Our last shipment of Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors has arrived at our City Public Works Complex. A moment of silence, please. Ford introduced the CVPI, or product code P71, in 1992. Built in St. Thomas, Ontario Canada, the rear-wheel drive V8 sedan has been a staple of American law enforcement for almost twenty years. Solid body-on-frame construction, a strong … [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...]
I Miss My PR-24
From when I was a rookie until the late 1990’s, I carried a Monadnock PR-24 on duty. My first one was the aluminum shafted model. Our agency had gone to dark navy uniforms with a large shield-style badge in the early 1980’s. With that dark blue uniform, oval shield, and PR-24, we fairly looked like the LAPD. That was by design. We had hired a progressive chief who wanted to … [Read more...]
Taser X2 Training – Follow-Up
In April, I wrote an article about the new Taser X2 and some of its proposed advances over Taser’s X26. I received a department-issued X2 yesterday and took the required block of Taser X2 training. I have a few thoughts. The X2 is slightly larger than the X26. From their spec sheet, the X2 is ½” longer, 1” taller, and ½” wider than an X26. It also weighs twice as much. … [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...]