There's been a lot of discussion during the past three decades about the usefulness of a college degree for a police officer. During this time, it has become obvious that a degree can be a massively beneficial tool for someone looking to become a police officer and for an officer who wants to advance his or her career. Last year (2012), the U.S. Census Bureau reported about … [Read more...]
Position Sul Training Video
[Ed. note: This training article and video are on the firearm handling technique known as Position Sul. Position Sul is not a replacement for the low ready, rather it is an alternative that officers can use depending on the circumstances, training and department policies. Your thoughts and feedback are welcome in the comments at the end of the article.] During the last 25 … [Read more...]
PoliceOne.com’s Online Academy
During the past 40 years, video-based training for law enforcement has greatly evolved. Old videos were dry and boring – a “just the facts” presentation. In the ’80s, this began to change. J.D. “Buck” Savage was a fictional cop created by officer and trainer Dave Smith. The Buck Savage series of videos were humorous demonstrations of what not to do as a cop. No one who … [Read more...]
Off Hand Shooting: Priority or Passing Trend?
The concept of off-hand shooting is for the shooter to become proficient in shooting with their non-dominant hand. In other words, left-handed shooting for righties, and right-handed shooting for lefties. This concept is valid for both handgun and long gun, but for this article I will focus on handgun shooting. I hope this topic is worth addressing for the … [Read more...]
StressVest: Next Step in Force on Force Training
StressVest Inc. is looking to revolutionize force-on-force training for law enforcement officers by eliminating many of the traditional problems associated with Simunitions, paintball and airsoft training. The StressVest concept is simple, but the execution would appear to be a real work of technological art. … [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...]
Training for Police and Animal Encounters
It is part and parcel for our profession that we, as officers and deputies, regularly interact with the local animals. Not always the human kind. Whether dealing with a cow on the freeway or a bear in a neighborhood, law enforcement officers face deadly encounters with animals that we are not necessarily trained or equipped to handle. Having worked in Florida, I am … [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...]
Traffic Stop Video – Deputy Dragged by Motorcycle
Traffic stops remain one of the most dangerous actions a patrol officer can engage in, yet it is frequently seen as a "routine" activity. The below video shows a deputy sheriff in Palm Beach County who is dragged by a motorcycle through a busy intersection. Fortunately, the deputy was not seriously injured and the suspect was identified. Being dragged by a car, truck … [Read more...]
Traffic Stop Shooting Video
This police shooting happened during a traffic stop in Tomah, Wisconsin. Notice that the driver immediately exited the truck and started shooting. Watch how the suspect engaged both officers while he was shooting. You see him shooting at one officer, then shift his fire to a second officer and then back to the first officer before retreating back to his truck. … [Read more...]