Where Are Your Handcuffs

Submitted by:
J. Wade
Pitt County Sheriff's Office, NC

I’ve seen way too many guys carrying handcuffs on their duty belt right in the middle of their back. Please don't do this. Think about it, if (when) you get into a fight in which you fall back, you're going to fall right on them. There is a lot of potential to cause some serious issues with your spine and take you out.

Just a tip.

Compliance leads to control

Rich Von Voigt
Riverhead PD, New York

10/31/2011

When working on the street you deal with all kinds of calls from barking dogs to man with a gun. One of the most important things you can hope for when arriving on a scene is compliance — people actually listening to you.

Your presence will get their attention. Your commands must be:

• clear enough to be understood
• loud enough to be heard
• short and to the point

If you don't get compliance you don't have control. When you tell a subject to move away from an area, or turn off the ignition, or drop whatever they have in their hands this is not a request — this is a command. If they are not doing as you asked and they are trying to negotiate a deal, you do not have control... and this may be a bad time to move toward a subject.

It is important to also understand that noncompliance may also lead to physical resistance once you tell them they are under arrest and you move in to cuff. So the point of this tip is to set up your game plan based on your subject response to your arrival, verbal commands, and the reaction you are getting from the subject.

Haste makes waste and could get you in over your head. Be patient, be alert and if an arrest looks imminent, wait for back up. Personal safety is on you.

Rotate your pistol magazines

Submitted by:
John L. Carp

There are some truths and some misconceptions about the durability of pistol magazines. It would seem that everyone has an opinion, but most are based upon conjecture and not science.

The truth is that modern magazines and their related components are the best that they have ever been. Having said that, all officers must understand that magazines are mechanical devices and as such, are subject to wear, tear, and breakage. The weakest link in any semi automatic feeding system is the magazine. Most frequently issues with feeding reliability are as a direct result of spring tension within the magazine.

Magazines left loaded for long periods of time are subject to spring set, which equates to a lack of upward pressure on cartridges stored, as the weapon cycles. Having said all of that, I have found an easy fix that I teach my students. For any given pistol, I recommend ownership of a minimum of nine (9) magazines. Three will be carried daily, three will be at ‘rest’ left unloaded and three will be dedicated as range only magazines. I typically tell my students to mark the base plate of their range magazines with a dab of bright nail polish, so that the magazines that are dropped, kicked, stepped on and dirty never get mixed in with duty magazines. That leaves us with six additional magazines.

My recommendation is that when your duty ammunition is fired or turned in at requalification time, your fresh ammunition draw is then loaded in to the magazines that have remained empty during the last cycle. Then the magazines most recently left loaded are placed in a ‘rest’ mode until the next cycle. Over the last twenty plus years of firearm training, I have found this technique to be the very best at eliminating magazine issues.

Be mindful of your response when helping an injured officer

If you find yourself involved with supporting an injured officer, particularly one who may be badly hurt, be very mindful of your expressions. Remember that your responses to the situation can play a critical role in that officer’s ability to get through the crisis.

This may seem obvious right now but in the heat of the moment, consciously remind yourself to avoid things like gasping, wincing, and barking for help in frantic tones. Panic can easily beget panic, but an aura of calm, focused, supportive resolve to help this officer get through the challenges of this injury — not matter how bad it appears to be — will bolster the kind of “I can survive anything!” attitude that has pulled many an officer through even the worst of nightmares.

Remember Your First Hook Up?

Remember your first hookup? That first time you actually told someone they were under arrest and put your handcuffs on your first prisoner? Remember that feeling you had in your stomach — that shaky feeling of getting the cuffs out and on as fast as you could and maintaining control. Remember working hard to not appear nervous and scared of losing your prisoner (or even being attacked)?

Remember how careful you were to watch the hands and make sure you searched for a weapon as soon as possible? Remember how you made sure you followed procedure like you were trained to do?

If you remember, good! Because that is the way you should act on every hookup you make until the day your retire... never let your guard down with anyone, no matter how big or small, no matter what age or even gender. Once you become too comfortable with what you are doing — “just another mope getting arrested” — that's when you become complacent, and in this line of work, complacency kills.

Stay focused, stay alert, stay alive.

will Your Weapon Be Hot When It's Cold?

Submitted by: Charles Remsberg

With the exceptional snow and cold that have gripped much of the nation this winter, have you seized the opportunity to weather-test your weapons? One group of officers who undertook cold-weather, urban rifle training in the Midwest recently ran into some disturbing surprises when they practiced courses of fire in sub-freezing temperatures and biting wind with four inches of snow on the ground. Two of their M1 carbines were plagued with short-cycles and sluggish operation. A Sig Sauer 556, normally extremely reliable, also started to short-cycle. Diagnosis: stiffened grease, because of the cold. When the trainees and instructors removed as much grease and oil as they could, the guns began to run normally. “Grease is notorious for getting stiff and causing problems in cold environments,” says veteran firearms trainer John Farnam of Defensive Training International. “In cold weather, I recommend a dry-lube or Gibbs Brand Lubricant. “Balky guns, heavy clothing, general discomfort all conspire to generate unwanted surprises during cold weather. It’s vital to test your gear — and yourself — in a wide spectrum of conditions and circumstances, not just in pleasant and comfortable surroundings.”

Muscle strength versus body mechanics

Captain Greg Brown

Too often I witness our officers concentrating on body size instead of body mechanics. Strength is one of many valuable tools, however we need to remember that is it just one of many tools. Attempts to use muscle alone may get you in a position you don’t care to be in. We have our entire body weight — and all its mechanics — to work at our demand. Learning mechanics such as foot positioning, hand positioning, body angles — and how to make then all work in any direction you move — is key in any law enforcement environment. I've seen a small 175-pound man Judo throw a 285-pound man over his shoulders. This was certainly not strength alone. When you understand body movement and body mechanics you will be able to redefine your true strength at maximum potential using less energy than muscle alone. This fact alone may save your life when adrenaline is high and time is everything!