It has been a while since I posted anything and man, has times changed.  The country seems to feel that people's safety is more important than PO's safety.  I don't thing the world has changed, there it has been the attitude of the people we work for and try to keep safe.  It seems like a lose-lose situation to me, yet, we will continue to do our jobs.  Stay as safe as you can until the community wakes up. 

Why repetition is your friend when it comes to holster positioning

Each time you start your shift, make sure your duty belt and equipment within is in good working order.

Is your holster located in the sweet spot for your draw to be at its best? When you put your duty belt on, the location of your pistol should be your primary concern, since it is the most important piece of equipment on your belt. A shift of an inch or two in the location of your holster can result in a grip that is higher or lower on the back strap than you want.

If you are not sure where your sweet spot is, here is a tip: Close your eyes and, with no duty belt on, reach 10 times to where you would grip your pistol. On the tenth time, look to see where your hand is. This is your natural draw position.

1 simple strategy for dealing with a driver who refuses to give you their license

What do you do when a driver refuses to give you their license during a traffic stop?

A variety of dash cam and cell phone videos posted on the internet show officers handling such refusals with varying levels of success. All too often we see car windows smashed and the driver dragged out by force. While the force and arrest may be legal, there is an easier way to achieve a safer outcome.

Trooper Kirk Hensley and members of the North Carolina State Patrol employ a strategy I have also used over the years

In order to understand the situation, you have to realize the overriding issue at hand is control.

The control begins with you. You take control the moment you turn on your lights and the driver pulls over. Your demeanor and word choice play a large part in determining the outcome of the stop. Polite professionalism should be your goal on all interactions unless or until the situation dictates another approach.

By mentally rehearsing and role-playing your response to a non-cooperative driver, you gain control by having a practiced response. The alternative is trying to develop a plan while under stress, which often leads to poor outcomes.

The driver may attempt to wrestle your control away by not cooperating, hoping to send you into a tail spin of poor choices and actions that will make them look like victims and you look like the aggressor.

Their refusal may include a demand for you to summon your supervisor. Again, this attempts to take away your control by suggesting you don’t have the ability, knowledge or authority to do what you are doing. This request can have a negative effect on officer demeanor. No officer likes the implication that they don’t know how to do their job. All too often when this request is made some officers become visibly agitated. The driver has now gained control because their actions have evoked a change in behavior and emotion in the officer.

Understanding this battle for control enables you to devise an appropriate response.

YOUR RESPONSE TO A REFUSAL

When the driver refuses to provide the necessary documents or a full name and date of birth so you can run your checks, you can create the illusion the driver is in control. Do that by explaining you are required to obtain those documents. You then tell them you are going to go back to your squad car and, when they are ready, they can provide the requested information.

Return to your car and notify dispatch of the situation and request backup. The driver will realize the only thing keeping them on the scene is their actions. In other words, they are in control of how long the stop takes. Officers trained in this method indicate they achieve a high level of compliance in a short period of time.

Note that backup is requested in case the strategy fails and you need to take the next step to get the driver to comply.

HOW A DRIVER MAY RESPOND

At this point, the driver can respond in several ways.

If they exit the vehicle, watch carefully to see if they have their documents in hand. If they do, you can make the decision as to whether you request they get back into their vehicle and approach them again, or direct them to the front of your squad where you can continue with the stop.

If the driver motions you up indicating they have the documents, you have the same two options, each has their advantages and disadvantages.

If the driver decides to drive off, you now have a pursuit and your policies will dictate how that is handled.

If the driver gets out without the documents in hand, you have to make a decision as to their intent. You can direct them to get back into their car and meet them as already discussed, or you have the option of putting your car into reverse and creating distance if the situation requires.

Remember, on every stop, you have the P, D or R choice:

• Park and deal with the situation;
• Drive out or around the situation;
• Reverse and create distance.

Too often we get locked into parking since it is our most used strategy.

Note: If you work in an area where backup may take time to get there and this approach doesn’t work, you will have to ascertain if it is better to wait for backup or attempt to take the driver out of the car yourself. Trying to extricate a driver next to a roadway presents all kinds of obvious hazards. Remember, when you work by yourself and no backup is available, you have the option of breaking contact with the driver and waiting for another day when the odds are in your favor.

To paraphrase Sun Tzu, the greatest warrior wins the battle without having to fight. By having this strategy ready to deploy, you take away the resistant driver’s control without them even realizing.

About the author

In February 2014, Duane Wolfe retired from his career as a Minnesota Peace Officer after more than 25 years of service (beginning in 1988). During his career he served as patrolman, sergeant, S.R.T., Use of Force and Firearms Instructor, and is currently employed by the Parkers Prairie Police Department. He is also a full-time instructor in the Law Enforcement Program at Alexandria Technical College, Alexandria, Minnesota. Duane has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Bemidji State University, and a Masters Degree in Education from Southwest State University. 

5 things cops need to know about PTSD

An estimated 10 to 30 percent of first responders will have some type of traumatic stress injury during their career

Jun 27, 20

When I was in the academy I never heard anything about the psychological effects of a police career, and now at least we have started to have a conversation about this threat. The continued stress of a 20-plus year career — with the daily ups and downs — slowly wears away at our psyche. Add in a major traumatic incident such as the death of a co-worker, child, or someone attempting to take your life and you will likely feel the backlash of trauma. It is estimated that between 10 to 30 percent of first responders will have some type of traumatic stress injury during their career.

Awareness is the key to managing traumatic stress. June 27 is PTSD Awareness Day — as a matter of fact, the Senate has designated June as National PTSD Awareness Month. In preparing for this article, I read the Senate Resolution designating this day. It was initially created for military veterans, but like raid tactics, medical techniques, and equipment that has been so readily adopted by law enforcement agencies and its members across the country, PTSD Awareness Day needs to be adopted as well. 

PTSD is just as real of a threat to law enforcement officers and other first responders as it is to military members. Like any other injury sustained in the line of duty, it is not automatically the end of a career or your life; but to maintain both of these things you must be aware, prepare in advance, and seek immediate care if things are becoming unmanageable.

Here’s what we need to be aware of: 1.    It’s normal: Like every other system in your body, the mind will do what it believes is necessary to maintain itself. Unfortunately as the brain tries to protect itself, the manifestations can have some adverse effects. The backlash from the traumatic incident may result in anger, memory issues, sleep disruption, depression, or any number of other stress responses.

2.    Early intervention results in a better outcome: If you are bleeding from a GSW, do you want to see a doctor now or a month from now? Rapid assistance from a professional counselor or peer support team members is more likely to lead to more rapid recovery.

3.    Knowledge is power: Knowing the signs and symptoms can help us identify traumatic stress injuries in ourselves or others. We need to recognize that something is wrong before we are aware that we need help.

4.    We can (and should) intervene: We wouldn’t let our supervisors, subordinates, or co-workers, take on an armed subject by themselves if we had the option of being there, even if we were never requested over the radio. Someone dealing with the fall out of post-traumatic stress needs us to be there even if they didn’t call for us.

5.    There is no single answer: What works for me may not work for you. Each of us manages stress in our way and while some may benefit from one type of therapy others may need a different kind. The key is to handle the stress and not let it control us.

Someone you know will benefit from your awareness and that someone may be you. Traumatic stress injuries can be just as dangerous as physical ones and are more likely to occur to someone at your agency. You don’t have to have all the answers; you just need to know that the stigma of mental health issues is harming first responders. If your department does not have a mental health plan for officers and dispatchers, be proactive about getting your administration on board. Find local resources now before they are needed. 

Get help via the mobile-friendly 1st Alliance site, which just launched 1st help. It can anonymously help you find PTSD assistance in your area. 

About the author

Jeff McGill is a 20 year veteran of law enforcement having been assigned to Patrol, Street Crimes, Sex Offenders Unit, Gang Intelligence and as a U.S. Marshal Task Force Officer. He now works full-time in training. Jeff is a state certified law enforcement instructor, teaching legal, firearms, first aid, law enforcement medical trauma care and reality based training. He has a Master’s degree and is currently a full-time Doctoral student in Criminal Justice concentrating in Organizational Leadership. Jeff is a founding member of 1st Alliance and co-author of “The Price they Pay.”

Civilian self-defense vs. police excessive force: It's not that simple

Resisting officers is becoming more prevalent and socially acceptable by certain groups

Does a person being detained or arrested by a police officer have the right to self-defense if the person feels the officer is using excessive force? The answer to this question as written is obviously "no," but with the current climate of resisting officers becoming more prevalent and socially acceptable by certain groups, the question needs deeper exploration.

The follow-up question that is not as simple is: "Does a person have the right to self-defense if the officer uses excessive force?" Notice the subtle difference in the two questions: The first includes the subject’s subjective belief while the second is more generic and definitely needs clarification if asked.

First, it is important to understand that every person has the ancient and esteemed right to self-defense in general. But even this does not fully answer the question

In California, there are several pertinent penal code sections that shed some light on the not-so-easy topic that some want a simple yes or no answer for. The Model Penal Code, developed in 1962, eliminated the right to resist an unlawful arrest on two grounds. First, there were better alternative means of resolving the issue; second, resistance would likely result in greater injury to the citizen without preventing the arrest. By 2012, only 14 states allowed a citizen to resist an unlawful arrest. These states are Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The first section is an unknown section to those it applies to, California Penal Code Section 834a. This section clearly places a statutory duty and obligation upon a person to not physically resist an officer’s arrest.

Note that the section does not specify lawful arrest as a condition but only arrest. I believe this is due to the fact that the lawfulness of an arrest is not to be argued in the street but in a court of law. If the subject feels like the arrest is unlawful, there are other remedies that the subject can seek. In a civilized society, resorting to force or violence to argue the validity of an arrest - during the arrest - is not acceptable.

The next section is directly related to the first. California Penal Code Section 148(a)(1) is the punitive section that covers the situation when a subject resists an officer in the discharge or attempt to discharge any duty of his or her office, including trying to arrest a subject. From these two sections, it is clear that there is no right to physically resist or assault an officer during an arrest.

WHAT IF THE OFFICER IS USING EXCESSIVE FORCE?

So back to the question: What if the officer is using excessive force? Some experts will point to other statutory laws to support their view that a person can resist if they feel the force is excessive. They look at California Penal Code Sections 692 and 693.

While these sections are self-defense protections for citizens primarily related to situations outside of "police brutality" claims, some experts will claim the public offense (crime) is related to an assault/battery under color authority type of crime. Note that in section 692, the resistance must be in response to the actual commission of the public offense.

An officer’s force response in the grand majority of arrests falls far from this standard and the published statistics bear that out as well. It is a rare circumstance when this assault/battery under color of authority actually occurs and an officer is charged, not because of some great law enforcement driven conspiracy but because it rarely happens. 

Section 693 requires that even if the officer were committing a public offense (crime), only that "self-defense" force that is sufficient to prevent the offense may be used. In other words, the subject may only use force to simply stop the assault/battery under color of authority and never any more than that.

Quite honestly, physically resisting an officer that a subject "feels" is using excessive force is a dangerous game of chance in most cases. If the force is found to be reasonable (as it is in the majority of cases) but the subject continued or increased his resistance because he believed the force was excessive, that subject will not prevail in his claim of self-defense and most likely exposed himself to more injury.

In order for a claim of self-defense to be valid, a finding of excessive force must be made by the trier of fact first. That is the jury (jury trial) or judge (bench trial). The excessive force must be to a degree that the trier of fact would believe it is excessive, not just the subjective belief of the person in the field resisting the officer at that moment. Only after a finding has been made that the force was excessive can the "self-defense" actions of the subject be excused as not being a criminal act. In other words, the physical resistance can be "forgiven" as self-defense only if the force is found to be excessive after the fact and not the other way around.

REASONABLENESS IS VIEWED FROM OFFICER'S PERSPECTIVE

Another way to examine this is to understand that the evaluation of the reasonableness of an officer’s force response must be made from the perspective of the officer and the totality of the facts and circumstances known to the officer at the time. It is not made from the perspective of the subject. It would be impossible for the subject to fully understand the officer’s perspective and therefore impossible to determine if the force is excessive.

I do not believe the majority of society is willing to accept the idea of a subject with a mere singular and subjective belief (and honestly a self-serving and in most cases an uninformed belief) that somehow an officer’s force response is excessive and therefore the subject has the right to defend him/herself with force. This thinking is clearly a "putting the horse before the cart" type of rational. If society were to accept this thought, every person being arrested in the future could freely physically resist with impunity from criminal culpability on charges of battery on an officer by simply stating, "I felt the force was excessive."

About the author

Ed Flosi is a retired police sergeant from San Jose, California. Ed has a unique combination of practical real world experience and academic background. He has worked several assignments including Field Training Program, Training Unit, Narcotics, Special Operations — K9 Handler, Research and Development and Custody Facility Supervisor. He has qualified as an expert witness in state and federal courts in police practices/force options and is the Principle Instructor for PROELIA Defense and Arrest Tactics. He has a Master of Science degree from California State University Long Beach. Ed is a Certified Force Analyst through the Force Science Research Center.

The safest place to be in a vehicle ambush attack

TESTING DEFENSE TACTICS

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend an eight-hour program on vehicle defense tactics which was sponsored by the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors. This block of instruction focused on how to effectively fire from a vehicle, exit the kill zone and exactly what parts of contemporary vehicles represent true cover. We were also afforded the opportunity to fire a few different rounds utilized for law enforcement applications at vehicles and to assess the results.

Many diverse materials make up modern vehicles, including various types of metal, plastic, rubber and glass. It’s probably a safe bet that today’s cars are smaller and lighter than the heavy metal American-made cars of the ‘60s and ‘70s. We were all curious to see exactly what, if any, protection a vehicle could provide against incoming fire.

First, let’s consider glass. Many people fail to recognize that angled, windshield glass is a formidable obstacle. Windshields are made of laminated glass and a bullet impact will cause it to crack and spider web, but not shatter. Windshields often play havoc with bullet performance and results could include jacket/core separation, deflection from the point of aim and inconsistent expansion qualities. Side windows are made of tempered glass and a single bullet impact will typically cause them to shatter.

During the seminar, a few different handgun, rifle and shotgun rounds were fired at vehicle windshields and doors. A target was placed on the passenger seat to determine if the rounds fired deviated from the point of aim. It should hardly be a surprise that all the rounds fired penetrated and struck the target. Both a non-bonded 9mm jacketed hollowpoint and a .223 Remington soft point exhibited signs of jacket failure, but still struck the targets. Handgun rounds featuring a bonded bullet, rifled slugs and a .223 Remington round traveled true to the target without any issues.

Firing at an open door did produce some surprising results. A casual observer might consider that the sheet metal of a car door wouldn’t be much of a barrier, but there is a lot more to the door than meets the eye. Car doors contain windows, electric motors, locks, brake stays, lift mechanisms, as well as inner panels and arm rests.

In the test, four different handgun rounds were fired from a distance of 10 yards at a door open approximately 45 degrees. Rounds included two examples each of 9mm and .45 ACP, with both bonded and non-bonded bullets. A single example of each round was fired at the open door.

The most surprising result was that none of the handgun rounds penetrated the door. This was by no means an exhaustive test nor am I suggesting that car doors are bulletproof. But based on this informal test, and what we’ve witnessed in actual police action shootings, even the best handgun rounds are “iffy” penetrators on car doors. On the other hand, both the .223 Remington rounds and 12-gauge rifled slugs  easily penetrated the door.

TAKEAWAYS FROM TESTING TACTICS

So what can we learn here? While not true cover, a door might provide some limited ballistic protection in a frontal attack. Exit the kill zone, stay low and move to better cover at the rear of the car and beyond. Doors provide absolutely no protection from centerfire rifle rounds and shotgun slugs. But this cuts both ways. If you absolutely need to get inside a motor vehicle by punching through a door or windshield, rifled slugs have no peer. For rifles, consider one of the popular barrier breaching rounds from the major manufacturers.

If you have to shoot through the windshield while sealed behind the wheel, a well-designed bullet will punch through the glass, track true and expand when it strikes the threat. Again, premium quality rounds specifically designed for law enforcement applications are readily available and performance is light years beyond what it was a generation ago.

True cover in a vehicle remains the engine block and brake drums. But taking a good defendable position behind them can be difficult. If and when possible, move to better cover away from your vehicle. At the very least, your vehicle could provide you with a measure of concealment.

Have a plan, should you come under attack when in a vehicle. Get yourself in a defendable position as soon as possible and take the fight to the assailant. That might include firing through the side windows or windshield. When working with a partner or backup, those timeless concepts of cover and contact still ring true. Define those roles and make sure somebody is watching the immediate area, as well as what is beyond. Stay switched on to stay safe.

About the author

Captain Mike Boyle served 27 years with the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife, Bureau of Law Enforcement. Mike was responsible for all aspects of pre-service and in-service training and also supervised the internal affairs section of his agency. Mike has also been an assistant police academy director and continues to participate in both recruit and instructor level training. He is a certified instructor in multiple uses of force disciplines including handgun, shotgun, rifle, SMG, impact weapons and unarmed self-defense. 

Officer safety in the modern age: 10 critical lessons to live by

Here are ten lessons learned from generations of law enforcement – ranging from the old west to present day – to help you protect yourself, your family, and your fellow officers. 

1.    Stay in control of your emotions and reduce residual ill-will all around. Taking things personally and acting on those feelings in a negative way when dealing with or handing off a subject to others endangers other law enforcement officers in the future. 

One of the hardest things to do as a law enforcement officer is to stay objective and respond appropriately. It may be hard to do, but it is precisely how you need to train yourself to be. Anger, fear, and cynicism lead the way to overreaction.

2.    Accept that you are a target and make yourself a hard target. Have someone you trust do an assessment of your and your family’s vulnerabilities. On the job, at home, outside doing activities, in the vehicle, parking and anything else that comes to mind. Then take immediate steps to mitigate that vulnerability whenever possible. Look at your routines and reassess them.

3.    Start using Cooper’s color code. There are people who want to hurt you. Pay attention and stay aware of your surroundings at all times. Expect to be attacked. Formulate a plan whenever you going to a call or encounter suspicious people or circumstances. You may be attacked but you should never be surprised.

4.    Pull your head out of your smartphone or laptop. Don’t look at it for more than a few seconds when you are in your vehicle or out and about in a public area where anyone is around you. If it helps, just think of some attacker coming up from behind and blowing your brains out every time you are looking down to do some texting or an email check in public.

If you need to use your laptop or phone, park where you cannot be approached unseen and look around every few seconds. Make it a habit. 

5.    Stop the social club nonsense. As a law enforcement officer in uniform, you have no business sitting in a restaurant booth with four of you chit-chatting. Keep it to a maximum of two to a booth or table. Seat yourselves out of the way of the general traffic flow in and out of the restaurant or cash register area. 

Have the other officers seated far enough away to provide protection if anyone tries to target any two officers. Stand up when people approach you. Officer presence does not have to be threatening to get the point across you are ready.

6.    Upgrade your overall hand-to-hand skills. Nothing inspires confidence and decreases the likelihood of excessive force like being able to defend yourself against just about anybody using just hand-to-hand skills. This confidence carries over into the firearms and other weapon categories. Well trained people with good values aren’t usually the ones getting into trouble in police departments.

7.    Upgrade your performance with firearms — particularly handguns. Learning to fight effectively with a handgun is more than just upgrading your qualification scores. Significant training in gunfight speed reactive shooting with proper tactics results in far fewer rounds fired and far fewer problems with “excessive force” complaints. 

If you are being targeted with deadly force, commit to the fight, stay mentally calm and stay deliberate in your shooting. Every round has a purpose.  Don’t let fear of consequences —legal or otherwise — rule your decisions. Hesitation is a killer.

8.    Start carrying a gun off duty you can shoot as well your duty gun. A gun that’s too small is far harder to shoot quickly and accurately than a bigger gun. Use a proper holster and mag pouches. Wear appropriate clothing to hide it effectively. Think about wearing a vest every time you are outside when living in areas of active unrest. Carry two extra magazines as well as one in the gun. For single-stack magazines, carry three extra.

9.    Remember your values and uphold them — you will live and die by them. Review my articles on “the warrior and the merchant” and “the tactical decision equation.” Now is not the time to withdraw from society — it is not “us against them.” Most people respect you and are on your side. Some will fear you. Anarchists are the enemy — not society in general.

Start learning how to properly use the Tactical Decision Equation. Critical thinking under pressure is trainable and necessary. When you start using the equation you will be able to come up with acceptable options in any situation and be able to justify your actions — both to yourself and to the public. 

It provides a common language between the police and the public that will help the public understand what you were facing and how you decided on your course of action. It is also a tremendous after-action tool to go over your incidents and become a better tactical thinker.

10.    Protect your home and your family. Train your spouse and kids how to think and what to do. Have a plan for incidents in and out of the home or at school etc. Teach them self-defense skills and the use of firearms if they are old enough to learn. Harden their minds to the use of force and teach them how to fight. Feeling helpless is debilitating at any age.

About the author

Ron Avery is President and Director of Training for The Practical Shooting Academy, Inc. and Executive Director of the non-profit, Rocky Mountain Tactical Institute - both training institutions dedicated to professional firearms and tactics courses, higher police standards and training and use of force research.

Contact Ron Avery

Conduct professional, safe traffic stops

1. Remember your training. No traffic stop is routine. When conducting a stop, consider when and where to initiate the stop and the best location for the driver to stop.
2. Notify the dispatcher. Make sure that the dispatcher knows your location and the stopped vehicle’s license, make and model before making contact with the driver.
3. Create a safety lane for yourself. Be sure to offset your vehicle behind the stopped vehicle to create a safety lane. Turns tires out and consider a passenger side approach to contact the driver.
4. Communication is critical. Remember that the first words spoken by an officer may very well determine the tone of the encounter and even the eventual outcome. Similarly, the last words are also very important and may be the basis of a lasting impression of the officer and agency.
5. Stops at night or low light conditions: Use your takedown lights, and/or spot light to light the interior of the stopped vehicle. Placing the spot light directly into the rear view mirror of the stopped vehicle can help cover your approach.
6. Pay attention to the verbal and physical cues from the driver. Excessive repetition of requests or instructions by the driver can be an indication of a problem, as is taking a long time to find documents such as driver’s license, registration or insurance card.
7. Control the stop. You control that vehicle and its passengers for the duration of the stop. If you feel it is necessary, request assistance. Review case law for Brendlin V. California and Maryland V. Wilson as they relate to what an officer can and cannot do during a traffic stop.

Courtesy National Law Enforcement Memorial 

How to survive the FTO program

1. Be a sponge

Recognize you’re new and everybody else will almost certainly know more than you. Accordingly, ask as many questions as you need to before entering your final phase of training when your FTO will merely be shadowing you and is no longer a resource for answering your questions.

2. Be eager to learn

In addition to asking a question, it’s probably more important to be the type of employee that wants to learn and challenges themselves to constantly be learning in our ever-changing career. For instance, if you take on a case where the investigation requires a search warrant, tell your FTO you want to pair up with a detective and help write the search warrant. Don’t wait for somebody to ask you, take the initiative.

3. Don’t get cocky

Few things are more frustrating than a new officer who thinks they know everything when they’ve been an officer since breakfast. Humble yourself and make your bones during field training without bragging or pretending you’re Supercop.

4. Accept criticism and praise without being defensive

You’re new and you’re going to mess up, often. The purpose of the FTO criticizing you is not to merely inform you, but to improve you so it doesn’t happen again. Making mistakes is expected. The key is to not make the same ones repeatedly. When you’re criticized, your FTO is letting you know you didn’t meet an expectation, which is extremely valuable for you to be informed of so you know exactly where the bar is set. If you’re able to offer a mere explanation of your actions, without being defensive and while remaining receptive to the criticism you just received, that may be appropriate. Similarly, if you’re given praise, don’t gloat or let it go to your head … say thank you and know that’s the expectation from then on.

5. “Look sharp, act sharp, be sharp”

The all too familiar line from the TV series “Southland.” There are documented interviews in the FBI’s LEOKA (Law Enforcement Officers Killed in Action) report which state numerous felons imprisoned for murdering law enforcement officers did so simply because “they knew they could.” Some felons specifically stated the officer’s uniform and/or boots appeared unkempt, which caused them to assume the officer was lazy and cared about their job as much as their uniform. This is of course untrue and no excuse for the felons’ actions, but it’s important to note that something as menial as the creases in your uniform shirt can have an impact on how a suspect responds to your command presence.
On a lighter note, your field training evaluation will likely have an “appearance” category, so press your uniforms, shine your badge and polish your boots often, if not daily, because that’s an easy category to score points in. A former Recruit Training Officer once told me the academy is where the best snapshot of you will occur. You’ll be fit, focused and non-complacent. As officers, we tend to let ourselves slip, however gradually, after we leave the academy and there’s no longer academy staff keeping us in line. I personally challenge you to stay fit, know your stuff and remember that complacency kills.

6. Be respectful

Simply put, everybody is “sir” or “ma’am” unless you are told to call them something else. Even then, maybe let them tell you a couple of times before you stop. Respect both seniority and rank. Understand the senior guys with a few years left before retirement are not lazy, in fact they’ve likely spent the last 25 years doing exactly what you’re hoping to. Let them have their coffee and respond to their beat calls; you can go chase “Johnny Troublemaker” over fences and know the senior guy will still be there to help. Respect rank, regardless of your opinion of the person.

7. Switching FTOs

When you pass a field training phase, you’ll get another FTO. One of the most frustrating things you can do is tell your current FTO that you did something a certain way because your last FTO told you to do it that way. There are a million ways to do this job and achieve the same result, count yourself lucky you’re going to experience a mere three to four ways of doing it with your FTOs. The point is to expose you to different ways, so that if you pass the program, you can take what you liked and add it to your bag of tricks. So if your current FTO tells you something different than your last FTO, that’s fine, do it.

8. Roll with the punches

Coworkers may have fun at your expense. As the new guy who enjoys pranks and comedy, I always found it amusing. In fact, I’ll humble myself with a quick story and maybe it’ll foreshadow the shenanigans you may encounter as the new guy. I was fresh off training and took a burglary where the suspect defecated in the victim’s toilet and didn’t flush it. Knowing (mostly) excrement doesn’t contain usable DNA, I photographed it and left it alone. My sergeant, after reading my report, called me into the office, where he and a former Crime Scene Investigator spent the next 20 minutes convincing me I had left valuable evidence in the toilet. Even worse, because my department was out of “collection kits,” I’d have to make due with a plastic bag and a plastic spoon. I got halfway back to the house after calling to tell the victim not to flush her toilet before my sergeant called me, nearly in tears, telling me I didn’t in fact need to scoop poop out of a toilet with a plastic spoon. If you’re thinking “Wow, what an idiot!” that’s fair. When I got back to the station, my sergeant wrote “Doo Doo Collection Bag” on the bag I took and placed the plastic spoon inside. That bag still hangs from my locker today, even at my new agency. So, roll with the punches and see the humor in things, even if you’re the victim!

9. Keep your FTO happy

This one comes at the end of the list because it was more important for you to retain the above items first before I tell you to keep your FTO fed and caffeinated … but do it. Find out how your FTO likes to ease into their shift or wind down. Whether its food, coffee or tea, find out and if possible, get your FTO what they need. Some FTOs don’t care about any of those frills and just want you out there doing your job. If that’s the case, pack a Red Bull and stay busy.
What if you’re a lateral transfer? As somebody who has lateraled to a different agency, I can tell you my approach was nearly identical to what it was when I was a new guy. I did just about everything the same way, but if my FTO, a senior guy or a supervisor told me to cut it out because I wasn’t a “boot,” I’d oblige and silently appreciate their gesture. I was fortunate enough to land at an agency where my lateral FTO experience was great; they treated me like an experienced officer and respected my time on the job. If you find yourself having a different lateral experience, try embracing the “new guy” way again because things like “be respectful” and “Keep your FTO happy” will never lead you astray.
Often times, trainees leaving the academy feel as if they know everything because they’ve conquered the academy experience. Do not fall into that trap. The reality is the police academy prepares you to enter a field training program, it doesn’t guarantee you’re ready to succeed in it. That responsibility falls on your shoulders. Strive for success and embrace being the new guy; be humble, be hungry and be the hardest worker in the room. Upon completing field training, take pride you’ve landed amongst the closed ranks of law enforcement because it’s the greatest job on Earth.

About the Author

Officer Samuel Miceli is a police officer with the Santa Clara Police Department in Santa Clara, California, and is assigned to the patrol division. Officer Miceli has approximately four and a half years on the job and still considers himself the new guy

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Shoot a Fleeing Felon!

What in the world is it that some police officer, even senior officers, don't understand about, You Can Not Shoot A Fleeing Felon?  It is one of the first things you learn in the academy.  No matter how bad he or she is, you are never going to win that fight in court.  When a felon flees your weapon becomes your radio and your feet.  Use them both!

Reacting too slow

 With lawsuits abounding, many officers spend more time worrying about how a use of force will be perceived by their agencies and communities rather than what they need to do to survive it. This can cause officers to hesitate.
The hesitation problem is exacerbated when the individual officers do not have a clear understanding of when they are legally allowed to use force.
There is a famous maxim that says, “He who hesitates is lost.” The decision to use force should never be taken lightly, but once the decision is made, appropriate force should be used without fear of what could or might happen after.
The United States Supreme Court gave us clear direction in the landmark case Graham v Connor in 1989. The court expects the force used by police to be “objectively reasonable.” If you use “objectively reasonable force,” you will have the full weight of federal law behind you.
Using tactical communication is great. “Be nice,” like Patrick Swayze said in the movie “Roadhouse.” Don’t let your mouth write a check other more delicate parts of your body
might have to cash. Showing respect to arrestees, their families, and friends doesn’t cost anything, but it can pay off
with increased officer safety and cooperation. Good cops turn arrestees into informants.
A key element in Dr. George Thompson’s “Verbal Judo” is “When words fail, act.”
When it comes time to act, act! Use force. Too many cops are killed with their weapons still in their holsters because they were talking when they should have been shooting.

-- Courtesy Officer Survival Guide--

Stress Management

While being a police officer is an extremely stressful career, it is also very rewarding. Officers must learn about the stressors they can expect to experience, acknowledge stress when it happens and know how to deal with it in a healthy way.  Your life can depend on it.

Don't they teach that there are cameras out there???

Are they not teaching that everyone has a camera?  It's been twenty years since Rodney King.  I did a traffic stop the day after Rodney and right down the street someone had stopped their car and was making a video with a camcorder.  The days before Smartphones.  Come on people, use your head.  Assume a camera is on you at all times.  I know it is hard sometimes.  It can be hard to be the better person.  You will never appreciate your job more than you will after you are retired.  Make sure you get there and stay safe.
-Stan Cook, retired 1999- 

How good crime scene photos help tell the story of the incident

Submitted by: Hilary Romig, PoliceOne Contributor

It is the investigator’s job to relay the events of the crime in the best possible manner. Crime scene photos help to tell a story. A good set of photos can help those involved in the investigation find out what took place, and also help outsiders such as a jury see the whole picture, so to speak. Since crime scene photography is essentially retelling the scene of the crime, there should be nothing missing from the story. For example, if an investigator were photographing a burglary scene, the point of entry should photographed, followed step by step (to the extent possible) of everywhere the suspect went from there. Even the smallest hint of action should be captured on film. If the suspect broke in through a window and knocked over a stack of books, those books should be photographed as well as the window. Every photo should link together creating an overlap effect.  Overlapping means that each photo connects with each other. For instance, if the first shot includes the window where the suspect entered, the next photo should include the window, but focus on the next object. From there, the trail should continue, all the while including one object, from the previous photo. This is crucial for putting the piece of the puzzle together.  Another key factor when it comes to crime scene photography is the need for urgency. As soon as the police are involved, the scene should be photographed. This is done promptly so that no potential evidence is disturbed.  Each element of the scene should be captured in film as well. Going back to the example of the thief, the books in the stack that were knocked over should be photographed. Not only to link the photos together, but the books themselves should be photographed. This is the case for each step along the trail. If an object as small as a pencil is knocked off of a table, that pencil should be photographed.  For certain cases, aerial photos should be taken. This brings the whole scene into one shot.  When it comes to taking photographs at a crime scene, the investigator should take as many photos as they can. It is best to have too many photos rather than not enough. After all, once the scene is cleared, evidence is removed and the original crime scene no longer exists. It is best to capture each element in the most detailed way possible.

Lessons From the Past

A new generation of cops (many of whom entered service during the post-9/11 spasm of public support for law enforcement and the military) are now experiencing some of these things for the first time. It may feel new to them, but their retired cop fathers and grandfathers would recognize the conditions immediately. Those warriors from the ‘60s and ‘70s would have some advice for their modern day brothers and sisters of the Thin Blue Line. Here are 15 thoughts they might share. Add your own — especially if you were on the job in the 60s and 70s — in the comments area below.
1. Wear your vest. We didn’t have them back then, and we lost some brothers as a result.
2. Look out for each other. Always important, but even more so when the family is under attack.
3. Be aware that small things can turn into big things, fast. Don’t forget that the ‘65 Watts Riots started with a simple DUI stop.
4. Go armed — heavily — always. You never know when the next SLA shootout will go down on your watch, or when you’ll run across the wrong crowd while off duty. Pack a War Bag with extra mags for the car, carry a backup gun (or two), and always carry a reasonable fighting gun off duty
 5. Maintain operational security. Deny useful information to the enemy.
6. Avoid habit patterns. Habit patterns make you an easy target for ambush. Mix it up.
7. Harden your house. A police station must withstand attack. Glass doors and floor-to-ceiling windows offer no protection from bricks, bullets, or bombs. Put auto barriers in place. Move desks away from windows, secure the perimeter, control access, and change landscaping/architecture so you can see who’s approaching the door.
8. Conduct vehicle searches — on your own cars. When you return to your vehicle (duty or private), do a visual check for sabotage (lug nuts? tires? brake lines?), tampering, or explosives before you touch it.
9. Don’t be afraid of a tactical retreat. Don’t push a bad situation. Fall back, regroup, and choose the battlefield.
10. Know your counter-ambush tactics. Learn them. Perfect them. Use them.
11. Train in officer hostage tactics. Work out a plan with your partners. Never surrender your gun. No more Onion Fields.
12. Radio discipline. Never make a stop without calling it in. Ever.
13. Hone your crowd control and riot tactics. You’ll need these skills when a First Amendment event becomes a riot.
14. Be self-reliant. When the system is stressed, there may be no backup available. Back in the day, there was no SWAT, no K9, and no helicopter — you did it yourself. Get all the help you can, whenever you can, but don’t forget how to get things done by yourself, if necessary.
15. Check your six. Remember, you’re not the only hunter out there.

Six reason that tactical disengagement and redeploy is not running away.

Cops are mission driven. When they engage they are in it to win it. They hate an order to stand down. Our heroes hold the line, damn the torpedoes, and say “nuts” to surrender. 

Retreat is not an option. 

Or is it?

Completing any mission — whether it be a field contact of a suspect, a hostage situation, or a lengthy investigation — means not only winning but also depriving your target of a victory. One strategic move is to disengage. 

Thinking about a retreat brings to mind the famous attack rabbit scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail where the knights scatter at the frantic command "Run away! Run away!" Running away and tactical disengagement and redeployment are polar opposites because one is a result of poor planning and the other is a winning strategy.

The law enforcement ethos of embracing the battle will always remain preeminent and the courage to walk into chaos will always be a necessary character of a police officer. Disengaging for a tactical objective is not contrary to that character. Making sure you have an avenue of retreat is no less important than scanning for opportunities of cover and concealment. 

We also need to recognize strategic retreat as an element of an adversary's strategy as well. Being lured into a foot pursuit, or engaging a suspect who is pretending to comply is part of our need to understand the concept. Even a snake must recoil before striking again!

Turning our minds to tactical disengagement and redeployment requires a plan. If we have the opportunity to think (and often we only have time to react) consider the advantages of tactical disengagement:

1. It creates time to observe, gather assets, and plan for redeployment.
2. It may get your adversary to let their guard down, making your redeployment more effective
3. It may prevent unacceptable loss or injury 
4. It allows redeployment to a more favorable time, place, or emotional state
5. It can thwart an effort by a numerically superior adversary intent on surrounding or flanking you
6. It can avoid an unnecessary battle that can be won by diplomacy. 

The reality of many of our engagements is that we often think of our warrior spirit only as the tip of a bayonet. Battles are won by strength and strategy. Tactical disengagement and redeployment is a strategic tool that should be in our tool kit. 

A question for you

You are on patrol and stop a car on the freeway for speeding. Upon approach the driver refuses to look down the window. Ignores you. What do you do?

Five ways to insure your safety as a police officer

You’ll never hear a fighter pilot argue against putting a premium on safety measures on a combat mission. Those fliers are about as aggressive a group of warriors as you might meet, but safety is wired into them as much as their lethality in battle.  Yet law enforcement officers — and I’m just as guilty as anyone — uniquely ignore basic safety principles. We do it daily. The argument — specifically to my most recent column but more broadly in common conversation among cops — is that talking about safety first is effectively “neutering our best warriors and demotivating them.” Tell that to a fighter pilot. Yes, there are myriad differences between the fighter pilots and police officers, but no one can argue that both are not warriors. I contend that you can be both safe, and be a warrior. The good news is that no matter where you are in your organization — from patrol to brass — it’s never too late to begin. Here are five ways to get you started. 1.) Emphasize Driver Training We change cars — sometimes nightly — with no concern on training. Let me understand this. Roadway-related incidents have been the leading cause of death, injuries, and lawsuits for almost two decades yet we will throw the keys to just about anything with wheels to an officer without considering any type of training.  We would never give an officer a new or different gun without training, and statistically most of us will never shoot that gun in the line of duty.  We drive a car every day and rarely train in the dynamics of that car.  The newest squad cars are as different from any late-model-fill-in-the-blank cruiser as semi-automatic pistols are from revolvers. But because “it’s just a car” we just don’t treat the differences as being serious.  We must place an emphasis on training with the car we operate, just as we train with sidearm, cuffs, and every other tool we use on the job. 2.) Conduct Blended Training Now that we understand that training is needed, what kind of training is effective?  We’ve thought for years that a blended training — combining skills and decision making — was the most effective. Thanks to California POST we now have research to prove it.  Training that does nothing but build skills will certainly do that but we have to integrate an equally important component: the brain.  No one reads a death notification and says to themselves, “If only the officer knew how to brake a little better.”  It’s not our hands and feet that gets us in trouble but what is between our ears. We must train and we must focus on both skills and decision-making.  3.) Learn the Physiological Effects of Stress When our heart rate jumps to above 140 beats a minute, our body will adjust. Period.  We have to know what to expect. Emergency response runs — or even the stress of a call you are going to — can cause tunnel vision, auditory exclusion, and a host of other issues.  We can mitigate the effects by doing our combat (autogenic) breathing but ultimately we must know the effects so we can expect them and deal with them.  Read Alexis Artwohl's excellent book Deadly Force Encounters and make yourself familiar with what can happen to us under stress and how we can be safer in the process.  4.) Study Emotional Survival We must be vigilant to the incidents killing our officers — from ambush attacks to vehicle incidents — but more officers die every year at their own hands than all of the line of duty deaths combined.  Poor health, corruption, and marital issues are a direct consequence of the failure of our profession to prepare our heroes behind the badge for life as cops.  Read Dr. Kevin Gilmartin's excellent book called Emotional Survival and take steps today to survive. This training is important in the basic academy but it is a must throughout our careers.  How about if every agency leader reading this decides to give all of their current officers a day of training a year on this subject? Everything from financial classes to family relation classes will help those behind the badge. Think that might make a difference? I do.  5.) Remember Your Family I’ve written some difficult and some easy steps to take now in order to be safer. Maybe you've thought, “I don't need any of this. I’ve been fine up until now.” That may be so, but what if tomorrow you aren’t? What if tomorrow your kids don’t have a dad or your husband doesn’t have a wife anymore?  While it’s true you could spend an entire career ignoring these basic safety principles and be fine, it is also true that many have not been fine. We are a profession that has many lessons taught to us in blood.  For the sake of our family and to honor those before us, please consider learning those lessons.  Conclusion Think about it: We don’t wear reflective vests because we need to be “covert.” We don’t wear ballistic vests because it’s hot. We don’t wear seatbelts because we want to get out of the car fast — which makes no sense when you’re going 60 mph because the only way you’re coming out of the car at 60 mph is because you’re not wearing your seatbelt. Many in our profession do all they can to be safe and they do not compromise what we are called to do — they are warriors.   If we pull up to a school and hear gun shots, we run in to stop the violence, giving very little thought to what could happen to us. No one will — or should question that — but if we run 90 mph to a call without wearing a seatbelt, we all should question that. I submit that if we are going to put our lives at risk then it needs to be worth something. Unfortunately, we all too often ignore some basic principles that can help us be safer. Pleases consider these tips that I believe can make you safer today. Please consider coming up with those that may directly apply to your agency. Post them around and discuss them.   Let us be as safe as possible so when we are called to be that warrior, we will be here and ready.

Prepare your family for off-duty encounters

Submitted by:

Aaron Weaver

While at my home, my wife and I were loading our two children in her vehicle when a large white male on a motorcycle stopped in the roadway in front of my house. I asked if he needed assistance with something, at which point the man became belligerent and began yelling obscenities. 

I then informed him he must have us mistaken for someone else and asked him to please leave. 

The man continued, so I motioned my wife away and she went to the porch — our kids remained in their car seats in her car. 

I at this point moved closer still remaining on my property and, was now telling him he needed to move along. I never let him know that I was a police officer — not yet anyway — and the man took this as a challenge and began to get off his motorcycle, telling me “YEA! I’ll move right along up to you!”

At this point my wife had retrieved my K-9, Ranger — a dual purpose GSD — and was now attempting to keep him restrained on the porch. I now informed the individual that I was a Police Officer and prepared for a tussle and moved onto the street to be on level ground. I also said that if he did indeed want a problem to move to the side of the road and I would assist him. 

He then jumped back to his bike and told me to “keep hiding behind my badge.”

I have never met or dealt with this individual — I live in a different area than where I work. The point of this is always be prepared for potentially dangerous encounters. Prepare your family.

I had never really sat down and prepared my family for this — we talked about it, but never set fourth a plan. 

I learned that it needs to be done.

Let your family know that after these incidents to always be on a look out head on a swivel if you will, neighbors too — especially if you have children. 

Always be vigilant: taking out the trash, checking the mail, watering the yard. 

Check vehicles to ensure no tampering has occurred. Obviously, inform your supervisors, and if possible, your brothers and sisters in blue patrolling the area in which you live. I am not saying all this as if you are unaware but sometimes it’s good to have a reminder. 

Stay safe, stay fit to fight, and hold the line.