Police and Law Enforcement News

Sunday, January 15, 2006
ARRESTED!
NJLawman.com

Too often, officers who are wearing latex gloves contaminate their own equipment, uniform, and supplies.

For example, an officer responds to a first aid call where the victim has an arm laceration.

The primary officer puts on a pair of latex gloves, gathers some bandages from the first aid kit, and begins treating the injury.

Of course, some blood gets on the gloves.

The officer needs more bandages and, while still wearing the gloves, which have been contaminated, again opens the first aid kit and grabs some more items.  Then, for his report, the officer takes out his pen and notebook while still wearing the gloves to get the victim's information for the report.

The ambulance arrives, and first aid personnel take over.  They ask the officer if he could help them with some light.  The officer, while still wearing the contaminated gloves, grabs his flashlight and illuminates the victim.

We could go on, but you get the point.  In this scenario, this officer has contaminated the first aid kit, his pen, his notebook and his flashlight which are all items he will be using later with his bare hands.

Once you have touched a victim, your gloves have been contaminated.  You should touch nothing else while still wearing the same gloves.

Click here for additional information.

Every day we hear a news report on some incident where the victim's condition is described as one of several terms.  However, most of us do not know how the medical field even uses these terms. 

We took a look at several sources.  The terms come from the American Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).  Here's how they go:

For those of you who have begun the countdown to your retirement date, we found a pretty neat tool.

By entering the exact date of your retirement, this tool will give you the exact countdown of days, hours, minutes and seconds until you get the gold watch.

To view this tool, click here.

In recent months, there has been much media coverage of the street gang MS-13.  Unfortunately, most officers have little or no knowledge of MS-13.

This gang originates from El Salvador.  Its name is derived from La Mara, a street in El Salvador, and the Salvatrucha guerillas who fought in the El Salvador civil war.  MS-13 appeared on the radar in Los Angeles in the 1980's, and has since spread to many states throughout the country.

Make no mistake: This is a very, very deadly gang, and targeting law enforcement officers is not beyond them.

There is an excellent article in POLICE Magazine which is well worth the read for officers wanting to learn more about MS-13.  To view the article, click here.

Recently, VH1 aired a program which went behind the scenes of the television show COPS.  Below is an excerpt from their site: 

VH1 Goes Inside: COPS is a celebration of one of the longest running prime-time shows on television. In its seventeenth season, COPS continues to entertain and inform its viewers, giving them a first-hand account of the daily lives of police officers across the country. VH1 Goes Inside: COPS features clips of memorable moments from the show, dating back to the pilot episode in 1989. VH1 Goes Inside: COPS will also include interviews with the show's producers and crew, as well as the police officers who have helped make the show such a success.

It is very interesting and worth the watch.

For listings of when the program will air again, click here.

With more and more funds being steered toward homeland security and away from day-to-day policing, finding grants is more important than ever before.

OnlineGrants.us has assembled a nice collection of information on writing grants, researching grants, and locating grants.

Click here to take a look.

We were recently sent this picture from one of our site visitors.

Simply, it is a handcuff key secreted in a hidden compartment located on the rear of the sneaker.  

This poses a number of dangers, and all officers should be aware of this.

The exact brand of sneaker was not mentioned and really is irrelevant since new models come out routinely.

You might want to post this in your squad room.

This one is for gun enthusiasts and those concerned about home protect alike.

The product is called the Pillow Pal Holster Holder.

Simply, it serves as a holster for handgun holsters.   It is also a great tool for holding television remote controls, flashlights, glasses, cell phones, etc.

Clearly, this is not a product for homes with children in the house or in situations where someone besides the gun owner could access the weapon.

This should also serve as a bulletin for officers assigned to entry teams in the event that this product winds up in the hands of an ill-intended person.

Click here to visit the site.

On the north wall of the Original Headquarters Building lobby, to the right as you enter, is a memorial wall that was commissioned by the CIA Fine Arts Commission in May 1973 and sculpted by Harold Vogel in July 1974.

With the simple inscription "IN HONOR OF THOSE MEMBERS OF THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY," this wall of 83 stars stands as a silent, simple memorial to those CIA officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The glass-encased Book of Honor below the stars lists the 48 names of officers which can be revealed; while the names of the remaining 35 officers must remain secret, even in death. Framed by the American and the Central Intelligence Agency flags, this memorial immortalizes these anonymous few who served and sacrificed in silence.

The Scenario: Motor vehicle accident with entrapment, black smoke coming from the engine and under the car with small flames beginning to emerge. 

Car windows can take numerous strikes from PR-24's and ASP's.  In a situation such as this, your options are limited and time is slipping away.

The tool pictured to the left is both a handcuff key and a window punch.  It will break safety glass instantly with a spring loaded, specially designed hammer.  This is a highly recommended tool for anyone on the road.

They can be purchased at Copquest.com for under eight bucks.

Tactics - Fill in the Gaps

Your radio crackles.  One of your fellow officers is going out with a suspicious subject.  You respond to assist.  Where should you position yourself?

Often, the second officer to arrive approaches and stands right next to the first officer.  Minutes later a third officer responds.  He or she then stands next to the first two.  Additional officers respond, and the shoulder to shoulder action continues.

Too often the above scenario is the case.  

When a second officer arrives, he or she take a position directly behind the suspect.  This way, the most obvious path of flight is now blocked.  If a third officer responds, he or she should take a position to the left or the right of the suspect.  The other two officer should re-position themselves, so they are forming a triangle around the suspect.  With each responding officer filling in an empty gap, the chances of flight significantly reduce. 

When responding to back up a fellow officer, FILL IN THE GAP

Okay, this is not really law enforcement-related, but it is interesting nonetheless.

In 1947 the rules for the current Presidential Order of Succession were established.  Below is the list of who would take over as President in the event that a sitting President should be unable to hold office:

• The Vice President Richard Cheney

• Speaker of the House John Dennis Hastert

• President pro tempore of the Senate1 Ted Stevens

• Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

• Secretary of the Treasury John Snow

• Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld

• Attorney General Alberto Gonzales

• Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton

• Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns

• Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez2

• Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao3

• Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt

• Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson

• Secretary of Transportation Norman Yoshio Mineta

• Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman

• Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings

• Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson

• Secretary of Homeland Security4 Michael Chertoff

Sunday, May 15, 2005

Preparing for the Promotional Exam

Preparing for a promotional exam is by far the largest academic endeavor most officers will ever experience.  It requires months of studying.  The results will often reflect who invested the most hours in preparation. 

We found a statistic that is quite interesting and relevant.  It has to do with memory.  After all, retention is what preparation is about. 

According to the June, 2004 FBI Bulletin, our retention level is most dependent on how the material is presented to us.  Below is a list based upon a scientific study sited in the bulletin.

Our Retention Levels

• 10 percent of what we read
• 20 percent of what we hear
• 30 percent of what we see
• 40 percent of what we see and hear
• 60 percent of what we discuss with others
• 70 percent of what we experience personally
• 80 percent of what we discover and solve individually or in groups
• 95 percent of what we teach to someone else

Spotting the Spotlight

Where should the spotlight be pointed when making a vehicle stop?

Well, there are several schools of thought here.  Some say always on the rear view mirror.  Others say it should be pointed on the side view mirror, and others say it should be used to light up the passenger compartment.

How about basing it on the circumstances.

If you are stopping a car to arrest the front seat passenger who is suspected of having a gun, you may want to aim the spot light on the passenger side mirror.  If it is just a stop of a vehicle occupied once, the driver side mirror is fine.  If upon stopping a vehicle you notice five heads inside, it is advisable to light up the passenger compartment.

The spotlight is an excellent tool for both giving the officer extra illumination and for temporarily taking out the night vision of a vehicle occupant or occupants.  Use it based on the circumstances of the stop you are making,

Perhaps the best method is using it based on this situation you are facing.

Emergency Lights or Flashers

When making motor vehicle stops, just about all officers activate their entire light bar to catch the attention of the motorist.  When the vehicle stops, the light bar remains fully activated for the duration of the stop to warn approaching traffic and protect the officer.

But, very often when officers pull up behind disabled vehicles, they only activate the overhead flashers and not the entire light bar. 

This doesn't really make any sense.  The danger to the officer from rear approaching traffic is just as great when behind a disabled vehicle as it is when behind a stopped vehicle.

Emergency lights should be used whenever stopped behind a vehicle on a highway or busy roadway.

Sunday, May 1, 2005

Range instructors and avid shooters are always looking for exercises to improve all aspects of weapons proficiency.  Here is one.

From the ten-yard-line, shoot as follows:

1.  Fire one round, drop and replace the magazine,

2.  Fire two rounds, drop and replace the magazine,

3.  Fire three rounds.

This exercise is excellent for building reloading skills.  The goal should be to get shooters to the point where they can complete all three phases in under ten seconds with all of the shots landing within the given target.  Once there, the distance can be moved back to the fifteen-yard-line.

Selecting a Duty Weapon

In the January issue of the FBI Bulletin, an excellent article on selecting a duty handgun was published. 

The article covers everything from magazine capacity to caliber to materials and finish.

To view the article, click here.

The FBI National Academy