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2008
Volume 4, Number 2, Issue 16
MAR • APR WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
40 40 46 51 56 60 64 68 4
ON THE COVER Photos: Ichiro Nagata
ONE IS NONE — TWO IS ONE BOB PILGRIM
XD .45 ACP Compact.
BORSTAR MICHAEL BAUM
Border Patrol’s Elite Search And Rescue Team.
22
VIRGINIA TECH SHOOTINGS FRANK BORELLI
Why Do Students Sit Still?
IT’S ABOUT CONTROL JEREMY D. CLOUGH
How To Understand And Zap The Average DV Perp.
TERRORIST ATTACKS — EXPLOSIVES HOWARD LINETT
It’s Only A Matter Of Time.
PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA ROBERT D. BOYDEN, PH.D.
Take Care Of Your Officers.
PROBATION & PAROLE 101 BEN CHRISTIE
Community Supervision.
WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2008
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COLUMNS 16
LEAA JAMES J. FOTIS
18
CORRECTIONS BRIAN DAWE
20
HIGH TECH BOB DAVIS
24
OFFICER SURVIVAL SAMMY REESE
26
EVOC ANTHONY RICCI
28
PRIVATE SECURITY ED PALUMBO
30
RESERVES
32
STREET LEVEL JOHN MORRISON
34
REALITY CHECK II
36
CARRY OPTIONS MARK HANTEN
38
HARD TOOLS PAUL MARKEL
48
PERRY W. HORNBARGER
RESOURCES
CLINT SMITH
DEPARTMENTS 8 RETURN FIRE 22 ON THE JOB 82 INSIDER RUMINATIONS
28
31 76 80 80
RECRUITMENT SPOTLIGHT CLASSIFIEDS AD INDEX
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Also Included In The Package is the LaserMax LMS-1202 AMERICAN COP™ (ISSN 1557-2609) is published bi-monthly by Publishers’ Development Corp., 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128. Periodical postage paid at San Diego CA 92128, and at additional entry offices. Subscriptions: One year (six issues) $24.95. Single copies $5.95 (in Canada $9.50). Change of address: four weeks notice required on all changes. Send old address as well as new. Contributors submitting manuscripts, photographs or drawings do so at their own risk. Material cannot be returned unless accompanied by sufficient postage. Payment is for all world rights for the material. The act of mailing a manuscript constitutes the author’s certification of originality of material. Opinions expressed are those of the bylined authors and do not necessarily represent those of the magazine or it's advertisers. Advertising rates furnished on request. Reproduction or use of any portion of this magazine in any manner, without written permission, is prohibited. Entire contents Copyright© 2008 Publishers’ Development Corp. All rights reserved. Title to this publication passes to subscriber only on delivery to his address. SUBSCRIPTION PROBLEMS: For immediate action, write Subscription Dept., 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to AMERICAN COP™, 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128.
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AMERICAN COP PUBLISHER THOMAS von ROSEN EDITORIAL DIRECTOR ROY HUNTINGTON EDITOR DAVE DOUGLAS ART DIRECTOR RICHARD STAHLHUT SENIOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ROCHELLE KARINA EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ROXANNE SMITH ART ASSISTANT ANDY LOY PRODUCTION MANAGER LINDA PETERSON ADVERTISING PRODUCTION KIMBERLY THORNE PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR RANDY MOLDE´ PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR LORINDA MASSEY
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS FIREARMS TRAINING EDITOR CLINT SMITH CCW/DUTY CARRY EDITOR MARK HANTEN TECHNOLOGY EDITOR BOB DAVIS VEHICLE/EVOC EDITOR ANTHONY RICCI OFFICER SAFETY EDITOR SAMMY REESE PROFFESIONAL SECURITY EDITOR ED PALUMBO SUPERVISORY SKILLS EDITOR JOHN MORRISON LEAA ISSUES EDITOR JAMES J. FOTIS EDGED WEAPONS EDITOR ERNEST EMERSON COMPETITION EDITOR ROB LEATHAM LEGAL ISSUES EDITOR JEREMY D. CLOUGH EQUIPMENT EDITOR PAUL MARKEL CONTRIBUTING EDITORS WES DOSS, STEVE ALBRECHT, RALPH MROZ, BEN DOUGLAS, BRIAN HOFFNER, RICH GRASSI, FRANK BORELLI
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RETURN FIRE
“
If we’re going to attempt to conceal our identities off duty, it would be nice to receive the magazine in a discreet way.
”
Officer Survival Column
Sammy, great article on officer safety and concealing our identities. However you better add one more to your list — receiving a magazine in the mail with the name American COP in bold print with all our information stamped on the front cover. If we’re going to attempt to conceal our identities off duty, it would be nice to receive the magazine in a discreet way. Remember, not all of us drive big shiny patrol cars home and park them in the front yard. And, most of us with take home cars have sense enough to park them in the garage or out of the direct
line of sight. Hey guys, great magazine. I look forward to getting it every other month. It can be a big aid to training. However, I agree we should all try to keep our identities hidden when not on the job. Just something to think about. Dan Morton,THP Dan, you are absolutely right about how the magazine is mailed to sub-
scribers. Sorry about that but my bosses have told me it’s a cost issue. Apparently, putting the magazine in a blank sleeve would force us into another postal rate and cost a bundle. They tell me they are working on a solution but I’m not holding my breath. As for the take-home car situation, Sammy’s former agency provided takehome rides to their patrol cops. His solution to the problem was parking the car in front of his neighbor ’s house. Funny thing, Sammy’s house never got egged or TPed but for some
ENFORCEMEN T LLAW
SUP
8
PLIES
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RETURN FIRE reason it happened often to his neighbor — go figure. Dave
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Policy Changes Dave, some recent changes to police policies in California restrict foot chases. Police administrators cite risk to the officer and the perpetrator, too often underscoring their possible result of a police shooting. Administrators are restricting how and when ofďŹ cers can sprint after a suspect. They outline alternatives like helicopters and radios to coordinate a perimeter for a grid search. Speaking as someone who has worked high-crime areas as a street cop, this policy is as ridiculous as it is transparent. This policy is a symptom of race politics undermining law and order. Fear of lawsuits and negative press has Sheriffs and Chiefs on the run — instead of the criminal. They fear for their jobs over controversy spun by the media over the use of force on minorities. Here is a reality check: per capita, minorities commit a disproportionate number of violent crimes. It stands to reason minorities would therefore be the subject of most chases and use of force. Patrol cops have a front-row seat to watch a criminal justice system intimidated by race hustlers, rogue civil rights attorneys and the liberal media. Hamstrung and stewing in frustration cops witness our country imploding under the inuence of a leaderless government too timid to hold the line and back the warriors among us. Doug Traubel, Detective in Idaho Doug, makes you want to just grab the admin weenies by the collar and shake their sorry butts. They’ve been away from the streets too long and forget there really are bad guys out there. Not the disadvantaged — but bad guys. We should not drop foot pursuits because we might — heaven forbid — catch a bad guy. And, if we’re forced to shoot him in the process, not only should he not have run, but he shouldn’t have placed the officer in a position where deadly force was necessary. I’m a big believer in the idea of personal responsibility. If you run from a cop or do something threatening his life, you are responsible for your own death or injury. I don’t have a bit of sympathy. I just feel bad for the suspect’s family, the officer and the ofďŹ cer’s family — not the dirtbag. The very last group admin should worry about is the press. They need us more than we need them. If the community has a gripe about a shooting, that’s one thing. If the press wants to make WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
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RETURN FIRE hay over a shoot, admin needs to remember when that reporter or news director goes home at night he could give a crap about the poor disadvantaged, gang-banging, beer-swilling, dope-smoking miscreant — but he does care about his advertisers — it’s all money driven. Tears and blood sell. We can’t run a law enforcement agency like it was a department store. Sometimes, as a matter of fact somewhat often, we’re going to have dissatisfied customers. Build a bridge and get over it. That’s the nature of police work. If the situation was warranted and the shooting is clean, I think of it as just being Darwin’s little helpers. Dave
Reserves Column I’ve seen many journals of other professions and I must have missed where another party not hired to do that job thought it was fun. So, they thought they’d get a smattering of the training and go do it for free. I don’t care how well meaning or sincere the volunteer is, if they are doing someone else’s job for nothing and they do not have or cannot get the skills and training needed to do that job, then they have no business playing at it. And since your ad stated the magazine was “for cops, by cops” then either you are making a big mistake in your advertising or just full of bunk — which is it? I’d like to play at being a doctor and maybe a few other professions too, but they don’t allow it. My agency was forced to stop it by union pressure. They took away tons of OT first from us by allowing those “players” to do the “dress like a cop” thing and make a joke out of the job. Of course the “dress-ups” had to call the real police when they ran across a problem, as they had no idea what to do. It takes a rookie a few hundred hours of academy and OJT to get to where they too have a clue how to handle the job. Hope you get my drift and take that column out of COP magazine — unless you want to put in the other column about civilians playing brain surgeon. Get the point? Steven S.Baum, Niagara Falls P.D. 25 years
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Steven, ain’t gonna happen. The column stays. You are HUA if you think today’s reserves and auxiliary officers lack training. Even 30 years ago when I started out as a reserve with our local sheriff ’s department, the training was the same as it was for the regulars — just extended over a longer time frame. But, it was the same training conducted by the same trainers at the same training WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
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RETURN FIRE facility. I know because when I was hired as a regular, I went through it again. As for taking away OT â&#x20AC;&#x201D; never saw it here. There was plenty to go around. The reserves took the crap jobs like directing traffic at ballgames, and parades or transporting stinking puking drunks to jail for us. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll give them every single minute of that they want â&#x20AC;&#x201D; I hated directing traffic. (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is this road closed?â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;No lady, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our annual ďŹ&#x201A;are burn off day. If we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get rid of them before the end of the ďŹ scal year we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get as much in next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget.â&#x20AC;?) What about volunteer fire departments? Are you going to tell a â&#x20AC;&#x153;reserve/volunteerâ&#x20AC;? firefighter to put that hose down and leave when your house is burning? Dave
Corrections Column Brian, as a Calif. CO I enjoy your columns but I want to clarify something in the Jan/Feb issue. As you know most POST positions at prisons are not armed and in Calif. if you work a nonarmed position you only qualify once a year, which means most COs in Calif. only go to the range during our annual one week block training. The armed positions qualify quarterly. By the way you might ďŹ nd this interesting, at CDC & R we still carry S&W mod 64 .38 cal weapons and earlier this year, admin took away our shotguns for transportation runs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; go ďŹ gure. I look forward to your next column. Mark Muckenthaler Officer Muckenthaler, thanks so much for writing and setting me straight on the qualiďŹ cation speciďŹ cs of CDC. I was under the impression all COs in the CDC had to qualify quarterly. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d also like to thank you for subscribing to American COP. At COP, we recognize corrections as an important part of the law enforcement community and provide a forum to discuss corrections issues. Many civilians donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand the pivotal roll we play, in fact many LE professionals also lack that understanding. If you get a chance, check out www.COIntel.net. I think youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find a lot of useful information on our profession. Be safe, and watch your back in there. Brian
Reality Check II Column I found myself in complete agreement with Clint Smith. My department received some â&#x20AC;&#x153;surplusâ&#x20AC;? M-16s from some program of the Federal Government several years ago and equipped them with â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tactical Lightsâ&#x20AC;? (the cheapest they could ďŹ nd.) I agree basic iron sight marksmanship needs to be mastered before any â&#x20AC;&#x153;toysâ&#x20AC;? WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
are added to the mix. After receiving the surplus rifles, several of our officers bought their own; Bushmaster and Rock River in semi-auto mode only as we really donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see the need for full auto, besides the surplus guns are available if needed. I did as well. We were allowed to qualify and carry the â&#x20AC;&#x153;personal riďŹ&#x201A;esâ&#x20AC;? on duty. Since the original purchase, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve purchase some toys; 3-9 power illuminated Mil-dot scope, EOTech 512 red dot sight, Rail fore grips and even a cheap laser along with a tactical light. But the most valuable â&#x20AC;&#x153;accessoryâ&#x20AC;? I purchased was a progressive reloader to produce cheap â&#x20AC;&#x153;Duty Equivalentâ&#x20AC;? ammunition for practice. The practice is well worth it as my recent qualifications can attest. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve qualified with iron sights, the EOTech and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m making plans to qualify with the scope. Our department isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t large enough to have a dedicated SWAT team, but calls on bigger departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SWAT guys if necessary. As Clint Smith points out, that resource is usually and hour or two away â&#x20AC;&#x201D; unacceptable in an active shooter situation. I find I agree with Clink Smith totally. I have the â&#x20AC;&#x153;toysâ&#x20AC;? to use should the tactical situation dictate, but I keep it in â&#x20AC;&#x153;iron sight mode.â&#x20AC;? Thanks for the great articles! Ptl. L. Apple, West Carrollton PD Just finished reading Mr. Smithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Sorry You're Not An Operatorâ&#x20AC;?, article in the Jan/Feb 08 issue. For one of the ďŹ rst times I can think of, I totally agree with him. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve watched departments here slide down the same slope, not only with riďŹ&#x201A;es but shotguns as well. Every thinga-my-bob you could think of had to be had or hung on the guns, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;new lionsâ&#x20AC;? believed it made them work better, and oh so cool (Chicks love cool), us old timers (aka dinosaurs) just plodded along trying to help. Hell, when I started â&#x20AC;&#x201D; so many years ago â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it was the model-27 3.5" or Colt357 6" on the hip backed up by the Winchester 30-30 in the trunk and double barrel 12 from Stevens. Sorry rambling. OUTSTANDING MR.SMITH. D. James Sgt/ret AMERICAN COP TM welcomes letters to the editor. We reserve the right to edit all published letters for clarity and length. Due to the volume of mail, we are unable to individually answer your letters or e-mail. In sending a letter to American COP, you agree to provide Publishers Development Corp. such copyright as is required for publishing and redistributing the contents of your letter in any format. Send your letters to Return Fire, American COP, 12345 World Trade Dr., San Diego, CA 92128; www.americancopmagazine.com; e-mail: ed@americancopmagazine.com.
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JAMES J. FOTIS THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ALLIANCE OF AMERICA.
UNDER
SEIGE n many ways, 2007 was a very bad year for law enforcement. Based on data available when this was written from Craig Floyd of NLEOMF, it appears 2007 was one of the most deadly years for cops — nearing 170 fallen at time of writing. That represents an increase of nearly 40 percent over this time last year. Reflected as well is a “dramatic spike” in fatal shootings; again, up over 40 percent so far in 2007. Almost as alarming is the fact 40 of the cop killers over the last decade have been under 18 years old. Floyd identifies them as “a cold-blooded criminal element with no regard for human life.”
I
Confirmation his characterization seems to be confirmed by the five-year FBI study, Violent Encounters: A study of Felonious Assaults on Our Nation’s Law Enforcement Officers. Bad guys had no hesitation whatsoever about pulling the trigger and the “Offenders typically displayed no moral or ethical restraints in using firearms.” So, more cops were killed and cop killers and criminals seem to be quicker to choose to attack and try to kill us; there appears to be insufficient deterrence. In response, politicians (mostly with a “D” after their names) have chosen to blame guns and groups like the NRA; one politician actually said it was time to “tell the NRA to take a hike.” They are willing to play politics as usual and propose more meaningless gun-control laws, rather than deal with the real issues, and propose real solutions.
T
It’s NOT Crime Control s LEAA makes clear, Gun control is NOT Crime control; never has been, never will be! Space limitations prevent me from detailing just how wrong these hug-a-thug politicians are for blaming guns, honest gun owners or the NRA for causing cop killers. For example, the NRA trains more law enforcement Continued on page 73
A
James J. Fotis is a retired officer from New York and the Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Alliance of America (LEAA). LEAA works to promote officer safety issues, defend law enforcement in the media and promote the belief that gun control is not crime control. You can find out more or become a member of the hard-hitting, conservative, unabashedly pro-cop, pro-gun, pro-self defense LEAA by visiting their Web site at www.leaa.org
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CORRECTIONS
BRIAN DAWE
BEHIND THE FENCE.
is 14 per 100,000 Suicide rate of prisoners in state custody y is 47 per 100,000 Suicide rate of prisoners in county custod County jails assault rate — 2.7 per 100 on staff inmates State facilities assaul t on rate — 1.4 per 100 staff Federal facilities assa rate — 0.9 per 100ult on staff inmates
ates 15.6 percent of county inmmbers me ng were identified as ga s were 13.4 percent of state inmate ers mb identified as gang me ates were 11.7 percent of federal inmmbers identified as gang me was asked recently if I’d be willing to testify as an expert witness on corrections at contract arbitration in Suffolk County, New York. I’ve done this many times in the past, but still felt a few hours to refresh my memory by going over some new statistics would be needed. When I began to prepare my presentation I was stunned at the differences between the inmates I encountered as a state correctional officer and those of
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ong county AIDS/HIV am3 times higher inmates wastate counterparts than their s
Average Daily Po past 10 years increapulation for the sed systems by 30.45 pein the state rcent Average Daily Popu la past 10 years increation for the county systems by sed in the 51.07 percent
K my brothers and sisters working in a county system. The first thing that jumped out was the disparity between the number of assaults on staff compared to state and federal prisons. Assaults on staff in our nation’s county jails were nearly double that of
ALARMING INDICATIONS ther indicators, such as suicide rates, were alarming. Inmates commit suicide in state custody at a rate of 14 per 100,000; in the county systems that number was an astronomical 47 per 100,000 — over three times higher. Another major concern involved mental health issues — 56 percent of state inmates were found to have some form of mental disorder while 64 percent of county inmates suffered from these maladies. Among state inmates, 15 percent were deemed to have psychotic disorders, while 24 percent of county inmates suffered — one out of every four inmates. Also I found AIDS/HIV among county inmates was three times higher than their state counterparts; 1.8 percent of the population compared to 0.5 percent. I attempted to look at the effect terrorism and tighter immigration enforcement is having on the system but statistically it’s just too early to tell, although we do know an overdue crackdown on illegal immigration is having a substantial impact on daily population levels. Corrections realize 1/3 of all violent incidents in our nation’s prisons and jails are gang related. No longer surprised, I found 15.6 percent of county inmates were identified as gang members compared to 13.4 percent of state and 11.7 percent of federal inmates.
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state prisons and almost triple the assault rate in federal facilities. County jails have an assault on staff rate of 2.7 per 100 inmates. In state facilities it’s 1.4 per 100 and 0.9 in the federal system. When I looked at the Average Daily Population (ADP) for the past 10 years I found although the number of inmates in state custody had increased by 30.45 percent from 1995 to 2006, the increase in our county jails was a whopping 51.07 percent. Assault rates began to make more sense.
Only Jail? ’d gained a newfound respect for my brothers and sisters in the county system. There is a public misconception when you discuss county, state and federal inmates. The public, much of the media and our politicians often look upon a county jail and say, “It’s only a jail, the real bad guys are in the state prison or federal pen.” How wrong they are. Continued on page 75
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The Model 8400 Advanced Tactical™ .308 Win., Warrior™ .45 ACP & JPX Jet Protector® non-lethal self defense tool.
Kimber Tactical. Performance is everything. In tactical gear, performance is everything. Accuracy, dependability and quality save lives. Professionals trust Kimber.® LAPD™ SWAT and U.S. Marines assigned to Special Operations Command chose Kimber 1911 .45 ACP pistols. Countless law enforcement officers and security professionals also depend on Kimber. The U.S. Army acquired 20,000 Kimber training rifles over the past 20 years, and new tactical rifles in .308 Win. carry on this tradition. The Model 84M LPT – Light Police Tactical – is ideal for urban applications. Kimber Model 8400 Tactical and Advanced Tactical rifles
are designed for precision distance work. Features include match grade barrels and triggers, oversized bolt handles and appropriate tactical accessories. The new LifeAct™ JPX Jet Protector is the most powerful hand-held OC delivery system available today. Operating like a DAO pistol, quick-reloading 2-shot magazines have a 21-foot range. A pyrotechnic drive jet delivery system propels a powerful charge of OC at 270 MPH and stops cross-contamination. Kimber. Unequaled tactical performance.
The Model 84M LPT™ .308 Win. combines light weight & portability with accuracy.
The Model 8400 Tactical™ .308 Win. wears a match grade barrel & McMillan stock. ;dg XdbeaZiZ ^c[dgbVi^dc dc @^bWZg ÒgZVgbh! VXXZhhdg^Zh VcY YZVaZg adXVi^dch! eaZVhZ hZcY ' id/ ©2007 Kimber Mfg. Inc. All rights reser ved. Kimber names, logos and other trademarks may not be used without permission. Names of other companies, products and services may be the property of their respective owners. Kimber firearms are shipped with an instruction manual and California-approved cable lock. Copy of instruction manual available by request. LifeAct products may be unlawful to own or possess in some states or jurisdictions. Use for any purpose except lawful self defense may be punishable by imprisonment, fines or both. Avoid use where it may harm children or persons with respiratory disorders. Guardian Angel® protected by US Pat 6,951,070B2.
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HIGH TECH
BOB DAVIS
CUTTING EDGE WIDGETS — AND OTHER NEW STUFF.
HIGH TECH HIDE & SEEK
f there’s anything I’ve learned in 30 years of policing it’s you need a big tool box if you want to be efficient. Along with the regular stuff — guns, knives, handcuffs and batons — you have to throw in a few gadgets now and then. Gadgets are like Jell-O; we all know, there’s
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Smart Widgets
always room for Jell-O so there’s got to be room for one or two good toys in the toolbox. This gadget is a sophisticated global positioning system or GPS device made by DeWALT called MOBILELOCK. That’s right, the big tool company that uses a lot yellow in marketing their products. They came up with a gem hiding in plain sight with very little yellow on it. If you ask me, it’s pretty savvy because very few bad guys will ever associate a high-tech recovery device with a company known for power tools.
he DS500 MOBILELOCK comes with four sensors packed into its tiny 3.5"x 4.5"x1" casing holding a rechargeable battery lasting about 4 weeks before recharging. The model 505 comes with an additional housing for 4 “D” size batteries and extends the run life up to three months. Built-in sensors detect tampering, door contact opening, vibration and temperature changes. All can be programmed individually with DeWALT’s very cool Web-base interface. You can customize settings, such as alarm times, vibration sensitivity, and alerts. You can even give each sensor a nickname instead of using its electronic serial number.
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Assisted GPS f you don’t have easy access to the Internet, you can always program the device over a touchtone phone, so you always have access. In addition to the four basic sensors, each unit uses state-of-theart “Assisted GPS.” Assisted GPS uses both satellite and known cellular towers to “assist” in locating the unit even if the crooks attempt to hide the stolen goods out of sight. When a thief disturbs a piece of protected equipment or property, or attempts to
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remove the unit from the asset, the alarm activates and a silent signal is sent over the cellular network. In turn, notifications are sent to three pre-programmed telephone numbers or e-mail addresses alerting the owner in matter of moments. The downside; if you work in an area with little or no cellular coverage, you’re out of luck. But if the crooks move the goods to a covered area, you’re back in business. Just “ping” the MOBILELOCK from their Web site and you’ll get a real time location tied into Microsoft’s global mapping system in a matter of moments. Now there are some costs involved with this technology. Since the device uses cellular networks to notify
Using the High Tech GPS MOBILELOCK, reminds me of playing hide-n-seek as a kid. Well, I’m not a kid playing hide-n-seek anymore; nowadays I have some cool new tools to use. Ready or not here I come. owners, there’s a monthly service charge, which includes several “locates.” You can also pre-purchase blocks of 50 “locates” for $25. These devices are targeted at the construction industry. They’re designed to attack the burgeoning problem of construction site larceny. And, even though the device is passive, its unique technology allows it to become a pro-active tool for law enforcement. Besides the obvious applications the potential for other law enforcement uses — whether surreptitious surveillance of a suspect’s car, an electronic geographic fence or setting up bait cars in high crime areas, or simple motion detection in restricted areas — is tremendous. Using the High Tech GPS MOBILELOCK, reminds me of playing hide-nseek as a kid. Well, I’m not a kid playing hide-n-seek anymore; nowadays I have some cool new tools to use. Ready or not here I come.
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More Info: www.dewalt.com/mobilelock WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
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ON THEJOB
COMMANDER GILMORE
A CAREFULLY SELECTED COLLECTION OF SLAPSHOTS AND SNOT-FLINGIN’ FUNNY STUFF FROM FELLOW COPS.
Not Quite Up To Date On Technology R obert Lyn White had a plan — but not a clue — when he burglarized the Southside Laundry in Elko, Nevada. The well-known 52-year old local resident knew the place was monitored by six surveillance video cameras, so after he bagged up the rest of his loot, he went from one camera to the next carefully disconnecting and removing them. He figured since he was stealing the cameras, it didn’t matter if he stared right into them while he was loosening bolts and nuts, doing a little laughing and mugging for the cameras as
he worked. He thought he was getting away clean — pardon the pun, okay? Robert truly couldn’t figure it out when officers showed up at his door soon after the burglary was discovered. How could they have known? He took the cameras. But, he hadn’t taken the video recorder or the tape which captured his every twitch and chuckle — closeup and personal. Nevada State Prison may offer a course like, “Understanding Basic Technology 101.” Just imagine being the officer who patiently explained to him, “Remember those fat cords you unscrewed from the backs of the cameras? See, the pictures kinda squeeze down real skinny, and they flow like water through those tubes back to this metal boxthingie, and….”
Jerry Meloche
ANOTHER TECHNO DUMMY t first it looked like the city of Babylon, New York was SOL — Seriously Outta Luck — and missing 14 expensive new GPS devices. They were intended to be used by operators of the town’s snowplows, street sweepers and dump trucks. The public works garage had been burglarized and there were no apparent clues. After a little head
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scratchin’ some techno-cop with Suffolk County came up with one of those “why didn’t we think of this first?” ideas. They turned the GPS receiver on and hit “search.” Bingo! One of the errant GPS devices was fired up and operating, making a neat little blip on the screen. Officers easily homed in on a residence in nearby Lindenhurst. When the cops arrived, they
found 46-year old Kurt Husfeldt standing there with the stolen unit in his hands, trying to figure out how that funnylookin’ “cell phone” worked. Husfeldt, his 13-year old son, and a 20-year old accomplice were charged in the theft. They thought they had stolen a buncha fancy new cell phones and were trying to get one to make a call. It did — but not the kinda call they expected. It called Momma and said, “Come get me!”
AND IT WORKS GREAT ON UNWANTED GUESTS ome guys have mother-in-law problems. Aaron de Bruyn said he had a grandmother-in-law problem. It seems he couldn’t get her to shut up and couldn’t get her to leave the house, which, one presumes, would have also taken care of problem number one. He found another approach, but it wasn’t very socially sensitive: He zapped her with his stungun. Yup. His wife’s granny, 79-year old Rosemary Garlock, was sittin’ on the sofa when Aaron poked her with 50,000 volts. He didn’t seem to think that was overdoing it.
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“She yelped,” de Bruyn admitted, “Because getting stunned hurts.” Well, duh… He called police and reported he had a relative in his house who wouldn’t leave. Considering she had just been shocked maybe, at that point, she wasn’t able to leave. Maybe she was still taking a little twitch-an’-shiver break on the floor. Ol’ Rosemary was checked out and declared to be okay. Aaron was checked in at Washington’s Skamania County Jail and charged with fourthdegree domestic violence.
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Got something to share? Send it to me at OnTheJobStuff@Yahoo.com and if I use it, I’ll fish around in my desk and find some kinda cheap gizmo to send you.
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OFFICERSURVIVAL
SAMMY REESE
GETTING HOME IN THE SAME CONDITION YOU WENT TO WORK IN.
The Back Up Gun
he argument over backup weapons and where to carry them is almost as bad as Weaver Vs. Isosceles — I don’t care which stance you use to defend yourself as long as you win and the bad guy doesn’t. No one will care or ask what stance you used. The argument over backup weapons gets cops’ hackles up. Some won’t go anywhere — on or off duty — without two or more guns. Some will cry and moan about having to worry about retaining two guns, it costs too much money and it’s too heavy. I’ll ask a simple question, how much is your life worth? I bet to your family there’s no way to put a price on it. Recently, a rural deputy told me he has a second gun but doesn’t have a way to carry it. He patted his duty gun and said, “I guess I’ll have to live and die with this one.” Let’s just say we found a way for him to carry the second gun.
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It’s Worth Your Life oming from the school of one is none and two is one, you know which side of the backup gun argument I am going to take. Without debating too heavily how and what to carry, I’ll stand on top of my soap box and yell, please carry a second gun somewhere on your person — where you can access it with either hand. And then, practice with it. When or if you need it, things have gotten really bad and there will be no time for fam-fire or warm ups. Plan and what-if the worst possible situation you might find yourself in and practice saving your life. What to carry is a personal choice and may also be dictated by department policy. I know of cops carrying what most would consider a duty gun for backup and others carrying a two-shot derringer. The ability to pull out some type of bullet launcher is the far better option opposed to a pocket full of lint. Clint Smith says you can never have too big a gun or too much ammo when it hits the fan.
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Carry Options here to carry is always tough. Today we carry more gear than Batman, but the new generation of guns are so light — the ammo weighs more than the gun. Just remember these super light guns are not fun to shoot — unless you’re into pain. But if you really need it, you’ll never notice. Ankle rigs, pocket holsters and special pouches on vests have made packing a second gun much easier. Quality stuff costs money and I already covered the how much your life is worth part. Take a few days off from buying Moca-frapa-lattes and use the money to buy a quality holster. If you stay away from the fufu coffee house for a while — 5 bucks a day for a month is around $150. That’s good enough for a quality holster and some practice ammo. Another six months and you’ve got the gun too. Law enforcement today has more challenges than when editor Douglas hit the streets — you put gas in your car, he had a grain bucket — but technology has made doing the job easier and tougher. Just ask any cop trying to do a traffic stop while all the occupants of the car are videotaping or recording him on camera phones. What hasn’t changed is you only have the tools you have on you when the bell rings. I hope you never need the backup gun you have diligently carried every day. Don’t die wishing you had one.
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The Stinger DS LED From Streamlight. Dual Switch Technology. Multiple Duty Performance. TM
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Heads or tails? Now you can choose. Each switch has a low, medium and high beam plus a disorienting strobe function that operate independently. The Stinger DS runs up to 7 hours on low and it fits into existing chargers. Try one at your local distributor today!
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ANTHONY RICCI
SURVIVING IN YOUR MOBILE OFFICE.
FATIGUE ON THE JOB DWT — DRIVING WHILE TIRED
ver have one of those days when nothing goes right? Perhaps during an incident you were less than understanding, more hot tempered or even acted a bit too aggressively. From the time you got in your car (banging your head) to when you were writing reports and lost your only pen under the seat. Next time you reflect on your actions, ask yourself how much sleep you’re getting and what your shifts were like for the past couple weeks. Were you coming off of days and got stuck on the nightshift rotation or maybe just opted for the overtime to help with your kid’s education costs. Whatever the case, if you’re overtired, sooner or later it will affect your personality, motor skills, thought process and how you handle yourself on the job. Some of us think our patrol car is a mobile bed and a place to catch up on those missed Zzzzzzs. That’ll get you in trouble really quick. Many shifts go without incident and sometimes you can get away with screwing off. But what happens that one time your job calls on you to make the notorious life saving — correct — split second decision? It could require verbal commands, drawing a firearm or simply avoiding a potential accident while driving to the scene. Being fatigued on the job is never a good thing especially when 80 to 90 percent of your time is spent behind the wheel of a moving automobile.
E Are You DWT? r. Bryan Vila, performed extensive research on how fatigue affects law enforcement and authored Tired Cops — the Importance of Managing Police Fatigue. Vila’s research shows fatigue can impair officers just as if they had consumed too much alcohol. Judgment and common sense become substandard. Seventeen hours of sustained wakefulness decreases physical and mental performance to a level equivalent of a blood alcohol level at .05 percent, while 24 hours of sustained wakefulness is equivalent to .10 percent, which meets or exceeds the legal standard of driving while intoxicated in all 50 states. There are many reasons for officers to be fatigued on the job. Some are evident and can be self-rectified such as: poor diet, sleep loss, sleep deprivation, insomnia, any disruption in your body’s natural cycle, sedating medications, drinking even small amounts of alcohol, driving alone for long periods of time especially on rural routes, and working more than 60 hours a week. Sometimes reasons seemingly easy to fix are harder to identify than you’d think. For example: is your sleep loss caused by choosing to work as many OT shifts as you can or could it be possible you have an unknown sleep apnea problem? Sleep apnea can go unnoticed for years, unless someone tells you your breathing abnormally in your sleep you wouldn’t recognize it yourself.
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and aggressive behaviors, you should really analyze your schedule and make time to sleep, eat right, exercise, and be with the family. Stepping back and getting adequate rest will enable you to perform better and be much more effective. You’ll feel more productive and enjoy a sense of self-accomplishment instead feeling like This officer was on his way home at end-of-shift. High the hamster on a treadmill speed and fatigue were both major factors in this going through the motions. single-vehicle accident. Fortunately, the cop survived. If you start to feel over fatigued while driving on patrol immediately stop driving. Pull off the road at a safe place and take a orrectly diagnosing and short nap, consuming caffeine and accepting fatigue is the first sugar will only work for the short step to helping yourself deal term and never rely on “drowsy driwith a very serious problem. ving devices.” The only real fix is However, many of us think being being correctly prepared for your tired is part of the job and shrug it shift, which means getting the correct off. When fatigued, we face many of amount of sleep (8 hours) each night, the same symptoms as a DUI. If working out regularly and trying to eat you’re experiencing slower reaction a well balanced diet. time, bad judgment, poor vision, More info on this topic as well as problems with information proDr. Bryan Vila’s book Tired Cops — cessing and short-term memory, the Importance of Managing Police decreased performance, vigilance Fatigue can be found at and motivation, increased moodiness www.sleepfoundation.org.
Adequate Rest
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Anthony Ricci is the owner and president of Advanced Driving and Security (ADSI). He’s been teaching cops to drive for over 10 years. www.1adsi.com.
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Now your finger is all you need to get to your handgun or your valuables. The GunVault Bio uses fingerprint recognition biometrics and a spring-loaded door to give you instant access to your safe’s contents when you need it—and strong, tamperproof security when you don’t. Mounts securely to walls, floors, drawers or inside your vehicle— it’s the ultimate insult to criminals everywhere.
www.gunvault.com • 800-242-1055
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PRIVATESECURITY
ED PALUMBO
ISSUES AND TRENDS ON THE PRIVATE SIDE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.
The Dogs Of War A
s the world turns or disintegrates, depending on whether you have an ecofriendly, holistic global warming approach to life on this planet, or — heaven forbid — view life from a rational, empirical, evidence-based perspective, the words we use to describe the various disciplines of our profession mutate as well. And the seeds of confusion are thus sewn. An illustration: Several years ago members of a privately funded, paramilitary force, inserted into a “foreign” country, for whatever reason — suppression, protection services — were called mercenaries. In some quarters they still are, but the meaning of the word, strongly influenced as applied, or misapplied, by the media, becomes muddled when attempts are made to simultaneously describe both private security endeavors in support of nation-building and mercenary force operations, sometimes in the same Sequoia Blankenship region. It gets more confusing when the same companies offer both “services.” (I recommend John Irvin’s 1981 Dogs of War for cinematic clarity, at least, regarding the re these men meaning of “mercenary.”) and women thoughtful professionals, surrendering a significant chunk of their lives, not to mention exposure to enormous personal risk as they volunteer to assist our government to stabilize hose who employ the broken institutions overmodern “merc” shy away seas? Or, “person(s) who from the term mercetakes part in an armed conflict who is not a national of nary: The post 9-11 a Party to the conflict and is motivated to take part in world has seen a remarkable the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain expansion of specialized forms of and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a Party to private security contractor, the sothe conflict, material compensation substantially in called private military company, excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar or PMC. Blackwater, Dyncorp, ranks and functions in the armed forces of that Party” ArmorGroup, Control Risks have (the definition of mercenary according to Wikipedia!)? expanded the role of private-sector The recent travails of Blackwater and the attendant protective security to fill gaps left media frenzy further blur the distinction between what is in Iraq, Bosnia, Afghanistan and and is not a mercenary. Or is there a distinction? What’s elsewhere. This has led to some the difference between the operations of a private security interesting and controversial team helping to train a police force in Afghanistan and a exploits having implications for private security team in Baghdad assigned to protect US the security profession. diplomats? Both are, usually, armed. Both are populated It has also led to less controby former military types, and/or current or former law versial — as judged by the media enforcement officers. Both are in country as a direct and many American politicians, result of a critical inability on the part of local governwho need little reason to fault US ment to protect its own borders, institutions, and people. government, US corporations, and certainly
Definition
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EXPONENTIAL EXPANSION
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anyone who bears arms for a living — but spectacularly horrifying deaths — of PMC employees, Blackwater, for example — whereas only alleged deaths at the hands of Blackwater rate non-stop media scrutiny and Congressional condemnation. Was there a Senate hearing when four American Blackwater team members were slaughtered and burned in Fallujah? If so, I blinked and missed it entirely.
Consultant Vs Mercenary The rise of the private security company in emerging nations, war zones and high-risk areas has created a new breed of private soldiers, armed mercenaries, security guards, and companies who have the license to resort to full-scale violence if attacked. But are they the same people? Are all those disciplines fairly and accurately lumped together? When does a private security contractor providing protective or intelligence services in emerging markets to an MNC (sorry, multi-national corporation) cease being a consultant and become a mercenary? Is it a matter of intent? Does the identity or nationality of the MNC matter? In the eyes of many “they” constitute freelance and mostly unregulated warriors who operate with, at best, murky legal restraint. (Wise elders in the US Congress recently passed legislation placing any such PMC, of US origin, under the laws of the United States). The commercial provision of an armed force has become a standard way of doing business, as well as the potential for creating a supplemental tool of foreign policy. This isn’t a new idea; you only have to know the history of American business, and note the private security arms of economic icons such as Ford, or, on behalf of US agri-businesses in Central America in the late twenties, the US Marine Corps, to realize our government has influenced public policy with such means, internally and externally, for well over a hundred years. Is there a need to find a proper place for “PMC” organizations? Does congressional oversight help? Has it ever? What’s the impact, if any, on the security profession? In the next installment we’ll break this out further and interview several real people whose mercenary actions are the sum and substance of the debate and the center of the controversy.
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RESERVES
PERRY W. HORNBARGER
DEDICATION AND PROFESSIONALISM THAT GOES BEYOND PAY.
WHAT’S IN THE
BAG? I f you’re like most Reserve/Auxiliary Officers nationwide, your department doesn’t issue a personal police car. If they do — I’m jealous. We’re fortunate to have four cars issued to our unit — minimally equipped — that can be checked out by our members. As a result of having cars with only bare bones equipment officers must carry their personal issued equipment with them. Many, if not all, utilize a “ditty bag” of some sort. You know the stuff I’m talking about, the equipment the department issues and expects you to have and use in the event you need it.
Trial And Error
LOADED MAGAZINES FOR ISSUED SIDEARM EXTRA CUFFS AND FLEXCUFFS PAIR OF SOCKS BACK-UP FLASHLIGHT W/TRAFFIC CON E LB BU HT LIG “D” CELL BATTERIES FLASH HANDCUFF KEY (JUST IN CASE) MOLESKIN FOR BLISTERS HANDKERCHIEF GLOVES AND EAR WARMERS SMALL BOTTLE OF PAIN RELIEVER EXTRA PENS AND PENCILS T LATEX GLOVES INFECTIOUS DISEASE KI TRAFFIC VEST AND WHISTLE POCKET CPR MASK A COUPLE OF BLACK PLASTIC TRASH BAGS PORTABLE BREATHALYZER TEST MOUTHPIECES
TOWELS PERMANENT MARKER SMALL DISPOSABLE HAND SANITIZER LEG RESTRAINTS CHARGED RADIO BATTERY NYLON CORD (25’ – 50’) EMERGENCY BLANKETS (THE THIN ALUMINUM ONES) BIO-HAZARD SAFETY EVIDENCE TUBE FOR SYRINGES ASSORTED VEHICLE FUSES
any of us have learned through trial and error and some inconveniences what items we should always have to make our job a little easier. I wish in my early years, someone had taken the time to put pen to this and give to the new guys. I asked my training officer of years ago to put together a list of recommended items to help those new members. Many of the items I carry in my bags come from that list. Due to the number of issued and optional items I choose to carry, I’m actually up to two bags now, but one of them stays in the trunk with the bulky or seldom needed items. The other one —
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things I use frequently — stays up front within reach and ready for quick use. It may seem like a lot of crap to carry but many of you know how invaluable some of these items can be when you’re on the street and need them — right now. Through personal experience you may have learned to carry some different items; if so, I’d love to hear what works for you. The weather in certain areas of the country may dictate other items such as cold or hot weather gear or supplies, but I’m sure we agree there are some basic items for any kit no matter what part of the country you are in.
Be Prepared
Area Specific ome officers carry bottled water and emergency food rations. If you work in a desolate or even a rural area, that’s probably not a bad idea. I’m fortunate to work in an area where 24-hour convenience stores are everywhere. But during bad weather or when preparing for extended operations, such as sitting on an extended crime scene, I’ll usually stop by one of them and pick up some snacks and drinks, more for personal comfort than a matter of survival. As far as the bag itself, a number of decent manufacturers make suitable bags. The one I use has a removable pocket flap on top so you can remove it to sew on a patch or have it embroidered. I had our unit patch and a black nametape with my last name on it sewn on. This makes it a little easier to identify. If you’re interested, drop me an e-mail.
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little forethought, on what you’re likely to run across on your beat and planning will make life on the streets a little more tolerable for you and your coworkers. You may be a “hero” to your partner when his flashlight batteries die or when a sudden headache develops in the middle of the shift. After all, as Reserve/Auxiliary Officers, isn’t that our job — to “be there”?
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Perry W. Hornbarger is the Unit Commander of the Chesterfield, Va. Auxiliary Police Unit. He can be reached via e-mail at hornbargerp@yahoo.com.
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We are seeking highly qualified police officers for our lateral police officer school commencing in May of 2008. Benefits:
$41,000-$44,000 starting salary depending on experience, State Police enhanced retirement, health and dental insurance, take home car, education pay, shift differential pay, remote duty location pay, specialty team pay, openings throughout the state.
Qualifications:
Must have 3 years law enforcement experieince and 2 years with current agency, 30 college credit hours, pass written exam, physical fitness test, polygraph, psychological and medical exams, background check, pass oral interview and Chiefs selection. If you are interested in what it takes to be a New Mexico State Police Officer, contact your nearest State Police Office or call our website @ 1-800-521-9911 or visit nmsp.com
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STREET LEVEL
JOHN MORRISON
STRAIGHT TALK ON SUPERVISION & LEADERSHIP ON THE FRONT LINES — THE STREETS.
Partners: More Than Two Cops in a Black-and-White Hooptie his time it only resulted in a 9mm round smashing into some cheap drywall, rather than into a cop’s head. It could have been — and often has been — far worse, terminally worse. Without their permission I won’t reveal more detail, but essentially it came down to the fact partners who’d worked together four nights a week for over
Later, they confessed they had no reason, no justification for assuming so. Their agency, like many others, focuses patrol officers’ training first on individual skills, then on large-group skills like crowd and riot control tactics, and then, rarely, on small-group skills used more often by tactical
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teams — four and six-officer techniques for hard entries, stairway and hallway clearing, etc. Even then one of the few techniques taught is doorway entries — first and second officer through the door. Another exception is training in high-risk vehicle stops. Those two cover perhaps five percent of the situations patrol partners routinely engage in, leaving a vast chasm to be filled with dead cops.
two years had never seriously discussed — much less trained for — handling multiple lethal threats emerging from different angles, like, from the front door of a residence and from deep within an adjacent open garage. They both focused on the same threat, and assumed the other threat “belonged” to their partner.
Jerry Meloche
BEYOND TACTICS nd it’s not just formalized “tactics” or “techniques” that are critical in twoofficer operation: Very basic, second-nature behaviors are extremely important. In one case, two officers responded to a vaguely-described disturbance in a residential area and found nothing noteworthy. They stood in an empty driveway and had a brief discussion — about what, we’ll never know. Between partners, it could have been about their families, favorite fishing spots, or lunch plans. They stood side by side, both looking — not scanning, just looking — in the one direction: the quiet, empty street to their front. They were both shot from behind, their assailant had cover, concealment, and accesses — gates, doors and windows. Had they been trained to do so, or just thought about it and discussed it, they might have stood facing each other, offset by at least a body-width to their sides, so they could talk easily, even fulfill that all-too-human need for occasional eye contact, and still have almost unbroken 360-degree visual assessment of their surroundings. All too often, for all the wrong reasons, partners who otherwise interact smoothly; who have great loyalty and respect for each other; who can almost read each other’s minds, seriously neglect that one aspect of “partnership” that will keep them alive: assuring their base-line, everyday tactical approaches to a wide variety of situations are consistent and compatible.
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A TRIAD OF PROBLEMS hree factors frequently work against partner-training consistency: First, in order to manage staffing, agencies tend to split partners up for assignment to in-service training, using relief personnel to fill in vacancies. Often this is done to assure the presence of at least one officer on the beat with area-specific knowledge. This practice addresses one potential problem and creates a virtually certain problem. Second, agencies commonly schedule officers for annual in-ser-
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John Morrison served in combat as a Marine sergeant, and retired as a senior lieutenant from the San Diego Police Department, having served there as Director of Training, Commanding Officer of SWAT and division executive officer. He has taught, written and lectured widely on training, tactics and leadership. Contact him at StreetLevelOne@yahoo.com.
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vice training by hire date, seniority or even alphabetically. Often the curriculum, or details within the same basic curriculum, changes from quarter to quarter or month to month. Attend in different quarters, and partners may receive very different or even conflicting training. Finally, even in cases where partners are taught from the same material and the same lesson plan — but by different instructors — the injection of individual style and relative emphasis may result in significant disparity in understanding by the students. As Director of Training in San Diego, I observed this “branding” phenomenon many times, and fought constantly to assure instructors had the opportunity to stamp their personalities on the style of instruction, but not on the substance of it. When it comes to tactics performed by partners, difference equals DEATH.
The Phantom Factor Overshadowing all of these other considerations is something I call “The Phantom Factor.” Put a pair of partners through the same training together on the same day and you may still wind up with inconsistent application. This depends on how each officer receives, prioritizes, internalizes and interprets the instruction offered. They may come away from training thinking they’ve got the same “lock” on what they learned, but be half-past-dead wrong. Only if they talk about it in detail, discussing scenarios and simulations, will differences be revealed. That’s something a supervisor can’t count on, because as soon as the troops are back on the beat, they’ll have a myriad of other concerns to converse about, and — why should they even question whether they both “got” the same messages from that training?
The Triad Solution That’s where the sergeant comes in. Every police partnership is really a triad, consisting of Officers A & B, and their sergeant; behind them, overseeing them, putting the “super” and “vision” together in “supervision.” No one else can make the onscene observations you can; spot the errata and missteps in application which — count on it — will be there. The degree to which you do this will determine whether you spend your “free time” with bull sessions — or burials.
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REALITY CHECK I I
CLINT SMITH
COUNSEL, WISDOM, GUIDANCE AND TEACHING.
DRAWING? f you need the gun just draw it. This sounds simple enough — except for the trouble we get into while just drawing it or just putting it away. Yeah I know; simple — yes — except, I can think of a whole bunch of times cops have shot themselves — some fatally — while “just drawing” or “just putting it away.”
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THE RANGE
FOOD FOR THOUGHT ost cops get some semblance of range training in presentation of the handgun from the holster. This is helpful, as contemporary retention holsters require practice for even the lowest skill level to be achieved. This is the point at which you can actually get the damn thing out and put it away. In your world when you need it you often really need it and when you are about to have a handful of “turd” it needs to go back in smoothly and securely.
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ot often enough we train at the range, well actually qualify to meet the mandated basic standards designed by someone who often thinks the range is a place where the buffalo still roam. I digress, sorry … the training, in theory, brings our skill level up and addresses tactical issues, applications and knowledge gleaned from current events and incidents. Our training allows us to address the issue of drawing the handgun with the strong hand and of course the opposite hand in case of injury to include disarming all the retention strap lever stuff and of course the wily re-holster and so on. The staff explains the subtle points of the draw, like not covering our hands with the muzzle during the draw stroke and even more often during the re-holster so as to not acquire the new nickname of “stumpy.” They should also include drawing the handgun from the supine and or prone position. All of us have been in a physical fight and almost all fights wind up on the ground. So, if it turns from a physical fist fight into a gunfight we’ll of course be tuned up because the staff has had us work on that grounded drawing technique — during qualification. Or is it training? Get the point?
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THE CAR uch of your time is spent in a patrol car. While in the car, you may have to draw the handgun to defend yourself or to prepare to defend yourself as you exit the vehicle. Here’s a non-shooting tip: Make sure you select a transmission mode that doesn’t allow it to run over you while or soon after you get out of it. Park would be good. I have seen cops chase their cars down the road. It’s pretty funny, especially if you’re not their supervisor. But, if you creamed the whole front end of your cruiser and your engine is in the trunk now, you probably won’t have to worry about the car rolling away.
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THE SEAT BELT he seat belt won’t automatically retract if there’s been the least bit of violent action with the vehicle sometimes even including slamming on the brakes or an impact. So you’ll have to move the belt out of the way. A good way is to slide your opposite hand between the belt and the front of your body, run your extended fingers down to the release latch and while pushing down grasp the belt with your fingers. While holding it, move it across to the door handle.
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THE DOOR
note of caution here as with all the stuff on the cars these days; you may have to pull the lock button. Your auto door locks are, at times, less than reliable when your battery is sitting on the center console due to a collision. The door can be pushed opened with the support hand. You probably shouldn’t shove it or jab it with the foot. It may rebound and whack the snot out of you. Key points regarding the open door are: Don’t put your foot in the V made by the door and the car body nor should you rest your hands or forearms in the V made by the door strut and windshield strut. The door could be struck by passing cars and or the suspect vehicle if driven back into your cruiser — we don’t want our stuff crushed in between the door and car body. The door is concealment but may provide some degree of cover, mostly determined by what type of rounds may be inbound from the threat. The door may stop .38 Special — it won’t stop .30-06 rounds.
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The Draw
he draw stroke is tied to the belt and door manipulation, as an example: as the opposite hand goes to the belt the strong hand goes to the handgun and unsnaps retention straps. The opposite hand moves the belt to the door while the strong hand draws the pistol and takes it to a place along side the steering wheel at three o’clock. As the opposite hand moves to the door and releases the belt, the handgun is moved to twelve o’clock on the steering wheel and on around to nine o’clock. The door should now be open and the muzzle of the handgun moves forward and out of the car. This technique does not allow the muzzle to cross the legs or crotch and more importantly the muzzle isn’t snagged in the openings of the steering wheel, fouling the drawing stroke. Probably more important, especially if the handgun is brought back into the car under duress, is to recover the handgun back to the holster in a reverse sequence, of nine, twelve, three and re-holster.
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CARRY OPTIONS
MARK HANTEN
FROM HOLSTERS TO HAVERSACKS.
Hidden Beauty TUCKER GUNLEATHER ’ve never been a big fan of inside the waistband holsters. Like a good friend says, “I’ve got a hard enough time keeping myself inside my waistband!” Be that as it may, I have always wanted to like them; for concealment they’re a great option. Even a fairly short tee shirt can conceal the butt of a handgun flat against your hip or the small of your back. I’ll admit to occasionally sticking my gun inside my waistband without a holster, but I don’t recommend it. There not much there to keep the gun from falling out of (or into) your pants.
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Have It Your Way ecently, I was on the Web searching for holster info and I read a review, which went on and on about how comfortable the Tucker “Cover Up IWB” holster is. After a little checking I found Tucker Gunleather makes some great gear, but I need to see for myself, so I called Tucker’s shop and talked it over with manager Rob Longenecker. I got an idea of what I wanted and ordered it through their online process. There was no question about the options available and what the costs would be. If I had a question about options, I just called Rob and he explained the pros and cons. Even on the simple Cover Up, there are options for roughout or smoothout, the leather, clip styles, belt widths, left versus right and gun model. The holster is made to your specs.
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Form, Function And Stealth he Cover Up gets its name from the clip, which attaches the holster to the waistband/belt on your pants. It’s attached low on the holster so you can tuck your shirt down between the gun and your waistband, “covering up” the gun entirely. It works great and a quick tug of the shirt
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with your off hand exposes the grip for an easy full hand grip on your gun. It’s really quite genius. I got Tucker’s Cover Up for Springfield Armory’s new EMP 9mm 1911 and have been carrying it every day. It’s absolutely outstanding — thin enough I can stick it inside the waistband of any pants and it’s secure. The height and cant of the holster are adjustable and it has a very useful sweat shield protruding up on the inside of the holster putting a piece of leather between you and your gun keeping it from poking you let alone preventing sweat from ruining your finish. It can also help reholstering. The Cover Up has rapidly become my most worn “off duty” holster and I already have plans for more Cover Ups for my additional carry guns.
The Pretty Sister n addition to the Cover Up, I got one of the most amazing holster rigs I’ve ever seen from Tucker. It’s the HF1 Belt Holster in Black Cherry color with a full swirl cut stamp and a silver and gold star concho. Not only is it a work of art, it’s one on the most functional and well made belt holsters I’ve ever seen. Although I may not have too many opportunities to wear it on duty, I am already ordering a plain black version to wear with my uniform when I’m not wearing my duty belt. And you can bet I’ll be wearing this baby to the occasional BBQ.
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HARDTOOLS
PAUL MARKEL
ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR THE JOB.
Aimpoint’s Micro T-1
The Mystical
RED DOT
any of us have likely learned to view the world through cynical glasses. “You don’t trust anyone,” my lovely wife has told me. I take it as a compliment. When it comes to new, ghee-whiz gadgets or technologies a lot of cops have the knee-jerk — it won’t work — reaction and when the subject of red dot or electronic optics comes up, I’ve heard a loud refrain of skepticism. “When I need it, the batteries will be dead” or “I won’t bet my life on something that uses batteries” are two of the most popular arguments against red dot sights. The other
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The LaRue Tactical High Mount, here on a Vang Comp Remington 870, allows for a high cheek weld and for co-witnessing with iron sights on a flat-top AR.
big one is, “You can’t do anything with a dot scope you can’t do with iron sights.” I have been using red dot electronic optics from various manufacturers for several years now. As with any product, each company has their own twist on the idea. The basic concept behind the red dot optic is to give the shooter a highly visible aiming/reference point for rapid target acquisition. Straight from the factory, the T1 mounts to any Mil-STD 1913 Rail.
Small, Tough And Reliable he T1 was designed to incorporate positive features of larger optics in a more compact package. It only weighs only 4 oz and like their popular CompM2 it operates on a single 3V Lithium battery. Thanks to the use of 21st Century
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technology, the T1 has a run time of an amazing 50,000 hours. You install the battery, find the dot intensity you like and leave it there. After four to five years you’ll need to install a fresh battery. The T1 has 13 settings for dot intensity; six for use with night vision and seven for low, normal and bright light. Zeroing is accomplished with windage and elevation knobs. They even had the foresight to build in an adjustment tool so you don’t need a penny or dime to turn the knobs. The T1comes standard with a MILSTD 1913 low mount. LaRue Tactical makes a quick-detach high mount that works very well allowing for co-witnessing the T1 with the iron sights on the flat-top M4/AR.
Real World Durability Aimpoint’s durability is legend among military personnel. A friend related an incident during a rapid insertion. He was thrown from his vehicle and ended up on his back with his CompM2 equipped M4 underneath him. He hit so hard he initially feared the carbine’s barrel might have been bent. You can’t call time out in the middle of a mission; he got up, checked his gear, and drove on completing the team’s assignment. Not only did the Aimpoint still work fine, it didn’t even lose its zero. Freddie Blish of Aimpoint demonstrates the T1 by zeroing it, removing it from the gun and tossing it across the room. Gasps are heard from the audience as the sight bounces on the concrete floor. He’ll mount it back on the rifle and show you the unit works and zero hasn’t been lost. That’s tough. If the worst happened and your battery did die or the optic quit, you could still make accurate shots on target by simply sighting through the tube. You can also flip up you iron sights. And, as for relying on something manmade to save your life; don’t forget the rifle, subgun, or shotgun your sight is mounted to was made by the hands of men.
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VISIT US ON THE WEB!! www.americancopmagazine.com
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Bob Pilgrim
Photos: Photos: Ichiro Ichiro Nagata Nagata
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2 ONE IS NONE —TWO IS ONE O
XD .45 ACP Compact
utgunned And Outperformed. The FBI released its most recent and edifying study entitled, Violent Encounters: A Study of Felonious Assaults Against our Nation’s Law Enforcement Officers. The researchers selected 40 incidents from over 800 encounters, interviewed 50 police officer victims and almost 50 felons who committed felonious assaults against cops. Among many interesting revelations almost half the felons carried some kind of backup weapon, practiced with their firearms more often and enjoyed higher hit ratios than the cops they assaulted. This very sobering study hopefully will motivate police officers to train more with their duty weapon and carry backups.
Tactical Redundancy One of the mantras of our beloved Navy Seals is, “One is none and two is one.” They practice tactical redundancy when it comes to personnel firepower and frequently “clicks” are quickly followed by a resounding “bang” when they subconsciously transition to their secondary. For today’s professional, there are a plethora of chopped and channeled revolvers and pistols — usually condensed versions of their full-sized siblings and Springfield Armory has added one more. WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
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XD .45 ACP Compact
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To compliment its outrageously successful, 14–round, XD .45 ACP, SA created the XD big bore compact with an appreciably reduced profile, but without a serious reduction in ammo capacity or barrel length. To completely avoid the consequences of sub–sizing and diminishment of fire sustainability, SA, in addition to the very concealable 10–round magazine also includes a full sized 13-round tube with convenient pinky rest. With this additional 14 round response capability ala its full sized siblings, SA calls the Compact, “Two Guns in One.”
Bargain Priced Quality Springfield Armory is an aggressive company courting customers with products providing more for their money and the XD kit with padded lockable case, holster, ammunition pouch, loading device, security lock, Allen wrench and nylon bristle bore brush are included as standard. Open box, add ammo, point in safe direction and make bang — lots of them. On top of all the goodies and the factory’s excellent customer support you can also opt for four or five inch barrel lengths.
I t’s Grip Length, Stupid You see Virginia, when it comes to concealed carry, it’s the gun’s grip size and not barrel length that “prints” against the garment. The overall height of the XDC with 10-round mag is .65" shorter than the full-sized Tactical model and the overall size of its ergonomic grip is one of the smallest on the market. While not as small as some backup pieces in .45 ACP and certainly no lightweight, the XDC could serve the larger framed officer in a support role and would nicely compliment the fiveinch Tactical. It would also make an ideal stand alone, heavy hitting, and concealable sidearm for the detective or federal agent. Except for its lighter weight, smaller grip dimensions and fewer rounds with the standard magazine, the XDC is a smaller version of its slightly older and larger brethren.
Redundant Safeties Safety at SA is of primary concern and the XD series features redundant safeties. Well known by now is the pistol’s “Ultra Safety Assurance” sear and striker system originally developed by guess who – gun genius John Browning. The trigger releases the striker, but ignition won’t occur unless the prominent grip safety is depressed by a properly established firing grip. Four other safety components join in to make this one of the safest point and 44
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shoot handguns on the market. Loaded chamber and striker status indicators visually and tactilely reveal the condition of the gun without conducting a press check. Similar to the Glock, the XD borrowed its trigger safety lever. The fully compressed striker is also blocked by an internal component not permitting its release unless the trigger is depressed and a disconnector prevents the gun from firing when out of battery. The grip safety deactivates the disconnector and must be gripped firmly to prevent shooter-induced stoppages.
Superior Ergonomics Perhaps the XD’s most attractive attribute is its amazing ergonomics. The XD is a completely new gun and has been designed from the beginning to accommodate larger cartridges such as the 10 mm and 9x23 mm. In most cases, WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
external dimensions would consequently increase making the gun less accommodating for smaller stature officers. However, Croation and SA engineers focused instead on excavating the frame’s interior and while internal dimensions have been increased, the only external change has been flattening its backstrap a skosh, so its grip is universally adaptable to almost all adult sized shooters. Other parts, such as its guide rod, some slide components and slide rails are also larger and more substantial than the smaller caliber XDs including the .45 GAP. The excellent hammer forged barrel is fully supported and will handle the most advanced 11 mm loads, such as Le Mas’s 85-grain/2000+ fps armor defeating and soft tissue destroying round. This law enforcement/military only round is capable of turning many handguns into short-range rifles and out
of a four-inch XDC I recorded average velocities of 2051 fps. The XDC is good to go right out of the box, but I wanted to add at least one custom item to the mix. I affixed a set of stick on Tac-Grips. These super adhesive grips are so positive they have found homes on almost all my handguns. They positively enhance control, particularly for those not possessing good grip strength. As with many New Millennium handguns, the XD’s exhibit frame rails to accommodate white lights and or lasers.
Combat Competent. When compared to the military style two stage trigger of a five-inch barreled Tactical XD .45 ACP I’d evaluated previously, the XDC’s 6.5 pound lever displayed quite a bit of creep. The trigger seemed to have three Continued on page 66 45
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Michael Baum
B RSTAR Border Patrol’s Elite Search And Rescue Team
lite is a word too often assigned these days devaluing its true meaning. Seems everyone has an elite team — SWAT, Bomb Squad, Parking Controllers, Crossing Guards, Ballerinas — you get my point. But in this case, when I say elite, it’s meant in the truest Funk and Wagnalls definition of the word. BORSTAR recruits its members from over eight thousand agents of the Border Patrol. All candidates have a minimum of two years on the job and a fair percentage are former military.
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No Posers The entrance physical for BORSTAR is something I haven’t seen since my days as a Pararescue wannabe. Forty pushups, 60 situps, seven pull-ups, and a mile and a half run in under 12 minutes are a candidates’ welcome. Passing that, it’s time for a little swim. The remaining five weeks of the course build the candidates’ ability to perform SAR missions in what Air Force PJs like to call “austere and non-permissive environments.” The failure rate for the training is damn high due to the physical nature of the mission; roughly 70 percent fail the course. In Tucson, a team of 52 agents patrols the border until the heads-up comes in for a SAR mission. Then it’s time to call in the appropriate assets — usually Blackhawk helicopters — pick up the agents, tracking dogs and go find some aliens in distress.
Lost In The Wilderness The good news is while not welcome, these aliens are usually pretty peaceful when BORSTAR catches up with 46
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R them. For the most part, they’ve been hiking through the wilderness of southern Arizona for more than a few days and are exhausted. According to BORSTAR’s commander, Ron Bellavia, the “coyotes” who bring them across usually promise a quick jump, hop and a skip into Tucson rather than the truth of several days in the scorching desert with little water. While talking to Ron, he recalls one of the team’s best missions in which a group of 60 plus aliens called 9-1-1 after their coyote got them lost. Because the phone was GPS enabled, BORSTAR agents were onsite within 30 minutes to shepherd the seriously ill aliens. Seven comatose aliens lived to see another day, while sadly; one was too far-gone for help. Considering the odds, that’s pretty good work. But aliens aren’t the only folks who pay the bills for BORSTAR; a little while back, a military dependent from Davis-Mothan AFB fell while spelunking. Local agencies showed up first but lacked the equipment to pull him out from the tight spaces. BORSTAR was called in to assist and along with Pararescuemen stationed at Mothan they finished the job. The cooperation is the WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
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result of all agencies involved having a good working relationship.
Not Just A Pretty Face My SAR unit’s fulltime Sergeant, a soft spoken and hard working cop, got BORSTAR to cut loose a few agents to come teach a basic tracking class this past fall. BORSTAR loves to come play with other agencies. They claim it’s because they learn something from us. Right, I think it’s a chance to go play somewhere new. These guys were not only technically astounding but excellent instructors who obviously cared deeply about their subject matter. Starting with a brief classroom session to describe the basics of tracking, the agents took us out in the field where real learning takes place. We started small by examining just a few prints in the dirt and seeing what we could learn. Patience is the name of this game along with trying to get inside the target’s head. Where are they going? What can the tracks tell us about the individuals involved? The list of questions goes on and on. As always, the goal of a good tracker is not to catch someone but to put other assets in front of the path of the pursued. Trackers, especially BORSTAR, must always keep in mind the possi-
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the impression I’d been an Army Ranger. Well, I’d never been a Ranger but the boots I wore were an expensive Danner model favored by Rangers stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington — close enough.
Service Oriented
bility of an ambush and having your nose in the dirt is a good way to get caught. While rare, some cocaine smugglers walk the product into the country and, to them the money involved is worth fighting for.
Who Are Those Guys? So, how good are these guys at tracking? Everybody is different and some agents have more of a medical focus or another specialty BORSTAR desires. But, by observing my tracks without anybody on my team telling the agents who set the tracks, Agent 50
Hagee and his partners were able to correctly identify my height, weight, race, injuries and my military background. I know some of you are rolling your eyes at this but listen up: my boot size gave the range of my height, the depth of the impression made by my boots gave my approximate weight, the shape of my foot identified my race, the slight blurring of my left boot print indicated I was dragging that leg, my curious heels together and toes out stride gave away the fact I was taught to march by the American military, and my boots gave
My impression of the agents conducting the class was they codified what every spec-ops group tries to do but many fail to accomplish. They were so good that they were humble, polite, patient and approachable, revealing steadfast confidence their abilities and who they are. This courtesy also extends to their boss, Ron Bellavia. After training by his agents, I sent an e-mail to say thanks. I didn’t hear back for months. Suddenly, I got a very nice response apologizing for the delay as he was out of the country — way out. A few months later while meeting with him in Tucson, the real story came out — he’d been in Iraq for the past four months as an adviser on border security. His 12 years in law enforcement and the skills learned and applied from BORSTAR gave him the unique opportunity to serve overseas and pass those skills on to our military. He was rewarded with mortar and sniper attacks at every location he visited. BORSTAR provides a unique SAR capability to the law enforcement community. They’ve worked events ranging from the Olympic Games to Hurricane Katrina and provided some great training for other agencies. If you get the chance, go train with them. It’s a great experience.
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PART 2
Frank Borelli
h c e T a i n Virgi
s g n i t o o Sh
Why Do Students Sit Still?
n part one of this series I discussed the mainstream media and some of the mistakes they make in reporting on such tragedies as the one that occurred at Virginia Tech. Often they make those mistakes because they are reporting from a base of knowledge that’s either incomplete, incorrect or both. At the end of part one I asked the question, “Why wasn’t there any counter-attack? With violence actively being performed against five classrooms full of teachers and students, how come no one attempted to attack back?”
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Counter Attack Now, I know there are those who scoff at the idea of counter-attacking empty handed against an armed assailant. By the same token, as a member of the law enforcement community, I know I’ve been trained on how to defend myself — empty handed — against knife attacks, blunt trauma attacks and even attacks committed with a firearm if the shooter is within reach. It can be done. Beyond the physical skills required it takes quite a bit of courage. That some WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
Any willingness to commit an act of violence or physical aggression even in the name of justice, no matter how legally justified, is completely unacceptable within an educational institution. 51
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people lack that courage shouldn’t be a surprise to the police community or even our society as a whole. It is, after all, what we’ve been teaching for decades. Think about it … . In World War II our entire country got behind the war effort and very few people complained. If they did, they weren’t given much of a public voice. The Korean War was a little different. After all, no one had actually attacked America that time. Vietnam was even more different and our country saw 52
activists speaking out against violence. Bear in mind, those activists — the peace preaching pacifists — weren’t only speaking out against the war in Vietnam but they were preaching the cause of peace at any cost. The Peace Movement espoused communication, compromise and capitulation. In other words, they believed in not fighting for what you believe in.
Peaceniks Those “hippies” from the sixties
became parents in the seventies and entered (at least some of them) into the professional work force. Throughout the seventies, eighties and nineties our country saw an evolution of educational and legal policy banning violence for any reason at all — even selfdefense. 1970 through 1982 just happen to be the years I attended elementary, junior high school and high school. I clearly remember the fights I got into in elementary school. I remember how they
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were dealt with. If I started it, I was in deep trouble. But the person I hit or pushed who then defended himself got in no trouble at all. Of course, the school would prefer for him to tell a teacher, but if he defended himself, that’s okay. At home, if I started the fight I was in big trouble. If I was defending myself though, I was only in trouble if I lost the fight. There’s a very important distinction made there: if I couldn’t walk away from the fight or talk my way out of the WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
fight my family fully expected me to fight back hard and fast enough to win. As I progressed through junior high school and into high school though that attitude changed — not at home — but in the schools. My own children are now either in or through their school years and it strikes me as odd we have a “zero tolerance” policy toward violence. This policy punishes the student who defends himself against an attack. In doing so the schools are teaching our children never to fight back for fear of
punitive retaliation from the school administration — how odd.
Board Of Imbeciles In 2003 – 2004 I had the privilege of serving on the local county Board of Advisors to the Board of Education. In that school year the Sheriff had secured a grant from the Department of Homeland Security that would have enabled him to — at no cost to the schools — put deputies in the schools as School Resource Officers. The School Board 53
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We’ve spent decades teaching our children never to fight. fought that effort so successfully that ultimately only one deputy was added to the SRO program. The School Board’s attitude really surprised me, but served as an example of the outlook existing today within our educational systems: violence — any show of force — any willingness to commit an act of violence or physical aggression even in the name of justice, no matter how legally justified, is completely unacceptable within an educational institution. The students at Virginia Tech who were attacked by Cho had been raised 54
and educated in just such an environment for at least twelve years and most probably closer to fifteen. After more than a decade of being taught violence for any reason is completely unacceptable why would we ever expect them to fight back? This outlook in our educational institutions isn’t a unique occurrence in our society; nor is this the only place pacifism has bitten us in the butt. On September 11, 2001 passengers on three airplanes did exactly what they were conditioned to do for decades: don’t resist — be compliant
— let the plane get on the ground and negotiations can begin. We all saw how well that worked out. On one plane, heroic citizens fought back and saved an unknown number of lives. Those heroes realized they couldn’t just sit and wait. They felt morally compelled to act. Reality was it was their only hope to live. That was six years ago.
Evolution Or Extinction In 1999 our country watched as the Columbine attack occurred. The police
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r er response was criticized and we evolved. The attacks of nine-eleven caused us to evolve again. Across our country states are passing laws commonly referred to as “castle doctrine” which doesn’t require retreat on the part of a victim. Our legislatures are legally empowering us to once again fight back against an unlawful attack. If the bad guy gets hurt or killed — doom on them. They shouldn’t have tried to commit that crime. I submit to you that this outlook must flow down through and into our WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
school systems. I am not encouraging violence in the schools, but I do believe we need to change our zero tolerance policy. We can’t spend more than a decade teaching our kids they’ll be punished for fighting no matter the circumstances and then expect them to suddenly learn how to stand their ground in any conflict after they graduate. It just doesn’t work that way. Having now graduated two generations of children raised in such an educational systems, why are we surprised there’s a national shortage of men and
women signing up to work in professions requiring performance in conflict situations? From ocean to ocean our country is experiencing a shortage of police officers and military recruits. Well, duh. We’ve spent decades teaching our children never to fight. Why would they then pursue a career that will require them to do so? We must start teaching them there are some things worth fighting for. If we don’t, where will we be when another two generations have passed? Think about it.
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IT’S ABOUT O T W HO d n a t s r Unde e h t P and ZA e g a r e Av p r e P V D
CONTROL nyone who’s done any time in law enforcement knows domestic violence (DV) calls are some of the most dangerous and frustrating responses. Put in financial terms, they’re a high-risk investment on, potentially, a limited return. Unfortunately, they’re also frequently precursors to murder, which means as tough as they are to deal with, the way you handle them can have repercussions that don’t go away.
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What Is I t? Domestic violence isn’t primarily about violence. It’s about control. Violence is one of the ways the abuser (usually, but not always, male) keeps the victim under his sway. While the knee-jerk reaction to a 200-pound man beating up his 110-pound wife in front of the kids is to think he just lost control, that’s rarely the case: anger is a tool, and violence 56
is one of several calculated options used to control the victim. Keep this in mind when you arrive on a scene: although the tendency is to only ask questions about the beating, look for the bigger picture. For example: does the victim have a car, phone or a job? Is there family in the area? Are they allowed to control their own finances? Does their partner closely monitor their activities? At trial, this shows the jury how pervasive the abuse really is. If your victim is unwilling to cooperate it also goes a long way towards explaining why. For example, one DV case I tried involved a scrawny little punk who liked to choke his live-in. She lived in his trailer with his family, worked with him, had her paycheck taken by him, and had no car, no phone and none of her family nearby. She literally had no other support system, which explained why she had endured a series of attacks before finally reported him. Another example comes from a parental abuse case, which I won in spite of the victim WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2008
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Jeremy D. Clough
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Whether or not the perp will talk to you, his body may tell you everything you need to know. Make sure to inspect—and if necessary, photograph — the hands for things like reddened knuckles and other offensive wounds.
claiming it never happened. The defendant’s 75-year-old mother was partially blind, had suffered a series of strokes and heart attacks and couldn’t care for herself. She was pushed into the courtroom in a wheelchair, where she not only denied the abuse she’d described to the responding officers,
but also described her bad health and how she needed the defendant to care for her. It wasn’t hard for the jury to figure out why she was changing her story. As an aside, Our Hero’s cellphone started playing “Bad to the Bone,” during sentencing, which impressed the judge about as much as you’d expect — he’s still in jail.
Abuse Cycle The most frustrating part of DV cases is the victim who recants or refuses to testify. DV follows a circular pattern in which tensions build
The phrase “rule of thumb,” supposedly comes from an English law that limited a man to beating his wife with a stick no larger than his thumb. Obviously, that no longer applies: domestic violence in any form is illegal, immoral, and cowardly. WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
until there’s a violent episode. It’s followed by a honeymoon period during which everything’s okay. That leads to another period of increasing tension and the cycle repeats. Because of inherent delays in the court system, it’s hard to get a case to trial before the victim is back in the honeymoon period with their abuser — “He’s the handsome man over there.” — bursting into tears. Even if they’re not happy again, they’re probably still together. The average victim leaves her abuser seven times before staying gone or getting killed. So they’re either happy and together or scared 57
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When the cops roll up, Dipstick takes a swing — felony obstruction. Kicks out the back glass — felony interference with government property.
and together; either way, from the second you respond, expect your thencooperative victim — if she takes the witness stand at all — will lie about the story she’s telling you. If the victim and abuser are unmarried, we can use her written statement from the scene at trial (you do get written statements, right?). If they’re married, in many states, she can invoke her spousal privilege not to testify and the US Supreme Court decision in Crawford v. Washington will keep her statements out. If that’s the only evidence you collected, it may very well kill your case.
Expect The Worst The best way to overcome this — expect it from the beginning. Treat it like a murder where your victim’s not around anymore. Do it with three things: other witnesses, other evidence, and other crimes. Even when the victim testifies truthfully, the jury still has to believe them and there’s no guarantee. Take the 6'5" biker who testified he acted in selfdefense after his foot-shorter wife attacked him. Ludicrous? Nope, acquitted. Without third-party wit58
Domestic violence isn’t primarily about violence, it’s about control. The victim’s access to things like transportation, finances, and communication can be valuable keys to your case.
nesses, it was a swearing match and the jury simply didn’t believe the victim. There was an uninvolved, unrelated witness on the scene, but the officers never IDd him. The Moral: If someone else saw the assault, ID them and get a written statement and contact info, including social security number and date of birth. If they didn’t see anything, do it anyway. If they make up something later, you can always produce their prior statement to show they’re lying. Also, they may be needed at trial just to say they were there and didn’t see it. This is the bestknown response to the ever-popular defense argument — any witness the State doesn’t call would have exonerated the defendant. Although it may seem counterintuitive to call an idunnonuthin’ witness, sometimes you use them just to take that weapon from the defense arsenal. You also need to look for other potential witnesses as well: talk to neighbors, even if they’re nowhere around when
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you roll up. There’s a pretty good chance they heard something. You also want to know if it’s happened before. Learn if anyone watched it happen or saw the bruises later. Even though they may not be willing to talk and you spend a lot of time trying to find them it’s worth the effort; you’re not responsible for the results, but you are responsible for giving it your best shot. And don’t forget to interview the perp, huh? He may not talk, but you’ll never know if you don’t try.
Value Added Any time you take a case beyond the realm of mere testimony, you’re on much more solid footing. Since most DV cases start with a 9-1-1 call, get a copy of the tape and dispatch logs. If the call is made during the assault, it’s a chilling window into what actually happened — such as the case we had with a recanting victim. You could hear the victim and her children screaming in terror on the 9-1-1 tape as the defendant tried to get at them by repeatedly ramming their house with his SUV. It’s powerful evidence. Make sure you have photos of anything relevant, starting with injuries and weapons. In the case of bruises, take photos at the scene and then go back a few days later, when they’ve started to darken. Seize any weapon used. This is obvious, but it’s amazing how many times weapons are left at the scene. Broken cell phones and holes in walls are other common findings: if it’s part of a structure, photograph it. If it’s smaller, seize it. Documentary evidence can also be a windfall. Find out if there’s any legal history between the two: for example, prior reported DV incidents (even with no arrest made); prior or pending divorce actions; or previous, current, or dismissed protective orders. Has the victim ever gone to a battered woman’s shelter? The mountain of paperwork can make the difference in otherwise less than winnable cases. More evidence makes your case stronger and less WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
People who like to hit girls usually like to keep them from calling for help, too — we see a lot of broken phones and wires pulled out of walls. Either seize ‘em for evidence or photograph ‘em.
likely to go to trial, but if it has to be tried, it can force a reluctant witness to testify. If you compile a damning enough case, either the victim, defendant or both may feel compelled to take the stand and explain it. That’s the best part of the trial — bring popcorn.
Best Laid Plans Still, you can lose cases where the victim recants or refuses to testify. The problem usually isn’t that the jury thinks he’s innocent; they’re just not going to step up to the plate for a victim who won’t do it for herself. I tried a guy for beating his wife. Neighbors ignored the fight until he started hacking down his front door with an axe — then they called 9-1-1. The wife test-i-lied in his defense and the jury gave our hero a pass on the DV, but convicted him for fighting the responding officers and kicking the back glass out of the patrol car. End result, he went away and justice was still served.
Supersize Your Case You get a call on a suspect slapping his wife around in the yard and he’s drunk. You’ve got your DV charge and a maybe a public drunk. A neighbor tells him to stop and Dipstick tells him to mind his own or take a beatdown. Now you’ve got assault on the neighbor as well as terroristic threats. Then, if the neighbor’s kid is watching — in Georgia — hitting someone in front of a child is cruelty in the third. When the cops roll up, Dipstick takes a swing — felony obstruction. Kicks out the back glass — felony interference with govern-
ment property. Does he have a crack pipe, roaches in the ashtray, a gun involved? It’s the “Would you like to supersize that?” approach to law enforcement. The DA may not follow up with all of these charges and the jury probably won’t convict on all of them. But if your guy is a real bad actor, the more opportunities you present, the more likely they are to convict on something. And really, one charge is all it takes, especially if it’s a felony. So if he did it — charge it. I’m not saying to overcharge where you don’t have a good-faith basis: make sure it’s a legit charge and when in doubt ask your DA. DV suspects don’t give their victims any mercy — and you shouldn’t expect their lawyers to give you an inch — so hit them as hard as you ethically can.
Doing What’s Right Sometimes it’s hard to care about cases the victims don’t care about and it’s even harder to get a jury to care. But working in criminal justice isn’t about doing what other people want — it’s about doing what’s right. There’s truth to the phrase “the first time they’re a victim, the second time they’re a volunteer.” It doesn’t mean they don’t deserve justice and even if they didn’t, our job isn’t to only protect the deserving. Take the bad actors out of circulation and make them answer for what they’ve done. Speak up for those who will not — or cannot — speak for themselves and treat each DV call like a murder case — before it becomes one.
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Special thanks to Linda Beaver, Family Violence Intervention Program Facilitator and Chris Coulter, Ph.D. 59
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IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME
TerRoriSt AtTacks —
“Their ‘Second Wave’ was as successful as the initial attack.”
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ropped off downtown they made their way to the heart of the club district. The pair was familiar with the area and the movements of the thousand teens partying in the many nearby pubs and discos. They themselves had spent Saturday nights partying in the same clubs. The pair of teen terrorists in their baggy pants and oversized designer parkas, fit right in. Except that under
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their parkas each wore a packed vest containing kilos of explosive wrapped with epoxied together nails and steel nuts filled with rat poison. The terrorists assumed predetermined positions creating a “Kill Zone” between them and waited until the crush of kids in the pedestrian mall was at its height. BOOM! Two explosions so simultaneous it sounded like one. Ten minutes later the ambulances and TV crews arrived. Triage and mar-
shaling of ambulances began just outside the bomb blast radius. Border Police fought to move TV cameramen out of the triage area. BOOM! We watched the hood of a car fly through the air in a burst of fiery flames. A broadcasting TV camera caught the image live from the scene as the explosion’s concussion hit the cameraman and spun him around. A car bomb detonated on a side street, 20 yards back from where the terrorist planners correctly predicted the ambu-
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E
HOWARD LINETT
— ExploSives
“The terrorists assumed predetermined positions creating a ‘Kill Zone’ between them and waited” lances would be loading victims. Their “Second Wave” was as successful as the initial attack.
A New Reality I describe terrorist bombing tactics from a historical perspective. America has relatively little experience with terrorism bombings. We haven’t taken the counter-measures thwarting the types of bombings especially typical in the earlier stages of a terror campaign. For that reason, in reviewing WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
bombing tactics, I include all manner of successful tactics not just those the terrorists employ today. The terrorists’ explosive devices kill and maim not only with blast, fire and concussion, but also with shrapnel. Their bombs are deliberately anti-personnel incorporating a matrix of epoxied-together nuts, ball bearings and “sheets” of nails forming a shrapnel shell around the explosive. The “Kill Zone” is extensive. Anyone within 150 yards is in mortal danger.
As if that was not enough, terrorists have attempted to incorporate chemical and biological agents in their bombs. Hepatitis “B” and HIV/Aids carrying human bomb delivery systems have been employed — so far unsuccessfully. Nut shrapnel plugged with anti-coagulant rat poison was a problem. Don’t worry about bio/chem; it’s the conventional, the blast, fire, concussion and shrapnel that will kill you. The terrorists’ many methods of 61
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“Detonations are timed for when the location is the busiest.”
“Now-a-days each exploding garment is equipped with a detonator for each hand and each foot.” bomb detonation include hi-tech and wireless. Can you say cellular phone? When advising law enforcement I urge departments to purchase the best cell phone jammer available and blackout the area of terror attack or potential attack. Act as if you’re being watched by a terrorist who simply needs to press the speed-dial on her telephone to detonate either the concealed explosive garment worn by the terrorist you’ve just taken-out or the secondary bomb 10 yards away from you — or both. Never forget the explosive garments worn by bombers also incorporate multiple, low-tech detonation triggers. The sergeant from a Border Police anti-terror unit advises, “Nowa-days each exploding garment is equipped with a detonator for each hand and each foot.” Explosive garments are constructed so that a bullet passing through closes 62
an electric circuit and detonates the bomb; that’s why the Israeli Mantra is “two bullets to the head.”
Exploding Objects So bombs can be transported and “planted,” they’re hidden, camouflaged inside objects. In the early stages of a terror campaign expect explosive devices to be concealed in common items. Bombs will be placed on supermarket shelves hidden inside food packages. Each will kill a few shoppers and maim an equal number. A child’s electronic game forgotten in the schoolyard will explode when turned on. Several schoolchildren will lose limbs and be blinded. A cell phone, handbag or a briefcase accidentally left on or under the table in a packed coffee shop will explode when moved. All the shop’s patrons will be permanently disabled and disfigured if not killed outright. Book bags, suitcases, backpacks and
duffel bags are use to conceal larger explosive devices. These “carryalls” get bombs onto or into anywhere the terrorist is capable of penetrating security (virtually nonexistent in the US). Today bombs are also carried and or worn and detonated by human delivery systems — the homicide bomber. Alternatively a homicide bomber may wear an exploding vest or belt.
Basic Bombing Tactics Terrorists bomb locations where their intelligence reports innocents can be found in large numbers. Detonations are timed for when the location is the busiest. The terrorists want to get the bomb inside the targeted location because the force of the blast is greatly magnified if contained, whether inside a bus, restaurant or mall. They also use explosives to destroy buildings and structures. Terrorists select targets for a combi-
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s ng “Hijack a tankertruck loaded with gasoline and you have an enormous explosive device.” nation of reasons. The target may have symbolic significance — like City Hall. The target’s destruction will cause secondary problems, for instance a major bridge. Or the resulting death will be horrific and devastating — the street in front of a church, as worshipers leave on Easter Sunday morning. Where security is absent or lax terrorists will carry the explosive devices onto the train, bus or subway or into the mall, office building or school and leave it to explode shortly thereafter. Where security exists a homicide bomber will carry or wear the bomb and attempt to get past security. If she can’t, then whoever is near the target’s entrance becomes the alternate target.
Roadside Bombs Terrorists employ placed charges to take out passing vehicles. Bombs are camouflaged as everything from rocks to abandoned cars. When anything WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
along the roadside would arouse suspicion, they’ll burry the explosive device in the path of the targeted vehicle. Lacking a better alternative and having time on their side, terrorists will dig a tunnel to the location where they want to plant their bomb. The attacks carried out by these tunneling terrorists may use a thousand or more kilos of explosive, with devastating effect.
maneuverable, go anywhere bomb delivery system. If the driver of the vehicle bomb is intending to become a martyr the only safe target is the target physically out of reach. His vehicle bomb is literally a Martyr Guided Missile. Pushing in between two passenger packed buses and detonating is an especially popular and horrifically deadly terrorist tactic.
Vehicle Bombs
I t’s Only A Matter Of Time
Rather than as a placed charge, I classify a vehicle used as a bomb delivery system as a vehicle bomb. They are employed to attack both stationary and moving targets. The vehicle’s carrying capacity determines the power of the explosion. Hijack a tanker-truck loaded with gasoline and you have an enormous explosive device. Load Mom’s SUV with a dozen full back-deck barbecue size propane tanks and you have less obtrusive, more
So far, with few exceptions, the US has been spared this nightmare. But just look at the destruction and chaos caused by McVey in Oklahoma City. Think if that became a yearly, monthly, weekly or daily event. American cops will be the on the front lines responding to these incidents or hopefully stopping them before the terror is unleashed on innocents. We’re behind the learning curve in this area and we better start catching up most riki-tik.
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Psychological Trauma from Critical Incidents TAKE CARE OF YOUR OFFICERS oo often, when we relate stress to the police profession, we only address the obvious stressors such as shift work, long hours, and frustration with the criminal justice system or often times our own department. What line supervisors sometimes fail to recognize is the incremental stress caused by exposure to critical incidents such as serious or fatal car wrecks, graphic trauma of pedestrian versus train, children involved injuries and death, shootings, stabbings, and senseless, unexplained suicides. The machismo, “Rock of Gibraltar,” psyche of the American cop isn’t made of Kevlar or SprectraShield, nor is it impervious to the negative impact of critical incidents and often requires external protections afforded only by their direct leadership. A major responsibility of street supervisors is to minimize the exposure of dangers to the officers through their experience and skills; and this task is often consummated effectively on a daily basis. However, it’s equally important the same supervisor make every attempt to mitigate
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the psychological trauma their officers experience simply as part of their job description.
PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder can be as debilitating as any wound or injury experienced in the line of duty and much more difficult for recovery. The aggregate impact of everyday experiences in the life of a cop can be devastating if not addressed as it occurs and disallowed to become “baggage.” Loss of attention, poor job performance, physical illness, malingering, and personal problems can be manifestations of incremental psychological trauma caused by what once was considered benign events that is just part of the job description. The persona of a cop is that of a fearless crime fighter who protects the public from the social ills and is delivered from the most dangerous situations unscathed — nothing is further from the truth. Friederich Nietzsche stated, “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster” — part of that responsibility is with the street supervisor. It’s often said a good police officer is a reflection of good leadership, however the conWWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2008
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Robert D. Boyden, Ph.D.
verse is also true, that a bad or poor performing officer is also a byproduct of poor leadership.
Band-Aid Approach Agencies seem to deal with officer stress by sending them to additional training or counseling. It’s often done as a service offered after an employee has been exposed to episodic stress. Reactive stress counseling is just that, reactive and often times is like placing a band-aid on a severed limb. The closest and most available resource for a police officer after exposure to a critical incident is the line supervisor and it’s incumbent for that supervisor to provide immediate attention to alleviate the stress created by the incident. It’s equally important the affected officer feel comfortable enough to talk WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
to the supervisor without prejudice or fear of stigma. No, all street level supervisors don’t need to become counselors and therapist. God knows their jobs are tough enough, however they do need to add empathy, a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen as part of their responsibility to their people. Venting by cops after a critical incident should be encouraged and informal debriefings conducted by the supervisor made to be policy, even something as informal as a locker room bull session involving the entire squad (preferably after the tour for obvious reasons).
Prepare Your Cops Pre-incident stress preparation can also be engaged as part of an everyday practice to help prepare and buffer offi-
cers prior to critical incident exposure. I worked in a small police department situated on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and although the department was small, we experienced many of the violent crimes of the city and numerous critical incidents. Neither the Chief nor shift supervisors were trained or emotionally equipped to provide stress intervention — it was never even offered or considered. In the later years of my career, the County began a Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team available on a formal basis; however, most were unaware of its existence or availability. In order for stress intervention and mitigation to work, it must be available on a 24-hour basis and become part of the culture of policing — more importantly, it can’t be viewed as a “weakness” in the character of those utilizing the assistance. This is one of the benefits of an informal assistance system practiced by the shift supervisor, it becomes standard operating procedure after critical incidents and all members take part. The stigma of defusing stress through outside assistance can have a chilling affect on using the service and must not be tolerated. A study completed with the Vermont State Police on utilization of peer support services revealed the rank and file did not use these programs was because of the fear it would be viewed as a weakness in the troopers and held against them in promotions. Unfortunately, there are numerous cops who won’t seek assistance due to preconceived perception and the practice of stigma. Peer counseling under informal conditions has a much better chance for success allowing the officers to feel comfortable talking to other cops they work directly with and have already developed a trust.
Informal Action Counseling and debriefing conducted after critical incidents on an informal environment using empathy, shared emotions, and unconditional regard for those exposed to the incident can be more effective than counseling by an anonymous professional who possesses more credentials than Freud. It’s the reasons Alcoholics Anonymous is so successful. That isn’t to say professional counseling is of no value in stress related conditions concerning law enforcement issues, however what we are attempting to achieve is minimizing the negative effects of stress after individual critical incidents and providing a “vent” so the psychological trauma does not build up. Stress-reduction practices should be part of police training, culture and conducted on a 65
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kill themselves at a rate six times greater than cops cops kill kill themselves themselves at at a a rate rate six six times times greater greater than than cops the general population and have a three times greater the the general general population population and and have have a a three three times times greater greater chance of having a substance abuse problem. chance chance of of having having a a substance substance abuse abuse problem. problem. daily basis. It won’t minimize or reduce the initial impact of a critical incident, it’ll just provide the officers a way to cope with episodic stress, recognize the stressors and make available a mutual aid system within the department. Formal employee assistance programs (EAP) are valuable tools for cops dealing with the emotional rigors of policing. But the stress often overlooked and disregarded as harmless is the incremental stress accumulated and the eventual psychological trauma created by exposure. This type of aggregate stress can be mitigated through the informal debriefing and defusing by shift supervisors following the incident. Nothing more than a discussion of feelings and emotions over a cup of coffee and a friendly reminder we must not forget, before becoming cops, we were human beings, with feelings, empathetic sensitivities and emotions. Often, smaller agencies feel invincible against this type of stressful condition. On the contrary, smaller agen66
cies have closer ties to the community therefore when a critical incident such as a suicide or fatal car accident occurs cops are more likely to be familiar with the victim and the officers are less desensitized to trauma because of the fewer number of events.
Formal Action Let’s not minimize the importance of formal critical incident stress management teams and formally trained counselors. Their purpose is to create awareness in line supervisors to stressful conditions created by critical incidents. They afford an informal means of dealing with episodic or incremental stress within squads. Recognizing each incident involving death or serious injuries creates accumulative stress and through informal discussions and debriefings this can play a significant role in mitigating it. For those cynics who feel stress is just part of the job and officers should just “shake it off,” realize, according to
The Police Suicide Foundation, cops kill themselves at a rate six times greater than the general population and have a three time greater chance of having a substance abuse problem. So as a supervisor, ask yourself this practical question — Would you rather have a healthy, psychologically fit officer patrolling with you or a drunken time bomb carrying a loaded gun with suicidal thoughts?
Do Your Job Supervisors check their officer’s weapons and brief them prior to shift assignments. Patrol vehicles are kept in top condition for safety and we make sure our officers are provided with ballistic vests. Why not try to minimize the greatest threat — stress. You owe it to your subordinates, and you owe it to yourself. Early intervention through informal chats, and debriefings can go along way to diminish the negative impact of stress — make it part of your routine.
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PROBATION PAROLE 101
&
Community Supervision
Ben Christie
isclaimers are an inconvenient necessity these days especially considering the current gene pool. So here goes: I’m not an expert, authority, college professor, celebrity nor a 30-year Lifer, but I am experienced and I’m here to “Represent.” I’m a Field PO with over 12 years in two different states. God bless the police reserves, auxiliary officers and private security folks, but I’m a member of that “third half” of law enforcement and corrections. I’m the little old lady in tennis shoes with a Glock-19, ASP, spray
D
Points To Ponder You’re a street cop; Joe Schmuklipz is an upperlevel dope dealer you just can’t seem to catch in the act. He’s driving a Beemer quarter ta eight (BMW 745), talking on his cell phone at 2AM at a known drug corner with known dope dealers. Joey always has a nice big smile for you — especially as he’s counting that huge wad-o-twenties. What can a PO do for you? Sequoia Blankenship Good ol’ Joe has a curfew (Strike 1), he doesn’t have a driver’s license or the POs permission to drive (Strike 2), Joe’s not allowed to have a cell phone (Strike 3) and he isn’t allowed to associate with known dope dealers outside of a treatment setting (oops). He has specific instructions to stay away from that particular drug corner. Joe is looking poorly. As a result of your one phone call, Joe can be arrested, returned to jail or prison. He’ll get his approved residence searched along with the car and any car or place you and the PO can link him to (Lease/Mortgage holder, registered owner, etc). You’ll also probably get overtime for appearing in court or the parole hearing. Any dope, guns, etc found by the PO search and arrest team will be turned over to the police for prosecution on new criminal charges and Joe won’t be allowed bail. What’s not to like? More Points To Ponder You’re a Fed (nothing personal). John Skuzwilly is state parolee — a shadowy figure and you’d like more background info. He’s also kinda getting in the way of your super high-tech whiz-bang surveillance of John’s family owned barber shop — AKA “Pancakes and Syrup House.” In fact, he’s down right giving you seizures endangering that CI you didn’t tell me about. I understand — you’re a Fed and can’t help yourself. How can your friendly neighborhood PO help out? First off, you can look over his entire file and get copies of anything you need. Next, based upon your confidential information, a PO search and arrest team hits John’s house and car only — not the barber shop. John Maxes out back in prison for having “syrup” at his house — a couple of grand in cash is confiscated and turned over to the local DA. Bye-bye Johnny — see you when you get back out. 68
that’ll melt your face off, cuffs, restraining belt, level III vest and a dictionary. Oh yeah, and a bad attitude from the workload. Back in my college daze, I was told there were three main parts to the Criminal Justice System — cops, corrections and probation & parole — lets just call it Community Supervision. What about after the arrest and prison? What do those 80,000 plus PO folks do and how can they help cops or COs or the general public with almost 5,000,000 offenders?
I t’s All In The Name POs basically fill a role protecting the community by supervising those under sentence of the court. Simply put, probation and parole practice community supervision. WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2008
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Supervision is a deal, a contract for conditional freedom on the street. The convicted individual promises to obey the conditions of his supervision and the court agrees not to lock him up or keep him locked up for his entire sentence. Sometimes, there’s a period of supervision following incarceration or a probation tail following a parole max date. Regardless, it’s all supervision and the conditions of supervision are all pretty much the same everywhere.
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Conditions Generally, conditions of supervision include reporting as directed, don’t change residences without permission, don’t leave the supervision area without permission, no illegal drugs or alcohol, no firearms or other weapons and no illegal behavior. Special or other conditions can include just about any good thing like stay away from victims and drug dealers, curfews, support dependants, pay restitution, attend drug/alcohol programs, submit to urine tests, no drug paraphernalia — just about any condition the supervision authority or a creative PO thinks the offender should have as a condition for freedom.
Important Points The offender/client/scumbag is already guilty of a past crime and until their max date are under sentence of the court. The PO controls this action-reaction relationship. The little old lady in tennis shoes can arrest or search without writ, warrant, rule or process for suspected violations of supervision. The sentencing judge or other supervision authority (State Probation & Parole Boards, etc) will make the determination of guilt and punishment, but the PO is the gatekeeper. They coordinate and do the administrative grunt work. He’s your point-of-contact. There’s a start date and an end date for the convicted individual. It can be just days or the rest of the individual’s natural life, depending upon the sentence. Once the bad guy reaches his max date with no new criminal acts or pending court cases, he’s off supervision. The PO no longer has supervisory authority over the individual. It’s over — until next time.
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Continued from page 57 stages before it broke. However, in spite of its weight savings over steel the polymer pistol handles even the stoutest .45 ACP loads and provides fast repeat shots. This exceptional degree of control is also attributable to its recoil absorbing polymer construction molded into its carefully crafted frame permitting the shooter to obtain an extremely elevated grip quite close to the pistol’s bore axis. Like its big brother, the XDC is a natural pointing pistol. Ejection is very positive and I fired the XDC from every possible position, including a two fingered hold and couldn’t get the gun to quit.
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The XDC’s stainless steel, staggered box and high capacity magazines are among the best of its genre. They’re well made of superior components, easy to load and when empty eject cleanly from the pistol. However, with the magazine fully loaded and pressing the top round snugly against the bolt’s underside, the ambidextrous magazine releases require a great deal of effort when attempting to clear the gun. When the slide is locked to the rear, pressure is released and the problem doesn’t manifest. For many, when executing the standard manual of arms of “magazine removed, slide locked & etc.” both thumbs and hands may be required to achieve this first step. A possible, but unattractive remedy would be to down load the magazine by a round or two. As mentioned, the XDC comes with a second 13-round magazine with a rubber pinky rest. While it is more comfortable to shoot with the rest in place, be careful when you execute a speed reload. The first time I slammed one home the knife edge of my strong hand was pinched. Many of us with large or fleshy hands will be better off removing the rest and reloading the naked tube. The clean magazine tube extends approximately 2/3 if an inch from the bottom of the butt and your pinky can easily grab it.
Conclusions The XDC would be a welcome addition to anyone’s battery of polymer pistols and is so flexible in its size and capabilities it could serve both as powerful back up as well as a primary sidearm. It’s truly a concealable compact and reliable package with a substantial amount of stored kinetic energy.
*
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LEAA Continued from page 16 trainers than any other group, they provide a $25,000 dollar death benefit for LEO Members killed in the line of duty — the list goes on and on.
Opportunistic Politicians Opportunistic politicians use fallen officers to drive their liberal agenda, while real issues get ignored. For instance our borders are still far too wide open and that is part of the increased violence problem. A recent newspaper headline screamed, Lawmen under siege along Mexico border. The article said, “Alien and drug smugglers along the USMexico border have spawned a rise in violence against ... law-enforcement.” A border patrol veteran said, “They have no hesitancy to attack the agents on the line ....” Assaults against Border Patrol agents have more than doubled over the past two years. With all this as a backdrop, the Democrats’ “expert” on crime, United States Senator Joe Biden — who US News & World Report called, “the Democrat’s chief anticrime specialist on Capitol Hill” (my sides still hurt from laughing over that one) — gives his take on the crime problem. First, admitting that Congress has failed to “protect American families and American communities from crime.” He says: “We need to recommit ourselves to the balanced, comprehensive approach to fighting crime....”
Double And Triple Talk What do these politicians mean when they use words like: “balanced” and “comprehensive?” Biden explains, prevention and treatment programs. He also supports tough, but “fair” criminal laws. (We can’t have any laws criminals, especially cop killers, might not think are fair.) If that isn’t enough, Biden declares Congress needs to make sure our prisons provide offenders with the skills and resources to Reenter Our Communities! When these folks come seeking your vote this fall, remember where they place their emphasis — not more prisons, not tougher laws with longer prison time for offenders, not the Death Penalty, not securing our borders, nothing new, real, or meaningful. America doesn’t need more “politics as usual.” The memory of America’s fallen officers (and those many thousands more attacked every year, but survive) demand we go past political rhetoric and really get tough with criminals and secure our borders.
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“stalking horses” to get around probable cause and normal procedures to convict bad guys.
Continued from page 69
What Cops Do — What POs Do Cops usually deal with suspects — POs deal with convicted felons. Suspects aren’t guilty yet — an offender is already guilty and under supervision. Cops need probable cause — POs, at most, need reasonable suspicion. An offender has given up some of his administrative legal rights for the privilege of supervision. Cops need search warrants — POs don’t.
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We can provide background info, go where you can’t, arrest when you can’t, keep the bad guy off of your beat or keep him in jail — even if he makes bail. We have the power to search without a warrant as long as reasonable suspicion exists. The offender has already consented to such searches and not to fight extradition among other fun things — or he goes to or stays incarcerated. A cop needs “beyond a reasonable doubt” through criminal law in a court — a PO deals with administrative law so the burden of proof is far reduced. Look at it this way, a cop has to pull and dead lift 90 to 95 lbs to prove guilt — all the PO has to do is bench press 51 lbs — with a couple of spotters. Who are the spotters? None other than consenting felons who have given up some legal rights to get probation or parole and the administrative procedures, laws and case law lowering the burden of proof. Remember, the accused is already guilty of the crime placing him under supervision. Sadly, I get a lot more phone calls from angry, pay back seeking ex-girl friends — God bless them — than I do cops or feds or COs. But every time, it’s worth the call. Don’t get me wrong; I get tipped by cops, feds and COs from time to time and I have no doubt they’ve helped save my life. Also, a bad guy can have two or more POs at different levels — County, State and Federal or different locations. Hopefully the POs know about each other and share info among themselves. Yeah right — hopefully.
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CORRECTIONS Continued from page 18 According to Christopher Mumola, Policy Analyst for the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, “Almost every state prisoner has been through a period of jail confinement.” The public, media and elected officials need to be made cognizant of this fact and the above figures. Our county jails are the first stop for many inmates who’ll find themselves incarcerated for a majority of their lives. In the state and federal system many of the inmates have been in the system before.
First 100 Hours The inmate’s survival learning curve behind the walls is much further along than their county counterparts, who in many instances are getting their first taste of confinement. That adds to an already very dangerous situation for the staff and the inmates. In prison an inmate often has between 24
In prison an inmate often has between 24 and 72 hours to establish themselves as either predator or prey, (we don’t like it either, but that’s the way it is.) 16” Contour Barrel
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and 72 hours to establish themselves as either predator or prey, (we don’t like it either, but that’s the way it is.) What they do, who they chose to associate with, and how they interact with other inmates and staff in those first 100 hours or so can make a major difference in how their incarceration turns out and in turn effects the safety of the environment. I’ve always had the greatest respect for anyone willing to put on that badge, put their lives on the line in the name of public safety and work behind the walls. Whether it’s juvenile, local, county, state or federal it’s dangerous and difficult. But my hat goes off to the men and women working in our country systems. They do an amazing job. The next time you drive by a county lock-up, don’t think for a minute they’re less violent, with less dangerous inmates — they aren’t. The men and women who work behind those walls deserve of the highest praise.
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CHEST RIG 5.11 Tactical
PADDLE HOLSTER DeSantis Holster & Gunleather DeSantis announces its new Kydex sheet paddle holster, style D94 DS Paddle Holster. This model is made entirely of KYDEX sheet and is an exceptionally light and compact holster. Minimal friction between gun and holster results in a smooth draw. The paddle is adjustable for forward to rearward cant and dual tension device and precise molding give this holster a perfect fit. The D94 is currently available for the Glock 17, 19, 22 and 23 in both right and left hand. Others will soon follow; MSRP is $40.00. Go to www.desantisholsters.com to check them out.
Designed by Kyle Lamb, the Chest Rig serves as a platform for magazines, radios and other pouches. The inside features a quick-access compartment for maps or documentation and it’s made of reinforced nylon mesh. The Chest Rig adjusts to fit all body sizes and is available in black and flat dark earth. To see the rig, and the rest of the 5.11 Tactical Nylon line, go to www.511tactical.com.
REMINGTON HANDGUARDS The Mako Group The Remington 870 Handguards with Rails provide a rigid, ultra-light Picatinny system for mounting virtually any accessory. The lower rail enables foregrip, flashlight or laser mounting. Two side rails for mounting flashlight or laser sights are available as well. The Handguards are made from reinforced plastic composite to MIL-STD 1913. The Handguards install with no gunsmithing and include a lifetime warranty. For more information, go to www.makosecurity.com.
G3 LED SureFire
AR15/M16 ARMORER’S WRENCH Guntec USA This wrench combines many of the functions necessary for anyone building or repairing an AR-15. At one end, it attaches either multi-point or peg style barrel nuts on barrels up to 1" in diameter, and a torque wrench can fitted into the 1/2" square slot opening. Also works well with installing free-floating handguards. The other end fits CAR/M-4 stock locking nuts, and a large flat head screwdriver blade is also included for use on fullsize A2 buttstock screws. The two other slots on the wrench fit A1 and A2 birdcage flash hiders and receiver extensions. Call Guntec at (480) 518-5359 or visit them on the Web at www.tacticalaccessories.com.
The G3 LED is a longer-running LED version of SureFire’s popular G3 Nitrolon. It features a virtually indestructible light emitting diode — no filament to burn out or break — that produces four times the light of typical two “D” cell flashlight. Designed with the needs of law enforcement in mind, the G3 LED produces tactical-level lighting (enough to temporarily overwhelm an aggressor’s night-adapted vision) for nearly six hours and useful light levels for over nine hours on a single set of lithium batteries. To find out more, visit www.surefire.com.
40MM BARRICADE ALS Technologies A family of 40mm cartridges designed to fire a nonpyrotechnic 55-gram, two-part spin-stabilized projectile filled with OC or CS (powder or liquid). This round permits the non-pyrotechnic introduction of chemical into areas without the potential fire hazards of other types of munitions. The projectile is designed to be fired through dry wall, hollow-core doors, solid-core doors or glass. This round is not to be fired at individuals. Check them out at www.alstechnologies.com. 76
MOBILE COMPUTER Xplore Technologies The iX104C3 Tablet PC features a fingerprint reader, user accessible hard drive and PC card bay to help protect data security. The iX104C3 is RoHS compliant, Bluetooth compatible, and includes GPS wireless options. All Xplore products feature magnesium alloy housings, shock mounted hard drives, enhanced XGA displays, Intel processors and onboard ports for expansion. For more details visit www.xploretech.com. WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2008
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SPOTLIGHT
SAFETY FURNITURE Crown Gym Mats, Inc. With safety in training in mind, Crown Gym Mats, Inc. has created a unique product line of commonly found household and office items made of solid foam and covered in bacteria, fire and mildew resistant PCN. During tactical training exercises, these products simulate actual conditions, without the fear of injury or damage. Larger items can be disassembled for storage, and heavy-duty hook and loop fasteners hold them together for use. Check out the entire line at www.cgmlawenf.com.
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It’s an add-on to your vehicle seatbelt that offers enhanced seatbelt comfort, control and stability. The CGLock offers racing-harness control for the driver, injury reduction in forward and lateral impacts and rollovers, greater stability for booster seats and improved suspect transport. The “CG” stands for Center of Gravity. This is a tool that clamps onto the tongue portion of the seatbelt allowing you to tighten the belt more firmly, while still allowing full range of upper body motion. Words can’t describe it, go to www.cg-lock.com to view installation and information videos.
ALUMINUM GRIPS Gun Grips & Hogue GunGrips.net has a new line of Aluminum Grips specifically for the Beretta 92FS. The grips are machined by Hogue from T6 aluminum, then bead blasted and anodized. They’re available in clear and black and can be customized with laser-etched artwork, including military logos, police badges, monograms or even an image you send in. Visit www.GunGrips.net to find out how you can get a set for your Beretta.
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The aerodynamic WingLux is the newest roof-mounted lightbar from Rontan North America. The innovative design of the WingLux enables full 360-degree visibility and modern styling. Thanks to the swept-back design, at least three light heads are visible at any given time, even from the sides. The lights are high-intensity LED and 100 percent digital as well as modular allowing for quick and easy changes and upgrades. Log on to www.rontan.com to find out more.
EVOLUTION BODY ARMOR Armor Express Evolution body armor carrier features a lightweight microfiber outer shell and antimicrobial lining to wick away moisture and prevent odor. Other features include shoulder epaulets, double front plate pockets to hold 5”x8” and 7”x10” inserts, eight adjustment points, 4” wide removable elastic straps with Velcro closures, interior suspension system for ballistic pads, tapered lower front corners and zippered bottom closures. The carriers are available for men or women, and come in black, navy, tan, brown, white and light blue. To find out more, log on to www.armorexpress.com.
AR-10(T) ArmaLite, Inc.
ArmaLite introduces the AR-10(T) in .338 Federal. The AR-10(T) features include 22” stainless barrel with 1:10” right-hand twist and target crown, free float ArmaLite Target handguard, gas block with Picatinny rail, forged upper receiver with Picatinny rail and a two-stage National Match trigger. The AR-10(T) is being revealed at SHOT Show 2008, to find out more about it, check out www.armalite.com. 77
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WIN! THIS PACKAGE!
I ncluded is the LaserMax
c
ombining white light and a laser into a rugged hands-free tactical light system. Use the white light to identify the threats and the laser to control them. This durable solid-state LED light has a 10,000 hour lifetime with no fragile filament to break. It provides 50 percent longer battery life than competitors. A low battery indicator ensures you won’t be left in the dark. It
has the brightest laser allowed by Federal law. LaserMax lasers pulsate for fast target acquisition and are user-adjustable for windage and elevation. The LMS 1202 is constructed of hard coat anodized Mil-spec aluminum practically guaranteeing it’s a long and useful life in your squad car’s shotgun mount. This LMS-1202 Combo includes a momentary activation
switch for easy on and off operation when stealth is a must. Length: 4.38" Width: 2.79" Height: 2.02" Weight: 13.4 oz. with batteries Batteries: 2 CR 123 lithium batteries Solid State LED White Light: 60 Lumen
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MOSSBERG M 930SPX AUTO LOADING SHOTGUN
ossberg is considered to be one of the most innovative firearms manufacturers in US History. Founded in 1919, O.F. Mossberg & Sons is the oldest family-owned firearms manufacturer in the USA. They’re known to have pioneered many product features, which are now the standards by which others are judged. They’re also the first long-gun manufacturer to receive the demanding ISO 9001 Certification. Mossberg’s new 930SPX is evidence of their longterm relationship with the LE community. They’ve brought to the table an affordable autoloader that meets the demands of cops. Ultra-reliability is paramount in our world and the 930SPX gives us just that. The 930SPX gives us features before only available on custom tactical shotguns. The Picatinny receiver mounted rail holds a standard issue LPA rear ghost ring sight. And, in concert with the M16 style fiber-optic front sight makes for rapid target acquisition and quick follow-ups. Remove the rear sight and just about any red dot optic mounts easily enhancing the user’s ability to reach out and touch a bad guy with monotonous consistency. The 930SPX comes standard with a 7+1 Choate magazine extension providing the high capacity we need if we start having a “really bad day.” But watch out, you can deplete that extra ammo pretty quickly with the gas operated action. The gun is very fast and with the reliability it offers, it’s just what we need for our job.
Photo: Dave Douglas
LMS-1202 Laser Wavelength: 635nm Power Output: 5mW Laser Axis: 1" of bore Laser Operating Temp: 10-120 degrees Dot Size 7 yds: 5/16" Dot Size 25 yds: 3/4" Warranty: 3 years
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Gauge: 12 Gauge Chamber: 3" Choke: Cylinder Bore Barrel Length: 18.5" Capasity: 7+1 Length of Pull: 14" Overall Length: 39" Weight: 7.5 Lbs. Finish: Matte Black Stock: Black Synthetic Picatinny Rail Top Receiver Mount Removeable LPA Ghost Ring Rear Sight M-16 Style LPA Front Sight Choate Mag Extention Ambidextrous Thumb Safety LaserMax LMS-1202 Combo
TO ENTER CONTEST: Use a postcard (no envelopes, please) and follow the sample shown. Send to AMERICAN COP Dept. X3, P.O. Box 501930, San Diego, CA 92150-1930. Entries must be received before March 1, 2008.
COP MAR/APR 2008: Name ___________________________________
Sample
Address _____________ City, State, Zip____________ Limit 1 entry per household. This contest is open to individuals who are residents of the United States and its territories only. Agents and employees of Publisher’s Development Corporation and their families are excluded from entering. Contest void where prohibited or restricted by law. Winners must meet all local laws and regulations. Taxes and compliance with firearms regulations will be the responsibility of the winners. Winners will be notified by CERTIFIED MAIL on official letterhead. No purchase necessary to enter.
Email Address _______________________
If I win, please ship my prize through: Dealer ___________________________________ Address _____________ City, State, Zip____________ Phone ( ) ____ - ________
Store hours __ am __ pm
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AMERICAN COP Classified ads $2.00 per-word per insertion. ($1.50 per-word per insertion for 3 or more) including name, address and phone number (20 word minimum). Minimum charge $40.00. Bold words add $1.00 per word. Copy and rerun orders must be accompanied by PAYMENT IN ADVANCE. NO AGENCY OR CASH DISCOUNTS ON LISTING OR DISPLAY CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING. All ads must be received with advance payment BY NO LATER THAN THE 1st of each month. Ads received after closing will appear in the following issue. Please type or print clearly. PLEASE NOTE*** NO PROOFS WILL BE FURNISHED. Include name, address, post office, city, state and zip code as counted words. Abbreviations count as one word each. Mail to AMERICAN COP CLASSIFIEDS, 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, California 92128. NOTE: WE NOW HAVE DISPLAY CLASSIFIED ADS IN BOTH GUNS MAGAZINE AND AMERICAN HANDGUNNER. ASK FOR OUR NEW RATE CARD, Or call (858) 605-0235. ACCESSORIES
BADGES
COLLECTORS
IDENTIFY YOURSELF THIS BADGE MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE Police Quality Gold Plated 100% LEGAL FOR PERMIT HOLDERS
FREE
Badge Case & Shipping With Order
Order Toll Free
$38
Size 2” x 3”
Money Back Guarantee
1-877-332-2343
MSRP: $58.00 You Save $20.00 PO Box 970057 Coconut Creek, FL 33097
EMBLEMS & INSIGNIA MISC Streamlight Weapon-Mount & Tactical Lights Your source for Streamlight Flashlights, including the TLR1 and TLR-2 and tactical lights. Call or visit us online! www.streamlightdistributor.com - 1-800-999-1358 Free M-4 Rifles (with trade)Trade in your old machine guns, one old AC556 = 2 M-4's (NIB), one old MP5 = 3 M-4's(NIB), one old M16A1 = 4 M-4 (NIB), one old Thompson = 6 M-4's (NIB).All machine guns wanted for trade, any condition, must be ATF registered before May 1986. Will trade for other items such as tasers, body armour, ect. For reference & info call or email Bob Bowman for more info at 352-235-2095 or tankride@prodigy.net
www.maxarmory.com
INDEX
OF ADVERTISERS Action Target Action Target Academy Al Mar Knives ALS Technologies ArmaLite ASP Benchmade Blackhawk Brownells CCF Raceframes CopQuest Cylinder & Slide DeSantis Holsters DPMS Elite Sports Express First Light Glock GunVault/Cannon Safe Hatch Insight Technology 80
71 72 21 27 12 71,73,75 11 23 72 39 71 72 39 75 33 11,21 14 27 33 69
The companies listed have featured advertisements in this issue. Look to them first when you are ready to make a purchase.
Kahr Arms Kimber LA Police Gear Mec-Gar USA Meprolight New Mexico State Police OfficerStore.com Pearce Grip, Inc. Safariland Smith & Wesson Springfield Streamlight Sturm, Ruger & Co. Sure Set Holster SureFire TOPS KNIVES Trijicon Wilson Combat Winchester Ammunition XS Sights
73 7,15,19,84 2 74 13 31 8 13 6 3 83 25 17 21 9 74 10 29 7 75
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Toro Caca (cont...) illegal alien bias? I want to hear about what Homeland Security is doing about preventing another attack or the invasion of America from Mexico. I want to hear about the schools constructed by our military in Iraq, the level of success we’re having standing up their police force and reduction of violence.
“You Can’t Handle The Truth” And, why doesn’t the mainstream media ever show real photos and video of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center? Perhaps the public (us) can’t be trusted to process information containing images of people plummeting to their deaths. Lord knows they
don’t want the unwashed masses to become cognizant of the fact we’re still at risk; we might actually force our lawmakers into doing something about it or, worse yet, we might get angry at the misunderstood and much maligned Fanatical Islamic Terrorists. I don’t give a rat’s ass about Hilary showing too much cleavage, if Mitt had pre-marital sex or whom Rudy was boinking while still married to wife #1, #2 or #3. Lindsay, Britney, K-Fed, Hilary’s boobs, Rudy’s dalliances and Mitt’s lack thereof is Toro Caca and simply a diversion from what is truly important. The really scary thing is there are people out there who are entranced by this crap and a lot of them can vote. If that’s not Toro Caca, I’m at a loss to understand what is.
A COMPLETELY SUBJECTIVE LOOK AT THINGS I LIKE Al Mar Knives Al Mar created “Specialty Cutlery” in 1979 with the introduction of unique designs, produced at quality levels rivaling custom, hand-made blades. They use the finest steels, scale materials and heat treatment available. And, their knives are hand assembled, finished and sharpened by craftsmen dedicated to creating the very best knives you can buy. Their Back Up Model 1 (Lower) and Model 2 (Upper), designed by ABS Mastersmith Kirk Rexroat, are smaller lighter fixed blades designed for all-day carry. They offer you exactly what their name tells you — backup for whatever your day may bring. Blades on both are AUS-8 stainless steel at 57-59 Rockwell hardness rating and scales are black Micarta. Each includes a leather sheath. For More Info: www. almarknives.com
DeSantis Nemisis During the summer I always carry my J frame with me — usually in my pocket. Most of the holsters I tried stuck to the gun like glue when drawn. The last thing I want some snotbag to wonder is, “Why is my mealticket/victim pointing a black bag at me?” I want him to wonder, “What is that explos….” Finding a pocket holster capable of breaking-up the outline of the gun and staying in my pocket during the draw was, at the very least, frustrating. The Nemesis from DeSantis solved my dilemma. The ambidextrous design is lightweight and “sticky” as pine tar on the outside. You actually have to work to get the empty holster out of your pocket. Once in place the holster and gun are kept solidly in the same position until you need it. The inside of the holster is the Ying to the sticky outside Yang. It’s silky smooth for a no hassle draw. That’s the way it’s suppose to be and for about $20 you can’t go wrong with this one.
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For more info: www.desantisholster.com
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INSIDER RUMINATIONS DAVE DOUGLAS
A NOSEY GOVERNMENT his may not be news to you but I just heard about it. The Los Angeles Police Commission has proposed scrutinizing the financial records of cops involved in gang and drug investigations. After a two-year grace period cops will have to disclose finances, debts, stocks and real estate holdings. Now I’ve never been a big supporter of labor unions but this is precisely the reason we need them. And in this case LAPD’s officer’s association is vehemently opposed to the plan. The scrutiny is one of the points in a federal consent decree attempting to reform LAPD after the Rampart scandal of the 90s. While many federal agencies make this a requirement for their agents, I can’t think of any municipal departments or SOs with the requirement, neither can LAPD’s officer association. As far as I’m concerned, it’s none of their business and we need to support the idea cops have rights too. One of them is the 4th Amendment and protection from a nosey government. We’re randomly piss tested for drugs and tested when we’re involved in a shooting or vehicle accident. We take polygraph exams and are held to a higher standard of conduct. That’s enough.
INSIDERRUMINATIONS
T
Allowing another level of examination is allowing the camel’s nose to get that much further under the tent. Pretty soon we’re going to have the whole camel sitting right there in our lap watching reruns of the “A Team” with us. A quote, arguable attributed to Benjamin Franklin states, “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase temporary safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” If cops as a group give up rights protecting us from undue search just so we can have the “honor and privilege” of working gangs and dope we’ll soon be without rights altogether.
If Not Us — Who? If we band together and tell them no more of this invasion of privacy will be tolerated whom else will they get to be gang and dope cops? I don’t know, maybe the Sierra Club, ACLU, Green Peace or MoveOn.org can help out. Or maybe the moron assistant to the assistant to the assistant US Attorney who came up with the consent decree language might want to strap on a ballistic vest, thigh rig and rubber gloves to do the job. I know this is starting to sound too much like a rant from the Toro Caca section. I’ll take a deep cleansing breath and force myself to remember it’s LA.
Toro Caca
I
am so worried about Lindsay Lohan and her “troubles.” I stay up nights just trying to come up with some solution to help her dear poor troubled soul. And, I don’t know about you, but I’m really grateful to that judge who recognized the simple truth that KFed is by far and away a better parent and role model to those children than Britney could ever be. As
someone put it, She’s the High Priestess of Trailer Park Trash and should have never been permitted to procreate. That’s another one that kept me up nights. Then there’s Paris, well need I say more? Seeing her perp-walked into the big-house just demonstrated no matter who you are or how much money you have, justice is blind and will always prevail. The “round-the-clock” coverage
was riveting. It just made you feel empowered didn’t it?
They Don’t Get I t When is the media going to get it that we don’t care about the drivel they are feeding us. I want to hear about what’s happening with Ramos and Compean. Where do we stand on their pardon or better yet, new trial in a venue not poisoned by pro-
INSIDERRUMINATIONS 82
Continues on page 81
WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2008
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The Custom Covert II™ .45 ACP has both night sights and Crimson Trace Lasergrips for fast targeting.
Kimber Covert. Out of Sight, Peace of Mind. New from the Kimber® Custom Shop™ , the Covert series of .45 ACP carry pistols are all business. Each features a lightweight frame machined from a solid brick of 7075-T7 aluminum with carry melt treatment for rounded edges that will not snag, Tactical Wedge night sights and 30 lines-per-inch frontstrap checkering with a new bordered base pattern. Covert frames wear Desert Tan KimPro II 3QUJMZ¼[ XZMUQ]U ÅVQ[P that is self-lubricating and exceptionally durable. Slide and small parts IZM ÅVQ[PML QV UI\\M JTIKS W`QLM NWZ KWV\ZI[\ +ZQU[WV <ZIKM® Lasergrips® with the Kimber logo in an exclusive digital camo pattern provide real-world advantages for both training and tactical applications. Like all Custom Shop XQ[\WT[ MIKP +W^MZ\ Q[ J]QT\ Ja PIVL <PQ[ ÅVIT I[[]ZIVKM WN LMXMVLIJQTQ\a is critical, because dependability is everything in a carry pistol. ™
With a 3-inch barrel and carry bevel treatment, the Ultra Covert II™ .45 ACP is an ideal carry pistol. Weight is just 25 ounces.
The Pro Covert II™ .45 ACP features a 4-inch bushingless bull barrel, carry bevel treatment, 30 LPI frontstrap checkering and night sights.
;dg XdbeaZiZ ^c[dgbVi^dc dc @^bWZg ÒgZVgbh! VXXZhhdg^Zh VcY YZVaZg adXVi^dch! eaZVhZ hZcY ' id/ ©2007 Kimber Mfg., Inc. All rights reserved. Kimber names, logos and other trademarks may not be used without permission. Names of other companies, products and ser vices may be the proper ty of their respective owners. Kimber firearms are shipped with an instructional manual and California-approved cable lock. Copy of instruction manual available by request.
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