened THEN you would respond in this way.
For example, you are pulling through a closed shopping center. […]

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Tags: Officer Safety

There Are No Routine Stops

February 25th, 2008 · No Comments

If you have been on the job for very long at all, you will have discovered that seemingly ‘routine’ traffic stops can go bad in a heartbeat.
The driver I stopped the other day for a minor tag violation had his child’s lunch box in the car with him. Only this little girl’s lunch box […]

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Tags: Traffic Stops · Officer Safety

Fulton County (GA) District Attorney Sued By Sheriff’s Deputy

February 21st, 2008 · No Comments

***UPDATE***
It seems the Atlanta Journal Constitution made a bit of an error in their reporting of this story.  It seems the lawsuit was filed in 2007 and it was dismissed last Friday.  This is the retraction they posted:
An earlier version of this story, posted Wednesday afternoon, was incorrect in stating that the lawsuit was filed […]

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Tags: Officer Safety

SureFire E1B Backup Tactical Flashlight for Plainclothes and Off Duty

February 19th, 2008 · No Comments

SureFire manufactures high-performance flashlights and tactical gear that helped revolutionize lighting tools and techniques in law enforcement. Following their traditions of innovation, SureFire has introduced the E1B Backup flashlight for officers in plainclothes assignments and off-duty carry.
The E1B is very compact: only 4″ long and weighing a mere 2.8 ounces. The flashlight […]

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Tags: Off Duty Concerns · Gear and Holsters · Officer Safety

Being Armed Off-Duty Saved This Atlanta Police Recruit’s Life

February 11th, 2008 · 2 Comments

An Atlanta Police Department recruit officer was sitting in his personal car when he was approached by a teenager armed with a shotgun. The off-duty recruit officer had been sitting in his car in the parking lot of his apartment complex using the free community wireless Internet on his laptop when the criminal approached […]

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Tags: Off Duty Concerns · Officer Safety · General

The Passenger Side Approach on a Traffic Stop Saves Another Life: Mine

February 4th, 2008 · 2 Comments

I am a huge supporter of using the passenger side approach on traffic stops. From the passenger side, I have seen drugs, guns, and other things that I would not have seen from the driver’s side. It is possible that the driver’s side approach has saved my bacon before. However, on Friday […]

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Tags: Traffic Stops · Officer Safety

Pelican 7060 LED Police Flashlight: 130 Lumens from a Rechargable LED Flashlight Based on LAPD Specs

January 23rd, 2008 · 1 Comment

The Pelican 7060 LED tactical flashlight is now on the market and it is attempting to make inroads into the highly competitive field of flashlights. Pelican worked with the Los Angeles Police Department to develop this light. While I have been told that the LAPD specs may have been politically motivated, the fact […]

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Tags: Gear and Holsters · Officer Safety

Two DeKalb County (GA) Police Officers Killed in a Possible Ambush While Working Off-Duty

January 18th, 2008 · No Comments

Officers Ricky Bryant Jr. and Eric Barker of the DeKalb County (GA) Police Department were shot and killed while working an off-duty job as police officers. Many of the details have not yet been released, and it may be some time before all of the details are released.
While we don’t know why Officers Bryant […]

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Tags: Officer Safety

Meth Tweakers: Officer Safety Training Tips

January 10th, 2008 · 2 Comments

Methamphetamine is one of the more dangerous drugs on the street. The manufacture of meth in clandestine labs uses acids, ammonias, and a host of other dangerous chemicals. During the process, things like phosphene gas and yellow phosphorus can be produced with deadly results. It is a nasty process.
As dangerous as the […]

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Tags: EDP · Drugs · Officer Safety

Bullet Resistant Clothing: Body Armor Is Not Just About Vests Anymore

December 29th, 2007 · No Comments

In modern police work, virtually every uniform cop is wearing body armor under their shirt. In fact, when officers talk about bullet resistant clothing, they are almost always discussing bullet resistant vests. However, bullet resistant vests are not the only kind of body armor available.
Several companies are manufacturing bullet resistant jackets. This […]

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Tags: Gear and Holsters · Officer Safety · Firearms

In The Gravest Extreme by Massad Ayoob: Great Self Defense Book for Police and Private Citizens

December 28th, 2007 · 1 Comment

In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection is a phenomenal book written by police training expert Massad F. Ayoob.
Ayoob wrote this book as an introduction to the defensive use of firearms. Ayoob discusses the legal implications and practical aspects of owning and using a firearm for self defense. […]

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Tags: Officer Safety · Firearms Training · Training