In the Gravest Extreme by Massad Ayoob was a phenomenal book written by police training expert Massad Ayoob. Although the book is now out of print, the tome still holds many valuable lessons. Ayoob wrote this book as an introduction to the defensive use of firearms way back in 1980. Ayoob discusses the legal implications and practical aspects of owning and using a firearm … [Read more...]
Archives for 2007
Crime Prevention: Try Incarceration!
Let me rant for a few minutes, if I may. I am tired of the courts not putting and keeping people in prison. I'm not talking about some dirtbag getting off because a police officer made a bad call on a Miranda issue, or should have gotten a search warrant when he didn't. I'm talking about people that are found guilty. How many criminals have you arrested without a prior … [Read more...]
Police Officers Should Carry Guns Off-Duty
I have talked about this before: every police officer should carry at least one firearm off-duty. There are many specific reasons for carrying a handgun when you are not on the job, but they all boil down to one reason: you may need it. There have been plenty of instances where armed, off-duty officers were able to take action to stop a violent crime and defend themselves … [Read more...]
No Guns for Police Officers at Disney World
Disney World appears to have a strict no gun policy. No law-abiding citizen, including an off-duty police officer, is allowed to carry a firearm, concealed or otherwise, to protect their family from violent predators while at Disney World. I searched Disney's web site looking for clarification on this policy, but was unable to locate anything. On non-Disney websites, I … [Read more...]
Locked Doors and Lockdowns: Police Officer’s Response to Active Shooters
Spree killers - more often, but less accurately, called active shooters - are a real threat that police officers train to confront. Active shooter incidents have occurred at shopping malls, office buildings, and other locations, but one of the scariest locations is at a school. Many police departments have trained in, or at least familiarized their officers with, … [Read more...]
Investigating Domestic Violence Strangulation
Strangulation is a very grave form of battery in domestic violence (DV). By some estimates, about 10% of all women who experience domestic violence will experience a near fatal strangulation by their partner, and they are 7x more likely to be killed by their partner than any other victim of DV. Strangulation is so serious that according to the National District … [Read more...]
Suicide Jumpers: An EDP Police Officers Must Train For
Police officers often respond to calls involving EDPs: Emotionally Disturbed Persons. Some of these EDPs are high on drugs, mentally ill, or severely depressed about some event in their life. Suicidal subjects are one of the types of EDP that we have to deal with. Often times a suicidal subject does not have any real intent to harm themselves; they are just looking for help … [Read more...]
Teaching Our Citizens to Protect Themselves
If it wasn't so sad, I would laugh every time I heard someone say that a police officer's job is to protect them. Perhaps I should explain... Although we wish it to be otherwise, I doubt there is any police officer who believes that he or she can protect any individual citizen from being harmed by criminals. Well, maybe the chief might, but I think that … [Read more...]
Is the Use of Light a Use of Force?
Several years ago, I read an article called "Use of Force and High Intensity Tactical Police Flashlights: Policy Concerns." Since then I have seen it re-printed in various other locations. In the article, R. Paul McCauley, Ph.D., a criminology professor at a university in Pennsylvania, opines that: I don't know what background, if any, McCauley has in modern police … [Read more...]
Roadside Safety: Danger From Passing Vehicles
Making a so-called routine traffic stop poses a lot of potential hazards for a police officer. Officers rarely know the occupants of the vehicle, or what danger they may pose. So, academies and department in-services teach their officers safety and survival skills to give the officer the best possible advantage when dealing with a threat from inside that car. However, not … [Read more...]