Two new batons, the P12 and P16, will be officially introduced by Armament Systems and Procedures (ASP) at the 2012 SHOT Show. At this time, there are no details on the specifics of the two new batons. A guess, however, might suggest a 12" and 16" length for the P12 and P16 respectively. I don't think that ASP currently makes a 12" baton. That would be a … [Read more...]
Massachusetts State Police, Vermont State Police Adopt Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson announced the Massachusetts State Police and Vermont State Police selected the S&W M&P handgun as their primary duty pistol. MSP picked the M&P45 while VSP chose the M&P40. The Massachusetts State Police ordered 2,500 M&P45 pistols. The Vermont State Police ordered 390 of the M&P40 handguns. I'm not sure … [Read more...]
Officer Stabbed, Suspect Shot: Chase Video
In October, Lafayette, Indiana police officers engaged in a vehicle pursuit of a subject who was reported to have just committed a battery, burglary and arson. After a chase of approximately seven minutes, the subject left the roadway and got stuck, unable to flee any farther in the car. Here's what then happened in the next few seconds: … [Read more...]
Key Breaks
Key breaks are a momentary open mic typically caused by an officer bumping the transmit button on the radio getting into a car or reaching for gear. To the rest of the officers on the channel, it frequently sounds like just a burst of static. The vast majority of the time, key breaks are accidents. Before departments had the fancy radio systems that identified … [Read more...]
Israeli Bandage Instructional Video
The Israeli bandage is something every police officer should have on his or her active shooter plate carrier and in their bail out bag. It allows the officer to quickly apply a very effective pressure bandage to themselves or to a fellow officer who has been wounded. Israeli bandages are inexpensive, and even if your department does not issue them (they probably … [Read more...]
Spike Strips & More Officer Deaths
We lost two more officers killed while deploying spike strips during the past few weeks. This makes a total of four officers this year who have been killed while trying to deploy tire deflation devices in a vehicular pursuit. Spike strips, also known by the brand name Stop Sticks, are deployed by an officer standing on the side of a road in an attempt to deflate the … [Read more...]
Gen4 Glock Recall: Recoil Spring Assembly Problems
A voluntary recall on the recoil spring assembly of Gen 4 Glock pistols started on September 6 and affects all Gen 4 pistols except the G26 and G27. Several department armorers forwarded me a copy of the notice sent out by Glock. The announcement states Glock has initiated a voluntary exchange program for the recoil spring assemblies of every Gen 4 Glock sold before July … [Read more...]
Citizens Deserve Better Trained Police Officers
I read a story last week about an East Dublin, Georgia police officer who shot and killed a man on a traffic stop. Without even touching the circumstances of the shooting, there was a serious training issue in the 2010 case. The officer had not been through state-mandated use of force training in the prior year, and because of that did not have the legal power … [Read more...]
HK USP .45 Pistol Safety Warning
A serious safety issue may develop if you are carrying an HK USP .45 ACP pistol using the Surefire DG-19 grip switch according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. In a safety warning bulletin issued by the LASD, the Weapon Training Unit described a situation where older versions of the DG-19 switch can cause the magazine to drop from the gun by activating the … [Read more...]
Norway Terrorism
Norway suffered a great tragedy on Friday when dozens of people, many of them teens, were gunned down by at least one subject dressed as a police officer. At this time, it appears this attack was coordinated with a bomb that was set off outside the prime minister's office earlier in the day. If you have paid attention to world events, you know this is not an original … [Read more...]