American Cop 2005.09-10
84
Transcript of American Cop 2005.09-10
4 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
2005
ON THE COVER40Photos: Ichiro Nagata
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Volume 1, Number 1
WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM
36 THINGS DAs HATE JEREMY CLOUGHWhy District Attorneys laugh at you.
40 EXCLUSIVE! RETURN OF THE M&P CHARLES E. PETTYS&W’s hot new duty auto.
46 IT’S UP TO YOU DAVE SPAULDINGCops can’t shoot — so whose fault is it?
50 FEDS VS. LOCALS SHEPPARD KELLYMutual non-cooperation?
52 AMMO HYSTERIA CHARLES E. PETTYDuty ammo hype — what really works?
54 WHY WE CARRY ON JOHN MORRISONSpit on by scumbags and cursed by cowards.
58 ANATOMY OF A KNIFE ASSAULT ERNEST EMERSONFour unexpected ways they can kill you!
62 COP, COPPER, COPPED GARY MITROVICHSlur or not? How’d we get the name?
FEATURES
SEPT • OCT
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14 LEAA JIM FOTIS
16 CARRY OPTIONS MARK HANTEN
18 HIGH TECH BOB DAVIS
20 OFFICER SURVIVAL SAMMY REESE
24 EVOC ANTHONY RICCI
26 STREET LEVEL JOHN MORRISON
28 HAND TOOLS MARK HANTEN
30 PRIVATE SECURITY PAUL MARKEL
32 REALITY CHECK II CLINT SMITH
34 RESERVES CHARLES E. PETTY
COLUMNS
AMERICAN COP™ (ISSN 1557-2609) is published bi-monthly by Publishers’ Development Corp., 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128. 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 mate-rial. 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 ofthis magazine in any manner, without written permission, is prohibited. Entire contents Copyright© 2005 Publishers’ Development Corp. All rights reserved. Title to this publication passes to subscriber only ondelivery 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
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CONTRIBUTING EDITORSFIREARMS TRAINING EDITOR CLINT SMITHCCW/DUTY CARRY EDITOR MARK HANTENTECHNOLOGY EDITOR BOB DAVISVEHICLE/EVOC EDITOR ANTHONY RICCIOFFICER SAFETY EDITOR DAVE SPAULDINGPROFFESIONAL SECURITY EDITOR PAUL MARKELSUPERVISORY SKILLS EDITOR JOHN MORRISONLEAA ISSUES EDITOR JAMES J. FOTISEDGED WEAPONS EDITOR ERNEST EMERSONCOMPETITION EDITOR ROB LEATHAMRESERVES EDITOR CHARLES E. PETTYLEGAL ISSUES EDITOR JEREMY D. CLOUGHPHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR ICHIRO NAGATAPSYCHOLOGY EDITOR JOLEE BRUNTONCONTRIBUTING EDITORS WES DOSS, STEVE ALBRECHT, RICHDEPARIS, SHEP KELLY, BRIAN HOFFNER, RICH GRASSI, GARY MITROVICH
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8 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
in some of the huge cities this may wellbe the only way to survive, but it seemsthat people won’t open up and tell two ormore officers what a lone officer may getfrom some of the same people. The keyto it all is knowing your people and foryour people to be able to trust youimplicitly. Mostly, my duties are rural-community policing. No two areas canbe policed the same way. We still have tohave teamwork if we are to succeed atwhat we do. I’m still learning for I’ve
only been an officer for 30 years. I guessyou might say I’m still a rookie. I amlooking forward to this magazine
Johnnie W. HolbrooksConstable, Crosby County, Texas
Politically-Correct? Us?The LEAA has always been the leader
when it comes to representing cops at thenational level. Their support of the nationalCCW bill for officers finally led to its
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“
”
If I had a dime for everytime I've
heard "cutting edge technology"
and "the mean streets," I wouldn't
be working graveyard.
We Haven’t Even Started YetToo many officers I have known think
being called a “Cop” is a slur. Theycouldn’t be farther off base. The originalword for “cops” was “Coppers” becausetheir badges were made of copper. Also,the difference between “policeman” and“cop” is a “cop” can survive on the streetby himself, if need be. My understandingis that policemen have to travel in pairsto watch each other’s back.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m certain that
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10 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
passing, much to the appreciation of all ofus. I’m glad to see they’re aboard with aregular column covering issues that affectus all. And, I like your attitude at AmericanCOP. I’m sick of the political-correctnessthat ties our hands, and your seeming will-ingness to tackle it gives me hope.
Robert DresdenWest Covina, Calif.
Take all the hope you want, Bob. Inthis issue we start out tackling that sensi-tive subject having to do with gettingalong with federal agencies. And makesure to give John Morrison’s article WhyWe Carry On a slow read. If you can’tidentify with what he’s saying put yourbadge down and step back from it. Dave.
Cops and GunsAt last, a police magazine that acknowl-
edges the intimate relationship betweencops, guns and tactical equipment in gen-eral. I’m tired of lightbars and laptops, andyou guys promise to cover the guns, ammoand tools we all rely upon every day. If youdon’t like to admit most cops are gun-guys,you’re fooling yourself. I hope you coverpatrol rifles, especially, since it’s such a hottopic these days.
Jerald JacobsonVia e-mail
Take heart Jerry, Clint Smith’s firstcolumn is on starting your own agency’srifle program. And make sure you checkout Charley Petty’s cover feature on S&W’snew duty auto, the M&P. All you oldrevolver guys out there will recognize thatname as belonging to the classic S&W Mil-itary & Police Model 10 revolver from “theold days” on patrol. I was issued one onmy first day on the job. Dave.
Dave Answers His PhoneAfter being told about American COP
at line-up, I checked out your Web site.Since I couldn’t believe you would actu-ally do all the things you said, I picked upthe phone and talked to the editor, DaveDouglas. He told me straight out that COPwas going to be a no-bullshit magazinegeared at the real world of working cops. Ihave to tell you, Dave came across ascredible and realistic. He admitted youguys were going to be “gun-heavy” in themagazine with an emphasis on gear. Thatworks for me, I use gear every day andneed to know what’s new out there. Signme up, Dave!
Gabe EstebanL.A., Calif.
Gabe, thanks for the letter, and Iremember our conversation well. Since
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you know where to find me, I promisewe’ll keep up our end of the deal. Dave.
Heard It BeforeYeah, yeah, so tell me again. All talk
and no go. Every time I get pitched to sub-scribe to a cop magazine I hear the samestuff. You prove it, I’ll buy it. If I had adime for every time I’ve heard “Cuttingedge technology” and “the mean streets,” Iwouldn’t be working graveyard.
Name withheld by request.
Dear Mr. Name Withheld: Invest in abottle of No Doze. You’re about to betransferred to working days. I took the lib-erty of sending you a copy of our first issue(which, hopefully you’re now holding inyour doubting hands). If we didn’t hold upour end of the deal, then I’m not sure whatyou want and I doubt you’ll ever bepleased. By the way, you’ll hate workingdays — too much brass around. Dave.
Retired NYPDI applaud your efforts! I know Amer-
ican COP will work — how could it not?I’ve read your promos and checked out theWeb site, and have been reading Roy Hunt-ington’s stuff for years and have alwaysappreciated his grasp of the realities of ourunique world. He and Dave Douglas havethe kind of field experience that’s beensorely lacking in the leadership roles at copmagazines. I’m tired of the crap, now let’sget to work with the facts. I’m aboard!
Jack WebsterVia e-mail
Tall Angry AussieCan you help me and offer me a solu-
tion to my real-world problem. I work inan environment surrounded by peoplewho need constant assistance to make acup of coffee, go to the toilet and answerphones. I am constantly on the alert incase one of them sustains a paper cut;breaks a fingernail; pokes themselves inthe eye with the pointy end of a pen orforgets how to open their lunch boxes.
When I am on the road with thesepeople I find that I have to check theirtorches to make sure they have fresh bat-teries installed; that they have a cleanhandkerchief in their pocket for thosetimes that they just have to shed a tear; andthat they have enough loose change to pur-chase a cup of coffee in the early hours ofthe morning so they don’t get too sleepy.
Looking forward to my strong, reli-able partner providing valuable guidanceon what I can do.
Greg MARTIN, SergeantAustralia
Greg, “It’s called American COP for areason!” Fortunately, we don’t experience
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those problems here in the USA.(As I personally know Greg and some
of the emotional issues he is workingthrough at this time I decided to hold thename of his agency in confidence so asnot to embarrass his superiors.) Dave.
Not AgainAfter your initial rejection of my call
for a solution, via e-mail no less, Ibecame seriously concerned with theattitude displayed by you both as a rep-resentative of American COP and amember of the worldwide ‘brotherhood-of-police.’
If I recall correctly your first offeringwent something like this — “It’s calledAmerican COP for a reason!”
I guess this attitude goes hand in handwith the United States holding a ‘WorldSeries’ baseball game of which no othercountry in the world participates.
I spoke with my psychiatrist about yourrather harsh and erudite response to a legit-imate call for advice and he made the fol-lowing observations.
“That the author of the single lineresponse would realise (yea, they spellthat way) that one of their projected foursubscribers may not in fact enter into acontract for the new magazine as a resultof his elitist response. This twenty-fivepercent reduction in sales would seriouslyaffect his magazine’s ability to be suc-cessful in the market place.”
So Mr. Douglas of American COPMagazine, I herewith withdraw my sub-scription to your publication and trust thatyour other three potential readers aren’tas bitterly disappointed as I have been.
“That as a consequence of this I wouldbe certain to receive another e-mailoffering a resolution that would try to pla-cate my disappointment and offer an unre-alistic potential benefit for a continuingrelationship with the magazine.”
Greg MARTIN, SergeantAustralia
Greg, or Poppy, as you’re betterknown, sorry you feel this way about thenew magazine. However, fortunately forus, we will not miss your money. Somehowyour estimate of our subscription baseclosely mirrors your shooting ability —significantly off the target again. Themagazine is very healthy.
I will however make sure that I runyour e-mail as “Return Fire.” Thoseunfortunate folks who work with and foryou need to be aware of the level of con-tempt you hold for them. Additionally, ifyou do not get back on your medicationyou run the risk of being barred from fur-ther free shooting schools here in theUSA. Dave. PS: PetGlenn for me.
RETURNFIRE
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14 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
The FBI argues officers may hesi-tate because they don’t under-stand their department’s policy,or how it would apply to the situ-
ation at hand. But the dirty little secretis every officer on the street knowsthere’s big gap between departmentpolicies and what happens when anincident becomes politicized.
Here’s one such case. August 13,2003, Officer Kyle Olinger from Mont-gomery County, Md., is on patrol. Hestops a vehicle; the passenger turns outto be a bad guy. There’s a pistol near thepassenger. The passenger gets the officeroff balance and goes for the gun. Theofficer, seeing the need and justificationto use deadly force, hesitates; the officeris shot above his armor and is crippled.
Looking back now, this officerbelieves he should have fired, but at thetime, had he fired, his round would haveentered the suspect’s head from the rear— looking like a nearly point-blank, exe-cution-style, police murder. He wasthinking about how his legitimate use offorce to protect himself from a clear andimminent threat would look! You see, thecounty in which he patrolled had pro-found bad press about police use of forcewith officers routinely “sacrificed” on thealtar of political expedience. This braveofficer now hopes the “lesson” of hisexperience helps other officers avoid thesame tragic ending.
Every year, I and other LEAA repre-
O ne idea is ause-of-forceseminar forlocal media. Put
on a dog and pony showfor the press and localpoliticians. Explain your use-of-force policy, how it was developed andhow officers are trained in it. Give them ademonstration of force issues, teach themabout grappling with suspects and makethem do a pat down for hidden weapons.Explain the ideas behind the use-of-forcecontinuum. Give them a chance to runthrough shoot/don’t shoot scenarios withthe various video/laser firearms simulators.Let them volunteer to get TASERed orblasted with OC spray — that’s what thejunior news staff is for, you know the folksyou always see in the rain parkas, standingoutside as the hurricane rolls in.
Finally, everyone needs to repeat themessage that we want all our officers to gohome safe and alive at shift’s end. That’sgoal number one. You won’t changeminds overnight, but you will open up afew avenues closing the gap of under-standing on use-of-force issues. In themeantime, groups like LEAA will still bethere to fight back on TV and make surethe working “cop-on-the street”side of the story gets airtime.
Make no mistake, I chose those words carefully. It’sentirely true, but it’s also just the kind of remark thatcould get any cop thrown off the job by a media-led
lynch mob. “Some folks deserve to be shot,” is the basic ele-ment of common sense that separates street cops and averagelaw abiding Americans on one side and reporters, politiciansand liberal activists on the other — “us” vs. “them.”
The disparity between us and them when it comes to use offorce is one of the most important officer safety issues today.This gap in reality is overlooked by far too many administrators
sentatives appear on many nationalmedia programs to provide “balance” fol-lowing high profile use-of-force inci-dents. Each case is entirely different, butthe main ingredients that concern themedia are often the same: grainy videofootage of a use-of-force incident (usu-ally beginning after the suspect hasalready caused the situation to deteriorateinto a violent confrontation), an “out-raged” criminal defense attorney oractivist and a media ill-informed aboutproper and just use of force.
It really troubles some in the media thatforce is sometimes required to affect anarrest. In the eyes of the media, policeofficers are supposed to have super-humanpowers to quickly restrain and cuff a sus-pect. Added to the officer’s powers are theamazing properties of handcuffs, whichmagically render a suspect harmless andcooperative. Never mind that handcuffs arejust one level of restraint and often farfrom enough to control a determined orunder the influence arrestee. Handcuffedprisoners still manage to kill officers.
When it comes to use of force, themedia and politicians just don’t get it. Thegap of understanding mixed with anti-copbias and utterly unrealistic Mondaymorning quarterbacking is causing hesita-tion on the job that can get cops killed. It’snot enough for just LEAA and departmentsto offer explanations after a use-of-forceincident — the law enforcement commu-nity has to become proactive.
Hesitation Kills
LEAA JAMES J. FOTIS
THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ALLIANCE OF AMERICA.
and police organizations. I’ll be blunt, LEAA firmly believesthe media and politician’s misguided understanding on proper“use of force” is getting cops killed and/or injured. When mediaand political firestorms erupt each time officers are involved ina deadly force situation, it has an impact on the cops workingthe street. You don’t have to take my word for it, even the FBIadmits it. In the October 2002 issue of the FBI’s Law Enforce-ment Bulletin, they researched cases involving officers whowere attacked or killed. The common denominator they found:the officer hesitated when it came to using force.
“I’LL SAY IT AGAIN, SOME FOLKS DESERVE TO BE SHOT!”“I’LL SAY IT AGAIN, SOME FOLKS DESERVE TO BE SHOT!”
TaserthePress?
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 promotethe 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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16 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
MARK HANTENCARRYOPTIONSFROM HOLSTERS TO HAVERSACKS.
G&G also deserves mention andmay have been a little ahead ofthe trend. They offer two solidpatrol holsters accommodating
several handgun models with the Stream-light M-3 attached. Many agencies are juststarting to come around to acceptingpatrol officers carrying light-mountedguns. Slow initial demand made them aspecial order item, but now they’re gearedup to match increased demand as the trendpicks up steam. I remember a few yearsago some administrators saying, “No waycan you let these guys carry lights on theirguns. They’ll be out there using them tocheck the pupils of narcotics suspects.”We’ve come a long way!
Or have we?
Without a good holster, the lightmounted system doesn’t doanybody any good. One of myfavorite agencies recently
authorized patrol cops to carry light-mounted handguns on patrol. However,they can only carry it in a conventionalduty belt-style holster (no thigh rigs). Thecritical part is the gun has to fit into theholster with the light attached.
At first, several officers were not happywith this arrangement. Several had Stream-
light M-3 lights with a conve-nient duty belt attachment.The theory was they have acompact, high-power flash-light on their belt and whenthey need it mounted on theirgun, snap it on and away theygo. Thank goodness the folksin training did some work onthis. What seems obvious nowdidn’t occur to them before.
By far, most of the time wedraw our guns and point themat people. What do you dowith a gun that doesn’t fit inyour holster if you have to gohands-on? I’m sure the suspect
might have a few suggestions, but nonewould be as convenient, practical and rea-sonable as securing it into a retention hol-ster designed specifically for your system.PURPOSE-BUILT
PUT THATWHEREcell phone-sized .380?
In this whole development process, noone deserves more credit than the holstermanufacturers. There’re dozens of gunmakers building models with tactical lightrails designed into them. Several lightmakers are building extraordinarily sophis-ticated compact light systems. Respondingto the changing market are a couple of ded-icated holster manufacturers trying to keepup with the myriad of gun/light combos toprovide usable carry systems. Oh yeah, canI get that in plain, basket weave, tacticalnylon and super high gloss please?
Safariland recognized the need and quickly stepped up to the plate with rigsbuilt for light-mount handguns. They have a product line encompassing thewidest range of weapon and light combinations in the industry. Glock, Sig,Smith & Wesson, Springfield, Beretta, H&K and Kimber are all well repre-
sented in the Safariland chart. You can choose between several light-mount holster sys-tems for many of the more popular lights.
The most popular systems are the Streamlight M-3 and the new Sure Fire X200,but Safariland still makes holstersfor some of the older and less pop-ular lights as well. Both the M-3and the X200 lights are outstandingin their own ways and both areright at home on patrol.
The two main patrol models forSafariland are the 6280 and the6285. Actually, they’re the same hol-ster design but the 6280 is a Mid-Ride and the 6285 rides 1.5" lower.Both employ Safariland’s UniversalBelt Loop (UBL) to attach the hol-ster to your gun belt. It provides avery secure self-locking system thatwon’t slide. And yes, you can get itin plain, basket weave, hi-gloss andnylon-look finishes.
GOULD ANDGOODRICH
Ihave to marvel atthe way differentmanufacturersare able to bring
weapon-mounted lightingsystems technology to the
field. Today, every patrolofficer can carry a high-tech
pistol, with an intenselybright light, attached in a
secure, quick-drawing, duty hol-
ster. We’ve come along way sincemy old SureFire
stuck out 4"beyond the barrel of
my Beretta 92FS, andkinda conveniently fit in a nylon thighpouch the size of a small day-pack.
Weapon-mounted lights are one of themost significant technological advancesfor patrol officers. If you can’t see it, youcan’t shoot it. Since most of our dan-gerous confrontations occur during dark-ness, a bright light may make the differ-ence between life and death. It can alsoaid shoot/no-shoot decision making asyou’re trying to see just what the personhas in their hand. Is that a cell phone, or a
LIGHTING THE WAY
*
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Safariland
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FFaannccyy TTeecchhnniiccaall JJaarrggoonnFFaannccyy Technical JJaarrggoonn
BOB DAVISHIGHTECHCUTTING EDGE WIDGETS — AND OTHER NEW STUFF.
this case we’re weighingmoney against lives.
Pacific MicrowaveResearch’s (PMR) DigitalVideo Tactical Transmitteror DVTT is a good way tostart. Although a small com-pany, PMR is a leader in thearea of research and devel-opment of tactical productsfor military and lawenforcement. Working inconjunction with the Centerfor the Commercializationof Advanced Technology,PMR has developed asystem called Coded DigitalRadio (CoDR). It’s an integratedvideo surveillance system using wirelessdigital video and audio transmissions in acompact, refined package.
The key is the use of advance digital video architecture — versus the olderanalog systems. Think of it like High Definition TV, opposed to the pictureyou watched while your Dad was moving the rabbit ears in the old days.Analog transmitters are severely limited by interference and can be easily
intercepted by anyone scanning your frequency.PMR’s digital transmitter uses MPEG-2 compression and encryption to keep its
signal from being hijacked by unauthorized viewers.Reflections wrecked havoc on older analog systems. Digital transmitters can
actually use them to their advantage. The older systems required line-of-sight fortheir signal. The digital systems, with a directional antenna, can use reflected sig-nals to increase the system’s range.
In the analog days, when the picture started to fade you got snow, ghosts and mul-tiple images. After fiddling with the antenna, you might get the picture back. But mostof the time, you found yourself in a blizzard of TV snow. In the digital world, once thereceiver grabs the signal you’ve got a picture. If the signal quality sinks below the min-imum acceptable threshold, the picture’s gone. In other words, it’s there — or it’s not.So if you can bounce a signal off that glass building next door, go for it.
“Form factor,” a fancy technical term, refers to the size of a device. PMR’s DVTT formfactor is not much larger than a stack of 3x5 index cards and about
as thick as a pack of cigarettes. It’s concealable,if you choose to use it that way—and rugged too. Once combinedwith a sophisticated pinhole videocamera you have a working tac-tical surveillance system.
A simple on/off switch and acouple of connectors for camera,power and transmitting antennacompletes the device. If there’s aweak point, it’s the same one
every electronic device shares —power consumption. Fortunately, bat-
tery technology has improved. Expectplenty of transmitting time with a battery not
much larger then the one in police radio.
I t’s high time law enforcement exploitsvideo technology for street cops —and not just SWAT.In what seems like the blink of an eye,
tactical video surveillance equipment hasmoved from the realm of Hollywood to anecessity for field operations. I’m nottalking about futuristic James Bond gear.This is about the real world — real timetactical video equipment every depart-ment should consider adding to theircrime-fighting toolbox.
You may think this stuff’s too bulky, itnever works right and it’s way too expen-sive. Times have changed folks — andtechnology has too. Over the past few yearsthere’ve been incredible leaps in miniatur-ization and quality. Meanwhile, the costs ofsuperior digital systems have dropped dra-matically. Don’t take me wrong, you’re stillgoing to spend some precious dollars, but in
CAMERA MAGIC
?WHY Do YouNeed This
I t’s very simple. Think about the lasttime you relayed some importantinformation up the chain. How manytimes did the flavor of the info
change? Instead of relying on informationinterpreted through multiple layers, whynot get it first-hand? You’d be surprisedhow much better the decision-makingprocess becomes when the facts are unfil-tered. It happens every day.
Consider the number of misconductor just plain old rudeness complaintsyour department receives. Most are thedirect result of traffic stops where thecitizen feels they were wronged by theofficer. If the entire contact was cap-tured, there’s no question about whatwas said; who did what, or when it hap-pened. Just review the digital recordingand forget about the so-called interpreta-tions. It’s plain and simple. The factscannot be disputed no matterwho was wrong — or right.
For more information, contact: Center forthe Commercialization of Advanced Tech-nology, www.ccatsandiego.org; PacificMicrowave Research,www.pmicrowave.com.
18 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
*
Tiny but tough.
Plus, it’s on the cutting edge of fashion.
SECTION1 (Pg3-36,69) 8/10/05 1:45 PM Page 18
Nationwide, more than 60 police departmentshave discovered a valuable new tool for community policing and foot patrols: theSegway® Human Transporter (HT).
Officers on board Segway HTs are able tocover more ground more quickly, and respondto incidents in just seconds. When used forpatrolling city streets, airport concourses orcollege campuses, the Segway HT extendsan officer's range, reduces fatigue and facilitates interaction with the public. In addi-tion, officers stand 8” taller on Segway HTs,making it easier for them to see and be seen.
The Segway HT has been approved as aCBRNE Incident Response Vehicle, andfunds are available for unit purchases throughthe Department of Homeland Security.
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SECTION1 (Pg3-36,69) 8/10/05 10:28 AM Page 19
20 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
SAMMY REESEOFFICERSURVIVALGETTING HOME IN THE SAME CONDITION YOU WENT TO WORK IN.
These days, most street cops carryhandcuffs, chemical agents, a radioand some type of impact weapon.Then there are those who take it to
the next level and tack on a big jangle ofkeys, a cell phone, a pager, their PDA, GPSand all the latest handgun attachments.
However, when all your extra tactical toys get in the wayof the basics, like being able to draw your weapon from theholster, officer safety goes out the window. Not to mention theextra stress it puts on the lower back.
Carry the tools you need to do the job. Never sacrifice yourpersonal safety with too much “stuff” on your duty belt.
T he most deadly mistake I’mseeing is officers loading thewrong caliber ammunitioninto their duty weapons.
You’d think those who go into harm’sway on a daily basis would make surethe weapons they carry had the properammo in the magazines. I would havenever believed it if I hadn’t seen it —time and time again. Even with safe-guards in place, 9mm is finding itsway into .40 magazines. You areresponsible for what gets loaded intoyour magazines. Don’t become a sta-tistic because you were careless.
Why is it that the more time a cophas on the job somehow translates into “I can violate hard-and-fast safety rules any time I want.” Example: A good cop, a fairlygood shooter, walks to the range house with shotgun in hand as if
he were walking the field behind ahunting dog. I turn to see the business
end pointing directly at me. I say,rather tersely: “Would you pleasepoint that weapon in a safe direction— preferably not at me!”
His reply: “It’s not loaded. Whatare you so touchy about?” The range
safety rules exist for a reason. Be pro-fessional and ask yourself how you would feel if thatunloaded gun killed someone.
I wish I had a buck every time an officer came to therange to qualify with their new backup or off-dutyweapon and I asked them to show it to me. Out of thefanny pack, ankle rig or whatever holster it comes,locked and loaded — ready to go.
“How many rounds do you have through this?” Iask. “None, I just picked it up a few weeks ago.” I
press on: “Have you been carrying it on duty?” “Affirm!Ain’t she a beauty?” “How do you know it functions with
the ammo you have for it?” “Well, I paid 700 bucks for it and it’sbrand new! There shouldn’t be anything wrong with it.” I don’teven have to explain that one.
Here’s another good one: “The reason I shot so poorly isthis weapon is all dicked-up.” As an instructor, it’s not usuallya good idea to embarrass a shooter. It tends to shut downlearning. But sometimes you have to make a point. After I shota magazine through the weapon in question and showed thisshooter it worked perfectly, I heard the statement of a lifetime:“Well, you practice more than I do.”
I think there’s a lesson there?
If you’re carrying your weapon in alevel-three security holster, practiceand train with all the retentiondevices secured. During qualifica-
tion shoots, I’ve seen officers on the line
Retention-tension
I’ve noticed a trend when it comes tocops. They frequently get lazy, or com-placent or believe hype about hot newproducts “sure to change the world”
and load themselves up with every gadgeton the market.
So, in no particular order of importance,I offer these “Things I see all the time andthey might get you killed someday”moments. I hope you have the guts to lookhard at yourself as you read ’em.
Things I SeetS diup
Duty Belt Overload
with one or more retention devicesunsecured. Which generates the fol-lowing conversation:
“Why is that not snapped-in?”“I’m much faster on the draw if I
don’t snap it.”“Do you secure it while on shift? ““Well, of course I do!” As comedian Bill Ingval
would say: “Here’s your sign.”
GUNSTUFF
*
It’s okay to getupset by this.
SECTION1 (Pg3-36,69) 8/10/05 10:28 AM Page 20
SO HOW DO
YOU PERFORM
ANEXORCISMON A BUICK?
22 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
COMMANDER GILMOREONTHEJOBA CAREFULLY-SELECTED COLLECTION OF SLAPSHOTS AND SNOT-FLINGIN’ FUNNYSTUFF FROM FELLOW COPS.
WONDER WHYHE’S NOT STILL
ON THE JOB?
The cops in Greenwich, Conn.,thought they had another routineflasher case when the first reports
came in. A man, reportedly wearingvery tight pants, was holding a shop-ping bag in front of his crotch andaccosting passersby on a downtownsidewalk. As soon as he had theirattention, he would yank the bag asideand display a monster bulge for their“viewing pleasure.”
The dude wasn’t tough to spot —and neither was his admirable bulge.The suspect turned out to be ArthurBertana, a former Stamford PD cop.This caper wouldn’t be newsworthyat all except for the fact the officersdidn’t believe that bulge was 100-percent Arthur’s original factoryequipment. His “device” turned outto be — a toy banana.
“It was a yellow, plush, child’s toybanana,” reported Sgt. Roger Petrone.And, he said, “It had a smiley face onit.” At least Arthur wasn’t on-duty, in uniform, huh?
Our sober-minded investigative brethren on the South Haven, Ind.,police department just chuckled and shook their heads when they got areport of a “possessed” late-model sedan. When the lady explained thecar had started itself, motored out of her driveway and crashed into
her neighbor’s house, they decided they’d better have a look.By the time they got there, the demon-mobile was safely back in the owner’s dri-
veway and looking pretty innocent. But as the nervous lady stood there wringin’ herhands and stammering her version of events, to the officers’ flabbergasted amazement,the demon-car fired up, revved and took off slowly but surely outta the drive anddown the street. Two seconds later, after pickin’ their jaws up off the concrete, officersgave chase, catching and stopping “Christine” before she could do any more damage.
Investigation revealed that the lady had a remote-starting device on her key ringand apparently she had accidentally squeezed it on both occasions. Compoundingthe problem — in highly technical terms — investigators determined the startie-upgizmo interacted with some kinda defective gear-selection doohickey causing theself-propelled effect. The problem was blamed on unnamed “techno-gremlins.” Asofficers watched, the lady peeled the electro-lozenge off her key ring, admitting shedidn’t “know how the stupid thing worked, anyway,” and had never used it — notintentionally, anyway. She promised to keep it in a safe place and they promised notto shoot her car — unless it got frisky again.
Got something to share? Send it to me at [email protected] and if I use it, I’ll fish around in my desk and find some kinda cheap gizmo to send you.
JUST ANOTHER SLEEPY NIGHT ON PATROL:U
mmm … Negative. At least, wedon’t think the bluesuits in littleCrystal, Minn., get too many callsreporting that Elvis is in the
building and he’s suffering some kindamedical emergency.
Officers responded to a local vet-erans’ hall and found a flock of cos-tumed revelers on the dance floor. Theywere boogeyin’ around the prone formof a dude decked out as Elvis Presley athis gaudiest, and Elvis seemed to be inconvulsions. The instant they touchedhim, Elvis snapped outta his spazzattack, leaped up, yelled “Viva LasVegas!” and commenced regaling thecops with badly-sung show tunes. Andthe night wasn’t over.
That’s when two ladies reported thatone of the infamous Blues Brothers hadstolen their car. Yep; another guy,dressed up as John Belushi in themovie “The Blues Brothers,” hadnicked their wheels and was intenton acting out the stolen car-chasescene from the film. Screamin’cruisers fell in behind him on a highspeed failure-to-yield chase to — andthen all around — the Crystal airportbefore they ultimately forced him to ascreeching stop and cuffed him.
Local sources explained that there’snot much in the way of entertainment inthe area, and, well, folks tend to go alittle stir-crazy and make up their ownforms of merriment.
*
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WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 23
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More officers are dying in vehicle accidents than everbefore. Statistics gathered at the National Law Enforce-ment Memorial Fund Web site are staggering. Thesedisturbing results show a huge increase over the last 30
years. In the period spanning 1995-2005, 477 officers died behindthe wheel — a 10-percent increase from previous decades. The
477 deaths are not counting officers who were struck byother vehicles (143) or Law Enforcement motorcycle fatali-ties (66) in the same time period (1995-2005).
From a lack of standardization in the available data it’svery hard to conclude the exact ways cops die in crashes.Most departments collect good data, however it’s oftendepartment-specific information. Some good data getsreported to NHTSA, however many police fatality statisticsare never released. In 2005, there has been ten officer-related“Auto Accident” deaths.
24 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
ANTHONY RICCIEVOC
Do we provide our officers with the correct tools for thejob? It’s essential for each department to do an in-depth assessment. If we update technology or change a
policy, do we do the proper training to develop correct mind-setto adapt to these changes?
Many departments only provide basic EVOC training in theacademy with no additional driver training. We just finishedtraining several departments who said they needed remedialtraining for officers who were getting into crashes. Wouldn’t it bebetter to train your officers annually to reduce the risk of acci-dents in the first place?
As a professional driving instructor I also make the recom-mendation training should include cars, trucks and SUVs not just
Earl Sweeney, Assistant Commissioner of Safety for NewHampshire, and the Chair of the Highway Safety Com-mittee for The International Association for Chiefs ofPolice had some interesting light to shed on the subject.
“The IACP has done several investigations on subjectssuch as lighting for police vehicles, vehicle positioning for trafficstops and other issues. Police findings show less lights are betteron the back of police cars. More reflective markings are veryhelpful as well.” Earl also specified that more departments shoulduse a “block position” rather than angling their car when con-ducting a traffic stop.
Studies from Ford show parking your police car in a “blocking”position when pulling a vehicle over is generally safer for theofficer. If the police car gets hit from behind when using an “angle”parked position, the car could hit the officer. Officers should try tominimize time spent standing next to stopped vehicles in traffic andto approach from the passenger side when possible.
patrol cars. If the department uses several different models theyshould all be addressed in training. There’s a huge differencebetween the Crown Vic and a Dodge Intrepid — or a 4x4 SUV.
Agencies need to be proactive with training and officersneed a self-survival and public safety mind-set. This must beingrained into an officer’s everyday work habits.
Although it can be expensive, technology can save lives andmanpower. For instance, converting to Palm Pilots instead oflaptops gives an officer the ability to move away from thevehicle if need be. That would put them out of theimpact zone if a crash occurs during a stop.
For more information: go to www.iacp.org and www.nlemf.com.
SURVIVING IN YOUR MOBILE OFFICE.
Dying Behind The Wheel —
Why Cops Crash
Related Problems
*
• Average tenure was 11.5 years.• Most had a fairly short tenure of 1.5 to 7 years.• Average age was 32 years. • Each officer lost control of the vehicle. • Most were responding to a call and half where driving
in icy conditions.• Two were thrown from the vehicle.• Eight accidents happened between 0400-0530, one at
at 1615 and one at 2200.
Some contributing factors were fatigue, speed, driving beyond the vehicles limits, lack of seat belt use, lack of training and most accidents occurred at end-of-shift times. Ju
st t
he F
acts
TO DO LIST
"Tires-on-the-pavement" training is whatyou need — and slow down ...
Anthony Ricci is the owner and president of Advanced Driving and Security (ADSI). He’s been teaching cops to drive for over twenty years. www.1adsi.com.
SECTION1 (Pg3-36,69) 8/10/05 10:29 AM Page 24
How many times have you heard asergeant or lieutenant say, “I’msorry; this isn’t my idea, but …”— and then somebody pulls a
task that may or may not be a little outof the ordinary, inconvenient, dirty ordangerous? And back when you werethe one being addressed, what did youthink about that? “Damn, the sargethinks this is a crappy assignment,” or,“Why me? Why do I pull the shit-jobs?” “Heobviously wouldn’t do it; why should I?” Talkabout creating a negative mind-set!
I came from a military order-giving position to apolice order-taking one, and the first time I heard that bull, Ithought, “What’s wrong with this dipstick? It’s police work. He’s sorry? What the hell?”And sadly, I’ve heard it too many times since then, even from otherwise good leaders.It’s become habitual, endemic in law enforcement — and toxic.
What better way to poison the minds of your troops than to give them the impres-sion many things you assign them to do are extraordinary, in a negative sense, drudge-work, outside their scope, or just plain miserable? Every time you preface an assign-ment with “I’m sorry,” you create and reinforce the sense “We’re all just unwillinglycarrying out unreasonable orders.” The long-term collateral damage is insidious.
Sure, police work can be complex, dirty and demanding. Thank God it is, or you’dbe getting minimum wage, and your idiot brother-in-law would be doing it, instead ofhis scholarly research in endurance video-gaming.
Consider these points: First, check your officers’ job description. Pretty broad andinclusive, isn’t it? Not much falls outside those lines. They, and you, voluntarily sworeto do it. They get paid to do it and not because it’s easy and pleasant. You get paid togive orders and see they’re carried out resolutely and correctly. Second, is the orderillegal, unethical, or immoral? Are you asking them to do it off the books and unpaid?Does the job amount to a personal favor? Is it something you would refuse to do your-self? No? So, what should you be sorry for?
Don’t apologize for being in command. It marginalizes you and your authority, triv-ializes the job, and juvenilizes your people.
26 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
JOHN MORRISONSTREETLEVELSTRAIGHT TALK ON SUPERVISION & LEADERSHIP ON THE FRONT LINES — THE STREETS.
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 divisionexecutive officer. He has taught, written and lectured widely on training, tactics and leadership. Contact him at [email protected].
Who’s this column for? Thosewho lead, and those who wantto. That generally meanssergeants, and includes some
lieutenants in agencies where theyhaven’t been morphed into pure paper-pushers. Why you? Because in the archi-tecture of law enforcement, you are thekeystones without which the wholestructure would collapse — and damnfew people in or out of police work rec-ognize that fact.
Street cops and working detectives arethe bricks, stones, foundations and walls;indispensable when organized right, andrubble when not. Those above you in the
chain of command are the shingles,steeples, gutters — and gargoyles. Some-times they actually serve a purpose, andsometimes they just squat there lookingugly and letting you bear their weight.
Service and support personnel are themortar that holds everything together.You are the keystones. And somewherebetween the relative freedom andautonomy of street cops, and the mate-rial rewards and recognition given tohigher brass, you are the Forgotten Few.
If an officer calls in, “Dispatch, thoseweren’t firecrackers! I’ve got four downin the parking lot, and (pop!pop!) Covernow!” or, “Units responding, this ‘party’
includes burning, overturned cars and amob,” — and they call you — then youknow who this column is for.
In future issues, we’re going to talkabout “surviving with stripes;” everythingfrom training and tactics to evaluations andethics; decision-making methodology, dis-cipline and dealing with dummies — butno warm’n’fuzzy social theory, politically-correct pretentiousness, “Zero-Base Bud-geting Can Be Fun!” or that kind of crap;strictly street-level stuff. The editor askedme, “What’s the most dangerous — or thestupidest thing — you see supervisorsdoing? What’s the one thing you’d like totell them right now?” Easy.
APOLOGIES, TOXIC GAS AND COLLATERAL DAMAGE
NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR BEING IN COMMANDNEVER APOLOGIZE FOR BEING IN COMMAND
"
When your orders are carriedout, don’t thank the troops fordoing their job by saying,
“thank you.” In this society, those wordsare about as overused and meaningless as“have a nice day.” If the task was accom-plished commendably, try “Good job!”or “Well done!” When the job was toughand the performance praiseworthy, usethat single most gratifying phrase a realcop can hear: “You’ll see this on yournext evaluation.”
Remember, chevron-stripes onsleeves are like racing stripes on cars —they can signify strength and purpose,or nothing at all. And there’s no roomfor “paint-on performance”in police work.
NoPaint-On
Performance
*
SECTION1 (Pg3-36,69) 8/10/05 10:29 AM Page 26
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Byron Knives
28 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
MARK HANTENHANDTOOLSESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR THE JOB.
B yron’s semi-custom knivesrepresent an exceptionalvalue, especially when com-pared to knives costing hun-
dreds more. The company’s aero-space background is put to max-imum advantage by using hi-techmanufacturing techniques for heattreating, cryogenic processing, cut-ting, grinding and polishing. Com-bine this with Allen Elishewitz’thoroughly practical design and youhave a powerful combination.They’re a great investment. Both theLightning Strike and the LightningStrike II come with a functionalblack nylon web sheath and alifetime warranty. For more information contact:ww.byronknives.com.
AerospaceCutters
Aman can’t have too many knives, guns or flashlights!All three seem to fit into the classification of; “I’drather have it and not need it than need it and nothave it.” I’m always looking for another great idea
from each of these categories. My most recent find is a pair ofknives you can classify as gotta-haves. If you’re a cop lookingto invest in one all-purpose blade, you’d do well to lay yourhands on one of these.
Byron Knives needed a top end knifedesigner so they chose one of the best,Allen Elishewitz. He’s probably bestknown for his knives designed under con-
tract for Benchmade Knife Company. As a formerMarine from 4th Recon C Company, Elishewitzhas the experience of using knives in the realworld and his designs reflect that expertise. Elishe-witz is a master craftsman and artist, winningmany knife making awards including FightingKnife Magazine’s “Knifemaker of the Year.”
The materials used for these knives rank assome of the best available. The 154CM steel isvery similar to Hitachi’s highly touted ATS-34 pro-prietary steel. Actually, it’s better because of the Made in the USA stamp. The 154CMsteel has found a substantial following among high-end knifemakers. It combinesexcellent corrosion resistance and hardness with good edge retention. Stocks are neu-tral colored matte finished micarta with narrow parallel laser-routed groves. Theresulting feel is an ideal balance of comfort, utility and slip resistance. The stocksattach with high quality hex-head stainless steel hardware. In short — they feel good!
Byron’s Tactical Knives line includes two designs, the “Lightning Strike” and thecompact “Lightning Strike II.” The Lightning Strike (model LS 115) is a 5.5" droppoint no nonsense tactical knife with a plain edge blade, serrated thumb tang and a lan-yard ring in the pommel. The pommel comes to a point making it highly efficient forbreaking tempered glass or pretty much anything else requiring a little breaking nowand then. The handle is narrow without being skinny, and full-sized without beingbulky. I think it has an almost ideal feel to it. The only way it could be improved for meis to turn it into the Lightning Strike II.
The Lightning Strike II (model LS 114) is virtually the same as the Lightning Strikeexcept the blade is a more compact 4" length. After carrying some big knives like theSOG Seal Knife 2000 and the Ek M-5 Bowie operationally, I now realize the slightlysmaller size pays off big. They’re significantly less likely to hang up on every win-dowsill, doorway, fence, attic opening and every other “wait-a-second” you comeacross. Even the balance and feel of the Lightning Strike II seem to be just a littlebetter to me. I must admit though, for a big knife, the larger Lightning Strike seemsmore convenient than the other big knives I’ve carried. Bottom line — you just can’tgo wrong with either one of these great tactical knives. They tested — tough.
The knives are made by a relative newcomer to the industry,Byron Knives of Fairfield, Ohio. Originally an aerospace com-pany, their knife business is a passionate offshoot of owner andfounder, Mark Byron. When the business expanded to includeheat-treating and cryogenic processing of metals, the knife busi-ness became a natural extension. Byron Knives has managed toincorporate good design with the advanced metals technologiesof their aerospace business. This translates into quality knives.
Value Added
DESIGN COUNTS
*
Tougher than a folder, afixed blade is a viableoption for some duty uses.
SECTION1 (Pg3-36,69) 8/10/05 10:29 AM Page 28
RELIABILITY FOR LIFE & LIBERTY™
MEETTHE M&P FROM SMITH & WESSON.Reinforced polymer chassis, superior ergonomics, ambidextrous
controls, proven safety features. The new standard in reliability
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Available in 40S&W, 9mm and 357Sig.
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Polymer Frame with Embedded
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(3) Interchangeable
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Through-Hardened, Stainless Steel Slide
and Barrel with Black Melonite® Finish,
Yielding a Surface Hardness of 68 HRc
SECTION1 (Pg3-36,69) 8/10/05 10:29 AM Page 29
30 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
PAUL MARKELPRIVATESECURITYISSUES AND TRENDS ON THE PRIVATE SIDE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.
Since 9/11 and the very realthreat of terrorism, more citi-zens than ever are being scruti-nized by security personnel.
You will encounter both the profes-sional and the amateur at ournation’s airports. While paid morethan your average security guard,many of them are brand new to thefield, rookies I suppose you couldsay. Just as a lot of rookie cops, theyare often brash and cocky with theirnewfound power and authority.
I almost always travel armed. Ittakes only a second to determine thepro from the rookie after I declaremy firearm. The pros check to besure I am in compliance and send meon my way. The new guys act likeI'm trying to smuggle a nuclear war-head onto the airplane.
Airport security has rightfullybeen lampooned for confiscating fin-gernail clippers and other innocuousitems. I suspect as time goes by andairport security personnel gain moreexperience and training, the pros willoutnumber the amateurs. I hope so.
After all this, few would make anargument for removing security fromour airports, hospitals or other areasof our communities. Security officersperform a necessary service thatmost would rather not do. Their pro-fession dates back centuries and isgoing to be viable for the foreseeablefuture. Despite the Hollywood depic-tion, security officers are not allmouth-breathers or wanna-be cops.The majority of them are ordinaryfolks doing an important job withlittle thanks or praise.
Take the time to open your mindto the idea of working with privatesecurity when you encounter them onyour beat. In many cases, you mayfind a wealth of information, cooper-ation and even some good back-up ifthe need shouldarise one day.
They Aren’t All Like ThatH
istorically, societies have reveredthe professional protectors.Feudal knights and easternsamurai are romanticized in liter-
ature and film. Popular films use SecretService agents and professional body-guards as their heroes.
Security guards are another story.The popular entertainment media’s por-trayal of the security officer is as abumbling dweeb or amouth-breathing oaf.They’re comic relief inkid’s movies and acliché in films targetingan older audience.
The professionalsecurity business —
I’ve provided professional security in one form or another my entire workingcareer. The most challenging job was as the operations manager for a uniformedsecurity company. Not all our clients viewed security as a nuisance. As a matterof fact we worked for a major pharmaceutical company and a telecommunica-
tions firm that paid decent wages and even offered paid benefits to our personnel.We were able to hire and retain quality people for these facilities. In other words,
they got what they paid for — an intelligent, conscientious, dedicated security team.Clients willing to pay only minimum wage were lucky to get a warm body in a wrin-kled uniform shirt. And I know you know what I’m talking about.
One of the most ignored groups of security guards is hospital security. In a majormetropolitan hospital you have literally hundreds, if not thousands, of people comingand going all day and night. You have, in effect, a small city with all the crime prob-lems cities have.
Hospital security deals with theft, robbery, domestic violence and a never-endingstream of emotionally disturbed people. Essentially, hospital guards perform the samejob as most street cops, but usually without a gun or arrest powers. Hospital adminis-trators often won’t even allow less-lethal tools like OC, Tasers or batons. They don’tlike the idea of their guards being “armed.” Yet, the great majority of hospital securitystaff I’ve encountered are serious professionals. Normally, they’re compensated wellwith healthcare, one of their biggest benefits.
Work With,NOT Against
Security = Professional?
Sickurity GardSickurity Gard
from low-end night watchmen to high-endbodyguards — is one of the fastestgrowing employment fields in the UnitedStates. Unfortunately, it’s also true the vastmajority of the security jobs are “low-bidder” contracts with wages around theminimum allowed by law. It’s difficult,though not impossible, to attract highquality workers under these circumstances.
Why are most security contracts lowbid? In the business world, security is
a loss, or at best a wash. The securitydepartment will never show a profit
and it eats up valuable workingcapital. Truth is, many compa-
nies view security personnelas an evil forced on them bythe insurance company.
*Paul Markel has been a cop since 1991. He's served several communities in his native Ohio. Paul also provides executive protection in the US and overseas.
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CLINT SMITHREALITYCHECK I ICOUNSEL, WISDOM, GUIDANCE AND TEACHING.
It’s often sort of rare anyone would be struck with a blue-white-bolt-of-lighting kind of an idea. Normally we’ll mull,think, ponder, weigh and ruminate over a long time to comeup with a new concept — especially in the world of
firearms training. Reflecting back on it, that’s the way theUrban Rifle concept came about for me. It evolved from tenyears of law enforcement application and maybe, more impor-tantly, 18 months as a 0311 soldier in a scenic domain calledthe Republic of Vietnam (circa 1968-1969).
Initially, the Urban Rifle program was a novelty and it drew
9MM BUZZ GUNS
some subtle attention in the law enforcement community. But,on a sunny South Florida morning in the spring of 1986 in aflurry of gunfire, the die was cast for the Urban Rifle Concept.During those hectic few minutes, a rifle was brought to bearon federal agents who were following a bank robber. It signifi-cantly changed American law enforcement’s attitude abouttraining, and about street cops using rifles. Training cadres allacross the country started searching for solutions with newlyopened eyes, almost before the echo of gunfire from SouthFlorida died off.
BUT WHY RIFLES?The Originator of theUrban Rifle Concept Speaks Out
Back then I was Director of Training for Heckler & Koch America and not-so-silently enduring the redundant early Monday morning staff meetings. One con-stant was the chest-thumping promotion of the 9mm MP5 sub-machinegun. Itaught MP5 classes to the needy with the always present: “This 9mm buzz gun
thing is a passing fad” as a reminder. We were destined to return to the rifle.It’s a better tool than the sub-gun. Period. Times changed and I went back to teaching
Urban Rifle in my own business. In fact, I taught more Urban Rifle programs than all ofthe other firearms programs I taught — combined — after April of 1986.
I didn’t invent this rifles and cops thing. You’ve used rifles for a long time.Texas Ranger Frank Hamer used a Remington Model 8 in .35 Remington at PlainDealing, Louisiana to send Bonnie & Clyde down the path to a real hot place. Iremember right after Gunsmoke Sheriff Frank Morgan opening the door in theintroduction of the TV cop show Sheriff of Cochise and his clearly visible dailycompanion, a lever action rifle.
Many cops carried rifles before the dark veil of political-correctness descended onthem in the 1970s just after the Vietnam War. My dad, a 25-year street cop, carried an
M1 Carbine to work nightly in the middle 1960s. There was a lot of civilunrest during those years. Many western states like New Mexico and
Texas issued lever action rifles to their State Police. I recentlyheard of a model 94 Winchester stamped “San Francisco
Police Department.” Imagine that, a rifle in San Francisco,in California no-less.
We’ve had rifles in our police cars a long, long time.Then skittish, politically-correct administrators
jerked the long guns. Time passed. So much timein fact many cops of the 1980s, 1990s and
2000s didn’t know we old guys worked andfought with rifles and revolvers, before
some of them were born. Today youngfolks come into law enforcement
knowing only polymer pistolsand the realization we need
rifles. Yup, we sure do.
32 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
Practice ...
Urban Riflecirca 1934.
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The War
Conventional enforcement officersafoot are no more or less thanlight infantry. If we are going tobe in a fight, then the only vari-
able is what tools and what training wetake to the fight. Let’s take the best toolsand the best training we can. The shorterthe fight the better.
In the next issue we will start a seriesof articles to help you establish an effec-tive and affordable law enforce-ment rifle program. Stay tuned.
Rifles are powerful precision tools.But even better, they’re surgicaltools. Simple math tells us, fewerrounds fired equal less possible
lawsuits. The other part of that equationis when one round stops the threat inplace of 12 rounds — give or take 20 —from a handgun, fewer lawyers arehappy. That’s a good thing.
Rifles are dangerous and someone
could get hurt. Yup, that’s absolutelycorrect, but more often it means offi-cers and the public we work for are inless jeopardy. If we do not put thepublic or ourselves in danger becausewe use more effective tools , thenadministrators concerned over their vic-arious l iabil i ty should be happycampers. Perception coming into colli-sion with the truth.
The FutureT hink about this, the guy who designed the front drop off ramp on World War IIlanding craft never had to hit the beach at Normandy or Tarawa. The first battleto be fought in this war is with the administrators. Many are leery of the powerof rifles and the political implications. Then again, not being the first though the
door, they don’t collect the interest on the loan — you do.Simply stated, in a fight rifles are better tools than handguns. Arguments and discussions
revolve around length of the gun, weapon retention and over-penetration. They’re mootpoints. Over-penetration is generally overstated by the unknowing. If the knot head in frontof you has body armor or chest-mounted magazine pouches, penetration is a good thing.
The second battle is stunning but true. I’ve seen it nationwide, and all too often.SWAT often does not want conventional enforcement cops carrying rifles because itcrosses onto their turf. SWAT often doesn’t have enough work to justify their existence soanything they can do to make themselves special is good in their eyes. Conventionalenforcement has this irritating habit of arriving at thescene of bad stuff before SWAT.
Rifle-worthy and properly trained street cops couldcontain and resolve many issues or, if nothing else, maybe able to keep these bad scenes from going mobilebefore SWAT arrives. Rifle-equipped patrol officerscould hold problems in place until SWAT gets there atwhich time SWAT could get the glory of entries, roomflooding, etc. while the uniform guys hold perimeters orserve in containment capacities.
Oh yeah, one other subtle nuance. What if SWAT isgetting its butt handed to it? Never happen? Don’t beso sure, it has happened and will again. The conven-tional uniformed rifle-armed Officer Friendly maycome in real handy about the time the SWAT team ispinned down by AK fire, thank you very much.
Truth Vs. Perception
*
Practice ...
Then practice some more.
Put on your dress uniform, dutybeltand pose with your AR-15.
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SIMPLE TO Com
34 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
CHARLES E. PETTYRESERVESDEDICATION AND PROFFESIONALISM THAT GOES BEYOND PAY.
Some reserves are identified as infe-rior by the uniforms they wear. Inmy early years we wore light blueshirts while the regulars wore dark
and the patch had the big word “reserve”right under “police.” I really did have adrunk driver tell me I couldn’t arrest himbecause I was a reserve.
Even though my department had
DIFFERENTCOLORS
Reserves Are Cops Too.No, Really.
judges of theses things — the other guys out there on the street— whether or not you are worthy of their trust and respect. Inthat regard everyone starts on the same page but a reserve officerhas a much greater mountain to climb.
Cops are, by nature and training, a suspicious bunch. If theyweren’t when they started, they quickly learn, because lying is anart form to many of the people they meet.
Yes, there is an us and them separation and until you proveyou’re an us, you’re a them. For the reserve officer who only
works a day a week or maybe a month ittakes a long time to gain acceptance. Forsome it never comes, and for a reserve one“awshit” can be a career-limiting event.How to earn trust is not learned from abook. It’s the same in Lake Woebegon yousee and do, “what needs to be done.”
Them is a group that certainlyincludes the good citizens who pick upthe phone and call 911 expecting us toshow up but it also contains the dirtbagswho hope we don’t.
Within the law enforcement family isa small group of folks who are oftenmisunderstood and frequently unap-preciated. They are reserve or auxil-
iary officers who do the job for a variety of rea-sons — none of which is money.
I know a little about this because from Feb-ruary 4, 1969, until April 30, 1995, I served in adepartment that had 400 regular and 50 reserveofficers when I started, and 1,300 regular and50 reserve officers when I retired. I took away aplaque with my badge, a gold watch and myservice pistol. I also took away an incrediblydiverse book of memories, both good and bad, ascratch or two and, after awhile, the sure knowledge I was amember of a club to which no amount of money can buy mem-bership. The family of cops knows no national boundaries or bar-riers of race or sex. You join not by raising your hand andswearing — or going through rookie school — but by getting outamongst them and doing the job.
This part is exactly the same for reserve or regular. Justbecause you got through school and have that snazzy uniformdoes not make you a member. You have to prove to the ultimate
Simple To COMPLICATEDW
hen I joined the reserves it was a simple thing. You said you wanted to, and ifyou had a clean record they let you. Training was largely on the job workingwith regulars or designated reserve-training officers. We got a few prettyinformal classes taught by veteran officers or volunteer lawyers but it was a
pretty laid back thing. That all changed when the state decided police officers needed tobe certified and have “minimum standards” training. Today it’s a major hassle to getthe hundreds of hours needed, so many new reserve officers are retiring regulars whoare already certified.
During those many years I never introduced myself as a cop — I had a “real” job —but it did come up and I always added the word “reserve” to the distinction. Of course inmy mind I was, and am. The people who asked about it always wondered why I would doa dangerous job for no pay. I got so sick of hearing, “lay your life on the line” I wanted topuke. Yes, I knew there was an element of risk and yes, I did get hurt a time or two but Idid not go out on each shift expecting that. I did joke now and then that my wife would getrich if I got whacked or I was worth more dead than alive when I had the uniform on.
A very good friend was a Marine aviator during Vietnam and he told me of seeinggreen tracers on both sides of the canopy. And he thought I was brave? To me there is aworld of difference between climbing in a police car and hitting the street and strap-ping your ass into an F-4 and going out with the sure and certain knowledge somebodywas going to shoot at you today.
As we go along I want to introduce you to cops I know, and there might even be afew war stories or object lessons, but as American COP gets off the ground — I wantmost of all to say what an honor it is to be here, and to help give voice to those tens-of-thousands of reserves everywhere. Continued on page 69
A much younger Charley shows off his different-coloredshirt. but just how different is a reserve, anyway?
A much younger Charley shows off his different-coloredshirt. But just how different is a reserve, anyway?
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“I can say without a doubt Black Hills Ammo is the finestproduction made ammunition on the American market...All others pale in comparison. Whether competition or combat, when thegoing gets tough, the tough use Black Hills Ammo!”cwo 5 ken davisCWO 5 Officer In Charge, Precision Weapons Section, WTBN Quantico, VA, USMC (Ret.)
(CWO 5 Davis was the Supervisor (Director) of the production, modification and repairof all of Marine Corps precision weapons. He was responsible for leading the researchand development of future generations of innovative and technically advancedweapons and ammunition.)
cwo 5 Ken davis,CWO 5 Officer In Charge, Precision Weapons Section, WTBN Quantico, VA, USMC (Ret.)
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No, really,we’re on thesame side. Thearresting officer is
Step One, and the state or cityattorney prosecuting your case isStep Two. Once we (you and I) walkinto the courtroom, we are the face of justicefor the State, and what we do in that room decideswhether or not the maggot you arrested goes to prison, or givesyou the finger on his way down the front steps of the courthouse.
Unfortunately, though, just like most DAs don’t knowbeans about what happens out on the ground, many cops haveno idea what to do in court. Which is silly, since we are bothon the same side. As an Assistant District Attorney, I happento know the suit-and-tie side of things, so this is a quick
primer on the fastestways to make your
prosecutor either love —or hate — working with you.Since DA/Cop interaction
starts with your report and ends atthe trial, this is what we’re going to
focus on — the reports. And no, it’s not goingto be boring. As a matter of fact, I just might piss you
off some. But keep in mind, your report leads naturally to thatall-important courtroom outcome wherein a jury tells you ifyou’ve wasted your time — or not. So hate me or like me,what follows is the truth.
Put Everything InWinning a case in front of a jury can be tough, and the
36 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
Jeremy D. Clough
Frustrated? Angry? Feel likelashing out? Don't ...
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l a w y e r s ,but that’s the
nature of the job.Some of the mistakes are obvious —
things like “eritacly” for “erratically,” and“cyotte” for “coyote” — and we get agood laugh out of it in the office. Butwhat we laugh at in the DA’s office, thedefense attorney is going to recite in opencourt for the jury’s benefit. That costscredibility, and credibility costs cases.
The Mic Is OpenAnytime you’re recording some-
thing, either audio or video, rememberyou’re being recorded as well. This canbe both very funny and very, very bad,all at the same time. Such as the courtday when several of us were reviewinga videotaped confession in a jury roomright off the main courtroom. At the endof the tape, the investigating officerswent to arrest a co-defendant, and, asthey pulled up outside his residence,one of them shouted, “Run, motherfucker, run!” entirely forgetting he wason tape. This, of course, echoed, full-volume, out into the courtroom full ofpeople. It was funny once it was over,but you don’t want that playing in frontof a jury.
truth about thecase is only as good asthe way it’s conveyed to the “UnluckyTwelve” in the jury box. For a jury tobuy into your version of the truth,you’ve got to have credibility and pro-fessionalism in the courtroom. And,your incident report is the first chanceyou have to blow it.
The most obvious time this comes upis when you’re on the stand, say, testi-fying about the DUI stop you made. Asyou start talking, you’re answering allthe questions correctly, and it all starts tocome back to you, “… subject was slur-ring his words, I observed his eyes to bered and glassy, and oh yeah, he wasunsteady on his feet, too …” and themore you talk, the more you remember.All the while you’re talking and remem-bering, Weasel-for-the-Defense isreading your incident report, waiting tohear you testify about something youdidn’t put in the report.
When it’s his chance to stand up, he’sgonna start with, “Officer (he will callyou this regardless of rank), did youwrite a report about this event? And isyour memory better now, two years later,or when it happened?” The next 15 min-utes or hour will be filled with questionsabout things you didn’t realize youhadn’t written down, and it’s gonna bepainful. A lot of it is going to consist ofsaid weasel asking you whether you justmade it up right there on the witnessstand, or if you wrote a sloppy report,and, if so, what else you left out of it.All your DA can do is watch helplesslywhile you twist in the wind — there’s
WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 37
nothing to objectto, no matter howobjectionable it is.
Best case scenario,you look sloppy. Worstcase, you look like a vindic-tive liar. It’s even worse if youhad to fight with the defendant, andyou leave THAT out of your reportbecause then you look like you’re cov-ering something up.
In one case that crossed my desk, ofthree reports, the first I read stated thesuspect (arrested for misdemeanorobstruction) was seen kicking the backglass of the patrol car, and was trans-ported to jail without incident. The nexttwo reports added the helpful informa-tion that once he tried to kick the rearwindow out of the patrol car, the suspectwas taken out, “calmed” with OC, put inleg irons, strapped down and then takento jail without incident. Forget theunderlying criminal case, folks, that’s alawsuit waiting to happen.
Spelling Too?And while you’re including things in
your report, please, oh please, spell themright. One investigator keeps telling meif cops could spell, they’d be DAs. Ifyou type out your reports on a computer,you have access to spellcheck, and evengrammar check. If you’ve got it, use it.If you don’t, use a dictionary whenyou’re not sure about a word. I know it’sunfair to have your homework graded by
This, actually, isn'tcool. Honest.
Be neat and tidywith those reports— and leave thecrayons at home.
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To turn thefinger around alittle, though, I once watched a defenselawyer confess to a pretty embarrassingsexual episode, not realizing he wasbeing taped. That video is still makingits way around the local agencies, and Ihave a hard time looking at that lawyerwith a straight face. Okay, I can’t.
Magic WordsUh, yeah. Once your report’s done,
spelled right and everything’s in it, yougotta go to court. And, by the way, actu-ally come to court. If you don’t careenough about your case to come tocourt, it’s hard to expect a DA to careabout it, especially with the extremelyhigh caseload most prosecutors have.No one likes to work a 12-hour shift andthen sit in court , but if you’re notkeeping the people you arrest off thestreet, your job is only half done. If youhave to pull the overnight shift rightbefore a morning in court, ask your DAif he can get you in first so you can gohome. We routinely do that.
Once you’re there, it’s important toremember there are magic words youcan’t say in court — so don’t say them.Your DA should sit down with youbefore trial and tell you what these are.Generally speaking, you can’t say theguy is guilty, you can’t talk about hisrecord, and if he invoked any rights atall, you really can’t talk about that.
One officerI dealt with told me
how he knew he wasn’tsupposed to say certain
things, but “I usually manageto sl ip i t in before they can
object.” He called that “smart” — mostjudges call it grounds for a mistrial. Inthe middle of one particularly closedomestic violence case, where thevictim had actually started the fight, thearresting officer described his on-sceneinvestigation, and followed it up with,“We determined they were both guiltyof domestic violence battery.”
You know what happens then:Weasel-for-the-Defense lunges up fromthe Scum Table, and then we’re consid-ering this trial a practice run. No one —judge, lawyers, you — likes trying acase twice. And once you’ve caused amistrial once, the judge is not yourfriend, and the DA may not be either.That’s gonna show in the way they dealwith you when you’re on the stand, andthe jury is gonna pick up on it.
Attitude Is EverythingHaving testified and been cross-
examined before, I know it can be toughto stay calm. But being calm andremaining professional is what givesyou the credibility that wins cases.Many officers like to fence with defenseattorneys on the stand. This is always alosing battle. Remember, lawyers talkfor a living, so you’re not likely to drawblood, and even if you do, it only makesyou look petty.
In a classic example, I had just gonethrough the process to have a highly-
qualified officerdeclared an expert witness
in accident investigation. The defenseattorney objected, claiming, “He’s onlya county deputy.” Five minutes later,after asking a question and getting theanswer I needed, the witness followed itup with, “But what do I know, I’m just acounty deputy.”
What the judge did to him — in frontof the jury — was not pretty. Luckily,the case had lots of civilian witnesses,because his credibility was shot.Remember, the jury doesn’t have tobelieve the defense attorney in order toacquit his client — they just have to dis-believe you, which makes credibility farmore important for our side than theirs.
A far more serious example comesfrom a felony obstruction case I tried,where the defendant, a suspectedarsonist and general maggot, had foughtthree officers, choking one to the pointof unconsciousness. To make a case forobstruction, you have to prove the offi-cers were there in the lawful dischargeof their official duties. In that case, thejudge chose to exclude the evidence ofwhy the officers were at the defendant’shouse, making the case a far closer con-test than i t should have been. Thedefense attorney shouted and callednames and accused the arresting officerof perjury, and managed to get him madon the stand. The jury walked the defen-dant, and one juror told me later they letthe defendant go because they felt theofficers were out of line.
Six months later, that same defendanthad a shotgun wrestled away from him
38 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
Believe it or not, having a spit-cupon the stand isn't a sterling idea.
This is a true story ...
Don't get us wrong, we likedthe idea, but the DA said it'd
be best not to.
Continued on page 66
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Return of theM&P
40 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
When Smith &Wesson introducedthe .38 S&W Special car-tridge the gun was the Model of 1899
First Model .38 Hand Ejector which quickly became known asthe .38 Military and Police... shortened to M&P. The revolverwas the foundation of the “M” frame that carried S&W to adominant position in revolvers for police officers and variationsalso served in all our military branches as well. By 1940 produc-tion of the M&P had reached one million and production of “K”frame revolvers carried on through tens of millions of guns.
As the revolver line grew, M&P revolvers pretty well filledall the niches. You could get an M&P with target sights but thehuge majority were plain fixed sight guns. Calibers covered allthe bases too. The .38 Special was dominant but you could getthem in .22, .32, .32-20, .38 S&W and .357 Magnum. You couldget M&P style “N” frames too as shown by the 1917 .45 ACP or
the 1950Military models in
.44 Special and .45 ACP. As an old time S&W collector I still
mourn the passing of the distinctive namesof their guns. Masterpiece really tells us some-thing and so does Military & Police. When you hearthe name, the image immediately comes to mind of aplain Jane, utilitarian handgun that meets the needs of cops andsoldiers. No frills—just a gun that can save your life. But theproduct line grew to be too big for a truly unique name for everygun so the company adopted a system of numbers for identifica-tion. The M&P became the Model 10.
Today the world’s a different place and while revolvers arealive and well, both military and police have transitioned to anautomatic pistol. Of course S&W was a player there too, gradually
S&W’S 21st CENTURY CLASSIC
Charles E. PettyPhotos: Ichiro NagataCharles E. PettyPhotos: Ichiro Nagata
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Return of theM&P
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improving their autoloaders. But all thatchanged when Glock brought out the firstplastic pistol — the Glock 17. Acceptanceof polymer frame pistols seemed to comeas a surprise to the industry and sooneveryone was playing catch-up. S&W’sinitial attempt, the Sigma, prompted Glockto sue. A vastly improved Sigma remainsin production but is not very competitive
in the law enforcement market. Next S&Wengaged in a joint venture with Waltherresulting in the SW-99. Smith purchasedWalther P-99 frames and completed themwith slides and barrels of their own manu-facture. This is a good gun too but stillleaves S&W dependentupon an overseas vendor.
Smith and Wesson
made a decision in mid2003, if they were going tobe a player in the lawenforcement market, theyneeded a polymer framepistol that was simple, safe,easy to shoot, ambidex-trous and made in theU.S.A. It's the new M&P.
I think it’s pretty coolfor the premier issue ofAmerican COP to be able tobring you, exclusively, agenuine improvement in alaw enforcement handgun. Iwas able to go to S&W inadvance of the publicannouncement and meetwith the project team. I shota couple of prototype pis-tols and a few weeks laterwas able to have one of thefirst to leave the factory. It'simportant to report that myexperience is with proto-type pistols and it's alsoneat to be able to test a gunbefore the paint dries andeverything is cast in stone.
During my testing there were a couple ofmisfires and immediately S&W investi-gated, and then lengthened the striker.Sometimes one prototype would bonkme between the eyes with empty casesand the ejector was addressed. When Imentioned these issues to Joe Bergeron,project manager, his reply was, “we sawthat too and it's taken care of.” We'll be
44 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
SPECIFICATIONSS&W M&P
MECHANISM TYPE: short recoil, locked breechMATERIAL: steel/Zytel polymerFINISH: Melonite/black polymerCALIBER: .40 S&WBARREL LENGTH: 41⁄4”MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 15SIGHTS: Novak rear, dovetail front- 3
white dot (night sights optional)TRIGGER: double-action only 6 lb.OVERALL LENGTH: 71⁄2”WIDTH: 11⁄10” (slide)HEIGHT: 53⁄8”WEIGHT: 27 ouncesGRIPS: polymer (3 interchangeable grip panels)ACCESSORIES: extra magazine, lock, plastic case
S&W M&P .40 S&WAccuracy test results (inches)
Load Velocity 1 2 3 Avg.Federal 165 gr. Hydra-shok 943 3.64 2.28 2.67 2.86Remington 180 gr. Golden Saber 967 3.31 3.27 4.76 3.78Speer 165 gr, Gold Dot 1013 2.92 1.85 2.25 2.34Winchester 165 gr. FMJ 1017 2.81 2.71 2.40 2.64Winchester 155 gr. Silvertip 1128 3.23 2.75 3.07 3.02Average 2.93
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working with production models for oursister publications and give you anupdate if needed.
Production will start with the.40 S&W with 9mm to comelater in the year. These will befollowed by compact modelsand the introduction of 357SIG chambering. A .45 ACPis down the road somewhere.
Law enforcementwants lots of stuff: a lightrail (of course) but mostimportantly they need toaccommodate the broadspectrum of cop sizedhands—from mini to moose—with one grip. The P-99’sinterchangeable backstrap was agood starting point but that onlytook care of one dimension, length,and they also needed to deal withwidth. One of the great treasures for aS&W collector is a pair of the old“coke bottle” revolver grips with a pro-nounced palm swell.
Custom Grip ThingysThat idea was combined with a
readily interchangeable grip includingboth backstrap and side panels. Smithcalls them, “grip straps.” Three sizes areincluded with each gun and it only takesan instant to change from one to another.Instead of having to drive out apin, as is the casewith the SW-99, there’s
a catch thatlooks like part ofthe backstrap. Rotate it 90 degrees anda cam releases so you can pull out a 3"long pin that frees the combination back-strap and rubberized side panel.
Magazines are similar to those of theSW-99 but not interchangeable. Thepolymer frame allows for a high capacitymagazine (15 in .40 S&W, 17 in 9mm)without making the pistol feel like a 2x4.They’ve also taken pains to make loading
the magazine something less than a
bloodletting experience.The effort to insert a cartridge is very con-stant up to the last round or two when itbecomes more difficult but still mucheasier than many other high caps. Themagazine catch is reversible by the userand has a steel insert to avoid wear.
Most of the stuff that makes the M&Pnewsworthy is invisible but the first timeyou dry fire it you’ll know something isbetter. S&W has spent a lot of time and
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Continued on page 70
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46 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
It’s Up To you get a big gun you probably won’t even have to shoot anyway,the size of the gun will intimidate them.”
The male half of the couple said, “I was thinking about get-ting something small so I could slide it into the night standdrawer.” “Nah,” said the cop, “Get a man’s gun, something withsome oomph.” By the time the conversation had finished, the off-duty officer convinced the home owner to buy a 6" .44 magnumand to “load it with the most powerful ammo you can buy.” Nomention was made regarding a trip to the range — or a firearmstraining course.
I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I admit I was dumb-
Skilled At Arms … Or Do You Suck?
Iwas sitting with my wife in the bleachers at my son’s highschool soccer game. In front of me, a couple was sittingtalking with some guy. I try not to eavesdrop, but when theygot serious and asked the man, “We’re concerned about all
the break-ins in our neighborhood … we just don’t feel safe.We’re thinking about buying a gun. You’re a cop, so you must bea gun expert, what do you think?”
Okay, I was well beyond eavesdropping now. I was wholesalelistening-in. The “expert” said, “Well, you want to get somethingbig for the intimidation factor. That way, if you miss, there’ll stillbe a loud boom, a bright flash and they’ll still shit their pants! If
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for training, looked at their watch and said,“How fast can you get this over with? I’vegot things to do.” It was clear they viewedtraining as a free day. They wanted to getthrough it as quickly as possible.
The truth is most cops have no interestin their sidearm and even less in learninghow to use it. But, try taking it away ortelling them they’re not allowed to carry it— then standby for the fireworks.
The vast majority of officers never
Dave Spaulding
WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 47
You founded. The advice was such crap. I won-dered where it had come from. Then Iremembered, he was a cop — someonewho considers himself skilled and knowl-edgeable about small arms, probably oneof the most dangerous combinations inexistence.
Don’t Be Just LuckyIn the past 25 years, I wish I had a
nickel for every time an officer showed up
shoot their gun inthe line of duty. To assume (“ass” out of“u” and “me”) this statistic will apply toyou is like a race car driver thinking theydon’t need their seat belt. Most races arefinished without any accidents. If anofficer needs their handgun, it’s becausethey’ve placed themselves in a position ofdanger Remember — it’s what we do!
We seek out law breakers and placeourselves between them and the citizens
"The cellphonereload" —don't laugh,we've seenit happen.
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we serve. A bit dramatic? Do you likearresting burglars, robbers, rapists andmurderers? It’s what we signed on for. Ifthey attack, do you think defensivefirearms skills will mystically appear — orare you one of the thousands of officerswho give it no thought. Will you just belucky when the time comes?
The national average for range qualifi-
cation is between two and three times ayear — some go only once. While someofficers are quite vocal about this notbeing enough, very few will go on theirown. “What, me spend money on ammofor the department’s gun? Bullshit. If theywant me to be good, they’ll pay for it. It’stheir responsibility. I havemore important things
to do when I’m off.”What could be more
important than to pre-vail in a gunfight? But
being a street cop — withno perception of danger — isbeyond me
This mindset has led to a sad sit-uation — a lack of firearms skillamong America’s cops. While I don’tthink it’s necessary for all of us to be
“gun nuts,” we should have an interestin being as good with our tools as pos-sible. Citizens demand a high level ofskill by the officers who patrol the
streets. Citizens usually have littleknowledge of the level of an officer’straining. Most just assume (there’s thatword, again) officers are highly skilled. Ifthey only knew the truth.
MandatesThe odds a cop may need to use his gun
in a crowded urban area is high. If we’re
justified in shooting, and we hit aninnocent citizen instead, there’llbe hell to pay. It’s called “lia-bility” — and it scares the crapout of police administrators.
A federal court decision ren-dered several decades ago (TheMargate Decision) was theresult of just such an incident.The decision stated, policeagencies must train officers toshoot — in the same environ-ment in which they work. Thismeans they need to shoot atmoving targets, while theofficer is moving, in reducedlight and at multiple targets.Thirty years later, the bulk oflaw enforcement still “quali-fies” instead of “trains.”
It Ain’t HardOnce or twice a year at the
range isn’t enough to stayabreast of fundamentals — letalone embark on firearmstraining as mandated in Mar-
gate. Being able to perform thefundamentals is essential. If the officercan’t perform these, moving into tacticsis a waste of time.
I have a set of minimum standards Ithink anyone should be able to performif they’re carrying a gun. These drillsare done at seven yards into a 12"
square. The target can be eithersteel or paper.
One shot from the chosen readyposition: 1 second.
One shot from a secured holster: 2 seconds.One shot, reload, one shot: 4 sec-
onds from shot to shot, 5 seconds over-all.One shot on each of three targets from
ready: 3.5 seconds.Six shots on target with no more than
.5 seconds between shots.If available, clear a standard Bianchi-
style plate rack, from ready, (20" centersfrom plate to plate): 6 seconds.
Or Is It?These are minimum standards. The
faster and more accurate these skills canbe accomplished, the more likely you’llwin in a gunfight.
At my in-service program in 1995, 673cops from ten agencies participated in thesedrills. We had a wide range of officers, fromwell-trained highly skilled people to thosewho shouldn’t have a gun in their posses-sion — let alone carry it everyday.
Fifty-four officers successfully com-pleted these relatively simple drills. Mostcould shoot a single shot in around onesecond. And, it wasn’t unusual to havesomeone spend eight to ten seconds get-ting his gun from the super-duper threatlevel 700-security holster. I think you hadto be a felon to get it out faster.
Reloading? Sometimes it took as long
48 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
Continued on page 68
When the chips fly, youdon't have time to think —"have I trained enough?"
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THE FEDS VS.When asked if I would be inter-
ested in giving my thoughts onhow to deal with federal lawenforcement agencies, from the
perspective of a former federal agent whowent “down” to a state law enforcementagency, I had to think for a minute or two. Ifelt what I would write would probablycreate some hard feelings on both sides ofthe cooperation fence, but I also thoughtmy experiences would help bring someissues into clearer focus and might, justmight, help develop a give-and-take inwhat has traditionally been a one-way lawenforcement association. That one-wayattitude — the Feds take and give nothingin return — hits home with me because Ihave been on both the delivering andreceiving end.
Lack of CooperationWhen I became a federal law
enforcement agent in 1973, wehad a class at the ConsolidatedFederal Law EnforcementTraining Center (the prede-cessor to the currentFLETC), entitled“Dealing with LocalLaw Enforcement.”I remember oneof our instruc-tors begin-ning nearly
every lecture on information sharingand investigative assistance with thestatement, “Remember your badgehas U.S. on it — theirs doesn’t.”
The implication, reinforced lateron by example, was anyone otherthan another federal agency — andthat was conditional too — simplyhad to be dealt with using caution,especially when it came to informa-
tion sharing or participation in inves-tigations. All for one very simple
reason — locals “can’t be trusted.”We were given examples where
investigations had been compromised byinformation sharing, agents put in jeop-ardy and cases lost. Later in my careerat the federal level, I too wouldbecome an example of someone whotrusted the locals — and got burned.Yet within the same lecture, wewere also told how important itwas to develop good relationswith local law enforcement agen-cies because we needed theirgrassroots information on sus-pects and leads. What aparadox! Like so many young
federal agents, I enteredfield service with a smile
and outstretched hand tomy other brethren,
with every intentionof fulfilling the
Can’tWe All Just
Work Together?50 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
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philosophy that it is much more blessed —and safer — to receive rather than give.
Another OpinionPhilip H. Melanson, with Peter Sevens,
recently published a book entitled TheSecret Service, The Hidden History of anEnigmatic Agency. In talking about rela-tionships with other than federal agencies,the authors write:
“Local and regional politics plague theSecret Service every time the Presidentleaves Washington, D.C., for the agencyis hugely dependent on local police fordata concerning potential threats andfor help in setting up security (Iwould add that that assistance isalso greatly needed in crim-inal investigations). Yetthere are no laws oreven accepted rulesgoverning the Ser-vice’s relationship tothe police departmentswith whom it must workintimately in order to protectpresidents, candidates andvisiting dignitaries. Theagency’s relationships tovarious police departmentsrange from cordial to hostile.”
Throughout the decades, thetension between the Serviceand the New York City PoliceDepartment has provendeeply-rooted. One 20-yearveteran of the NYPD chidedthe Service for treating localpolice as if they were KeystoneCops. A complaint many other policeforces have leveled in private againstthe agency.
While the Service’s attention to its pro-tective mission does understandably causeit to leave nothing to assumption, I wouldsubmit to this parent/child relationshipexists with other federal agencies and localpolice, especially in the area of criminalinvestigations and information sharing. Isuspect at this point, if you are other than afederal agent, you’re probably saying“Okay, we know all this. Everyone whohas dealt with the FBI understands themeaning of one-way, now tell us why thisexists and what can be done about it.”
Like everything in the order of life, thereis a hierarchy of some animals being moreequal than others. So it is in the attitude of
federal vs. local law enforcement. Here area few of the historic reasons why there is —and unfortunately continues to be — a lackof cooperation and coordination.
Federal agencies gen-erally select candi-dates more carefully
requirements are generally — but notalways — greater than local lawenforcement. While selection standardsfor personnel at the federal level havebeen changed for various politically-cor-rect reasons, those changes seem morepronounced at the state and local levels.
TrainingThe training given to federal officers is
generally more intense and focused in anarea of specialized criminal enforcementrather than general police work. While thisdoesn’t make the federal agent necessarilybetter, it does make them different. Trainingresources and continued training, becausefederal budgets seem to be less affected by
economic conditions in the country,are less subject to the peaks and
valleys of local and state lawenforcement agencies.
A Different MissionSince most federal agencies
do not deal in routine criminalenforcement activities, the perception isthat what “feds” do is more importantthan say a burglary investigation at alocal business. The attitude feds can goanywhere and do anything — and youcan’t — gives rise to a sense of superioritytranslating into a lack of cooperation.
Today, because of 9/11 and securitymeasures regarding sensitive informationtransfer and scrutiny of intelligencesharing, many of my friends at both federaland local levels tell me that matters havegotten, pick the term you like — better, orworse. But this is not a new phenomenon.
Going back to 1974 and the Federal Pri-vacy Act, which restricts governmental cir-culation of information on individuals, andfrom the Freedom of Information Act, locallaw enforcement has been reluctant toshare information with the feds. Due topublic access to names of possible under-cover agents, or information that mightidentify them, and with many statespassing similar laws, federal agencies mayfind their sharing of information windingup in the public domain.
What can we do, if anything, to solvethese problems?
A Two-Way Street?So as not to make this a story devoid
of solutions, there is hope. There are
WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 51
and better train federal law enforcementpersonnel. I suspect this is probably thecrux of the issue. I have a picture of myfederal law enforcement credentials — my“commission book” — framed on a wall inmy office. One line on the identificationcards reads: “He is commended to thosewith whom he may have official businessas worthy of trust and confidence.” Trustand confidence, two enormously importantwords that cause great anxiety whendealing with local law enforcement.
The selection process for federal lawenforcement is more detailed, with amore in-depth background investigationthan is generally done at the state andlocal level. Educational and experience Continued on page 72
Ever been here?
Jeff
Joh
n
THE LOCALSSheppard W. Kelly
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Charles E. Petty
THE MYTH OF
STOPPING POWER
THE MYTH OF
STOPPING POWER
muscle and bullets often must pass through bone, air spaces suchas lung tissue, which offers little resistance, or largely fluid-filledorgans such as the bowel. In short, bullet expansion is great whenit happens, but we can’t depend on expansion to correct for defi-ciency in shot placement.
Technology Leap?In a short period of time we’ve seen a revolution in handgun
ammunition and design. History rarely provides us with an exactdate and time for such events but this time we have one: Miami,Florida; April 11, 1986, at approximately 9:20 a.m. The actionwill be forever known as “The Miami Firefight.” Two seriouslybad men, Michael Platt and William Mattix engaged eight FBIagents in a gunfight where well over 100 rounds were fired froma .223 rifle, 12-gauge shotguns, .357 Magnum revolvers and9mm automatic pistols. When it was over the two assailantswere dead as were two FBI agents, and five other agents
wounded. Only one agent escaped injury.The event shook the FBI to its core and
brought about sweeping changes. We might sayit also led to the creation of a science — woundballistics — for few people knew or caredabout what bullets did in scientific terms beforethat sunny day.
The FBI Ammunition Test Program wasthe first large-scale test of ammunition per-formance based upon situations encounteredin actual FBI shooting incidents. Back then itwas popular to shoot a block of modeling clayand show gaping holes, but while spectacular,it has positively no relevance to the needs oflaw enforcement or anyone else.
The big deal about the FBI test was the intro-duction of barrier materials a bullet had to pene-trate before striking a block of 10-percent
Firearms authorities are besieged with demands to knowwhat is the best handgun ammo for law enforcement orpersonal defense. I’m proud to say I know the answer.It’s the largest caliber with which you can reliably plant a
bullet in the eyeball of your choice. And if your largest thing isa .22 that’s fine too. Probably some of you are screaming abouthow this Petty fellow is full of crap. That’s your right and if youare, stop now because I’m just gonna make you madder.
The fact is we have bought into the idea of magic bullets andone-shot stops. Obviously I haven’t trained with every departmentor school, but I have done more than a few and nary a one teachesto shoot one round and wait to see if the threat falls down or runsoff. Most now teach to keep shooting until the threat is clearly neu-tralized or, as most mandated qualification courses do, shoot twoand evaluate. The most common one-shot stop probably meanseither the first or second missed. Today’s high-capacity pistolsoften lead to, “If there’s lead in the air there’s hope in the heart”spray-and-pray shooting.
If we go back into thelate 1980s we find 10-percent ballistic gelatinemerging as the testmedium of choiceand competentwork by Dr. MartinFackler showed the10-percent concen-tration correlatedbest with penetra-tion in muscletissue. It’s becomethe gold standardand is surely the bestwe’ve got, but realbodies are not solid
52 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
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Remington’s Golden Saberhad won a lucrative contract
for .45 ACP ammo. The FBI concluded,based on their ammo test, the Hydra-shokand Golden Saber were essentially equalin performance but the Remingtonproduct was bid at around $100 less percase. Remington assured me they didn’tgive the ammo away just to win the con-tract and were making money at thatprice. Federal didn’t believe that, but theimportant thing was it established that alevel of parity had arrived.
But even now it doesn’t seem as if verymany people want to believe that level ofparity exists. We still see ads with guysbusting through flames hyping exoticammo that will slay dragons or kill withneurotoxins nobody ever heard of. AndP.T. Barnum was right — suckers repro-duce faster than the rest of the population.Of course cops see those ads too and acouple of things happen: some wonderwhy they don’t have this wonderful stuff,or panic stricken messages go out warningof the imminent demise of the sky.
Technical TechnicalitiesThe FBI test is a powerful tool, but
sometimes people give it too much cre-dence. It’s only natural to want the best
longer pub-lishes theinformat ion ,and you can’tget it without anact of Congress.Now the ammocompanies use theFBI test — or atleast parts of it —and often share theinformation. As youmight expect sometimes the
results seem to favortheir product. Imaginethat. But I can’t helpbut believe the FBItest has become toosuccessful. Major ele-ments of the testdepended upon mea-surement of penetra-tion and expansionplus some otherderived numbers suchas success rate or“wounding effi-ciency.” Any time webegan to attach num-bers to events we fallinto a trap I call thetyranny of numbers.Is 0.26" bigger than0.25"? Well yes —but does it matter?
When we talkabout ammo and bullets the answer is nobecause the system within which we’retrying to work is inherently loaded withvariables. Just chronograph a string often shots and it’s unlikely any two ofthose will be identical. When the FBIresults were published some writers hadorgasmic response when one load was afraction of one percent better thananother. I really did read one columnwhere a winner was declared based on adifference of 0.1-percent.
There are almost always unintendedconsequences to major events and oneshown here is that people took theresults too seriously.
Stiff CompetitionWhen Remington, Win-
chester and Speerbegan to figure outhow to compete forthe important lawenforcement market avery interesting thinghappened. Speercame up with theGold Dot, Remingtonthe Golden Saber andWinchester the SXT.I’ve told this before,but I was actually inthe office of a VP atFederal when the
news came in that
gelatin. It was known, academically, thatsome material might plug the hollowpointof a bullet and prevent it from expanding,but that was treated as one of those “shithappens” events and back then, nobodyknew it was possible to design the bullet insuch a way it could expand anyhow. Thebarriers included light and heavy clothing,wallboard, plywood, automotive sheetmetal and windshield glass. All of thosebarriers had been obstacles in real shootingsituations and cars that had figured promi-nently in the Miami incident.
The ammo test was a huge success forFederal Cartridge Co. because they took itseriously, whereas the other biggies already“knew” what we needed and couldn’tunderstand why anyone would think ofdeviating from years of their advice. Theresult was FederalHydra-shok trulyowned the law enforce-ment market for nearlyten years before theothers became effec-tively competitive.
Critical DataThe FBI ammuni-
tion test program reallywas breakthrough stuffand it’s still beingdone. But the Bureauhas gotten plumbsnotty about it and no
Old technology vs.new technology —is one better than
the other?
Old technology vs.new technology —is one better than
the other?
Old technology vs.new technology —is one better than
the other?
Old technology vs.new technology —is one better than
the other?
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Continued on page 73
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54 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
Y ou eat your dinner out of a greasy paper sack with a
clown’s face on it at 0300, absent-mindedly won-
dering how much of that crap is sticking to your
coronary arteries. You couldn’t count the cups of bad, burnt
coffee you’ve started on hot, then returned to finish cold after
a call that could have been better handled by a shaved ape
than by a ten-year veteran with two units to go on a bach-
elor’s in criminal justice.
You hose wino-barf off your boots in a closed gas station,shaking your head at the odor rising from the back seat. Oh,yeah, you know that smell, all right — the stench of booze-lacedhuman feces — know it with the same familiarity you know thesmell of fresh fear, stale sweat, bodies in various stages ofreturning-to-dust; burning rubber, burning dope, burning flesh.Sometimes when people say, “I’m sure you’ve seen it all,”you’re thinking, “And even worse, I’ve smelled it all.”
You’ve stood on the porch side of a screen door so grimy-opaque with dirt and fly-specks you couldn’t see a thing,moved closer to hear whether that was a cry for help — thenjumped back when an 11" butcher knife stabbed viciouslythrough, slicing off the shirt button just above your belt buckle,reminding you why you wear body armor in 110-degree heat.
You’ve reached in pockets on searches and found chewed gum,snot-filled rags, broken glass vials, unexplained rolls of crisp newfifties, two mummified fingers though your suspect still had all tenof his own, an equally mummified turd the Babbling Man claimedwas his “pet,” and uncovered hypodermic needles — the hard way.
You thought you were through cleaning up at that multi-fatalaccident scene when you saw the lump on the pavement and ittook you a long ten-count to realize it was a man’s testicle. You
thought you were through too at that child-murder scene whenyou found the kid’s doll where it fell behind the dumpster, andyour guts went cold with the knowledge it would never beplayed with again, not by that little girl, oh, no. Never.
You’ve fought ex-cons, ex-priests, ex-linebackers, an ex-copgone over to the dark side, and, you’d swear before God, ex-humans. You’ve been shot at and missed, shit at and hit, spit on byscumbags and cursed by cowards, pissed on by politicians andpissed off by people who call themselves “your superior officers.”You’ve fought for your life, fought for your buddies, fought tokeep your sanity intact and your family whole, and fought thealmost overwhelming urge to reach out and squeeze a neck tenyears overdue for a throttling or bust a nose that’s been stuck muchtoo high in the air for far too long and too arrogantly.
You’ve come home from life-sucking long shifts, nights thatput the “grave” in graveyard shift, scraped your nails until theybled and scrubbed your skin ’til it shone, and found sometimesthere’s something — something — that just won’t wash away.
So why the hell would you carry on?
Lessons LearnedYou’ve learned justice doesn’t come from courts — not often
enough to make it more than an occasional fairy tale come true,anyway — and the only two kinds of real justice left are streetand poetic. You’ve learned virtually everyone above and belowyou in the social spiral violates the law regularly, then perjuresthemselves about it with impunity. You’ve learned truth can’t bebought, but lies can be paid for.
You’ve learned losing a fight doesn’t mean losing yourfighting spirit, and in this life — our life — every time you seethe sun rise it means you’re a winner. You know the differencebetween a hard guy and a tough guy; that “hard” is all on the sur-face, brittle and thin, but “tough” goes all the way through. Hardguys break and shatter, while tough guys suck up the punishmentand soldier on. You’ve learned the kind of people who tell you
This badge, this shield, this sharp pointed star – haven’t
you carried it long enough? Too long? Why carry on?
John Morrison
54 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
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“I’ll have your badge” couldn’t lift yourbadge, much less bear it with honor.
You’ve learned cit izens spenddecades screwing up their lives, thenexpect you to solve their self-createdproblems in 15 minutes; that they’ll lettheir children run wild and becomemonsters, then call you to control them.You’ve learned you can only expecthumans to be human; that is, scared,scarred, confused and irrational, andyou can never, ever expect thosehumans to be humane.
You’ve learned new definitions of“friends;” that some may stand behindyou when times are hard, but the oneswho really count will stand beside youwhen things go deadly-dark and termi-nally serious — and sometimes, thosetruest of true friends are those youhardly know, and share only one thingwith: you both wear the badge, andyou both carry on.
You’ve learned no matter how highyou stack the deck or how heavy youload the dice; no matter how well-trained, weapons-skilled, fit and pre-pared you are, there are some bulletswith your name on ’em, and othersaddressed “To Whom It May Concern;”that you can lose and die, dropped like abox of rocks in a gravel parking lot; andit has nothing to do with good and evil,right or wrong, just winning and losing.If you roll the dice often enough, they’llrun against you. Dice are cruel that way.
And when they turned against your part-ners, you learned to say goodbye.
Oh, God, yes, we’re good at sayinggoodbye. This life offers the cheapest,ugliest deaths and the most opulent, gaudyfunerals. Dress uniforms are pulled from
the closet, brushed and pressed; blackbands circle arms and lay diagonallyacross shields and stars, all done asthough on autopilot, too many times, andall too often for brothers and sisters whowere much too young, too fresh and fullof life, and you think, This is a job for oldmen, men with burnt-cinder eyes andleather hearts, stiff with scars and steeped
in pain. Men like me; not these kids.The motorcade rolls, hissing on the
same pavement that soaked up that youngcop’s blood. White gloves are raised in aslow, final salute. Pipers blow a mournful,haunting dirge, and someone, weeping, isgently handed a folded flag. Backing away— in more ways than one — we stand inthe wind and smoke in silence. Goodbye …
Why? Why carry on?
It’s How We’re WiredYou can’t be a cop just because you
need a job. You can’t be a peace officerbecause it’s a steady paycheck and bene-fits. Not a real cop; not a true peaceofficer. You can’t do it “to help people,”or “for the nobility of public service.”That’s a load of crap. Those are justexcuses, and they wear thin, turn pale.
You don’t enforce the law because “itis necessary to the security of a democ-ratic society,” or because you burn withfervent belief in The Rule of Law. Screwthe law. You don’t cleave to the truth onthe witness stand while all others lie theirasses off because you fear punishment forperjury. Screw fear; piss on punishment.No cop ever sprinted across a bullet-sweptparking lot to scoop-and-drag the crossfirevictim of a gang turf battle “for love of hisfellow citizens.” To hell with that.
You do it for love and law, all right,but it is love of courage, duty and honor;for a law, but that law is your code, andthat code is one of courage, duty andhonor. Your code demands you enforceand obey the law; to protect and servewithout fear or favor; to run into dangerwhen others flee; to stand and deliverwhere others falter and fail.
And you do it because you can’t helpit. It’s stamped in your genes, burnedinto your DNA like a bar code. Inanother time, another place, you wouldhave been samurai, knight-errant, war-rior-monk, Minuteman. You may not behappy as a modern American cop, butyou’d be miserable doing anything else.
If any of this doesn’t ring true for you,then get the hell out now and go sellinsurance or install cabinets or some-thing. They can be honorable trades, andyou can be a good citizen, but not a realcop, not a true peace officer.
If wailing sirens are playing yoursong; if you nodded and muttered,“Damn right …” when you read thesewords, then you’re one of us, and Amer-ican COP will stand and deliver with you.Because we’ve been there, and done that— because it’s who we are andhow we’re wired too. *
“
”
I’m sureyou’ve seen it
all,” you’rethinking,“And even
worse, I’vesmelled it all.
WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 55
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TOTAL VALUE: OVER
56 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
Yost-Bonitz CustomYost-Bonitz Custom
SPRINGFIELD
THIS CUSTOM COMBO!WIN!WIN!
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Etched withthe AmericanCOP logo! Aone-of-a-kindpackage!
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SECTION2(Pg37-57,66-68,70-73) 8/10/05 10:36 AM Page 56
Among the custom touches are:
Other Custom Touches:
• Flatten and serrate slide top in point pattern.• Custom low-mount retro-tactical sights.• Action job using Yost-Bonitz components.• Beavertail grip safety.• Custom lanyard loop.• Fitted barrel bushing and re-crown.• Frontstrap serrations.• Reliability package.• Extended mag catch.• Handfilled beveled mag well.• Extended and dehorned safety.• Dehorn for carry.• Satin matte blue.• Custom etch with American COP logo!
• Two Novak magazines.• VZ “Operator style” grips by Joh VanZyck.• Lanyard leash by Mike Vaiani at Pistol Leash.
With the premier of American COP we knew wehad to have the ultimate 1911 for our firstissue. The highly regarded shop of Yost-Bonitz Custom offered their sterling services,
and our expectations were handily-exceeded!The 1911 platform is making serious in-roads in
law enforcement today and full-sized 1911 models arenow riding in thousands of duty and off-duty holsters.We asked for an “ultimate” fighting 1911 package andthe result is, well — ultimate. Based upon a Springfield1911, the pistol was graced by the talents of the Yost-Bonitz shop, and augmented with a custom elephant earleather rig by master leathersmith Lou Alessi. All neatlyrounded-out with a fighting knife by Trace Rinaldi,knife-maker extraordinaire.
$2,500!
WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 57
Knife: LEO knife by custom maker Trace Rinaldi with carbon fiber handles
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TO ENTER CONTEST: Use a postcard (no envelopes, please) and follow the sampleshown. Send to AMERICAN COP Dept. C9, P.O. Box 501377, San Diego, CA 92150-1377. Entries must be received before November 1, 2005.
Limit 1 entry per household. This contest is open to individuals who are resi-dents of the United States and its territories only. Agents and employees of Pub-lishers Development Corporation and their families are excluded from entering.Contest void where prohibited or restricted by law. Winners must meet all locallaws and regulations. Taxes and compliance with firearms regulations will bethe responsibility of the winners. Winners will be notified by CERTIFIED MAIL onofficial letterhead. No purchase necessary to enter.
SampleCOP SEPT/OCT 2005:Name ___________________________________
Address _____________ City, State, Zip____________
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If I win, please ship my gun through:Dealer ___________________________________
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58 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
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But First, A Stupid Scenario:
The young street tough’s eyes squinted in the neardarkness of the alley. “You’re dead meat, pig,” hesnarled as he pulled a Tijuana switchblade from hispocket and snapped it open sharply. Sweat rolleddown the forehead of Officer Dirk Steele as he came
to a stop. After chasing the young tough for over three blocksand using every round of ammo he had, Steele simply droppedhis Glock to the ground. Reaching down to his boot he pulledhis “backup knife” out and up into a ready position. Their eyeslocked in a stone embrace. The battle was about to begin.Sound familiar? In a B-movie, maybe, but never in real life.
Incidents involving cops and knives are almost always thesame. The bad guy has the knife — the cop does not. There is amyth about knife fighting. The myth is that knife fighting exists.The truth is it does not.
In order to equip yourself realistically to deal effectivelyagainst a knife-wielding opponent, we need to understand howknife attacks occur. If you want to survive a knife attackyou’re going to have to learn how to do it with your barehands. Training to be like Zorro is one thing — a waste of
time. Training to survive a deadly attack is something com-pletely different.
Knife Vs. GunWe all know a gun beats a knife. Or does it? Only if you
have your gun drawn, sights on target, in broad daylight, 30-feet away from the bad guy, before he starts his attack. Eventhen, the outcome is still up in the air. Your survival is notguaranteed. Remember a knife blade is just like a bullet. If ithits a vital target, even by accident, it will kill you just asdead. And remember, a bullet generally does most of itsdamage in line with its trajectory, and its diameter is generallyless than half an inch.
A good strike with a knife can leave your entire lower intes-tine lying on the ground in front of you. Without quoting theactual FBI statistics, it’s accurate to say the probability of dyingfrom a knife wound is considerably higher than from a gunshotwound. Surprised?
I’m not going to talk about how to defend yourself from a knifeattack here. Instead, I’m going to talk about the most commontypes of knife attacks in the hope knowing how these attacks occurwill help you prevent them from taking place. Everyone knows an
Ernest Emerson
Four Attacks That Can Kill You
Anatomyof a
Knife assault
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ounce of preven-tion is worth a
pound of cure, but inthe case of a knife
attack it could mean thedifference between going
back to the station to write areport or being transported to
the emergency room — if you’re lucky.Before I go any further, I want to give
you the Golden Rule of Officer Survival.You know it, but let’s say it again: Everysuspect is always armed — always.Entering into any situation assuming any-thing less can set you up for the all-too-common, “I never saw it coming” sce-nario. You have to prove to yourself thesuspect is not armed.
The AttacksEvery incident carries with it a unique
set of circumstances and individualdynamics, however, most attacks will fallwithin several general categories. It’s alsoimportant to remember these categoriesare not “cast in stone” and there arealways crossovers between categories. Of
course, thereare alwaysexceptions to therules. I break theknife attack down intothe following categories:
1. Surprise Attack2. Escalation Attack3. Challenge Attack4. Opportunity Attack
Let’s look at each of these categoriesin a little more detail to see how theseattacks manifest, who the attackers areand what their intent usually is.
The Surprise AttackThis is the most vicious and deadly
attack that exists. It’s simply exactly whatit’s called — a surprise. It’s so deadlybecause it’s essentially an ambush and it’sdelivered with deadly intent. This attack isfor murder, and the bad guy has decidedhe’s going to kill you. Typically the attackerin this case is a hardened criminal, often anex-con. He might also be a third striker,
“I’m not going back to the joint.” Outlawbiker, violent gang member or a drugrunner who knows he’s going to prison ifyou make the bust are all likely prospects.It’s also probably not the first time he’s usedthis kind of violence on somebody.
The reason this attacker is so dangerousis because they are the most cunning and
deceptive. They have experi-ence in dealing with copsand their entire criminalcareer is based ondeception, distraction,
surprise and over-whelming violence. You
will never see the weapon,but you will feel it. He will
lure you in and then hammeryou. And what do you think he will donext? He will take your gun and shoot you.This is the guy who will finish you off.
The Escalation AttackTwo guys (Bob and Jack) get into a
fight in a bar parking lot. A couple ofpunches are thrown. They go to theground and Bob gets Jack in a headlock.Suddenly Bob lets go of the headlockbecause his right side has gone weak.Jack gets up and runs off. Bob hastrouble catching his breath and whenthe paramedics arrive they find nine
puncture wounds in his right side. Luckyfor Bob, they figure it was a small jack-knife with a 2" blade.
This is an extremely common incidentin the civilian sector. It didn’t start off asa knife attack and it didn’t start off as adeadly force encounter. Once again, theweapon was never seen and the victimusually never knew what had happeneduntil it was over. Why does this knifeattack relate to a cop? Because there’s nodifference between you tackling a sus-pect you’ve just chased, and two guysfighting it out in the parking lot.
There are several factors going for youin this case. This bad guy is not neces-sarily fighting to kill you — he’s fightingto get away. Although this guy can killyou just as dead, there’s a distinct differ-ence (less) in the level of violence youare facing. If he does overcome you he ismore likely to flee than continueattacking you. This escalation attack isalso likely to occur in a case where ahomeowner or storeowner confronts orsurprises a burglar. The bad guy didn’t setout to attack anyone. In fact, he did noteven want to be seen by anyone. How-ever, when discovered, he pulls out aknife and the incident quickly escalates toa deadly force encounter. Similarly, thiscould also happen to a police officerinvestigating a break-in call.
The Challenge AttackThis attack has a number of sub cate-
gories and covers the widest range of per-petrators. By calling it the challenge attack
60 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
Gun vs. rusty knife— who really wins?
A killing knife. Or something to clear brushand pry open a door. Which will it be?
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I group it by one common characteristic— you can see the knife. In other wordsyou know this is an edged weapon inci-dent right from the moment you roll up.
Here’s were the “suicide by cop” fitsin. In this case his intent is not to kill,but to get killed, so his attacks are usu-ally wild swings or lunges. He doesn’twant to fight, he wants to get shot.Under this category we also find “crazyguy with a knife.” This is the guy whocould have anything from a kitchenknife to a Samurai sword. What is hisintent? Who knows — he’s crazy. Fortu-nately, he will not usually attack until hefeels you’re getting too close or aregoing to touch him. Most of the timehe’s not overly aggressive — juststanding his ground — until youthreaten him, at which point he willattack. Just backing off will usuallylower his aggressiveness.
Alcohol or drugs are usually involvedin the challenge attack. A meth-head witha knife or a guy so drunk he doesn’t knowwhat he’s doing can end up with a knifein their hand. In this case he may even bethreatening to cut himself and not you.
The last type of attack in this categoryis the homeless person. I mention thisspecifically because it can involve drugs,mental illness or both, and you are waymore likely to deal with the homeless on anongoing basis than the crazed killer ordeadly felon.
Remember this: Every homelessperson has a weapon of some type. Morelikely than not it’s some kind of kitchenknife. The typical homeless person with aknife is not usually aggressive in thesense they are attacking people. Even ifthey are undergoing a psychotic episode,they are usually only attacking someonethey perceive as a threat. And you willprobably be perceived as a threat.
In regard to, let’s say, a homelesswoman brandishing a knife, you need tobe aware many of these people have acompletely different sense of personalspace than you or I might have. Whileyou or I might not feel threatened bysomeone six or eight feet away, they mayperceive that someone 12-15 feet away isa threat and react aggressively towardthat threat. It’s important to bear this inmind when approaching any homelessperson — especially one who might bebrandishing a knife.
The Opportunity AttackThis is really the quirkiest of all the
attack scenarios. In fact if you’re a policeofficer with any time at all on the street,you’ve probably run into this one a dozentimes without ever knowing it. In fact youwill never know. The reason is if youdon’t give the subject the opportunity, hewon’t attack.
Who knows how many times you’verun up on a bad guy, taken him withoutincident, (eventhough he wasarmed with a knife)and transported himto the station? But,who knows howmany of those samebad guys wouldhave pulled thatknife before youfound it and used it,had the opportunitypresented itself atsome point in theprocess? Theopportunity attackis like an impulsebuy. It’s not on yourlist. You don’t needit. It’s there — and
you grab it. It’s just human nature.Most of the perpetrators of an opportu-
nity attack are usually small-time felons,minor league gang members, drug userswith a couple of rocks and the occasionallow life dumb shit who decides he justdoesn’t want to spend the weekend in jail.The difference between this attack and anyof the above is they don’t even knowthey’re going to do it until an opening ispresented. There’s no plan, no malice really,even during the attack. “It just happened,”is a usual comment from the attacker.
Fortunately, the best way to preventthis type of attack is by just doing yourjob correctly, assessing the situation,taking control and paying attention. It’simportant to realize the suspect is not set-ting you up in this case, but that he is justreacting to an impulse that presents itself.It could be as simple as you droppingsomething, looking away due to a noise,turning your head to answer your radio orsimply, just not giving your undividedattention to the task at hand.
Not A KnifeOne more thing. Remember — and
this is a big one — “it” doesn’t have to bea knife. Any object that can penetratehuman flesh should be treated with equalrespect. A screwdriver, a piece of glass, abroken bottle, a ball point pen, a metalrod, ice pick, box cutter or even a sharpstick can all kill you and should alwaysbe regarded as a potential deadly weapon.We’re surrounded by weapons, and somebad guys know where they all are.
Of course, this doesn’t represent allof the edge weapons attack scenariosyou might encounter, but it does coversome of the most common. Knowledgeand awareness are really your greatestdefensive weapons. Train and use theseweapons first — and you’ll cut downthe times you have to resort to physicaldefensive tactics as a solution to theproblem. Staying out of trouble to beginwith is always thebest idea. *
WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 61
Which is most lethal?All of them.
One cop had to fighta sword-wieldingsuspect. Can you?
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Gary E. Mitrovich
I n the history of law enforcement,
police officers have endured a slew of nicknames and epi-
thets. The list is endless and continues to grow: bluecoat,
constable, lawman, deputy, officer, trooper, heat, fuzz, pig, five-
oh, one-time, roller, Babylon and on and on. Each moniker has a
source and a reason for its use. Or does it?
“Deputy” has roots in Old French, from “of deputer,” todepute (whatever that means). “Fuzz” is a now an archaic slang
term for the police with unknown origin. Then there’s themore current terminology: Five-O as in “Hawaii 5-0.” “One-Time” is reputed to have its source with the LAPD, as in “I’monly going to tell you one time.” While these names have inter-esting and often colorful origins, there’s another name for thepolice officer that’s even more common: “cop.” We all knowwhat it means, but where’d it come from?
Look the word up in a dictionary, in this case on the Web siteDictionary.com and you’ll find ten entries for COP. We find “aninformal word for police officer” — no surprise there — indi-
62 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
COP, Copper, Soo Whheerree’’dd Wee Geett TThhiiss
Naammee,, Annyywwaayy??
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cating COP is short for COPPER. A laterentry indicates that COP is an uncompli-mentary noun for a policeman, listingsimilar definitions as copper, fuzz andpig. Ever have a citizen (usually an olderone) apologize for calling you a “COP”?There’s a suggestion COP is probably avariant of “cap,” to catch, from OldFrench “caper,” from Latin “capere.”There’s more on that theory later.
A check of Thesaurus.com indicates53 entries, with four of them dealingspecifically with police. So with all itshistorical and common usage as a termreferring to the police, how did the wordCOP come to mean a police officer?
No Easy AnswersIn fact, there really is no definitive
answer at all. There are a few theoriesmaking the rounds — quite a few. Somemake sense; others simply coinciden-
believed to be the basis for the termCOP, there’s no real evidence to supportit, just a theory that happens to fit thefacts as we know them.
Since COP is often said to be shortfor COPPER, focus naturally shifts tothe metal. Copper buttons were worn onthe uniforms of early police forces inLondon. Though it seems unlikely a rel-atively small part of an article ofclothing might lead a population tocreate a nickname, copper has been usedfor more than buttons.
Metal StarsNew York City’s finest, NYPD, is
generally accepted as the first paid andprofessional police department in theUnited States. After gaining permissionfrom the Governor, the mayor moved tocreate a police department to quell theangry crowds. Some 800 lawmen beganservice under a new chief of police inJuly 1845. Officers were now available24/7 to control riots and patrol the city.They had no uniforms, but were eachissued an eight-point star-shaped badgeto be worn on the left breast of theircivilian clothing.
These badges had the city seal in theircenter and were made of stamped copper.
WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 63
tally and con-veniently fi tthe cri teria.The final deci-sion as to whatyou want tobelieve is, well,up to you.
The mostcommon expla-
nation seems all too simplistic. “Con-stable on Patrol” harkens back to the daysof Victorian England, but its roots actu-ally are far more ancient. Throughoutworld history, the office of “Constable”was one of power and prestige. It was amedieval officer of high rank, usuallyserving as a military commander in theabsence of a monarch; also a high judgeof military offenses and questions ofchivalry and honor.
At one time the “High Office of Con-stable” was an official of the crown withboth civil and criminal powers. Con-stable eventually made its way acrossthe Atlantic to be one of the earliestoffices created to keep the king’s peaceand the heathens in the Americancolonies under control. The word now ischiefly British with Old French origins,meaning “officer of the stable.” Though“Constable on Patrol” is widely Continued on page 74
Photos: San Diego Police Historical Society and Clint Smith.
Copped
SECTION3 (pg58-65,74-82) 8/10/05 10:44 AM Page 63
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SECTION3 (pg58-65,74-82) 8/10/05 10:44 AM Page 65
as he tried to use it on an officer he’djust threatened to kill. Cases like thatfirst one count.
The Whole PackageProfessionalism in court involves a lot
more than just staying calm though; it’s abig-picture thing. If you’re the prosecutingwitness, you may be sitting at the counseltable with the DA, and the way you looksitting there may say more to the jury thananything you testify to. If you’ve got a“dress” uniform, leave the BDUs at home,and wear it instead. If you’re a plainclothescop, wear a suit. Sit up straight, and don’thave anything in your mouth — gum, forexample, or, worse yet, chewing tobacco.Nothing shouts unprofessional like a spitcup on the witness stand. I wouldn’t men-tion this if it hadn’t happened.
And remember to talk to your DA.Many jurisdictions have prosecutors “oncall” in case a legal issue comes up in thefield; in my circuit, we’re all on 24-hourcall, and I spend a lot of nights in policecars and out on scenes. Even if you don’t
have this available to you when you’remaking the case, once it goes to court,your prosecutor should tell you what heexpects from you. In smaller jurisdictions,where you routinely work with the sameDA, you’re in an even better position toknow what the court system is going toneed from you.
Remember, we’re on the same side; ifeither one of us screws up, we both lookbad, and worst of all, the bad guy gets afree pass. Incomprehensible rulings fromthe judge, slimy defense tactics and irra-tional jurors can all get a “Not Guilty” forsomeone who did everything he’s chargedwith and more. But neither the officer northe DA are responsible for that.
What we’re responsible for is to putour best into preparing and trying thecase, and to communicate it to the jury ina clear, professional manner. When welose after that, we can walk out knowingwe’ve done our duty. So take a deepbreath, spit out your gum, straighten yourtie and let’s team-up in thecourtroom. The State’s ready.
Special thanks to Sgt. Chad Deyton, UCSO.
*
66 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
THINGS DA'S HATEContinued from page 38
“
”
The way you looksitting there maysay more to the
jury than anythingyou testify to.
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as ten seconds for them to manage a maga-zine change. Some tried to put the maga-zine in backwards — and wondered why itdidn’t fit. But that was only if they didn’tdrop it when pulling from the mag pouch.
What about the plate rack drill? Wouldyou believe I had several officers gothrough three high-cap magazineswithout knocking down all six plates? Ieven had one officer tell me: “This isbullshit. It has nothing to do with policework. I can pass the state qualification.”Oh yeah, he could, but it took all threemagazines, a borrowed one from anotherofficer and 1.5 minutes.
Boy, it sure is fun being the depart-ment’s firearms instructor. That earnedme a grievance for humiliating the officerin front of peers.
The DetailsForget being able to shoot. How well
does the average officer handle theirsidearm? Instructors all across thecountry tell me stories of cops who havecarried a duty gun for a year — notknowing if it would function.
When asked if they performed a stan-dard function check, many will ask:“What’s that?” A lot of cops admit theydon’t even take their gun from its holsterfor storage after their shift. They justhang their whole rig in the locker Didyou unload it, recycle the rounds in themagazine, make sure the slide workedfreely and does it have lubrication?Things to check before you go on duty.
How about cleaning? I admit beingsurprised at just how many officers puttheir gun in the dishwasher for cleaning.
Some say it’s the instructor’s fault. Istrongly disagree. Every duty gun comeswith printed care instructions. Andbesides, the dishwasher bit is just stupid!
When I was a sergeant, I had adeputy who forgot to load his gun afterleaving the range. I discovered this“problem” during a routine inspectionfollowing roll call. It was three monthslater. When I asked why he hadn’t con-ducted a chamber check before he hit thestreet, he advised he didn’t feel confi-dent doing it. He had tried it once andejected a round onto the locker roomfloor. The kidding from his fellowdeputies was enough to make him decidehe would never do it again.
This is a new one for the books — car-rying an unloaded gun because he wasmore afraid of being made fun of — thanbeing killed.
Maybe what I’ve discussed heredoesn’t apply to you, but you know offi-cers who might apply to. These are thefolks you depend on for backup. Skill atarms is not the ultimate responsibility ofyour agency. While they share responsi-bility, it’s impossible for any medium orlarge agency to get cops to the rangeenough to keep small arms skills sharp.There’s only so much money in thebudget and hours in the year to rotatepeople in and out of training.
It’s up to all of us to maintain theability to win in a gunfight. The agencycan be a big help by offering range timeand ammo, and these offerings will go along way toward building officer confi-dence and reducing liability. Stopwhining and do something about the lackof skill. It doesn’t matter if its firearms,open-hand techniques or report writing.Do something about yourdeficiency — its up to you. *
SKILL AT ARMSContinued from page 48
68 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
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reserve officers since before World WarII they were not really expected to bepolice officers. We were supposed towork traffic at parades and provide freesecurity at sports events or concerts.When the Chamber of Commercedecided there was too much crime in thebusiness district at night we walked beatseven though the sidewalks were tidilyrolled up and, except for some homelessor drunks we had the place to ourselves.
When there was no increase — ordecrease for that matter — in the crimerate, they finally decided we might beput to better use. That took a couple ofyears though. But if we were notworking “special assignments” wecould ride with regular officers to makea two-man car that was much loved bydispatchers. Then they decided it mightbe okay for us to drive police cars, butonly to transport prisoners to jail ordrunks to detox.
Then one day they issued us darkblue shirts — although I still believe itwas because they discovered it wascheaper to simply buy all dark blueshirts. Today the only difference is“AUX” on the badge.
Over the years we developed friend-ships among the regulars and many of usgravitated to districts where we kneweveryone. That was my case and I usu-ally worked in the district that includedsome of the city’s worst neighborhoods.Most of the time I worked the Fourthshift from 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. —which is when most of the good stuffhappened anyhow.
Then one night I went to roll calland when I saw the lineup there I was,by myself in a car assigned to responsearea three. “Petty, you’re Adam 239tonight,” said the sergeant. Nine indi-cated the fourth shift car in responsearea three of the Adam Two district. Nofanfare, no nothing. Just go out andanswer calls just like everyone else. Ihad arrived.
Later I learned the assignment wasgiven because a couple of the regular offi-cers were on vacation and the guy whousually worked 239 had called in sick. Ireally should not be so gratefulfor somebody else getting a cold. *
RESERVESContinued from page 34
“
”
Then one night Iwent to roll calland when I sawthe lineup there Iwas, by myself.
WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 69
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talent to come up with a striker firingtrigger mechanism that fits the definitionof double-action only and still feelsreally good. Gone is the terrible stackingof the Sigma’s trigger and the longstroke associated with most double-action pistols. It feels like a very nicelyslicked up revolver. The story of howthey do it is impressive.
Today’s striker fired pistols requiretrigger movement first complete compres-sion of the striker spring and then releasethe sear to fire the pistol. This conformsnicely to the accepted definition ofdouble-action (two things happen).S&W’s does that too but uses a clevercam arrangement to provide a triggerstroke consistent from start to finish. Theend result feels like a great, slick revolverwith a 6 lb. double-action.
No Trigger PullingA drawback in many striker fired pis-
tols is that you pull the trigger in orderto field strip them. More than a few havegone bang when that happened. S&Wcame up with a method to avoid thisissue. They did it with a sear releaselever that is part of the trigger assemblyat the rear of the pistol. In order to fieldstrip you must first lock the slide backand then you can see the lever in themiddle of the magazine well. Pushing itdown disengages the sear. All you do ispivot the takedown latch, pull back a bitto release the slide latch, and take theslide off just as we’ve always done.
The top half is traditional lookingalthough the extractor is considerablylarger with a greater bearing surface.There’s a typical firing pin block. Thebarrel, 4.25", is similar to the SW-99 butnot interchangeable. One innovation is are-design of the recoil spring and guideassembly to avoid one potential pitfall.With some designs the failure of theoften-plastic guide rod can immobilizethe pistol. The M&P’s is built so if therod breaks it can fall free and not inter-fere with operation.
Fancy FrameMost of the differences are in the
frame. First is a system that provideswhat S&W calls a “steel chassis .”Molded into the frame on either side ofthe magazine well are two flat pieces ofsteel. They provide anchor points andsupport for steel frame inserts and thelocking block for the barrel, slide rails,and most of the trigger mechanism.When mounted in the frame and pinnedin place the two steel blocks, providefour corners of support and reducemuch of the “flex” associated withpolymer frames.
Some shooters describe shootingpolymer frames as “spongy” which is
RETURN OF THE M&PContinued from page 45
70 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
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SECTION2(Pg37-57,66-68,70-73) 8/10/05 10:42 AM Page 70
both good and bad. The flex does absorba little recoil energy but at the expense ofa grip that almost seems to change fromone shot to the next. One shooterdescribed the M&P as feeling like, “asteel frame pistol.” In a blind test I hadseveral shooters fire the same ammo indifferent polymer frame pistols of similarweight and each described the M&P ashaving the least recoil.
Of course the M&P has all the safetiesyou'd expect with passive trigger andfiring pin (striker) safeties. There is also amagazine safety and a key operatedlocking safety. For law enforcement thesetwo will be optional depending upon thepreference of the agency.
Feels Good Too?Anytime someone tells you how it
feels to shoot a specific pistol you mustknow that a subjective evaluation iscoming but I can assure you this onefeels good. I’ve always felt the torque inpolymer pistols and this seems to be vir-tually gone with the M&P. The trigger isexcellent. To me trigger movement ismore important than weight in the pre-
vention of unintentional or negligentdischarges and the M&P’s trigger movesa full 0.3" before breaking cleanly. Thefactory goal is a 6 lb. trigger. This factsurely contributes to the accuracy. TheM&P is easy to shoot well.
The test pistol has been functionfired with ammunition of all types withbullet weights from 135 to 185 grains.The round count is approaching 1000and there have been no feed/functionfailures at all. Accuracy results are inthe accompanying table but almost seemunnecessary. The first shot I fired out-doors struck a 14" steel gong at 70 yd.So did the next four. Accuracy is not amajor issue.
It will be a long time before we canmeasure the acceptance of the M&P inthe law enforcement and civilian market-place. It will eventually replace the SW-99 and give Smith & Wesson an entirelyAmerican made pistol to offer those whoprotect and serve us. Even the hats and t-shirts that go along with something likethis will be made in theU.S.A. I like that.
For more information, contact Smith &Wesson, 2100 Roosevelt Ave., Springfield,MA 01102, phone (800) 331-0822,www.smith-wesson.com.
*
“
”
The end resultfeels like a great,
slick revolverwith a 6 lb.
double-action.
WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 71
Elite Target Systemswww.elitetargetsystems.com • 970/731-7070
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BACKING UP COPS FOR 3 GENERATIONS
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SECTION2(Pg37-57,66-68,70-73) 8/11/05 9:32 AM Page 71
72 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
ways of improving the exchange of infor-mation and enforcement cooperationbetween federal and local law enforce-ment agencies. It has been done histori-cally through the establishment of federaltask forces. It’s being done currently.
VettingHistorically, federal law enforcement
agencies, in narcotics investigations andsometimes white collar crime, have selectedtrusted state and local law enforcement offi-cers and placed them on task forces. Their
FEDS VS. LOCALSContinued from page 51
mission is the investigation of a specializedcriminal activity. When I left federal lawenforcement and went to a state agency, Iworked in a division that investigated gov-ernment corruption and whose enforcementpersonnel were almost without exception,former federal law enforcement officers.
Our level of cooperation with federalagencies, including the FBI, was nothingshort of outstanding. Why? Because theyknew where we came from, what ourtraining had been, and that we had beencleared for sensitive information. Theyknew us! That process of knowing thelocal law enforcement officer comes aboutthrough working with the locals, devel-
oping a trusting relationship throughenforcement work, and many times, theconduct of a discreet inquiry into the localofficer’s background.
Many times, Chiefs of Police, Sheriffsand even heads of state police agencies arereluctant to allow their personnel to partici-pate in these units for fear of their peoplebeing used and abused. While that certainlydoes happen, there is no substitute for, asthe song goes, “Getting to know you, get-ting to hope you like me.” Through this co-mingling of resources, that special trust andconfidence is developed.
Since 9/11 you read in the news oflocal law enforcement’s complaints withthe lack of federal information sharing ofintelligence data. The incredible sensitivityof this data — and as a recent intelligencereview report showed the lack of sharingeven amongst federal agencies — hasgiven rise to important complaints fromthe local agencies.
Chiefs of police in major cities are notbeing told of terrorist threats that couldimpact the lives of millions of the citizensthey are sworn to protect. These policeforces intelligence efforts are hinderedbecause they don’t get leads or shareleads with the feds because of federalsecurity classifications.
To improve this notification and infor-mation exchange process, somethingreferred to as vetting is being done. It’squite simply, a background investigationon state and local law enforcement officersand officials, to ensure they can be trustedwith this highly sensitive information. Witheverything federal agencies are dealingwith, it’s understandable that sometimesthese additional background investigationsare not pursued expeditiously. But, if weare really going to join forces in our currentwar on terrorism, and in other enforcementareas, it’s absolutely and vitally importantthis vetting process be done expeditiouslyand broadly. Local law enforcement is thefirst line of defense against criminalactivity of any sort, and their involvementis imperative for public safety.
Work TogetherLocal law enforcement must become
insistent on inclusion in federal informa-tion-sharing and in getting critical enforce-ment personnel vetted to receive sensitiveinformation. Federal agencies arerequiring shared information to be com-partmentalized within a specific unit in thelocal agency for obvious security reason.
When invited, local agencies shouldtake every opportunity to involve theirpersonnel with federal agencies and spe-cialized enforcement activities. No oneshould believe that cooperation will comeover night, it won’t. It may never come tothe extent desired by state and local lawenforcement agencies. But persistenceand professionalism on the part of localagencies will certainly help — and mayeventually change — thefederal attitude. *
The Mitch Rosen
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Created for those who take theiroff-duty carry just as seriously aswhen on duty. Each componentconsists of the professional levelquality, function and style you’vecome to expect from the leader ingunleather products. Available inBlack or Cuban Brown.
SECTION2(Pg37-57,66-68,70-73) 8/10/05 10:42 AM Page 72
WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 73
load there is. But how we measure whatthat is — or might be — is still hotlydebated. One school believes energy aloneis the holy grail, but muzzle energy isoften misunderstood. If we look at calcu-lated values it’s impressive as hell to see“500 foot-pounds.”
In physics that means a force that canmove 500 pounds one foot, but we knowfrom real world experience if you shoot a500-pound guy with that round he isprobably going to just stand there unlessyou happen to turn off the switch. Then,he might fall on you and you’ll both getto go to the hospital. Gravity, not thebullet, does that.
Power is a very popular word and asimple equation. P=W/t where “W” is thekinetic energy in ft/lb and “t” is the timeover which the force is applied. Yeah, Iknow, lots of numbers, but it builds aplatform to work from. A bullet hitting ahuman target can almost be regarded asan instantaneous event. So the bullet hitsand does whatever it’s going to do in thebarest fraction of a second. If we take allthat wonderful kinetic energy everyonebrags about and divide it by the time ittakes for the bullet to exit or stop, thenumber becomes real small.
Only if the central nervous system isshut down can we expect a similarly rapidresponse from the target. Even if thewound is subsequently lethal, it will stilltake awhile. We could easily apply a forceof 500 ft/lb with a bullet or a baseball bat.The baseball bat has greater mass so eventhough it isn’t going as fast as the bulletthe much greater area is sure to have amore impressive immediate effect.
But the real tragedy in all this math is itmakes people think energy will solve theirproblem. The painful truth is a .22 will takecare of almost anything we’re likely to faceif the bullet is properly placed. Still, theenergy devotees prescribe faster and fasterbullets but ignore the accompanyingincrease in recoil.
What’d We Learn?The blunt truth is muzzle energy is
worthless as a predictor of handgun effec-tiveness. And, adding velocity actuallycan reduce penetration unless the bulletdesign is adjusted to compensate for it.
Macho men deny recoil hurts theirshooting and it might even be true for a few,but it’s easy to demonstrate there is a directinfluence on accuracy. All you have to do issit down and try to shoot some groups witha .357 Magnum revolver and work yourway up through the heavier bullets.All butthe most skilled shooters will see groups getbigger as velocities increase.
There is a great mythology sur-rounding the topic of +P ammo, and mostis BS. People switch to a +P .45 loadbecause, “Everybody says it’s better.”
Experience suggests that might not alwaysbe true. Qualifying scores often go downand guns that had always run perfectlymight choke. The fact is just because abullet is going faster doesn’t mean it’sgoing to be more effective. If you get 10-percent more velocity but have 20-percentmore recoil, is there anyone who can hon-estly call that better?
So what should a cop use for a handguncaliber? Perhaps the best way to answer issimply to look around and see whateveryone else is using. Right now that’s the.40 S&W.
While the nay-sayers were proclaimingit the “.40 short and weak” and bemoaningthe fact it “wasn’t proven on the street” I
killed a lot of jello and was instrumental inmy agency’s choice of the .40 when theyswitched from revolvers. Today it’s thestandard for almost all Federal law enforce-ment. S&W reports it accounts for 75-per-cent of their pistol sales to law enforcementand Remington, Federal and Speer say that.40 ammo accounts for 50-percent of theirlaw enforcement business.
But hype sells, so even though somewill try to tell you they have a new magicbullet — they don’t. And they never will.But you already have it. It’s the one youhave in your gun right now that will saveyour ass when you need it. Devote lesstime to worrying — and moretime to learning to shoot better. *
AMMO HYSTERIAContinued from page 53
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SECTION2(Pg37-57,66-68,70-73) 8/10/05 10:42 AM Page 73
This accouterment led the newspapers torefer to the new force as the “star police,”but the shiny metal medallion resulted inthe citizen’s nickname: “coppers,” andthen — because we like to shorten things— just “cops.”
According to Richard C. Lindberg’sbook, To Serve and Collect: ChicagoPolitics and Police Corruption from theLager Beer Riot to the SummerdaleScandal, Chicago was allegedly the firstplace in America where the police werecalled “coppers.” The theory here isJohn Haines, elected mayor of Chicagoin 1859, just so happened to be the partowner of a copper mine in his homestate of Michigan. The rest of the con-nection is left up to the reader for accu-racy and probability.
Most research hints COP is the short-ened version of COPPER, the Merriam-Webster New Book of Word Historiesadvocates something of a reversetheory. It was earlier suggested thatCOP came from the Old French word“cap,” to catch. Merriam-Webster docu-ments that the slang term for stealing, to“cop”, hit the English language in the18th century. They suggest in the fol-lowing 19th century the “-er” was addedfor police officers who “copped”(caught) the thieves who copped (stole)property. COPPER, used to describedone who seizes, first appeared in print in1846 with its abbreviated form COPshowing up in 1859.
Phurba Etymologicon?Of course, there may be clues to the
origin of COP in the word itself. Ety-mology is the study of the sources anddevelopment of words and their history.The Phurba Etymologicon, a webauthority on “non-standard anduncommon words,” disregards the possi-bility that COP (as related to police) hasanything to do with the “stealing” defini-tion often associated with the word. Butits researchers seem positive COP is ashortened version of COPPER, thoughthey cannot pin down what COPPER ismeant to signify, and it considers any ofthe “copper” theories like metal buttonsand badges to be straining the commonsenses as an explanation. More likelyPhurba endorses a meaning mentionedearlier: that COP is derived from theLatin “capere.” So, since cops capturecriminals, was COP created to describethe one who makes the capture?
So the final word is — that there’s nofinal word. Research goes on, new theoriesare promulgated and discoveries uncov-ered, but the definitive answer has yet tobe reached. Any way you look at it, COPmeans an officer of the law. Andit’s the best job in the world.
COP, COPPER COPPEDContinued from page 63
*74 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
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The LPA Tactical Ghost Ring Sight System ispreferred by law enforcement and militaryworldwide. It’s OEM on the new generation
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Novak’s® New Adjustable“Extreme Duty”
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LPA’s SPR Series higher profile fully
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WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 75
SECTION3 (pg58-65,74-82) 8/10/05 10:45 AM Page 75
SPOTLIGHT
GRIPMASTERAccu-Net LLC
Strong, well-conditioned hands are critical for law enforcement. Whether forshooting control and accuracy, cuffing, weapons retention or defensive tactics,hand, wrist and forearm strength are critical. Gripmaster is the only hand exer-
ciser that isolates and challenges each finger individually. Don’ttell anyone, but the Gripmaster has been used for years
by the FBI, ATF, DEA and other law enforcement pro-fessionals to greatly enhance hand, wrist and
forearm strength. The Gripmaster comes incolor-coded models of graduated resistance. TheBlue is the lightest resistance at 5 pounds per
finger, the Red is medium at 7 pounds per fingerand the black is for heavy resistance at 9 pounds
per finger. Gripmaster has a dealer locator on theirWeb site: www.gripmaster.net.
H.R.T. WATCH5.11 Tactical Series
Designed with input from professionals in thespecial operations community, this titaniumwatch features a Sure-Shot Calculator for allMILDOT, TMOA, SMOA and clicking riflescopes.The watch calculates point of aim/point ofimpact by allowing the user to input the crit-ical variables necessary in determining eleva-tion and wind adjustments. Punch in your vari-ables and the watch then displays the appro-priate shooting solution, enhancing yourability to confidently engage targets out to1,000 meters. It’s that simple. Web site:www.511tactical.com.
M5 SWITCHBLADE HELMET LIGHTACSAS Technology Corp.
The M5 Switchblade LED Light System is self-contained within the right cheek pad orneck curtain of select HJC or Shoei law enforcement helmets. The
M5 has a powerful lithium-ion battery system, hiddenone-touch pushbutton operation and offers a
rugged LED able to give over 35 hours of tar-geted light, and recharges in as little as
20–45 minutes. It’s an effective, hands-free light system for the officer on nightduty needing to write notes or searchhis duty bag. The M5 is simple toinstall, it’s as easy as zipping on a newneck curtain or sliding in a new cheek
pad. It takes less than a minute. Avail-able exclusively through Helmet House.
Visit them at www.policehelmets.com.
WALKER’S DIGITAL HD-2Walker’s Game Ear Inc.
The new Walker’s Game Ear Digital HD-2 takes sound amplification/hearingprotection to a new level. The Digital HD-2 uses two omni-directionalmicrophones located in the front and the rear of the unit, bothcan be set by the user with the audible signal indicatorswitch for different settings. The unit can be customizedby the user to pinpoint sound, even in a noisy envi-ronment. The Digital HD-2 also has an internalinduction coil, allowing wireless communica-tion, suitable for cordless and digital tele-phones as well as walkie-talkie radios. TheHD-2 utilizes a digital amplifier, which ampli-fies soft sounds but does not amplify loudsounds such as gunfire. The unit has adjustablevolume with a maximum gain of 50dB,enhancing normal hearing up to ninetimes, and a noise reduction rating of29dB coupled with CD-quality sound.Visit www.walkersgameear.com.
PROTECTIVE MASKSOmniTop
OmniTop has a quartet of protective masks: The Maskito offers protection fromtoxic or hazardous airborne agents, providing security to homeowners, workersin skyscrapers, hotels, airplanes and ships. The Kimi is a temporary respirationdevice ideal for use during a chemical spill. It protects against most organicand acidic gases and vapors as well as certain inorganic gases and vapors,ammonia and its derivatives. The Kimi is ideal for the chemical industry, trans-portation of chemicals, those living near a chemical plant and first-respon-ders/fire departments. The Cembayo offers protection from low-concentrationchemical/biological agents, allowing for safer evacuation of a chemical/bio-logical danger zone. The Cogo is a personal respiratory protective device withvisor, hood and built-in filter for escape from fire. It protects against smokeand carbon monoxide inhalation. Visit www.omnitoptrade.com.
AUTOPORTINGMag-na-port
Mag-na-port has long been known for its porting on hard-kicking single and double action revolvers.For decades, Mag-na-port has provided a unique system of porting semi-automatics by using ametering port through the barrel and an oversized expansion vent through the slide to allow maximumdissipation without fouling. Many law enforcement agencies are using Mag-na-port on their autos.Porting can make a significant reduction in recoil and muzzle rise, allowing the gun to be brought backon target in less time. Visit www.magnaport.com.
76 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
SECTION3 (pg58-65,74-82) 8/10/05 10:45 AM Page 76
COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT HUMMEROdyssey Automotive Specialty
Odyssey Automotive has always entertained challenging conversions and this Hummer lives upto the challenge. The Hummer has been turned into a state-of-the-art rolling communicationscenter. Odyssey took the customer’s specifications and crafted a unit to house their sensitiveelectronics equipment, yet still be tough enough to weather the desert. Odyssey installed a com-mercial generator, special air conditioning units with exhaust and custom cabinetry for the elec-tronics. They also replaced rear side windows with heavy-duty panels for hot air exhaust and equip-ment access. At Odyssey, the only limit is imagination; they specialize in response and specialtyconversions for law enforcement and commercial vehicles. Web site: www.odysseyauto.com.
CFPGalco
The Cuff/Flashlight Paddle features Galco’spatented copolymer injection moldedbelt lock paddle, which grips the insideof the waistband and the bottom ofthe belt and enables easy on and offwithout removing the belt. Two ten-sion units allow the user to adjustthe CFP’s hold on the flashlight. TheCFP is an ambidextrous design con-structed from black premium cowhide. Itholds a Surefire P/G/Z series flashlightand one pair of standard size handcuffs.Web site: www.usgalco.com.
DRIVING HOLSTERAction Direct Inc.
The Driving Holster isa crossdraw rig specifi-cally designed for thosewho spend a great amount oftime behind the wheel. It can beeasily put on or removed without having toremove your belt. It can also be used as a regularcrossdraw holster. The Driving Holster is crafted fromfine leather, with double-stitched seams and a moldedfront sight channel. It is available for most Glocks and 1911-typeguns with more models coming soon. Visit www.action-direct.com.
M-724 AUTO RESCUE KNIFEColonial Knife Co.
Government Issue to all US Militarypilots and rescue personnel, theModel M-724 is made of 440Ahigh carbon cutlery stainlesssteel and has a bladelength of 23⁄4". The bladeis released with thebush of a button andlocks open and closed. Theshroud/seatbelt cutter is made from thesame 440A stainless as the blade. The handle is fiber resin nylonand is available in the standard Day Glow Orange or in Special Ops Black.Visit www.colonialknifecompany.com or call (866) 421-6500.
THE SHOTFORCESYSTEMAdvanced Technology
The Shotforce System allows you to customize the look, feel and function of your 12-gauge pump shotgun with virtually unlimited combinations.Transform your shotgun with accessories like the collapsible six position buttstock with pistol grip that allows for compact storage and maneuverability in tight situa-tions. Add a shotshell holder and gain an additional five shotshells for easy access. Choose from stocks, pistol grips, forends, flashlight or laser mounts, shotshell holders,mag extensions and more to enhance the function of your duty weapon. Shotforce provides the tactical advantage sought after by the law enforcement professional. All partshave an unconditional lifetime warranty and meet government standards for strength and durability. The Shotforce System will fit the Remington 870, Mossberg 500/590/835, Win-chester 1200/1300, Maverick 88 or Norinco 98. Web site: www.atigunstocks.com.
BROWNELLS WEAPONS SUPPLY AND MAINTENANCE TOOLS CATALOGBrownells MIL/LE Supply Group
The Brownells Weapons Supply and Main-tenance Tools Catalog separates parts,tools and accessories for law enforce-ment and military guns by weapontype, offering the quickest, easiest wayto locate the exact parts for weaponsused by law enforcement and mili-tary personnel. With more than 1250products in its 40 pages, the newcatalog gives professionals an unmatchedselection of the best products for their guns, and each is backedby the Brownells guarantee of 100% satisfaction. Visit www.brownells.mil-le.com.
WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 77
For more information on seeing your product featured in “Spotlight” contact, Steve Evatt (858) 605-0218.
SECTION3 (pg58-65,74-82) 8/10/05 10:45 AM Page 77
M5X MATRIX HOLSTERGalco
The Matrix is the new thermoplastic holster fromGalco. It is water friendly, lightweight, comfortableto wear, easy on the budget and nearly mainte-nance free. The Matrix resembles a Galco hand-molded leather holster, but is injection moldedthermoplastic. It is a concealable, strong side,forward cant paddle holster. Two tensionscrews allow the user to fine tune the resis-tance on the draw stroke. It is availableonly in black and fits belts up to 13⁄4" wide.Web site: www.usgalco.com.
SPECTRE III RADAR DETECTOR DETECTORStalker Radar
No, that is not a typo. With radar detectors illegal in WashingtonD.C. and Virginia and completely prohibited in all commercial
motor vehicles, the Spectre III is a sensible addition to a patrolvehicle. The Spectre III detects radar detectors by sensing
microwave “leakage” from the devices. It is capable ofdetecting all radar detectors certified for use in the UnitedStates by the FCC, including models with “cloaking” and “VG2Alert.” The Spectre III mounts on the windshield and can be
rotated 360 degrees, it can monitor traffic in front of orbehind in either stationary or moving mode. The devicedisplays signal strength and features adjustable gain andsignal volume. Visit www.stalkerradar.com/rdd.
TOPO CONTOURSOG
Designed as a tactical backup, neck or boot knife or for belt carry, the Contour sports the longest edge length for its size. With thumb ridges and wave-like grip, it is easy to control the blade.Blade length is 2.25", overall length is 6.375" and the blade is AUS8 stainless steel. Available with layered aluminum/zytel handle with black TiAIN coated blade or molded zytel handle withpolished satin blade. The Contour is matched by the Kydex sheath with lock and multiple carry options. Visit www.sogknives.com.
STEERABLE COPPERHEAD BORESCOPESunoptic Technologies
Flexible, articulating Sunoptic Copperhead Borescopesallow the user to view otherwise inaccessible areas with2-way and 4-way articulation. Copperhead Borescopeshave a rugged design, bright, clear optics, come in var-ious lengths, have wide-angle fields of view and arevideo camera adaptable, all in one easy to use and eco-nomical package. The Copperhead Borescope can beremotely steered through tight or difficult spaces andinternal fiberoptics illuminate the target and reflectimages back to an eyepiece or camera. The CopperheadBorescope was designed for QA applications, but can also be used by security professionals toview around corners, under doors and into small, dark spaces. Other applications includechimney inspection and inspection for mold and insulation voids. Visit www.sunoptictech.com.
TAC II TWO-STAGE ROTATING TARGET SYSTEMElite Target Systems
The TAC II is a wireless, microprocessor controlled, battery operated, compact and portable two-stagerotating target system that can operate anywhere, indoors or out. Its remote control interface allowsflexible but easy creation of user-defined routines to generate timed repetitive scenarios or randomtarget presentation sequences. The TAC II will remain steadfast in winds up to 30 mph, yet breaksdown into a 60" x 8.5" x 6.5" package that weighs only 26 pounds. It has a range of 1000 feet underideal conditions. The TAC II is perfect for sniper or hunter “active” target practice. The unit is made ofhigh-strength aluminum extrusions with stainless steel fasteners and TIG welding. It is shipped com-plete with wireless remote, antenna, rechargeable battery and charger, lubricant and a comprehensiveoperating manual. Visit www.elitetargetsystems.com.
ULTRA-LIGHT PORTINGMag-na-port
Many shooters are opting for thenew ultra-light handguns for self-defense or concealed carry. The lightweight of these revolvers makes them ideal for concealed carry,but the recoil can be quite unpleasant. Smith & Wesson’s Titanium or Scandium models andthe Taurus CIA are just a few of the ultra-lightweights available. Mag-na-port offers its EDMporting services on these models, knocking out 30–40% of the recoil making shooting theselightweights more manageable. The handguns are ported through the barrel with an over-sized port through the shroud. Also available is a four-port system for 4" barrel .44 Mag-nums. Web site: www.magnaport.com.
78 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
SPOTLIGHT
SECTION3 (pg58-65,74-82) 8/10/05 10:45 AM Page 78
TWO MORE STEPS...and you’d be a statistic.
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SECTION3 (pg58-65,74-82) 8/10/05 12:08 PM Page 79
ACCESSORIES
CYBER SAFETY PRODUCTS Self Defense Prod-ucts, Stun Guns, Pepper Spray, Gun Safes, Etc.Catalog $3.00 PO BOX 54, ELLSWORTH, OH44416-0054. [email protected]. Fax(801) 858-2330. http:www.cybersafetyproducts.com
EMBLEMS & INSIGNIA
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MILITARY SURPLUS
OPTICS
POLICE EQUIPMENT
Classified ads $2.00 per-word per inser-tion. ($1.50 per-word per insertion for 3 ormore) including name, address and phonenumber (20 word minimum). Minimumcharge $40.00. Bold words add $1.00 perword. Copy and rerun orders must beaccompanied by PAYMENT IN ADVANCE.NO AGENCY OR CASH DISCOUNTS ONLISTING OR DISPLAY CLASSIFIED ADVER-TISING. All ads must be received withadvance payment BY NO LATER THANTHE 1st of each month. Ads received afterclosing will appear in the following issue.Please type or print clearly. PLEASENOTE*** NO PROOFS WILL BE FUR-NISHED. Include name, address, postoffice, city, state and zip code as countedwords. Abbreviations count as one wordeach. Mail to AMERICAN COP CLASSI-FIEDS, 12345 World Trade Drive, SanDiego, California 92128. NOTE: WE NOWHAVE DISPLAY CLASSIFIED ADS IN BOTHGUNS MAGAZINE AND AMERICANHANDGUNNER. ASK FOR OUR NEWRATE CARD, Or call (858) 605-0235.
A M E R I C A N C O P
Call for ActionWe can really use your help. It’s amazing how many of us carry around a little dig-
ital camera these days. We need pictures of you folks doing what you do every day.Pictures of your squad, your partner on a traffic stop, your favorite donut shop, investi-
gating an accident, traffic posts or just about any mundane or exciting thing you dowill help. If you think about it just pull out your camera and snap a few photos. We
will give you photo credit if we use yours.Also, send us your favorite come-back lines. I can’t wait to see some of these.
Again, I’ll give you the credit for the line in this column—that is if you want it. Some-times the chief doesn’t appreciate humor in the same way we do.
You can send any of the above to me at [email protected] or:Dave Douglas
American COP Magazine12345 World Trade Drive
San Diego, CA 92128
Action Target 75
Al Mar Knives 6
Les Baer Custom 27
Benchmade 17
Bianchi Int'l. 6
Black Hills Ammunition 35
BlackHawk Products Group 7
Blade-Tech Industries 10
Bullard 79
Camillus Knives 64-65
Caspian Arms 74
Crimson Trace Corp. 11
Cylinder & Slide 73
Elite Target Systems 71
Fobus USA/First Samco 9
Gun Vault/Cannon Safe 13
Hi-Point Firearms/Charter 2000 71
ICOP Digital, Inc. 15
Kimber 84
Kleen-Bore, Inc. 11
LaserMax, Inc. 2
Magtech Ammunition 8
Mogul Security 10
NRA Law Enforcement 72
Pearce Grip 71
Phoenix Distributors 69
Precision Sights Int'l. 75
Propper Int'l. 21
Revision Eyewear Ltd. 68
Rock River Arms 23
Mitch Rosen Gunleather 72
Segway 19
Shooting Partner 68
SigArms 3
SigTac 13
Silencio 35
Smart Lock Technology 66
Smith & Alexander 73
Smith & Wesson 29
SOG Knives 66
Springfield 83
SSK Industries 66
Streamlight 25
Tactical Edge 74
Taurus 12
The Robar Companies, Inc. 70
Truglo 23
U.S. Cavalry 31
XS Sight Systems 74
80 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
tenring.com•email:[email protected]
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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
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190,000Words of gun crimes stories used on
ABC, CBS and NBC in 2001.
0Words covering defensive use of hand-
guns on ABC, CBS and NBC in 2001.
70,000,000Increase in private ownership of guns
since 1991. (BATF Stat)
3,506Number of men proposing marriage by
mail to Vanna White.
8Average age most people stop believing
in Santa Claus.
24Average age most people stop believing
in Politicians.
Sigarms Academy
As the Director of Training for Sigarms, George Harris putson one hell of a program. While all of their LE classes aretop notch, the Rangemaster course is especially notable. It
covers all the necessary information you need to design andmaintain your department’s firearms program. Take a look attheir schedule of classes. You won’t be disappointed with thelevel of instruction or quality of their classes.www.sigarmsacademy.com.
Blackhawk ProductsThe SERPA holsters, Hydrastorm Hydration Systems, Hell
Storm Gloves, MOD knives and Night-Ops Tactical Lights aremust haves for any working cop. Blackhawk Products Inc. is
We’re going to be more edgy than most. If something sucks we’ll tell you. Ifit’s good, we’ll say that too. If we piss you off about the way we handle acertain thing that’s important to you: good. You should hear more than one
side of the issue — so let me know if we do. If you refrain from calling me a fat idiot,I’ll probably put your note in the Return Fire section. I’ll probably print it, even if youdo call me names.
Sometimes, we’re going to use profanity. It’s the way many of us talk, you know.Don’t get an attack of the vapors. It won’t be for gratuitous purposes but illustrative innature. Just call it backlash for years of having to be politically-correct. Us? Politically-correct? I don’t think so.
You have to admit cop humor is unique. I’ve heard folks call it gallows humor,black humor, a means of coping with the highly charged emotional and stressfulworking environment. Toro Caca! It’s funny, period. If it’s funny and relevant you’llread it here.
Our goal with American COP is to make you think. We want to expose you to newor different ways of handling your job or, maybe confirm the way you’re doing things isbest. I want you to receive job-relevant information from credible sources — other LEprofessionals you can trust.
We don’t know everything. If you disagree with something, write me. If your Chiefis a snot-faced officious idiot and you just have to say it, write to me, we’ll leave yourname out of it. If you’re a Chief with a bunch of snot-faced officious idiots working foryou, let me know why you feel that way. We can have fun, laugh, learn a few thingsand help each other out along the way.
I guess retirement won’t be that scary after all.
A COMPLETELY SUBJECTIVE LOOK AT THINGS I LIKEgrowing like a weed. Unlikemany companies going througha growth spurt Blackhawk stillmaintains the high level ofquality that got them on top.www.blackhawkindustries.com.
XS SightsAbsolutely the fastest combat
sight available for your gun. Weuse our service pistols as defen-sive weapons and most of thetime, distances are tight. Werarely need a precision shot.That’s why XS Sights’ Big DotTritium sits on all the guns I carry. They allow you to get ontarget fast and place shots where you need them. If you find aneed for a precision shot, spending a few hundred rounds willfamiliarize you enough to be able tomake a head shot out to 25 yards.www.xssights.com.
WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 81
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INSIDERRUMINATIONS Continued from page 82
George Harris praises the class of gun writers for correctly identifing this object as a rifle.
SECTION3 (pg58-65,74-82) 8/10/05 10:45 AM Page 81
ANOTHER COP MAGAZINE — HARDLYTraining was tolerable. But, most fun of all were the last coupleyears as the Department’s Rangemaster. I had a blank page to workfrom in that job and an administration who kept saying: “Well,okay, go ahead.” And we did.
Fortunately, I made it through the career in relatively goodcondition — only four surgeries. The other thing I’m thankfulabout is having the opportunity to help some cops along the way.I’m committed to continue helping cops and this magazine isgoing to be the vehicle.
American COP isn’t going to be your typical cop magazine. Ifyou’re looking for an article on “strategies for effective recordkeeping” or a “paradigm shift in implementing the neighborhood
policing philosophy in a ruraljurisdiction,” just put the maga-zine down and back slowly outof the room. You’re really goingto be disappointed.
American COP is for theeveryday cop. That’s patrolofficers or deputies, detectives,sergeants and maybe even lieu-tenants. Reserves, private secu-rity, probation, parole and justabout all other aspects ofhands-on law enforcement willbe included. Oh yeah, even youFeds — you count too.
82 AMERICAN COP • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
It’s a scary thing retiring. I couldn’t wait to — that is until thetime came. A few months shy of 30 years is a long time to doany job, let alone be a cop. Some of it was about the most funyou can have with your clothes on — and some of it sucked.
Some of it really sucked. As both an Officer and a Sergeant, Patroland the Beach Enforcement team were really fun. Public Affairs /
Media Relations was good. TheArson/Bomb Squad was out-standing. Vice really sucked,both figuratively and literally.So did Long Range Planning /Special Projects. In-Service
Roy Huntington, Editorial Directorfor our publishing company, andI’ve been friends for 25 years. Roy
retired after 20 years on the job and evengot the distinct honor of working for meat In-Service Training. Lucky fellow. Hewrote for the other cop magazines for 20years or so and dragged me, kicking andscreaming into it about eight years ago.
During this time, we’d sit around andbitch about the state of affairs in the“copzine” world and snivel about editorsand bosses who had never been cops.But they did watch Adam-12 — so theymust have a good grasp of Law Enforce-ment? Right?
Don’t get me wrong, they were nicefolks and some are still friends. Some areoutstanding journalists and writers too.But there’s a certain “Concept of Cop”
DAVE DOUGLAS
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missing in their products.We have that “Concept of Cop.”We wanted a cop magazine actually
written by cops for cops. That’s whatwe’re going to give you. If you see awriter who isn’t, they’re probably apreeminent expert in that particularfield, and they work with cops everyday. Not some free-lancer who usu-ally specializes in “social issues fortoday’s urban woman” — who justhappens to also know somebody on aSWAT team. Now how does thatqualify them to write an article on“high risk building entries?” I don’tknow either.
I’ll do everything I can to keepAmerican COP relevant for all of us— no matter where your patrol areais located. Toward that goal, we’ve
twisted arms on a cross-section of copwriters from all across America. And, wewere pleasantly surprised at how anxiousthey were to come aboard.
INSIDERRUMINATIONS
Concept Of COP
INSIDERRUMINATIONS Continues on page 81
Even after two years on the bombsquad I still had all my fingers.
In front of the academy, Dave left, Roy right.
The olden days.
Really, that’s me on the left.
SECTION3 (pg58-65,74-82) 8/10/05 1:52 PM Page 82
Some attempt to redefine limits.Kimber removes them.The 1911 .45 ACP is the finest fighting pistol ever designed. Powerful, accurate and absolutely dependable, today’s elite military and law enforcement units carry one if given a choice. The rest wish they could.
The new Warrior™ and Desert Warrior™ pistols are no-compromise versions of the Kimber .45 issued to the elite Marine Detachment assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command. Both feature match grade barrels, chambers and barrel bushings, traditional guide rods and extractors, lanyard loops, integral tactical rails for light mounting, tactical bumped and grooved beavertail grip safeties, ambidextrous thumb safeties and Tactical Wedge Tritium night sights Both are finished in KimPro™, the hardest thermally cured fi rearm fi nish available today, and both wear the aggressive G10 Tactical Grips. The Desert Warrior also has the new Service Melt™ treatment that slightly rounds edges to prevent snagging.
Like every Kimber pistol, Warriors are proudly made in America. Carry one, and compromise somewhere else.
For complete information on Kimber fi rearms
One Lawton Street, Yonkers, NY 10705call (800) 880-2418
or visit www.kimberamerica.com
The Warrior wears the premium KimPro™ finish in traditional matte black.
Information and specifi cations are for reference only and subject to change without notice. Firearm safety is every gun owner’s responsibility. Use and
store all firearms safely. Teach everyone in your home, especially children, proper firearm safety. Kimber firearms should only be purchased and used in
complete compliance with all national, state and local laws. All suggestions for use in this ad or any Kimber literature must be taken within the context
of these laws. Kimber firearms are shipped with a California-approved cable lock as a safety measure. Additionally, pistols are shipped in a lockable high
impact case. Use of the cable lock at all times is encouraged when a firearm is in storage. Kimber owners may request a free cable lock by mail. Include
$10 for postage and handling. Copyright 2005, Kimber Mfg., Inc.
Rimfire Target Conversion Kits in .22 LR ($305) and 17 Mach 2 ($341 & $376) easily install on most 1911 pistol brands. Available through dealers or direct from Kimber.
The new Desert Warrior™ .45 ACP with Dark Earth KimPro finish is modeled after the
Kimber carried by the Marine Detachment assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command.
The new Desert Warrior™ .45 ACP with Dark Earth KimPro finish is modeled after the
Kimber carried by the Marine Detachment assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command.
please send $2 to Kimber, Dept 669,
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