American COP Magazine March/April 2007

COPcoversMA 2/5/07 9:54 PM Page c1

$5.95 STUPID CHIEF TRICKS IN CANADA $9.50 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM MARCH/APRIL 2007 WINWIN ArmaLiteArmaLite AR-24AR-24 && WilsonWilson TacticalTactical COPCOP ToolTool

TARGET INDICATORS THE DUI WEASELS

PATTING DOWN FIRST LOOK NOT FEELING UP ARMALITE'S Focus: NEW AR-24 ASP Cuffs BlackHawk Boots Tank Tough Pentagon's New Light Duty Partner Bianchi's Light Mount Holster COPcoversMA 2/5/07 9:54 PM Page c2 MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:39 PM Page 3

This SureFire rechargeable flashlight is owned by veteran officer Mike Daniel of the Boulder City Police Department, Nevada. It stopped a bullet fired by a convicted felon wanted for attempted murder. Officer Daniel got back on his feet, returned fire and stopped the felon who was trying to murder his partner. After being shot the flashlight still operated.

SureFire flashlights are built for combat. They're so bright they can temporarily blind a threat. They're guaranteed for life. This guarantee includes incoming fire. Officer Daniel received a free replacement.

Hats off to Medal of Valor recipients; Officers Mike Daniel, Mike Barth and Scott Pastore for their courage and actions under fire.

surefire.com/truestories MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:39 PM Page 4

2007 Volume 3, Number 2, Issue 10 MAR • APR

WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 38 ON THE COVER Photo: Ichiro Nagata

38 NIGHT VISION BOB DAVIS New See-In-The-Dark Technology. 46

46 THE TWAIN SHALL MEET BOB PILGRIM ArmaLite And Sarsilmaz’s First Offspring.

51 UNDERCOVER AMONG DUI WEASELS JEREMY D. CLOUGH Making A Better DUI Case.

53 PATTING HER DOWN KIMBERLEE VERSIGA AND TAMARA MIMS You’re Not Feeling Her Up.

56 DEATH DANCING BOB PILGRIM Move Or Die.

59 STUPID CHIEF TRICKS RICH GRASSI Executive Decisions — Stranger Than Fiction.

60 DOWN AND DIRTY WES DOSS Grounded Officer Tactics.

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COLUMNS

16 CARRY OPTIONS MARK HANTEN

18 CORRECTIONS BRIAN DAWE 20 HIGH TECH BOB DAVIS 26 24 22 OFFICER SURVIVAL SAMMY REESE

24 EVOC ANTHONY RICCI 26 PRIVATE SECURITY ED PALUMBO ALTAR OF CONVENIENCE 28 HARD TOOLS PAUL MARKEL

32 STREET LEVEL JOHN MORRISON 28

34 REALITY CHECK II CLINT SMITH

36 RESERVES ROY HUNTINGTON RESOURCES 78 SPOTLIGHT DEPARTMENTS 80 CLASSIFIEDS 80 AD INDEX 8 RETURN FIRE 53 14 LEAA 5434 30 ON THE JOB 82 INSIDER RUMINATIONS ARMALITE AR-24 WIN!

76 Includes The New Wilson Tactical COP Tool!

AMERICAN COP™ (ISSN 1557-2609) is published bi-monthly by Publishers’ Development Corp., 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128. Periodical postage paid at San Diego CA 92128, and at additional entry offices. Subscriptions: One year (six issues) $24.95. Single copies $5.95 (in Canada $9.50). Change of address: four weeks notice required on all changes. Send old address as well as new. Con- tributors submitting manuscripts, photographs or drawings do so at their own risk. Material cannot be returned unless accompanied by sufficient postage. Payment is for all world rights for the material. The act of mailing a manuscript constitutes the author’s certification of originality of material. Opinions expressed are those of the bylined authors and do not necessarily represent those of the magazine or it's advertisers. Advertising rates furnished on request. Reproduction or use of any portion of this magazine in any manner, without written permission, is prohibited. Entire contents Copyright© 2007 Publishers’ Devel- opment Corp. All rights reserved. Title to this publication passes to subscriber only on delivery to his address. SUBSCRIPTION PROBLEMS: For immediate action, write Subscription Dept., 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to AMERICAN COP™, 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128. WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 5 MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:40 PM Page 6

AMERICAN COP PUBLISHER THOMAS von ROSEN EDITORIAL DIRECTOR ROY HUNTINGTON EDITOR DAVE DOUGLAS ART DIRECTOR RICHARD STAHLHUT MANAGING EDITOR ROCHELLE CANFIELD EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ROXANNE SMITH ART ASSISTANT ANDY LOY PRODUCTION MANAGER LINDA PETERSON ADVERTISING PRODUCTION REBEKAH EVELAND PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR RANDY MOLDE´ PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR LORINDA MASSEY CONTRIBUTING EDITORS FIREARMS TRAINING EDITOR CLINT SMITH CCW/DUTY CARRY EDITOR MARK HANTEN TECHNOLOGY EDITOR BOB DAVIS VEHICLE/EVOC EDITOR ANTHONY RICCI OFFICER SAFETY EDITOR SAMMY REESE PROFFESIONAL SECURITY EDITOR ED PALUMBO SUPERVISORY SKILLS EDITOR JOHN MORRISON LEAA ISSUES EDITOR JAMES J. FOTIS EDGED WEAPONS EDITOR ERNEST EMERSON COMPETITION EDITOR ROB LEATHAM LEGAL ISSUES EDITOR JEREMY D. CLOUGH PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR ICHIRO NAGATA EQUIPMENT EDITOR PUAL MARKEL CONTRIBUTING EDITORS WES DOSS, STEVE ALBRECHT, RICH DEPARIS, SHEP KELLY, BRIAN HOFFNER, RICH GRASSI, FRANK BORELLI FMG PUBLICATION EDITORS AMERICAN HANDGUNNER ROY HUNTINGTON GUNS MAGAZINE JEFF JOHN SHOOTING INDUSTRY RUSS THURMAN

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6 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:40 PM Page 7 MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:40 PM Page 8

RETURNFIRE

Clint Smith may know something about shooting, “but he sure as hell doesn't know much about his Bible.

Paul Wasn’t A “Wise Guy” This letter is to the attention of the Paul issue. I passed the info on to First, Paul was not one of the original Clint Smith, in regard to his Jan/Feb Clint and he appreciated the lesson. 12, as Clint states. In fact, Paul perse- edition of “Reality Check II.” Being a ”Hopefully you’ll keep reading COP cuted Christians and egged on the devout Christian I was delighted to see because as time goes by we’ll keep stoning of Saint Stephen, the first reference to a Bible verse in a cop pushing the boundaries. Some will martyr. Paul later became an apostle, magazine. I can’t remember ever squeal with delight and some with not a disciple, (the original 12 were seeing one in a gun or related subject indignation but as I’ve said before, it’s disciples) after Jesus appeared to him magazine. I just wish Clint had gotten my magazine and I put what I think is on the road to Damascus, blinded him his information correct. appropriate in it. If someone thinks and caused him to convert. Paul was not one of the 12 original differently they can read the other Paul was such an enemy of the “wise guys.” Paul was an apostle who pubs and awaken startled in a puddle early Church that once he had “seen came after the twelve. He was, in his of their own drool or start their own the light” the original Christians were own words, “born out of due time” and magazine. I appreciate your support of reluctant to accept him because he never even saw Jesus Christ while he what we’re trying to do. Dave had been so adamantly persecuting was here in the ﬂesh. them. If there’s any doubt, tell Clint Ed Covington Clint Smith may know something to read Acts to get an appreciation of about shooting, but he sure as hell just what an enemy of the Church Ed, thanks for setting us straight on doesn’t know much about his Bible. Paul had been before his epiphany.

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MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:40 PM Page 9

New Trijicon ACOG® Joins The Force.

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MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:40 PM Page 10

PREPARE TO PREVAIL.

THINK TACTICALLY. Safariland holsters have always been used by the best. Especially in the worst of situations. Now our new line of tactical accessories and ALSTM line of holsters continue the tradition. They simply have no equal. Which is exactly what you’d expect from Safariland. (800) 347-1200| safariland.com

RETURNFIRE Also, there’s no mention in any of ,JNCFS the Synoptic Gospels (that’s Matthew, Mark, Luke and John for Clint’s info) of any of the original 12 as being "DDFTTPSJFT “wise.” On the contrary, they were !VAILABLEFROMDEALERSOR portrayed as fallible, prone to error, DIRECTFROM+IMBER and unable to understand exactly who Christ was and the meaning and purpose of his presence. Even Peter would deny him three times “before the cock crows,” although he swore he would never do so. If Clint Smith is going to pick and choose his Biblical quotes to promote his philosophy, fine. Romans 12:3 is excellent, but he needs to get his facts straight. Yeah, I picked this up because apparently unlike Clint, I read my Bible daily, not just when it suits my purpose. If Clint also read ,JNCFS¥3JNmSF5BSHFU5. his Bible daily, he wouldn’t have DPOWFSTJPOLJUT NWZ4:IVL made such egregious mistakes. Oh 5IKPÅ\UW[\!JZIVL[IVL yes, I also minored in Theology in QV[\ITT_Q\PW]\\WWT[QVWVMUQV]\M undergraduate university, for what that’s worth. On a positive note, American COP is GREAT! I read every issue cover to cover. Best regards Charlie Cutshaw Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV) Charlie, thanks for the note but you’re too late. Clint has already been

Hartford Courant ;dgXdbeaZiZ^c[dgbVi^dcdc@^bWZg[^gZVgbh To those of us in Connecticut Law VcYVXXZhhdg^ZheaZVhZhZcY'id/ Enforcement and particularly the State @^bWZg9Zei,-%! Police, where I spent a 33-year career, DcZAVlidcHigZZi!Ndc`Zgh!CN&%,%*! y this paper’s attitude is no surprise. XVaa-%%--%"')&-dgk^h^i es From the day I started in the State lll#`^bWZgVbZg^XV#Xdb ve *OGPSNBUJPOBOETQFDJmDBUJPOTBSFGPSSFGFSFODFPOMZBOETVCKFDUUPDIBOHFXJUIPVUOPUJDF'JSFBSNTBGFUZJTFWFSZ Patrol, the Courant has never missed a HVOPXOFSTSFTQPOTJCJMJUZ6TFBOETUPSFBMMmSFBSNTTBGFMZ5FBDIFWFSZPOFJOZPVSIPNF FTQFDJBMMZDIJMESFO QSPQFSmSFBSNTBGFUZ,JNCFSmSFBSNTTIPVMEPOMZCFQVSDIBTFEBOEVTFEJODPNQMFUFDPNQMJBODFXJUIBMMOBUJPO chance to take a cheap shot at us. Each BM TUBUFBOEMPDBMMBXT"MMTVHHFTUJPOTGPSVTFJOUIJTBEPSBOZ,JNCFSMJUFSBUVSFNVTUCFUBLFOXJUIJOUIFDPOUFYU PGUIFTFMBXT,JNCFSmSFBSNTBSFTIJQQFEXJUIB$BMJGPSOJBBQQSPWFEDBCMFMPDLBTBTBGFUZNFBTVSF"EEJUJPO morning, when those of us working BMMZ QJTUPMTBSFTIJQQFEJOBMPDLBCMFIJHIJNQBDUDBTF6TFPGUIFDBCMFMPDLBUBMMUJNFTJTFODPVSBHFEXIFOB mSFBSNJTJOTUPSBHF,JNCFSPXOFSTNBZSFRVFTUBGSFFDBCMFMPDLCZNBJM*ODMVEFGPSQPTUBHFBOEIBOEMJOH days arrived at the Troop, someone $PQZSJHIU ,JNCFS.GH *OD would say, “What’s that rag saying WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 11 MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:40 PM Page 12

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RETURNFIRE about us today?” Nobody had to ask which paper it was. Regarding David Medina, it doesn’t take any balls to sit safely behind a desk, in a room full of like-minded people and take pot shots at those folks who make it safe for him to do so. Sgt. G.R. Chartier, CSP (Ret) I’m writing regarding the article about by David Medina (Hartford Courant). I think his statement “…cops will embrace anything that improves their odds of making it to those fat retirement pensions without a scratch” could be taken as the truth but in a positive way. Well no shi_ Mr. Medina, who doesn’t want to make it to their retirement? I’m sure you do. Any advantage a cop can legally and morally use to make it home at the end of the day and ultimately to retirement is definitely acceptable. Medina is attacking the Taser. It not only allows the officer to make it home safely but also allows the suspect to make it to his destination alive as well. Why wouldn’t the public want less lethal options available to the police? The Taser is better at the end of the day for everyone involved. I hope the LEAA brings some reality to light with the editors of this paper and that they apologize to the police and the public for their outra- geous statements. Awesome magazine and keep it coming! J. Jacobs Thanks for the nice words about the magazine. We try everyday to keep it meaningful. As for the Hartford Courant, that commie rag has been a pimple on the ass of progress apparently since 1764. It’s hard to believe anything can be so full of crap for such a long period of time. I can’t even tell you what their circulation is as their moron employees have issues with the little number buttons on the phone and failed repeatedly to transfer my call to anyone with three brain cells operating in concert. With that said I do believe the Hartford Courant’s opinion and editorial stance will never be influenced by mere facts, common sense or reality. Dave *

AMERICAN COP™ welcomes letters to the editor for the Return Fire column. Letters should be typewritten or emailed but leg- ible handwriting is acceptable. We reserve the right to edit all published letters for clarity and length. Due to the volume of mail, we are unable to individually answer either written corre- spondence or e-mail. Send your letters to Return Fire, American COP, 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128; internet: www.americancopmagazine.com

WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:40 PM Page 14

LEAA JAMES J. FOTIS

THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ALLIANCE OF AMERICA. GOOD NEWS FOR CELEBRITY COP KILLERS,

The Face Of A BAD NEWS Cop Hater. FOR COPS

he Democrat Congress, Conyers has made it clear he takeover of doesn’t trust cops. According to Congress is Chairman Conyers, police officers reg- T good news ularly target minorities for harassment for cop killers and abuse. In Chairman Conyers’ Leonard Peltier world, when cops aren’t stopping and Mumia Abu minorities for driving while black, they’re Jamal and bad news working to rig elections by keeping for the men and minorities from voting. In an interview women in blue about the aftermath who put their lives of the 2000 elec- on the line to keep tions, Conyers our communities made the ridicu- safe. Newly lous claim, “there appointed House Judi- was widespread ciary Chairman John intimidation by Conyers is a longtime police and other supporter of the two law enforcement celebrity cop killers. officials on election day in In his 40-plus years in 17 states or more.” NATIONAL OVERSIGHT onyers’ visions for law enforcement include making PROFILING it easier for people to ﬁle lawsuits against police ofﬁ- onyers also opposed HR 218, believing cers, and harder for cops to be awarded attorney’s that arming off-duty and retired cops was C fees when a lawsuit brought against them is dis- a danger to public safety. In a statement missed. Conyers wants to create a national task force for law C against HR 218, Conyers suggested that enforcement oversight that will be the judge, jury and execu- Congress should not be arming offduty or retired offi- tioner of cops accused of “misconduct.” cers, but rather passing more gun control instead. Chairman Conyers’ animosity isn’t just reserved for the Conyers pushed one of the many bigoted anti-cop red men and women in blue who keep our communities safe, herrings used to oppose HR 218 — the notion there are but for the laws they enforce as well. Conyers has long tons of “dirty cops” who took a retirement before they been an opponent of the Patriot Act and you can expect could be investigated. When it comes to cops, Conyers him to hold countless hearings to criticize this vital tool in has no problem profiling and prejudicing the war on terror. you because of your profession. *

James J. Fotis is a retired officer from New York and the Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Alliance of America (LEAA). LEAA works to promote officer safety issues, defend law enforcement in the media and promote the belief that gun control is not crime control. You can find out more or become a member of the hard-hitting, conservative, unabashedly pro-cop, pro-gun, pro-self defense LEAA by visiting their Web site at www.leaa.org 14 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:40 PM Page 15 MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:40 PM Page 16

CARRYOPTIONS MARK HANTEN

FROM HOLSTERS TO HAVERSACKS.

want to get back to one of my High Tech favorite topics for patrol holsters I— light-mounted pistols. I’ve been to a couple of shooting schools recently where the instructors and Simple were less than enthusiastic about light- mounted duty weapons. They mentioned the lights might fail, guns shouldn’t be used as flashlights and officers sometimes misuse them. One instructor had a story about an officer who tucked his gun under his armpit in order to use the weapon light to illuminate his ticket book. If you see an officer do this, please go slap the piss right out of him. It only takes a few bone- heads to have a valuable tool taken away from all of us. Each of these instructors’ points were valid — to some extent. I’m not advocating gun-mounted lights as a replacement for a powerful flashlight carried on your duty belt day and night, but I am saying they’re a tremendous tool and one a patrol cop shouldn’t be without.

Bianchi International Model 7945 Luminator with the Glock Model 22 Pistol and Streamlight M3 light. K OBSTACLES U ne of the biggest obstacles for patrol cops carrying light-mounted weapons has been Kim a lack of available holsters for the wide Ja\ range of gun and light combinations. ORecently, I found a couple rigs which expands that

From left, the Custom CDP II™, Desert Warrior™ and Team Match II™, each in .45 ACP. Also pictured, the new Kimber LifeAct™ Guardian Angel™ non-lethal self defense device.

Kimber Rimfire Target Conversion Kits in .22 LR easily install on most 1911 pistol brands. They are available through dealers or Kimber 1911pistols.Unequaled quality. direct from Kimber. Unprecedented performance.

Kimber®J]QTL[\PM_WZTL¼[ÅVM[\XZWL]K\QWV!XQ[\WT[)JWTL[\I\MUMV\UIaJMJ]\JIKSML Ja\PMIK\QWV[WN MTQ\M\IK\QKITTI_MVNWZKMUMV\]VQ\[UQTQ\IZaNWZKM[IVLKWUXM\Q\QWV[PWW\MZ[

)TT3QUJMZ!XQ[\WT[IZMXZW]LTaUILMQV)UMZQKIIVLNMI\]ZMUI\KPOZILMJIZZMT[ KPIUJMZ[IVL\ZQOOMZOZW]X[NWZIKK]ZIKaIVLIJ[WT]\MLMXMVLIJQTQ\a3QUJMZ+IZZa\PMJM[\ ;dg XdbeaZiZ ^c[dgbVi^dc dc @^bWZg ÒgZVgbh! VXXZhhdg^Zh VcY YZVaZg adXVi^dch! eaZVhZ hZcY ' id/ @^bWZg! 9Zei# -.+! DcZ AVlidc HigZZi! Ndc`Zgh! CN &%,%* XVaa -%% --%"')&- dg k^h^i lll#`^bWZgVbZg^XV#Xdb MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:41 PM Page 18

CORRECTIONS BRIAN DAWE

BEHINDTHEFENCE. STRIKE BACK very year over 30,000 assaults occur against staff in our nation’s prisons, jails and juve- E nile justice facilities. Every day 80 staff members are assaulted. In the past five years 48 correctional offi- ART: USE PHOTO OF GUARD DO A cers have been killed in the line of duty. During a 20-year career a cor- TREATMENT IN PHOTOSHOP TO MAKE rectional officer can expect to be seri- IT NOT LOOK LIKE THE FREE ART IT IS ously assaulted at least twice. The last reliable report on the number of AND PLACE THE TARGET IN BACK- inmates prosecuted revealed only 11 percent of the inmates committing GROUND TO SIGNIFY CORRECTIONS those assaults were prosecuted; yet over 20 percent resulted in the need OFFICERS BEING TARGETS for medical treatment. How can this happen? Is a crime committed on our city streets different than one committed behind the walls of our nation’s correctional facilities? Are the men and women working in our prisons and jails fodder for violent inmate attacks? What can be done about this shameful disregard for the safety of the men and women who patrol some of law enforcement’s most dangerous beats? Green County, Pennsylvania A FORMULA eview the actions of District Attorney Marjorie Fox from Greene County, Pennsylvania. A correctional officer was brutally assaulted by an inmate. FOR ACTION R When the case came before DA Greene, she refused to prosecute the inmate. Here’s what DA Fox said to the officer regarding the assault, “Under the f you’re assaulted go to the circumstances, we do not have the resources to bring a case to trial which will local police and provide them result in no additional punishment to the defendant. I have, therefore, withdrawn with a copy of an incident prosecution in this case.” I report. Some departments Because the inmate could only serve one life sentence it would be a waste of will not allow officers to keep a taxpayer dollars to prosecute him. What message does this send to every inmate copy of any report they write serving a life sentence in Greene County? In essence, you have carte blanche to (that’s an issue for another day); if assault any staff member of your choosing without fear of reprisal. We are that’s the case file a separate report becoming punching bags for an inmate population that’s ever more dangerous with the local PD. and violent. Contact the DA’s office and for- Many jurisdictions not only refuse to refer staff assaults to the District Attorney ward a copy of the report you filed to prosecute; they don’t even alert the DA an assault has occurred. It conjures up with the police. Notify both the the scene from the movie Animal House where a young ROTC Officer is standing Department of Correction and the among a rampaging out-of-control crowd screaming, “All is well, all is well.” All police you have contacted the DA. is most certainly not well. Contact your State Representa-

18 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:41 PM Page 19

tive or County Administrator and provide a copy to them. Although the administration at the prison may not be elected to their positions, the DA, State Representative and County Administra- tors are and none of them wants to be viewed as being soft on crime. Contact the local media and tell them your story. If you fear discipline at work, an all too common occurrence in our prisons today, then contact American Correctional Ofﬁcer (ACO) and we’ll call the media for you. They can’t discipline us. Start a STRIKE BACK program. “Strike Back” is a program in conjunc- tion with your local union, association or fraternal organization to sue inmates in civil court and seek to freeze their accounts and attach any assets they may have on the streets. Almost every inmate I ever encountered lives for his or her canteen or commissary privileges. Strip them of those privileges and relegate them to eating nothing but prison food for the length of their incarceration and you strike a blow for everyone who works behind those walls. You might even reduce the number of assaults where you work. File a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request demanding to know the number and types of assaults occurring in your jurisdiction over the past five years. Hit ’Em Where I t Hurts When you STRIKE BACK you hit them where it hurts and the pain never goes away. Also when filing these suits you’re alerting the politicians, department administrators, county commissioners, local PD and the DA these issues will be prosecuted in a public forum. They’ll start to take notice and prosecute these assaults as if they had occurred in their own neighborhood — if they want to keep their jobs. You might be saying to yourself, “Great idea but how can I sue an inmate civilly on my salary?” ACO has designed a strategy addressing this issue. You can call ACO at 1-307-883- 9707 and start a “STRIKE BACK” program where you work. When we punch that time clock we don’t surrender our constitutional rights or our legal protections against personal injury. You’re a citizen of this great country first and foremost and those rights and privileges are not waived when you sign on. As a profession we must STRIKE BACK! *

WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 19 MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:41 PM Page 20

HIGHTECH BOB DAVIS

CUTTING EDGE WIDGETS — AND OTHER NEW STUFF. "LAPTOP IN HERE" TECHTECH DANGERS DANGERS here’s no doubt about it, working in law enforcement is tough. Working all hours of the day or T night, nonstop under a myriad of conditions not only wears us out, it’s tough on equipment too. Whether it’s your car or portable radio, laptop or other electronic device, cops are noto- The cop rious for being rough on equipment. was okay But, with just a little loving care and but the respect, these little electronic lifelines laptop didn’t could save your butt someday. So how make it. about giving them a break and showing the gentler side of Police Work.

tion? First, power off the PC, if you know how, remove the bat- Things NOT To Do tery and leave it turned off. This PC requires immediate service. Just letting them dry out can save many PCs. There’s very little eah, you might be one of the lucky ones whose depart- DC voltage running in the circuits so most components can sur- ment spent the big bucks getting so-called military vive if they’re dried out before energy is re-introduced. ruggedized equipment but even it has its limits. For Computers, like teenagers, can be frustrating to the point of Y example, driving 106 mph while holding a 64 oz Big exasperation. And although you might want to use force — Gulp filled with your favorite drink, while simultaneously maybe your collapsible baton — on your computer, it’s typi- telling your dispatcher you’re nearly on scene may be a skill cally not covered under the manufacturer’s warranty. Believe it you’ve honed over the years, but dumping it all over your or not I’ve seen a few patrol car laptops where the display car’s computer isn’t a good idea. screens have come back in with an odd spiderweb star damage While many ruggedized PCs will handle a few ounces of on them. You’ve seen this type of damage before, but it’s usu- Starbucks frappa-whatchamalcallit, I suspect when a flood of ally associated with car crashes and those who choose not to carbonated sugars or diet sugars irrigates the rows of keys, wear their seatbelt. Well, using force on electronics is just a bad you’ll only have seconds before your PC is fried. and expensive idea. Nearly 50 percent of a laptop’s cost is in What’s the best thing to do if you find yourself in this situa- the display. Where pounding on older devices — those made in the 40s and 50s — might have worked for your parents, solid- state electronics are rarely affected positively. In fact unneces- sary shock or violent vibrations kill more PCs or at least their Software Suicide hard drives than any other cause. t’s amazing what they can get software to do these days. And that’s the problem, what they get it to do. We’re all experts, especially those who cut your teeth on PCs and Power Problems I Macs. Guess what, we’re not and you typically don’t have a clue about how interdependent certain files are to var- inally, know the limits of your power. We’ve all heard ious applications your employer has installed on the PC. of spikes in power. There’s no doubt lightening and In the geekish world of software programmers it’s all about electronics don’t mingle well. But power sags do just as files called dynamic link library or (DLLs). They’re a collec- F much damage to delicate computer components; they tion of small programs needed to run bigger applications. They just don’t do it as fast. Power sags involve voltages 80 to 85 communicate with a specific device such as a printer or maybe percent below normal for short periods of time (one or more a device or code to do particular functions. When you start cycles). Possible causes are equipment being turned on, elec- messing around in your PC by adding, deleting and modifying trical motors being started, and the switching of power mains. files or applications, you can potentially wreck delicate soft- Examples are powering a computer on the same circuit as a ware functionality without even knowing it. Most departments large laser printer or copying machine. A power sag can have have rules about this. Unfortunately, many well-intentioned effects similar to those of a power surge, such as memory loss, employees interpret them more like guidelines and believe data errors, flickering lights and equipment shutoff. In fact, they know more about their computers then their bosses. over time power sags, where good clean 110 volt AC is not My suggestion, follow the rules. Don’t add or remove available, end the life of an innocent computer. any software without testing what’s going to be impacted So treat your electronics with some love and respect, just by your little change. Hundreds of man-hours are wasted like you’d give to your Mom. Sure it’s not going to make you every year fixing little experiments. Important documents dinner next time you’re over for that holiday meal, but it could are lost, sometimes forever, on well intentioned acts that just give you the info you’re searching for to ultimately lead to data disaster. get another lowlife off the street. *

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OFFICERSURVIVAL SAMMY REESE

GETTING HOME IN THE SAME CONDITION YOU WENT TO WORK IN. Killer CAD or the most part technology has improved officer safety. We’ve come a long way from the days F of patrol cops carrying pockets full of dimes. My editor recalls standing inspection prior to shift and holding a roll of dimes in his hand for his sergeant to see. Payphone calls were once 10 cents and cell phones were only on Star Trek. Today the advancements in handheld radios working off numerous repeaters, enable us to talk across the entire county. The introduction of the computer automated dispatch system (CAD) has completely changed how the job is done. The CAD isn’t brand-new technology, but with the current improvements, the basic patrol car CAD can now do the job that used to take an entire dispatch center to accomplish. The Downside ith all of the good come problems that can Unfortunately, the CAD can put us in an unsafe posi- adversely impact your safety. It’s zero dark thirty tion. For the most part we like to hide in dark areas on a very dark graveyard shift. You’re driving where we can back in and be covered from anyone W down a road you’ve traveled about a million approaching us while our head is down focusing on times. You look down and to your right to check a recent typing. I’d call this “tactical” positioning of the car, a message on your computer screen. You are in the process of good officer safety tactic. The problem arises when typing back with your right hand (I know this is a big no-no we’re clearing calls or doing something else with the since every department policy mandates you pull over to read computer “on the fly,” and haven’t positioned ourselves or use your computer) when a parked car magically material- in a safe or defensible position. izes in front of your patrol car. You can fill in the ending with Focusing on filling out a computer log or adding com- any number of possible endings ranging from a TC that will ments to the call might have disastrous results. Luckily, be your fault, to you crapping your pants over the near miss. it’s usually just someone with a question that causes us to If you are saying, “never happened to me,” you’re either jump out of our seat. The problem would be when it’s an a very responsible officer who follows every department ambush we could have prevented had we been fully policy to the letter, or your time is coming. attentive to our surroundings. Remember Where Am I? rule #1 he computer in the car has made doing the job easier. We can run plates and people, and some programs produce a photo from DMV to help o home safe at the end of street cops verify Joe Smith (common spelling) is truly Mr. Smith. Oh, Gyour shift. Use every modern T and don’t forget various map programs ranging from GPS to very convenience to help be as detailed maps of huge apartment complexes. All these? tools make a dangerous safe as possible while you’re working. job a little safer. But, don’t let the technology distract Most street cops appreciate the computer because it allows them to stay in you from being safe. If you’re a the field and write paper. One of my? first FTOs told me about when he had to member of the “Typing With Your handwrite his reports, in pen no less, and stupid fluid (Whiteout) wasn’t Right Hand” Club, watch out for that allowed. No spellcheck! Bad spelling combined with doctor-like handwriting kid or that parked car that just would have been big trouble for me. may jump in front of you. * 22 ? WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:41 PM Page 23

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CORRECT EVOC ANTHONY RICCI

SURVIVING IN YOUR MOBILE OFFICE.

Approximate Center of the Headrest

Center of the ear is aligned with the approximate center THE MOST of the headrest. NEGLECTED CORRECT

SAFETY 2" — 3"

The back of the head should be between 2" to 3" FEATURE from the headrest. any of us take those well-designed safety devices for granted. Although they’re very important and can even save lives, those M damn airbags get a bad rap. They come out too fast, they burn people, they cause whiplash, it’s amazing how many excuses we can come up with even when statistics show airbags are benefi- NOT CORRECT cial in preventing injuries and saving lives. Seatbelts, the most controversial safety feature, speak for themselves especially in the LE Commu- nity. We find all kinds of reasons not to wear them from “I can’t deploy from the vehicle quickly enough” and “I can’t draw my weapon” to “they’re This is an incorrect just plain uncomfortable.” My point is even use of the headrest as it obstructs vision though these devices were carefully engineered of the roadway as and statistically proven to help us, we can come up well as the airway. with several half-cocked reasons to count them out. However, the poor headrest, although very important, does not even rank. No one ever has to come up with an excuse to not use them because most drivers don’t even know they exist. Think about it INJURY ow many of you jump in your instantaneously. There’s an enormous Hduty vehicle and adjust the amount of force generated even in a low headrest? In fact most of us use speed crash. Once this force is applied, REDUCTION the headrest as a pillow to put our head the occupants inside the vehicle cannot eadrests greatly reduce on while in traffic — not good. Why is possibly have any physical directional neck and head injuries, it the most neglected safety feature in control, they’re now governed by physics. absorbing some impact any vehicle? What do they do for us, In a frontal crash, the vehicle stops at H energy, and help catch and how do we set them up? some point as the occupants continue for- your head as it comes to rest in the Since headrests don’t get much media ward and once colliding with the next cushion. Headrests can be very coverage and there are no real big national hard object, they come to rest as their helpful in preventing injury, how- campaigns representing them, they go internal organs smash against their outer ever most people don’t know how unnoticed. That is until we’re in a rear end shell and then get propelled backward into to adjust them or don’t take the crash. Getting hit from behind is never the seat and headrest. The occupants time to actually check their posi- enjoyable since the force of our vehicle is finally come to rest in the fourth and final tion. NHTSA recommends posi- being pushed forward so abruptly we find crash providing the car has stopped and tioning the headrest ideally 2" or the back of our head meeting the headrest there isn’t a secondary impact. less from the rear of the occu-

Anthony Ricci is the owner and president of Advanced Driving and Security (ADSI). He’s been teaching cops to drive for over 10 years. www.1adsi.com.

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pant’s head and never more than 4". When adjusting the height they recommend adjusting the bulk of the headrest directly behind the occupant’s head approximately at ear level. In the event of whiplash, the headrest should contact your head first — not the neck. The neck is vulnerable in an automobile accident since it’s flexible and connected to a top- heavy object — your head. Acci- dents result in many neck injuries, especially in a rear end crash. Hyperextension, a backward motion that stretches the neck beyond normal limits, or hyper- flexion, a forward motion of the neck beyond normal, limits may result. Most injuries affect the muscle and ligaments. Extreme crashes can cause fractures or dis- Headrests can be very helpful in preventing Premium Night Sights & Optics

injury, however most Meprolight® offers eighty models of premium night sights for pistols, rifles and shotguns, including some with dual color combinations. people don’t know They are impervious to solvents, useable in virtually any light and carry how to adjust them or a 12-year illumination warranty. Eight new models are available for 2007. Meprolight Reflex sights are battle-tough, and illuminate without battery don’t take the time to power. Three reticles are available, adjustments are positive .5 MOA clicks, actually check and a 30mm lens is quick to target. Meprolight is the right sight in any light. Exclusively imported by For free catalog contact Kimber, Dept 971, their position. One Lawton Street, Yonkers, NY 10705, call (800) 880-2418 or locations and may damage the visit www.kimberamerica.com spinal cord and result in paralysis. Copyright 2007 Kimber Mfg., Inc. All rights reserved. Kimber names, logos and other trademarks may not be used without permission. Names of other companies, products Not If — When and services may be the property of their respective owners. Designers are making great strides in headrest technology. However, until every vehicle automatically adjusts itself to the person sitting in the seat we’ll have to take the responsibility to adjust the headrest ourselves. Remember that the next time you get into your — vehicle it may just may be the night the big chase happens and maybe you will be rushing to the call when your vehicle hits an ice patch. The truth of the matter is in our line of work it’s not if — it’s when you will crash. I just hope you took the time to set your seat position, put your safety belt on and position your headrest correctly. *

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PRIVATESECURITY ED PALUMBO

ISSUES AND TRENDS ON THE PRIVATE SIDE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. CORPORATE MALFEASANCE AND JUDGMENT ver the past several months I’ve received a number of invita- tions for educational conferences that purportedly would enlighten me about risk avoidance, speciﬁcally how not to O conduct a corporate investigation. The main thrust of these forums is to — aside from creating revenue for the conference owners, of course — enable private sector security professionals to acquire skills necessary to prevent ruinous investigative scenarios based on illegal actions, unethical behavior, stupid decisions (including those by the lawyers guiding your case progress) or, at the least, help us avoid questionable actions resulting in harm to a company’s reputa- tion, brand or P&L sheet. (The fact that I manage a global security program for Hewlett-Packard, the focus of stupendous media and political coverage of late, simply adds a dark humor to the invita- tions. Would they allow me to present, I wonder?) Essentially what they’re selling is pre-packaged common sense but, in all fairness, I’ve yet to attend. It isn’t that I can’t learn something — I certainly can, and should — ALTAR OF CONVENIENCE not to mention rational thought is an asset you can’t have too much of, but if my skill sets don’t already include an enormous cache of common sense I probably

shouldn’t have this job. Art: Badger Wisdom Imparted Backgrounds savvy captain I worked for in San Diego gave me what amounted to t’s a curious feature of corporate sage counsel, and I’ve attempted, occasionally successfully, to use it as security promotion processes that a manager in the private sector: “We (San Diego Police) promote those charged with placing new Apeople for their judgment. We can teach them the job later, if we have Italent will say they favor non-LE to, but you can’t teach judgment.” The ability to make reasoned judgments is backgrounds, or more speciﬁcally, non- arguably a learned quality, however if there is no innate, recognizable quality in municipal police backgrounds. a person that convinces a hiring authority he or she is capable of rational, Meaning they’re predisposed towards defensible judgments, what else should you teach them? Why would you? either federal-level LE types or persons Corporate America is no different from Police America in that those who with non-traditional resumes. Oddly succeed often display the ability to make correct — that is to say, legally and then, among the more successful corpo- ethically defensible — decisions. Sure, some prosper without any advantage in rate or private security practitioners the areas of logic or ethics; no corporate human resource department or munic- I’ve come to know, most have a decid- ipal interview panel can succeed in promoting only the most qualiﬁed. edly LE foundation. Some, stranger

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still, were actually working police at some point. How startling for some that strong judgment and ethics could be identiﬁed among (former) beat cops. Corporate or private sector security oversight in investigations or guard force operations is not unlike supervision of detectives or patrol cops for a public law enforcement agency, grounded in the bedrock of common human sense and sensitivity. Ulti- mately, if a corporate manager is hard- pressed for immediate results in a matter of paramount urgency, and only slightly diverges from previously held concepts of right and wrong, ethical The offender, whether corporate investigator or police officer, will eventually be damned by their superiors and sacrificed on the nearest altar of convenience. and unethical, he may already be lost. If you think it’s wrong to do a certain thing and you submit without protest, how is that different from effecting a knowingly false arrest under pressure from a supervisor, whose aims may or may not be lofty? In effect they’re not different, and the offender, whether corporate investigator or police officer, will eventually be damned by their superiors and sacrificed on the nearest altar of convenience. Judgment “My boss told me to do it” has a self-defeating, universally disre- DPMS LE Division: DPMS Armorer’s Courses “RECEIVER RUG” spected connotation and probably will Evin Galbraith for Law Enforcement RECEIVER RUG “PATENT APPLIED FOR” Molded not be a good defense. But, I’m nei- 320-258-4448 Now Available! ther a lawyer nor a defendant in these [email protected] LR-RRM $8.95 highly publicized cases, so pressures Stop Primers From Jamming Your Trigger casually referenced by me — and loud With the “Receiver Rug”! voices from the fourth estate that know even less about investigations — were not personally felt, so who am I to criticize anyone? PANTHER Judgment is a human characteristic LR-308AP4 that can easily transcend borders, even Cal: .308 Win. RFLR-AP4 $1,249.00 invisible ones, like those between cor- 5.56 x 45mm also available porate and public enforcement, and if Made in the USA. you can recognize the correct responses Law Enforcement and Military in one arena, you probably Please send $1.00 for our new catalog. WWW.DPMSINC.COM Personnel Receive A 10% Discount! will in the other, as well. * 3312 12th Street SE, Dept. COP • St. Cloud, MN 56304 • (p) 1-320-258-4448, Ext. 2267 • (f) 1-320-258-4449 • (e)[email protected]

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HARDTOOLS PAUL MARKEL

ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR THE JOB. COLOR CODED #**HOLES AND MORE ow often do you purchase handcuffs? Rarely, right? When I spotted the new ASP handcuffs at a recent trade When I was a young, gung ho cadet I bought my first show my first thought was they simply put colored molding pair — a new set of Peerless hinged handcuffs. They on a standard set of restraints — I was wrong. The Hweren’t cheap, but I’ve carried them for the better folks at ASP have put some genuine thought into part of 15 years now and I have a set of Peerless the handcuff — something rarely done lately. chain-link cuffs for off duty or plainclothes. Rather than reinvent the wheel, ASP has made their new restraints user friendly for the guys that will actually be out there hooking people up. The first big “Why didn’t I think HANDCUFFING 101 of that?” is the double-sided lock. ow many of you were taught in Hand- cuffing 101 to put the locks up — everyone, right? Sounds good — isn’t easy when you’re H sitting on a guy in a dark parking lot while your partner hooks him up. You don’t care about the locks being up or down, you just want to get the bracelets on Moron however you can. It’s not until you get them to jail and try to take the cuffs off that you discover the lock holes are down. You end up doing Number 51 that “bend the prisoner over so I can find the little hole dance.” n experienced The ASP handcuffs have eliminated the problem by putting person can pick any lock holes on both sides. lock with enough ASP also put the double-lock mechanism on the side of A time. While picking the frame and again accessible from both sides. The double- is a consideration you’re lock bar is yellow. If you see it, the cuffs are single-locked, far more likely to run when you can’t they’re double-locked. Another nice feature into the professional about the double-locking mechanism is unlike the old style criminal who keeps cuffs, you don’t need to turn your key left then right or right handcuff keys hidden then left to release the double-lock. With the ASP handcuffs on their person. one key turn releases both locks. How do you keep a bad guy from picking, shimming, or defeating handcuffs with hidden Those Cuffs Clash With Your Jumpsuit keys? It’s simple. Follow the rules you were given way back in SP cuffs stand as they have a polymer molding over the stainless steel frame. the academy. Always monitor hand- Standard colors are black and yellow, though custom colors are offered for cuffed prisoners. You should be agency purchase. You can get blaze orange or even bright pink bracelets for your doing that anyway, but we all know A prisoners. More than simple aesthetics, in a corrections setting, prisoners with a it’s easy to get complacent, especially violent history can be color-coded with bright day glow restraints. when your last 50 morons were all ASP cuffs are offered in chain-link, dual-hinged and rigid models. The chain and cooperative. It’s always number 51 hinge are pretty standard. The rigid cuffs actually fold up for carry like the hinged that’ll be the one who slips his cuffs models but when opened they lock in place. They’ll only fold when unlocked. Natu- and tries to kill you. rally, the rigid cuffs offer a greater degree of control over the suspect once they’re on. As for accessories, ASP offers Handcuffs, like any tool with moving parts, can wear out. The ASP restraints handcuff pouches and a wide assort- have another benefit in that they have replaceable locksets. The bow, frame and ment of keys. The cuff pouch I chain or hinge on your cuffs will likely last your entire career; it’s the moving parts picked up with my hinged set has a that are subject to wear and tear. Rather than just pitching the set, ASP allows you hidden Velcro flap underneath that to install a new lock set making them good as new. For large departments and cor- holds a spare cuff key. rectional institutions this is a big-time savings. That’s never a bad idea. *

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ONTHEJOB COMMANDER GILMORE A CAREFULLY SELECTED COLLECTION OF SLAPSHOTS AND SNOT-FLINGIN’ FUNNY STUFF FROM FELLOW COPS. R WHEN JUSTICE IS BOTH “STREET” AND “SWEET”

n a sunny day in Omaha, Nebraska, two teenage a Jamaican steel drum, he ran up and started sockin’ Ernie wannabe-carjackers learned a valuable lesson by through the driver’s window — a bad move. Without giving making a serious mistake. They confused “old” up his grasp of the gun, Ernie caught the kid’s arm in an Owith “easy.” iron grip, pulled him through the window and into the car, Earnest Coleman, 68, was sitting in his car outside a stacked him up against his scumbag buddy, and commenced grocery store waiting for a friend when Dipstick #1 yanked beating the snot outta both of ’em! Don’t ya just love it? open the passenger door, leaped in waving a big pistol, and After a serious session of gettin’ thumped like tubs of demanded Coleman’s money and keys. The poor, frail butter, the two finally wriggled out onto the road and fled, older gentleman responded by grabbing the scumbag’s gun leaving their pistol, their pride, and their plans for a life of in one big fist and then jackhammering his head with crime behind ’em in Ernie’s car. Columbus police are blows from the other. checking out surveillance camera video to try to identify the When Dipstick #2 saw his accomplice being beaten like pair — and probably laughing a lot as they watch the footage. This Explains A Lot There’s An Old About Lawyers Saying That n England’s Wimbledon Magistrate’s Court, Andrew Curzon was Covers This I charged with trying to t’s “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” Offi- fraudulently cash a cers in Orlando, Florida got a lot neighbor’s check in the of help from citizen witnesses amount of about I when they responded to a down- $220,000 USD. Faced town bank robbery. Within a with a ton of hard evi- minute of the suspect fleeing the dence against him and a scene, dispatch began receiving solid prosecution, he calls about a man in the area, resorted to a “dyspraxia moving away from the bank, defense.” Dyspraxia is a looking as though he was in great mental condition that pain, and, oh, yeah — there were renders the victim unable clouds of smoke coming out of the to engage in or under- smoldering crotch of his pants. stand logical thought; you Patrol officers quickly picked out know, like “actions and Kenneth Ray Brooks, 42, who ini- consequences.” Therefore, tially denied having anything to do he argued, he did not pos- with the robbery. Since his flaming sess the rational judgment pants were still smokin’ and his necessary to knowingly hands and crotch were bright red, commit the crime. that story didn’t hold up for very Curzon is a law student. long. Besides, Brooks finally Apparently, an inability to admitted he was in serious need of engage in logical thought is not a emergency medical care. Of course, bar to bein’ a barrister in England. he had stuffed the loot from the bank Knowing a little about their legal down his pants, and the dye pack system, we believe it — but we’re exploded as he ran away. Brooks not smug. If he was in the U.S. he was treated for burns of his personal could get a seat on the Ninth Circuit parts, smoke inhalation and groin Court of Appeals — but that might impact injuries from trying actually improve their decisions. to beat out the fire. * Art: Badger

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STREET LEVEL JOHN MORRISON

STRAIGHT TALK ON SUPERVISION & LEADERSHIP ON THE FRONT LINES — THE STREETS. Undisclosed Piss-Offs & Supervisory Poison f you’re like most of us, you made your bones in this business by catching people doing something wrong. You developed a “fault-finding mindset,” and it served you well — as an officer. Then you made sergeant, and you I learned viewing your troops through those fault-finding criminal-catching eyes isn’t a very effective supervisory technique. In fact, you had to re-orient yourself to catching your people doing something right — and then making sure they got recognized for it. And, you learned to defend them from undue and unjustified criticism. Saddled or blessed with the responsibility to both discipline and commend their troops, supervisors wind up walking a weird tightrope of conflicting emo- tions. You don’t want to criticize your troops unless it’s over something concrete and quantifiable, directly related to performance or productivity. But dangerously — very dangerously — you tend to overlook little nuances of behavior and mannerisms that piss you off about otherwise satisfactory officers. If left untreated, this malignant condition can poison a sergeant’s attitude toward one or more cops on his squad. The subject himself picks up on this, and knows the boss ain’t completely happy with him, but he doesn’t know why or how to fix it. The well is poisoned, and everybody suffers. It doesn’t have to be that way. You need to tell your troops what pisses you off and give them a chance to correct the condition. Here’s a typical Top Ten:

GIVING THE BARE MINIMUM WELL ON SICK LEAVE – SICK ON DUTY Sliding into squad conference at the last possible second; on time but just barely, Plan your needs and ask me for time off with advance notice — I’ll try to still buttoning his shirt, grinnin’ like a fool, tapping his watch and smirking to his bud- accommodate. Do not insult me or jeopardize others by last-minute abuse of sick dies. The same guy will often blast out the back door of the station the second the shift leave. And do not come to work contagious or so far under the weather that is over, because he’s “Not giving the department a second more than they pay me for!” you’re a hazard. I’m not your mommy — don’t make me send you home. Listen, I want you to come in and go home on time, but this juvenile attitude pisses me off! It’s not about the department’s requirements, it’s about professional conduct. IT’S JUST BAY RUM AFTERSHAVE, BOSS I drink, you drink, lots of cops drink, but the minimum rule is, “Eight Hours, IF THEY WANTED ME TO HAVE IT… Bottle to Throttle,” and if I catch the faintest whiff of booze, I’ll hammer you There are officers who never seek out available training, and never go to “outside like a cheap nail. training” on their own ticket. Their attitude is, “If the department wanted me to have it, they’d send me.” The same guys steadfastly refuse to buy improved and upgraded LIFE IN A BLACK-AND-WHITE BUBBLE gear like weapons, lights, holsters and extra cuffs, because “If they don’t issue it to Cruising through business and commercial areas with your eyes locked for- me, I ain’t buyin’ it.” To me this is the indelible mark of a poseur, an amateur — not a ward and windows rolled up — especially when I’m ground-fighting one of your real cop. Want to be treated like a professional? Act like one. Invest in yourself. felons on the sidewalk and you roll right past — flat pisses me off! Slow down, look and listen! PLAYING POCKET POOL Whether dealing with scumbag suspects, chatting with the corner grocer or kickin’ A DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS it with the kids outside the youth center, standing around with your hands jammed in In the station or out on the streets, when you turn a corner, go through a your pockets is not just an open invitation to get yourself clocked and dropped; it door or an elevator opens, be ready to face psychos, grizzlies, escaping pris- delivers the clear message that you ain’t ready for nothin’, as opposed to “centered, oners, werewolves — or me. Warriors don’t freeze, gawk or stumble backwards balanced and ready for anything.” It’s unsafe, unprofessional and it pisses me off! and fall on their asses. Be prepared, Boy Scout. SYMPHONY IN G-FLAT DOOFUS NO THANKS, I’LL JUST EAT MY GUTS Cops should not sound like ceremonial Hopi dancers, complete with wrist-rattles Finally, if you’ve got a beef with the department — or with me — you owe it and ankle-bells. For Pete’s sake, silence that 53-piece key & whistle collection and toss to me to talk to me about it. I can’t fix what I don’t know is broke. Hey, I tell you the tinkling loose change in your gear-bag, okay? You sound like an ancient shopping what pisses me off, don’t I? It works both ways. cart full of silverware rolling on gravel. The tune I hear is “Send in the Clowns.” Be diplomatic, but direct, and never let an officer have a reason to ask, “If HERE I AM — KILL ME NOW something I do bothers the boss, why doesn’t he have the balls to just tell me?” If you don’t need the light, keep your flashlight off! Don’t stand in your head- Try this, and smile when you say it: “I’d paste a gold star on your forehead, lights, or under bright overheads! You know what really scares crooks? A cop who’s Forbes, but there’s this one little thing you do comfortable in the dark. that just chaps my ass…” *

John Morrison served in combat as a Marine sergeant, and retired as a senior lieutenant from the San Diego Police Department, having served there as Director of Training, Commanding Officer of SWAT and division executive officer. He has taught, written and lectured widely on training, tactics and leadership. Contact him at [email protected]. 32 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:42 PM Page 33 MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:42 PM Page 34

REALITYCHECKII CLINT SMITH

COUNSEL, WISDOM, GUIDANCE AND TEACHING. TARGETTARGET INDICATORSINDICATORS

rom the beginning, there have always been target indicators during conflict. These indicators are a part every cop’s daily routines, whether they realize it or F not. Officer’s can’t be in a confrontation without these indicators being present. Think of them as projections of yourself, your location or the actions of suspects that may Don’t use the radio — those endanger an officer’s life. squawks and buzzes are Failure to recognize target indicators — and eliminate them also great target indicators. — can provide our opponents target opportunities that will get you killed. On the flip side, if officers are smart enough to realize these indicators exist, they can reduce the negative effect they might have. If you know what target indicators look like, they can be used effectively against the very threat the SOUND officer is facing. They can be made to work for us if we know ny sound qualifies here. The cycling of actions, the what they are. And indeed, will work against if we don’t. shuffling of feet, the rubbing of uniform jackets or armor against walls during movement, a radio- A breaking squelch or talking, all can contribute to the problem. All of these sounds project where you are to the bad guy. MOVEMENT ow many deer would get killed the first day of deer season if they all simply stood still? Not many would die because most people don’t use their eyes H very well. Arriving in a squad car, or walking to the door, going inside the house, chasing a bad guy down the alley all require movement, and movement deletes camou- flage whether issued by God or K-Mart. Your job requires movement, yet that very movement catches the eyes and draws attention. Try to use available shadows or darkened areas on your approach. Remember: Movement draws the eye. I’ll bet yours went right to Your movement will draw attention to you. the cop in the picture. REFLECTION here seems to be a contest in America to see who can put the most reflective tape on a squad car door. I know we need to be seen, but do we need a neon sign T on the car door? Here’s a fun thought, the reflective tape emblem is exactly were I am seated and belted in. The last two years I lived in Texas I can think of four cops shot and killed while seated in their cars. Did the reflective tape contribute? I can’t say so for sure but it sure was a good reference point to aim at. On top of this add the reflection off the backs of our hands, our faces, our badges and buckles, our glasses and watches. You get the point. Tone down the reflection and shine as much as possible. 34 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:42 PM Page 35

Quick, ﬁnd the cop against the block wall. Keep contrast in mind! CONTRAST his one’s very simple. How about a dark uniform against a light-colored building at T night? Think of a hunter wearing an orange vest in the woods — contrast. Lucky for us the deer don’t hunt back, even for just one season. I can remember my dad wearing a white police uniform shirt 40 years ago as he went out the door Shiny badges to work the night shift. He looked look cool — and spiffy, but he was a friggin bullet are great target magnet. It’s not just dark versus light indicators too. clothing either, it’s the contrast between what you’re wearing and the background. People will shoot you if they see you, and they see you because you let them. Don’t let ’em see you.

SMELL eople say: “What you’re telling me is I’m gonna smell the bad guy?” Well maybe, P then again it might be even better. I’m a SWAT, Narc or uniform patrol guy entering a house and as I sneak down the hallway in my demon of darkness, master of doom, colossal collision black ninja costume, I get a good whiff of ether or methane, it doesn’t matter which. Do I really want to ﬁre my gun or toss a Bang into this environment? “ Bang, FLASH — BOOM.” Rewind the tape on that thought process. Meth labs and gunﬁre —you be the judge. Ladies and gentlemen of the law, ignorance, arrogance — or an unwill- ingness to control target indictors — can lead to the collection of interest What you look like backlit. The bad guy backlit. A much better picture! on a potentially lethal loan. Aware- ness of target indicators may give you good targeting in a mean world. Be safe, be careful — and OUTLINE good hunting. * utline might better be called silhouetting. I’m intrigued with the thought our lights blind suspects as we approach the car. Then again, we may look Thanks to Sgt. Luke Campbell and like a candidate for an archangel, silhouetted by the headlights of our own Sheriff Phil McDonald, Lake O car. Don’t stand in front of the opening of the doorways you may move to. County, Oregon Sheriff’s Office for A window can outline you whether you are inside or outside the house. Backlit their support of this project. stairways and hallways aren’t such hot ideas either. WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 35 MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:42 PM Page 36

RESERVES ROY HUNTINGTON

DEDICATION AND PROFESSIONALISM THAT GOES BEYOND PAY. WATCHING YOUR STEP n the middle 1970s I was a reserve on the Chula Vista, increasing levels of Calif. PD. A small agency of about 35 “regular” officers, expertise and pro- my reserve contingent added about 25 or so to those num- fessionalism being I bers. Being such a small town, the two-officer reserve unit expected out of the often had beat responsibility, and always handled cover calls, lowly beat cop. The “I came on in 1946” generation were barking dogs, alarms and sundry other drudge work. We retiring and we new hotshots with stainless steel Model 66s and never minded, it’s what we were there for. “side-handle” PR-24 batons were beginning to take over. We It was the early days of seriously exploring officer safety, used a combination of old-school techniques and modern upgrades in equipment, having portable radios to use and thinking — two things that didn’t always play together well. Nonetheless, we were breaking new ground and learning important new things Crash: The reserve driver of this on every shift. They were busy times. police car got distracted by the radio. Would it have happened if he’d had more experience? The Re-Think nce I realized this simple fact, I became a better reserve. Once I kept the fact I was O “rusty” in mind when I turned onto the street out of the station, I slowed down, looked more carefully, thought things through more thoroughly and asked for advice more readily. I paid attention to my limitations, watched the regulars more carefully, “stretched” my mental mus- cles more to keep them limber and generally simply slowed down a bit. All of which, I might add, translated nicely when I went full-time with San Diego. That renewed sense of caution went a long way toward keeping me out of real trouble. Taking the time — when I had it — to watch my step some, second guess a bit, double-think and exercise rusty skills A RUDE Surprise kept me out of hot water too many had been away from the field for about six weeks due to work and family times to count. I think it also saved a obligations, so when I put the uniform back on, it felt a bit strange. The squeak few lives when I didn’t shoot — even of the leather gunbelt, the weight of the Model 66 on my hip and the routine of though the books said I could have. I the watch took getting used to again. Which, fortunately, caused me to re-think Remember, unless you’re doing my position as a reserve — and my ability to cover other officers effectively. it full-time, you’re not up to speed. I had always admired the seasoned “regular” officers and their ability to handle Like an athlete, you need to warm- often complicated crime scenes, violent encounters and even simple reports with up before you go full-out. Your effortless ease. They just appeared to know what to do, when to do it and how to skills, techniques, memory and even do it without seeming to devote any conscious thought to the matter. I often had to coordination creek and squeek as think hard about such things. you use them. Your commitment as As a reserve I could write tickets, take simple reports and even arrest a bad guy a reserve is important, your work now and again (usually at the direction of a regular officer). But even now, after valuable and your friendship, cover my 20-odd year career as a full-time cop with San Diego, I can remember on Chula and efforts don’t go unappreciated. Vista having to take the time to recall the right procedures, find the correct report Just remember to keep your performs, ask some advice and other things to help me through the tasks at times. spective when it comes And then it hit me. It wasn’t automatic to me. I didn’t do it every day like the to your abilities. * regular officers did. I didn’t practice the moves, talk the talk, drive the drive, walk the walk every day like the full-timers. It became second-nature to them, the way Roy is the Editorial Director of an accomplished craftsman works at his bench, making his complicated task look FMG, and the editor of American so easy. I didn’t work at the bench every day. I had to re-learn parts of the task on Handgunner Magazine. each new shift. 36 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection1 2/5/07 9:42 PM Page 37 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:56 PM Page 38

Photos: Ichiro Nagata

38 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:56 PM Page 39 NightBob Davis Vision Today's Law Enforcement Environment Makes NV A Mission-Critical Tool That Should Be Available To Every Street Cop Working After The Sun Goes Down.

s a kid I was “told” you can see better and further in the dark then any other time. During the day you can see as far as the sun, but at night countless stars and galaxies millions of miles further away are visible to the naked eye. As a young cop working graveyard Ashifts I “learned” seeing in the dark has nothing to do with our neighboring stars and everything to do with my safety. My department gave me a D-Cell flashlight and said, “go get’em kid, but remember, be safe out there.” I quickly realized my ﬂashlight was all but useless. I opted for the most powerful handheld flashlight I could find. Its extreme brightness made it much more useful than a standard ﬂashlight. Even so, it had its limits, one being temporary night blindness to due the intensity. Over the last several years so-called “night vision” or NV equipment, once considered a secret military technology for special ops, has made its way into the hands of everyday consumers; certainly not the full-blown military versions, more like industrial NV equipment but capable nonetheless. I’d never suggest using this equipment for routine stops, but for conducting surveillance during darkness, searching darkened buildings or unlit open

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The Sensor Technology Systems (STS) AN/PVS-21 low profile night vision goggle (LPNVG) enables aggressive night mobility by bringing the optics closer to the wearer’s face. I t enhances depth perception using a unique "see-through" beam-combineer system that capitalizes on both inten- sified and normal (unintensified) vision. This see-through technology permits ops from the darkest environments to bright light conditions.

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to our eyes and converts them into electrical energy called electrons. These electrons pass through a thin disk that’s about the size of a quarter and contains over 10 million channels. As the electrons travel through and strike the walls of the channels, thousands more electrons are released. These multiplied electrons then bounce off of a phosphor screen that converts the electrons back into greatly amplified photons letting you see an impressive nighttime view even when it’s really dark; so dark it’s hard, if not impossible, to see your hand in front of your face. This “intensiﬁer” tube component is the workhorse of any night vision device. Intensiﬁer tube performance is a very important factor when evaluating and selecting any night vision device. When conducting your evaluation, be wary, ask manufacturers for data from independent testing labs — or better yet, spaces like canyons, night vision gear stereo. Electrical signals nearly unde- get it yourself. But the very best way to can be indispensable for your safety. tectable to humans are passed through evaluate a product is a side-by-side com- the amplifier and altered into energy parison. These instruments maybe Mr. Wizard patterns. Sound can become loud rugged but they’re also delicate and the What are “night vision” devices enough to rattle the fillings right out of component most easily damaged by and how do they work? Night Vision your teeth — or total darkness inappropriate use — ruggedized or not technology consists of two major becomes visible. — is the intensifier. Officers who use types: image intensification (light Now the science … Light amplifi- them should be thoroughly trained and amplification) and thermal infrared cation equipment, using this same understand the limitations. imaging or IR. Light amplifiers work principal of sound, takes light “sig- One general rule of thumb is never like the sound amplifier in your home nals” called photons not even visible point a night vision device at a bright

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42 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:56 PM Page 43 Night Vision

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STS has engineered a unique miniaturized heads-up display option for the AN/PVS-21. The M-HUD can display GPS information, map overlay or building schematics while leaving an unobstructed forward view. The M-HUD has 320 x 240 resolution; is waterproof to a minimum of 10 meters and is horizontally and vertically adjustable.

light source for extended periods of time. If you do, there is a high likeli- hood of damaging some very expensive equipment. Generation Gap Several generations and designs of NV equipment from low-end con- sumer to high-end ruggedized professional gear exist in today’s market- place. Most are labeled, generation one through four with GEN 4 offering the best overall ability to literally see in near total darkness. One set of goggles I was lucky enough to get my hands on for testing was Sensor Tech- nologies System or STS’s new LPNVG or Low Profile Night Vision Goggles. Although these high-end NV goggles are certainly not for everyone, they’d be extremely useful for operations involving SWAT or other HI- RISK activities in darkness. STS offers some unique add-ons with rele- vant ones such as a heads-up display where additional information can be overlaid into your view and wireless connectivity to other sources of info. Having real time tactical data, such as a composite video, mapping, or thermal imaging that can be easily shared could prove to be invaluable.

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The other technology, thermal- imaging devices, looks at heat, not visible light. That’s why most law enforcement agencies using helicopters use this technology to locate suspects on the ground at night. Unlike image-intensifiers, they’re unaffected by smoke or fog or other weather conditions as they are not dependant on visible light. Instead, they have infrared- detectors sensitive to the invisible infrared portion of the elec- tromagnetic spectrum or heat. The image is typically seen as on a color scale with the more expensive units or can be shown in shades of gray. Real World Concerns When considering a purchase of night vision equipment, you’ll need to consider a number of fac- tors with cost per unit high on the list. Another should be low profile technology as with the STS goggles. Here’s why: one of the drawbacks of all NV devices is dealing with depth STS offers helmet perception and limited field of view. and helmet-less Imagine yourself looking through a mounting accessories pair of binoculars while trying to specifically designed move up or down some stairs. Sounds for use with the AN/PVS- easy but it’s not. Now add in your con- 21 LPNVG, ensuring optimum stantly moving head and you’ll find system performance under the the device has limited your peripheral most trying conditions. Options include permanent or remov- vision. Initially it took me several able helmet adapter minutes to adapt to my new percep- plates; quick detachable tion. I found myself being extra fixed or stowable careful when as I moved forward and mounts; and head side-to-side. But at least I wasn’t run- harnesses for ning into walls with the low profile helmet-less goggles. Other designs protrude operation. anywhere from six to eight inches off your face leading to problems in close quarters. There’s no doubt night vision equipment is a useful law enforcement tool under proper circumstances. But don’t let the Hollywood movies, which have glamorized the technology, cloud your judgment. When used properly night vision equipment can dra- matically enhance your safety, but there are drawbacks. The biggest is cost. High quality, ruggedized equipment will cost thousands of dollars and con- sumer grade equipment costs hundreds. The old saying — you get what you pay for — really applies when you’re trying to see in the dark. Finding the proper balance between dollars and performance is the mea- surement each agency or officer needs to determine before making a selection. *

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ArmaLite and Sarsilmaz First Offspring THETHE TWAINTWAIN SHALL MEET BOB PILGRIM

ever The Twain Shall Meet? Kipling, the soldier’s poet prophetically penned the famous “East is East and West is West” line, succinctly noting the frustrations frequently involved in merging the two disparate cultures. His cres- Ncent versus cross declaration has stubbornly stood the test of time, but there have been mutually beneficial exceptions and the American gun industry is about to experience one. ArmaLite’s Foreign Nuptials ArmaLite, well known for its implements of freedom, such as their superb M16 platform rifles, is importing a SIG P210 and CZ- 75 inspired semiautomatic pistol manufactured to their specifications from one of the oldest privately owned firearms companies in Europe and the Middle East. Founded in 1880, Sarsilmaz, a Turkish national defense asset, and ArmaLite have formed a partnership. The Istanbul firm represents ArmaLite in its dealings with the Turkish military for their AR rifle and will eventually produce these guns under license. Best known for its line of in-house and fine Bernadelli shotguns, Sarsilmaz, whose roughly translated family name means, “unshakable” or steadfast, has also been producing fine, semi- hand made 9x19 mm pistols. Workmanship is definitely Old World where East and West readily blend on a cultural and commercial basis for exceptional eco- nomic opportunities. Sarsilmaz is a broadly diversified conglomerate and corporate partner of a number of other US arms interests in Eurasia and has recently acquired INDEP, a Portuguese ammunition manufacturer. With Turkish military and other contracts, pistol production is at 130,000 per annum followed by 80,000 shotguns for the same period of time. Second Most Copied Pistol Initially, ArmaLite’s first crop of imports will be the AR-24 and AR- 24 Kurz, which are improved versions of the world’s second most

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Photos: Dave Douglas

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copied pistol, the Tangfolio/Czech, model, the full sized AR-26, in .45 ACP. small suburban community of Duzce. CZ-75. Currently in 9mm caliber only, That area’s biggest employer, the other calibers, such as .40 S&W for Modern Asian Factory company provides free bus service this double action/single action pistol, To gain an appreciation for the and lunch for its workers and a defi- as well as completely new designs are design, materials and craftsmanship nite family atmosphere exists among scheduled for the future. However, the that go into every AR-24, American its 300 personnel. Machinery is a .40 S&W will be constructed on a .45 COP Magazine traveled to the factory combination of old and new and com- rather than 9mm frame for a more located across the Bosporos in Asia, puterized robotics work side-by-side robust pistol. For 1911-oriented via one of two modern suspension with hand tools. shooters, the pistol also permits bridges. With its extended suburbs, One machine actually “exercises” cocked and locked carry. A light- the ancient city of Istanbul officially the pistol and burnishes or laps it into weight AR-25 polymer framed pistol accounts for nine million people. The a smooth and snug fit. However, in will eventually be introduced to the Sarsilamz plant is situated approxi- the end it’s the human eye and touch US market along with a third mately 152 miles east nestled in the that determines if the product leaves

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An Istanbul police ofﬁcer takes time out to pose with two old retired cops at the entrance to the Blue Mosque on the Istanbul Hippodrome. The road to Bob’s left was used for chariot racing in 200 A.D. I think Bob attended.

Motor Cops are Motor Cops no matter what continent they patrol.

A modern suspension bridge over the Bosporus in juxtaposition to an ancient fort guarding the entrance to Istanbul.

Most of the production is automated but some handwork is still necessary. A Sarsilmaz technician removes machining burrs from a rack of pistols.

The one-piece forged steel barrels are readied for rifling. Test firing the AR-24 at the Sarsilmaz indoor range. the confines of this institution. severe field tests similar to those alone, 24 gauging checks are per- imposed on weapons by the US Army. formed before they move on for fur- AR–24 The slide has been recontoured to ther work. Frames also receive 20 Mark Westrom, ArmaLite’s president, replicate the above-mentioned Swiss lines per inch of checkering and are advised he wanted to offer the shooting icon for enhanced slide support and enclosed by dark wood grips with public a reasonably priced handgun pos- better control through its reciproca- palm swells. sessing some of the best characteristics tion. Westrom is so confident in the Gun surfaces and barrel receive a of the revered SIG P-210 pistols. The pistol’s appeal he’s ordered production heat cured magnesium phosphate and AR-24 Standard and Special, with fixed of 2,000 per month. For superior accu- epoxy finish giving them a no non- and adjustable sights respectively, will be racy, all the one-piece pistol barrels sense professional appearance and based on the Turkish Armed Forces are broached rather than button rifled. extreme protection from the ele- sidearm, the Sarsilmaz-produced Several pounds of fully forged and ments. The front sight is dovetailed “Kilinc” (Sword) 9mm pistol. machined, R 40 C, nickel steel go into indicating that replacement and var- Before adoption, the Kilinc passed each receiver and slide. For the frame ious height sights will be available

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Proud Papa, Mark Westrum, president of ArmaLite shows off one of the first production models of his AR-24 to come off the manufacturing line. slow and rapid-fire rounds at a 25- meter target. One concern for me, but not others, was the edges of the trigger are pronounced and need to be radiused to make sustained shooting more comfortable. If the pistol I receive for testing arrives with that trigger my Dremel tool will get some exercise for sure. Unlike other gun companies, ArmaLite sincerely seeks input from knowledgeable gun enthusiasts in an effort to produce the finest handgun at the most reasonable price possible. So, don’t be shy and contact Mark and his staff at your earliest convenience. Exciting Prototypes The most exciting part of the visit was entry into the company’s highly secured engineering design room where Sarsilmaz unveiled four distinct prototypes to be introduced at the 2007 SHOT Show: Two rugged looking, for easy adjustment or change for specified a two-piece stop to correct this block-like steel guns with full-length different loads. Sights are fixed and issue. Its shaft is made of alloy steel. dust covers in 9 and .40 calibers, a sim- the AR’s battle sights are set at 25 Another improvement is the firing pin ilarly calibered polymer-framed pistol meters. Acceptable group size must retention plate. It’s been changed to a and an entirely new .45 ACP full sized not exceed 3.5 inches. 1911 style that can be easily removed for DA / SA handgun that all present replacement, cleaning and maintenance. wanted to immediately take home with Improvements Magazines receive as much attention them. Once these guns are finally A heavier and stronger extractor as the pistols do and the 15-round tubes tweaked they’ll be big sellers. is evident, but front serrations have appear to be flawless in construction. A considerable amount of time was been left off the forward portion of I’m speculating that both the Italian and spent with the engineers and man- the slide. Instead of the dubious Czech magazines will fit the AR so agers of the company while they hooked triggerguard, all ARs will acquiring additional magazines should picked our brains in an effort to create feature a more conventional rounded not present a problem. And with the “ideal or perfect American pistol.” guard generously dimensioned to ArmaLite in the picture, service and The most refreshing thing about the accommodate gloved hands. The repairs should be quick and top notch. session was the Sarsilmaz people heart of the pistol, its trigger and really listened and took extensive sear are machine ground for an Short FAM Fire notes and received criticism and excellent trigger pull. At the factory indoor range, I was praise with equal humility. With this The Achilles heel of the CZ design able to run a few magazines through attitude and overall positive corporate has been its slide stop and it’s been the AR-24. No drama here and the gun philosophy, Sarsilamz will be a world- known to fail after 600–700 rounds ran as expected. Accuracy was decent, wide firearms producer of +P+ ammunition. Westrom has but I was only able to rattle off some to be reckoned with. *

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Undercover AmongJeremy D. Clough

MAKING A BETTER DUI CASE he problem with DUI is it’s no longer just a crime — it’s an industry. DUI has become increasingly technical, giving defense attorneys a tremendous amount of material they can use to confuse a jury and earn Tan acquittal for their client. Apparently uncon- cerned about the 15,000 or so people per year who die in alcohol-related wrecks, many attorneys spe- cialize in enabling their clients — frequently repeat offenders — to continue driving drunk with impunity. We call them DUI Weasels. Since I prosecute the majority of the DUIs in my office, I was amused when I recently received an invitation to attend a daylong DUI Defense Seminar. “Keep your friends close,” I reasoned as I filled out the application, “and your weasels closer.” Thus it was, about a month later, having removed my badge and gun, I sliced-the-pie into the conference room, a wolf in weasel clothing. The trial tactics taught in this class revolved around two main areas of attack: field sobriety and The Test — specifically, breath tests. As always, we’ll take it from the top. The Attack Although there are still a blue million different field sobriety tests, the big ones are the three NHTSA Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs): the one-leg-stand (OLS), the walk-and-turn (WAT) and the I t’s not enough to know how to give a test, you also have to know how NOT to give Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus a test. Can you tell what this officer is doing wrong on the HGN?

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“Let me see your license,

insurance, and open Photo: Phil Hunter container.” Don’t laugh, sometimes it works.

the test in front of the jury and to remain calm when the defense attorney gets hyper-technical with you. One of the defense’s greatest victo- ries is to get you to admit — on the stand — you misgraded the test and, in fact, you can’t tell whether his client passed or not. If that happens, your only shot at redemption is taking bets on whether it’ll take the jury five minutes or 10 to acquit the defendant. Who knows: you might make some money. On the HGN , be able to testify how far DUI lawyers are creative, so you away your finger should be from a should expect anything. suspect, the angle at which you’re holding it and how you know, and the OLS speed at which you’re moving it. Before you give any test make sure As with any balance test, first ask you KNOW HOW TO SCORE IT. Can you (HGN). These have been verified as the suspect if they have any tell which one(s) of these counts as a accurate time and time again, so long as leg/foot/balance problems that would miss? Can you explain why to a jury? they are performed properly. So, be affect their performance. If you don’t prepared for the attack on the way you cover this on the scene, by the time suggest that you allow as much as two administer the test. you get to trial he will. One of the inches. Whatever standard your jurisdic- Most DUI-specific practice attor- clues you’re looking for is the suspect tion follows, know it. It always surprises neys are field-sobriety-certified (as are raising their hands for balance, and me how few officers know this, but if many serious prosecutors), and some usually that means more than six you get caught on it by a defense are instructors, so if you’ve made a inches from their side. Don’t be sur- attorney, it’s usually pretty ugly. mistake, expect it to be caught. Review prised if they ask if you used a ruler your manual every couple of months, to measure it. HGN especially before court, and keep a The “eye test,” is by far the most record of the times you’ve given field WAT technical of the SFSTs. The attack will sobriety, along with what the test There’s a certain amount of grace begin with whether you know what results were on the suspects you you’re supposed to give a suspect before “nystagmus” is (an involuntary arrested. Be ready to explain how each you say they missed touching their heel- twitching of the eye caused by the inges- test is given and evaluated, to perform to-toe. It varies by jurisdiction; some Continued on page 67

Why DUI matters. While the seven-figure DUI defense bar may In court, a good DUI lawyer will ask you to perform the test laugh about it, it’s different when you’ve tiptoed through the you gave to his client. This officer is trying the OLS for the bloodstains and the skidmarks. first time — not something you want a jury to see. 52 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:57 PM Page 53

Kimberlee Versiga and Tamara Mims You’re Patting Her Down — NOT Feeling Her Up! The Delicate Problem Of Frisking The Opposite Sex

nap out of it fellas. You’ve got to work past your feelings of imminent danger when it comes to conducting a frisk of someone of the opposite sex. I can’t S single out the men though, since lady cops are violators too. To help things along, I’m going to tell you about a couple of incidents I was involved in. Since I work in the deep South, the names and situations might be colorful, but change those names and the places and I’m sure you could tell the same stories. Scenerio: I’m cruising the vastness that is South WRONG! Jackson County, Mississippi — patrolling fun areas like “The Alligator Farm” and a little strip of pavement nicknamed “Body Bag Road.” During this eventful evening, I heard my area partner go out on a trafﬁc stop with a “hoopty” — a car with no tag, no lights, no bumper, busted side view mirrors — you get the drift. I start rolling his way to back him up since our beloved rednecks like to rumble sometimes. Mind you, I have to travel for approximately 30 minutes to reach him. Where I work is akin to the Dukes of Hazzard in the rural areas. Many times you are on your own for 15 to 30 minutes waiting for backup. Here’s where I get all agitated. I get there, and Deputy Jackleg is standing there with two men from the set of Deliverance and a female who hasn’t seen a bath or evidently, a morsel of food in many a fortnight. She’s ﬁdgeting off to the side, sporting stringy hair and furtive eyes. Can you see it? Deputy Jackleg RIGHT!RIGHT!

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ambles over nonchalantly and asks me to search her, as he hasn’t yet. He’s patted down the men, but left her for me. Alright, I’m sure many of you are going … “And your point is?” My Point Is First, he had probable cause to stop them. He also articulated knowledge of facts that reasonably led him — and me — to believe the suspects were involved in some criminal activities, to include possession of methamphetamine precur- sors. The officer had seen parts of the lab in plain sight, had noted bulging cut-off short pockets on the shirtless men, and The “Edge of the hand” technique keeps a certain level of decorum going all parties involved were nervous, anx- but still allows a male or female cop to conduct a good search. ious and moving about hyperactively. Deputy Einstein had everything he needed to frisk the men, and he had all the bases covered to frisk the female as well. He found a knife on one male that could gut a deer, and the female had an obvious bulge in the waistline of her dingy shorts that wasn’t from a cute tummy. Deputy “I-just-got-shanked-by-a- Tweak-Freak” didn’t pat her down because he feared she would claim he touched her inappropriately. Frankly, any touching of her would have been inappropriate! He alleged he just kept a good eye on her until I arrived. Folks, they were committing crimes and armed and dangerous. Which should he fear In this case, a male officer “finds” a knife on a female “suspect” (Tamara). more — being accused of something by a criminal avoiding arrest; or being stabbed in the throat by a Meth Monkey? He obviously didn’t consider his safety important enough, or worth the risk of complaint. More Stupidity I was savoring the last bite of my “Oaks Grocery” hot dog. You know the kind — chili, cheese, onions, mustard and a nice steamed bun. There I was parked under the oak trees watching the “Hole.” This is a nice secluded recre- ational place for the coolest of dope boys to learn their trade. Two streets come together in a heavily wooded area with a clear path right smack in the middle. I’m Edge of the hand at the belt line may uncover a gun. And sure you’ve got a place exactly like it indeed, sneaky Tamara had one hidden. where you work. I’m waiting for the Hole to swallow its next customer. I hear the base booming, it gets louder and louder and my car’s mirrors start to rattle. Is it an earthquake? Here in Mississippi? There it is, a nice, pretty lavender Caprice with gaudy rims spin- ning. The Hole just sucked the car right on in. My bad guy rises from the tree stump to say hello. Cash goes out and the dope goes in. The Hole spits the car out and down the road it goes. My adrenaline is up, the hot dog is sitting like a greasy lump in my stomach, and all I can think is, “When I get him out of the car — please God, say he won’t run.” Maybe he has one leg, though. I could catch him then and 54 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:57 PM Page 55

nobody will see me hurl. I call for no distinction between a constitutionally another unit to back me. permissible search of a man or a I’m near the city limits now so woman,” said Jackson County, Missis- maybe a P.D. unit is close. Lights, sippi District Attorney Tony Lawrence. “ sirens, camera, we’re rolling. He stops He added, officers should always follow and I approach the passenger side. He’s the policies of their individual depart- got both legs. There’s a box of .40 cal ments to minimize any potential civil ammo on the floorboard and homeboy legal issues.” is nervous and fidgety. I ask myself, For the love of goodness, pat these where’s the weapon to go with that folks down as soon as you have your box? Then I manage a good chili burp. requirements for a frisk covered. The “Mr. I-Got-Weed, step out of your law protects YOU too. Don’t let the car, back slowly toward me and keep very small number of complaints in the your hands where I can see them,” I say history of policing inhibit you from encouragingly. Burp. He does this as if protecting yourself. he has somehow been trained since We are constitutionally protected to birth. I see a piece of plastic sticking conduct a carefully limited search of a out of the corner of his front right suspect’s outer clothing to discover any pocket and I notice something heavier secreted weapons TO ENSURE OUR in his left pocket, sorta pulling his SAFETY and continuation of breathing. shorts down sideways. I make the The job we do is dangerous, many approach, spread him like butter on the times unappreciated, and full of pitfalls. back of his car. Where’s my backup? Why create more by our Fun and games for the photos, but with a cover own carelessness? * officer nearby, a deeper search may be in Ladies Pay Attention order. We’d be inclined to cuff the suspect first. I did not wait for another officer to Lt. Kimberlee Versiga, Homicide Inves- begin my pat down. I had developed tigator with the Jackson County enough reasonable suspicion to believe a Sheriff’s Department, is second in crime had been committed, enough prob- charge of the Criminal Investigations able cause for an arrest, and could articu- Division. Versiga has been in Law late these facts at report time. I began Enforcement 16 years, working a cross- with the weighed-down pocket and section of assignments, including found a Glock .40. The cuffs go on. I undercover narcotics. have the dope in hand and find another small bag of cocaine that drops from his Tamara Mims is a Criminal Investigator crotch as I pat his “boys” during the with the Jackson County Sheriff’s frisk. Yes, his crotch, and yes, his “boys.” Department. After joining the depart- I was filling out the custody form ment, she deployed to when my backup finally arrived. Mr. the Middle East twice “I’m-going-to-jail” said he wanted to with the U.S. Coast talk with the male cop who arrived. I Guard and was motioned for the officer to approach. A promoted to CID few minutes later the red-faced officer as an investigator began laughing hysterically. I figured shortly thereafter. Mr. Weed had pissed himself in my car, because it was that kind of laugh. The male officer came up and told me, Kimberlee has never been accused of being shy in between snorting laughter, “The guy and she proves it here. If you have to, do it. wanted to make a complaint against you for groping him and not waiting for a male officer!” Wrong again! Go ahead, complain. I couldn’t care less — but this was a first. He never did make a complaint, maybe because I shamed him when I asked him, “Would you rather a man touch you or a woman?” I did my job, I couldn’t wait for a male to arrive, that isn’t how it works. If I hesitated I could have risked an assault by the lovely gentleman, or found myself in a foot pursuit with a hotdog-hurl finale. Law Says Okay “The law allows a pat- down search for the I t’s just a leg and Kim’s not shy about officer’s safety and makes grabbing a handful of pants to check. WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 55 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:57 PM Page 56

M ove Like A Butterfly — DEATH D

any self-styled gunmen usually envision two adversaries “slapping leather” in the classic Old West face-offs where individual duelists stubbornly stood their ground, perhaps a good 25 yards apart. Feet were usually M locked in trail dust on the mean dirt streets of towns west of the Pecos, and little dodging, ducking or “Death Dancing” took place. In arranged gun battles, it was considered unmanly to “fire and maneuver.” However, in spontaneous shootouts where there was considerable bobbing and weaving, I suspect the usual gun handling problems atten- dant to connecting with an opponent from stationary man- against-man confrontations with ancient “Peacemakers” were compounded by any zigging and zagging. Moving certainly makes you a more difﬁcult target, but it also makes your target a more challenging one as well. New Breed Today, “advanced” shooting drills mainly involve shooting from an unstable or moving platform and the mantra is always “Seek Cover/Fight Your Way To Cover.” We tap into “Groucho” for linear movement and either blade or switch hands for lateral directions. If we oppose changing gun hands, we adopt Israeli-style sidestepping. All this stuff is still very valid, but a few of the Young Turks of the gun training world have ratcheted up the practice of dynamic martial movement, particularly if the bad guy has the drop or initiative on them. The new mantra may be Rich Daniel’s “Fist, Feet, Knife, Gun,” along with moving and shooting. I haven’t attended this training, but I’ve worked with professionals who have incorporated unique, and what I call “Dirty Gun Fighting” drills, into their organization’s training curriculum. In addition to vigorous movement that unabashedly

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Bob Pilgrim y — Sting Like A Bee H DANCING

violates the 180-degree rule, because and marksmanship and the best shot with there is no firing line in real life, force- good legs usually wins. That’s why IPSC on-force drills with AirSoft weapons has age groups, but I’m glad IDPA drive their tactical drills home. These are doesn’t for obvious reasons. the poor man’s Simuntion guns and are extremely cost-effective. Death Dancing II Now I am reevaluating all this Death Dancing I shucking and jiving and thinking it may As I aged and my physical abilities be the key to survival in many sce- began to progressively diminish, I began narios. I still believe what Colonel Jeff to lose interest in combat matches that Cooper told me years ago, that most sit- were essentially track meets with guns. I uations involving gunplay will of rationalized my lack of enthusiasm by course be violent, but basically short, deciding all this movement wasn’t too simple and direct, and the ones I’ve tactical and much of it can get you been directly or indirectly involved in killed. However, shooting statistics indi- have borne his sage advice. cate in a majority of officer-involved Moving to cover or at least conceal- shootings, the suspect is moving, and in ment will always be valid, but what do a significant number, both the perp and you do if you’re in the open, or at such cop are performing their version of close quarters that a potential barrier “Death Dancing.” between you and your foe is unavailable I gravitated to IDPA, because I and the time spent seeking it will seal thought it more realistic, but in some your fate? His gun or blade is in motion regions it’s also becoming a run and gun, and yours is still at rest in its holster. Do high-round count competition. It appears you sub-second draw and attempt to competition-oriented organizations, in outshoot him at three feet, or do you order to be successful, must first of all be bring your personal weapons into play fun — zipping full tilt around a course of and head butt, slap, hammer, elbow, fire and expending lots of BBs is what spit, bite, yell, kick and knee the bastard shooters show up for. Practical defensive while moving in erratic and evasive shooting skills were touted, but let’s face directions and simultaneously punching it, gamesmanship usually dominates out your sidearm and pumping round these sports. You get rewarded for speed Continued on page 74

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%AGLEVILLE2OAD%AGLEVILLE 0!s WWWSTREAMLIGHTCOMs¥3TREAMLIGHT )NC MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:57 PM Page 59 StupidStupid Rich Grassi ChiefChief TricksTricks EXECUTIVE DECISIONS — STRANGER THAN FICTION Art: Badger t seems a number of Chiefs of Police have e-mailed, those guns and don’t allow for different hand size. written or otherwise contacted American COP com- After all, the handgun is only the most important tool you I plaining of their treatment at our hands. It’s not really have to keep you from going home in a bag. Why should it fit? surprising, given this is a magazine aimed at the street cop audience, that we would periodically bang administra- Monkey Suits tors. Maybe what’s bugging the editor is one good example Closely tailored, wool dress uniforms sure look pretty at a of poor decision-making. parade. It’s stupid to be in one when you’re rolling around in There are magazines produced just for administrators, an alley fighting a drunk at 0230 on a Saturday morning. But managers and chiefs. The house organ for IACP (no, it’s we all have to be uniform — we all must look alike. not “International Association of Communist Police!”) and Yeah, and at one time we all had to be males taller Law and Order are just two. than 5'10" and couldn’t be nonwhite either. Those changes were taken care of and then we stopped. Let’s All Be The Same Why the ballerina suits — particularly with “high The first screwy decision on my list of Stupid Chief gloss” shoes and belts? What’s the point? Tricks is the issue handgun — after all, let’s have some- “Citizens expect us to look professional,” thing debatable, something we can all disagree on. We want seems to be the Chief’s mantra. to be fair here. Well, no. Actually, they like you to We have a crew of instructors in town from all arrive to their call for assistance over the U.S. right now. One of them is an honest quickly and to be understanding. 6' 9" tall. We have another who is 5'8" and a few They don’t give a damn what even shorter. We wouldn’t buy them shirts all you’re wearing. Only administra- sized 17.5" neck and 34" sleeves or their uni- tors care about that crap. It makes form trousers sized 38" waist and 34" inseam it seem like there’s some manage- — that wouldn’t make sense. ment going on down at the old P.D. Would those fit you? If so, your partner, I’m aware of a temporary uni- your supervisor and the new rookie they just form switch involving the wear of hired? It’s unlikely. utilities until the new woolies How about a new line of patrol cars we arrived. The citizens were just as could get very cheaply — but the front happy to see the cops arrive in seats don’t adjust and the steering wheels utilities as they were after the util- don’t tilt either? Due to the discount, we ities went away. could get more cars that way — but they Why not dress like you need to wouldn’t fit everyone. work? You expect the troops to chase The Chief would never buy into bad guys, climb fences and to fight such nonsense — but he (or she, when it’s needed — but that necktie we’re under no illusions here) must never be out of place! would force everyone below a Then there are the hats: Hats can be handy. certain rank to carry the same gun, I’m not all against protective headgear. It’s a good loaded with the same ammunition idea. But when you search a building looking for and often the same duty gear. a fugitive and blank out the view above your I can’t reach the trigger on the head, that’s a bad idea. Wearing a “deputy” or Glock 21. Same on the SIG double trooper-style hat during windy weather while action autoloaders, the double stack working a wreck is silly too. Let’s lose them. Third Generation S&W line and Here’s an example of a grievous Stupid others. But there’re agencies that issue Continued on page 70 Art: Badger WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 59 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:57 PM Page 60

WesWes DossDoss

Gun manipulation, stoppage clearance and reloading can be challenging from grounded positions, you need to train for it. Let’s not be surprised. GROUNDED OFFICER TACTICS

Down doesn’t mean sk a cop from any of the 39,000 agencies in the US down and out. Always how often they train to actually fight with their train to win — always weapons, most would say something like “Well, we expect to win. have to qualify once or twice a year.” Ask them A again about tactics and firearms training and you’ll not only get a less encouraging response, but they’re likely to look at you as if you were combing your hair with a cow turd and speaking in tongues. Next find a SWAT cop from the same agency and pose the same questions. This time you’ll get a long story about training, a detailed round count and even a couple of shot up trophy targets. It’s not just firearms training, but this is hands- on use of force training. Anyone see a problem here? The cop tasked with being first on scene gets the least training. King’s X Statistically, patrol cops face the vast majority of vio- lence, critical decision-making situations and assaults without the benefits of enhanced training. For example, an unknown bad guy blindsides an officer just wrapping up interviews at a disturbance. Knocked to the ground and disoriented he rolls over to find the bad guy standing over him delivering a vicious barrage of kicks and blows. Maybe he should request a “time out” and call SWAT — no? The officer must act efficiently and appropriately in order to

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When the bad guy brings the ﬁght to you, do what you must to win. Without training for it, you could lose — and that’s unacceptable.

S Prone position provides a very low proﬁle around cover, Static line shooting addresses little of the realities allowing you to maximize available cover. you’ll need to face in real world situations.

keep lives from being lost — especially his own. Did the annual qualifi- cation session legitimately prepare TheTheThe supinesupinesupine positionpositionposition providesprovidesprovides youyouyou withwithwith thethethe abilityabilityability him for this situation? Can he effi- tototo exploitexploitexploit angles,angles,angles, keepkeepkeep youryouryour headheadhead upupup andandand youryouryour ciently use trained tactics to safely eyeseyes onon thethe areaarea ofof threat.threat. end this situation? Will the tactics work? After his heart rate skyrockets to 150+ beats per minute, can he perform under stress? In addition to the lack of training, there’s a misunderstanding about the nature of violent conflict. Conflict, particularly the type encountered by cops is all about immediacy — the real world here and now. It’s critical to recognize the reality of circumstances and respond with appropriate action. Beyond immediacy is the issue of efficiency, as keepers of peace and public order we’re held accountable for every action we take and every round we launch. Many folks in the odd little community of training view firearms instruction as a system that deals with situations from solid stable

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and upright shooting positions, at dis- tances of 7 yards or greater. This is a huge, shortsighted and dangerous delusion. True firearms and tactics training is a conceptual amalgamation of reduced time frames, poor lighting, unpredictable bad guys and unreliable tools. An array of paraphernalia used at the acumen of the officer and dic- tated by the bad guy, the environment, and always requires a response of immediacy and efficiency. This is why I’m an advocate of dynamic, realistic training. Programs should condition, not just teach. Situations — Not Tools We need to know how to handle situations not just mechanical tools. This is a transition from basic and intermediate skills to the realm of advanced training. A tremendous number of sources tell us the vast majority of officer-involved conflicts end up on the ground. What does going to the ground have to do with gunfighting? Everything. Taking to the ground may be a result of an

A tremendous number of sources tell us the vast majority of officer involved conflicts end up on the ground. What does going to the ground have to do with gun fighting? Everything.

attack or it may be a tactical maneuver executed for the purpose of gaining the upper hand or simply to keep from being shot. Either way, being able to operate from a grounded position is crucial. Conventional training wisdom (often an oxymoron) has taught us going to the ground is an evil and detrimental event — unless you’ve trained for it. It’s important to consider going to the ground as just another tool in the use-of-force toolbox. Grounded positions in a pro- jectile exchange (training guy speak for gunfight) can present you with a set of unconventional options. Falling and rolling can be productive tactics, assuming the officer understands going to the ground doesn’t automatically equate to losing. To cultivate this understanding you need to train hard and realistically. Since gunfights are at short ranges 62 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:58 PM Page 63

and even shorter time frames, the ability to quickly move and present a weapon is important. An ability to assume and take advantage of one of three grounded positions, supine, prone and lateral left or right, and their variations rapidly is equally important. Basic Positions These three basic and simple positions represent the most common grounded positions you can find yourself in. What’s surprising, particularly in light of facts surrounding the fre- quency cops end up on the ground, is the lack of training focusing on these tactics. I find this a little troubling. Over years observing countless training sessions geared towards officer “survival” skill (I really hate that word), I’ve found most are nothing more than firing from adapta- tions of stock shooting stances — frequently using one-dimensional and one-directional ranges. These limited training environments only address part of the problem. Sure they might get an officer past basic marksmanship and comfortable with the concept of shooting from unfamiliar positions, but because of the limitation created by them they really don’t complete the cycle of training. If training doesn’t force you to push yourself and your gear you won’t understand what you can and can’t do and what limitations your gear has. An Epiphany A few years back, while running in- service training for a local agency I got in a debate with an officer over the superiority of horizontal magazine pouches versus the “old fashioned” vertical pouches. The officer might as well been the centerfold for the local uniform shop — the resident widget boy. He can quote the price of everything, but seldom understands the value of anything. His car, locker and garage are full of all kinds of neat, cutting edge and high speed — low drag toys. He’s at your department, isn’t he? The guy was a huge fan of the horizontal pouches and tried to belittle me over what he called my “old time, stone age” vertical mag pouches. His exact words MOST WANTED BOOKS escape me, but I remember him inter- jecting things like cool, sleek and sexy Try These John Taffin Favorites in his description of his gear. After SINGLE ACTION SIXGUNS BIG-BORE HANDGUNS being married for 19 years I guess I By John Taffin By John Taffin forgot what actually attracts the oppo- This book offers the rapidly growing popula- In Big-Bore Handguns, Taffin shares his site gender, oh well. tion of six-gun enthusiasts the most detailed wealth of experience and insight on the and comprehensive six-gun resource on the world’s most powerful handguns. Fromhis Throughout the day I had the oppor- market. This model-by-model review of beloved Colt Single Action, to the classic tunity to put Inspector Gadget in some handguns of the past and present provides a hard-kicking Smith & Wessons and Rugers, glimpse into the character of some of the to the biggest Freedom Arms and Taurus precarious shooting positions and crank most famous firearms in history pistols, Taffin is armed with all the facts. up his level of arousal to warp drive. Hardcover, 350 pgs. Hardcover, 352 pgs. During one course of fire he unexpect- $39.99 Item #W7642 $39.95 Item #W6946

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DUI WEASELS Continued from page 52 tion of alcohol), and whether or not the twitching you saw was caused by your strobe lights (turn ’em off, folks). Next, the speed at which you moved your ﬁnger (one of the manuals I have says it should take four seconds to make each pass), and how long you held the eye at maximum deviation (again, my manual says at least four seconds). Last, how you knew when your ﬁnger was at a 45 degree angle to their eye (onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees). You have to know all of this for court; a truly good DUI lawyer may keep you on the stand for several hours on HGN alone. Breath, Blood Or Urine? Once you’ve done field sobriety and hooked the guy up, it’s time for the test. The breath machine is whatever model your state law says it is, and you can’t change it. What you can do, however, is avoid it entirely. In my state, the officer can request a suspect submit to a test of one or more of three options: blood, breath, or urine. Most officers, unless they suspect drug impairment, go for breath — it’s

DUI matters because people die, people whose only mistake was being in the way when some irresponsible fool came careening across the centerline.

easier. Also, because the test sample doesn’t have to be sent down to the state Crime Lab for testing, you get results quickly, and it cuts down on witness problems when the case goes to trial. In most cases, a solid breath test is good enough to make most DUI guys plead guilty — that’s changing. One of the classic attacks on any breath machine — we use the Intoxi- lyzer 5000 — is, in order to get the blood alcohol concentration from the alcohol in the breath, the machine has to assume there’s a certain ratio between the amount of alcohol in the breath and what’s in the blood. There is — it’s called a “Partition Ratio,” — and the law assumes that it will be 2,100. Defense lawyers can have a heyday with this, arguing their clients have unusual partition ratios, or that everyone’s ratio is different and varies

WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 67 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:58 PM Page 68 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:58 PM Page 69

from minute-to-minute — all kinds of stuff designed to confuse jurors into acquitting. That’s just one attack: a couple weeks ago there was a story on Fox News about how eating bread will make you blow .05. I haven’t tried that experiment, and I can’t say if it works. It doesn’t matter. The claim is out there, your jurors have probably heard it on TV, and you should expect them to hear it in the courtroom if you request breath. Try blood. It’s better — blood and breath — better still. Blood, however, is something that the law calls “fungible,” a nasty short word meaning you have to do more paperwork. No two blood samples necessarily look different from each other, each sample must have a chain of custody showing every single pair of hands it passed through between you and whoever tested it. You should also record the ID of the blood drawer. Don’t Dally Whatever test you give, you’ll be attacked on the time frame between when the test was given and when the suspect was driving. We all know your BAC changes as time passes— which lets the defense argue that, while you may know their BAC three hours later, you can’t prove what it was at the time of driving. The shorter the time window, the less weight the argument carries. With PROVEN TOUGH. things like wrecks, it’s not always possible to shorten that window. But when you can, do it. In the closing segment of the DUI seminar, the presenter told a story about how he’d gotten one of his clients out of her third-in-five DUI when she’d wrecked out with a BAC that went three times the legal limit. “And I’ve got her three pending DUI cases, too,” he beamed proudly. Everyone in the room laughed. For anyone who’s tiptoed through the bloodstains and skidmarks, though, that’s not funny. Shooting Into A Crowd ITS RUGGED GOOD LOOKS SURVIVE THE TOUGHEST DUTY. Many murder victims, to some ® extent, put themselves where they get AccuMold gear has had 14 years of field testing on city streets killed. Not DUI; it’s like firing into a and around the world. Through rain, snow, desert, high winds, etc., crowd. DUI matters because people die, AccuMold performs. Our exclusive AccuMoldtechnology with trilaminate people whose only mistake was being in construction is the key to its durability. AccuMold is lightweight and the way when some irresponsible fool features contour-molded construction for a precision fit. So wear the gear came careening across the centerline. That’s why it’s worth seeing a seem- that simply wears better — AccuMold from Bianchi. Proven tough. ingly minor crime turn into a four-day Patented trial with expert witnesses, when reducing the charges would have meant a five-minute plea bargain. That’s why bianchi-intl.com it’s worth taking a couple extra field sobriety classes, doing some extra homework the night before trial and T & E samples available to qualified departments. getting extra tests. Hauling the guy 2007 Armor Holdings, Inc. Call (800) 477-8545. only gets him off the road for one © night, but convictions — convictions are forever. * WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 69 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:58 PM Page 70

STUPID CHIEF TRICKS Continued from page 59 Innovative holsters offering unsurpassed comfort and concealment! Chief Trick. One agency long had Mark & Crew - dress-only uniforms — no real utility I have had my crossbreed holster about a month now - it is, without a doubt, the most uniform for the more than 200 cops in FRPIRUWDEOH ,:% KROVWHU ,¶YH HYHU ZRUQ LQ P\ \HDUV LQ ODZ HQIRUFHPHQW ,W¶V D SHUIHFW ¿W the outfit. The trousers had yellow for my Sig P239 in .357SIG, and for someone like me who works in the heat and humidity piping down the leg — not a wide of Miami, the ability to wear it with a nothing but a bloused polo shirt in the summer is a yellow stripe, but thin piping. HUGE advantage. I’ll be placing an order for more of your IWBs for my Sig P232 and my Going from the $90+ dress trousers Sig P229 soon. Thanks for a great holster. Greg, Coral Springs, FL to utility trousers at around $30 a pair made abundant sense, as did changing See For They Look out shirts. But the (now-ex) chief Yourself! decided the utility pants had to have Different. yellow piping down the leg. No vendor wanted to dick with it; it’s too much trouble to do the fine stitching required. A wide yellow stripe raised no heartburn and the price didn’t Try-it-Free go up much. But, the chief had to have They Work Money Back piping. Now the utility trousers that originally cost $30 from the factory Better! Guarantee. cost the outfit $100 per pair — just to have piping — absurd! What’s the deal with yellow piping? Are you are tired of compromising on your choice of off duty or concealed Well, back in the 1960s and 70s, cops carry weapon and caliber? Then you owe it to yourself and those you would come in after a night shift, pull protect to try a CrossBreed! Are you are tired of compromising on your off gunbelts and uniform shirts and comfort to carry a larger sidearm? Then you owe it to yourself to try a while wearing their uniform trousers — CrossBreed! Find out just how comfortable to carry and easy to conceal go to the bar. That was unseemly in the a more controllable, more effective sidearm can be with a CrossBreed eyes of the Chief of Police of that era tuckable IWB or pancake OWB holster! — 30 to 40 years ago — and thus, the Call us at (417) 732-8776 or visit us on the web piping was ushered in. www.crossbreedholsters.com Nowadays, young cops get off work, wash down their tofu burger with a pro- tein shake and work out after their yoga class. Hence, there’s no need for the hor- ribly expensive piping taxpayers pay for. Options Let’s get debatable again — making your agency’s use-of-force policy more restrictive than the U.S. Constitution or state law is yet another Stupid Chief Trick. The current use-of-force measure is a Fourth Amendment standard — your use of force has to be objectively reasonable when seen from the perspec- tive of the trained officer on the scene and in the situation you find yourself in. If state law is more restrictive than the Constitutional standard, so be it. You have to follow state law. If your department further constrains your ability to make force decisions, they are literally screwing themselves as rule makers, screwing the municipality you work for and the taxpayers who pay for the whole thing. The tendency to over- think something this important is stupid. Along the same lines, if fuel prices go up then we’ll cut training. After all, training is discretionary spending. No one will really miss the training they didn’t get — until they’re in a fight, alone, on the street or in a crack house. You know Chief, if you had to face the same threats we did, you’d want to prepare for them. In the alternative, that icky, sweaty stuff like defensive tactics or that fear- of-failure and perishable-skills training 70 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:58 PM Page 71 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:58 PM Page 72

like driving or shooting needs to be cut in favor of “warm, fuzzy, touchy and feely” — those most important of police skills training trends. When you cut training, the costs you will incur are predictable. If an officer is in a struggle and isn’t trained up to handle it, he will select a higher force option — one that will stop the fight, but might not be a reasonable option if the training had only been in place. Whose fault is that? Along those lines, consider the “absolutely-no-neck-holds-or-neck- restraints-or-chokes-never-never-never” GUN DIGEST BOOK OF THE .44 policy. That’s okay, but you are sending By John Taffin the message that — even in a deadly force situation — you can’t opt to use a Price: $27.99 Item# 0896894169 lower force option that would solve the problem but not likely kill the offender. This is real. A trainer was being Technical insight coupled with briefed about the “no-no neck hold” historical details. Entertains ex- policy by a boss — not a chief, an ploration of a unique slice of underboss speaking on behalf of the American firearms history. This chief. The trainer asked a question. book follows the evolution of the “Let’s say we have someone in the classic American caliber in a lively, throes of cocaine-induced psychosis fact-filled journey extending from who is resisting and a real threat to the blackpowder era to today’s himself and others. Due to his drug use, magnum models. Softcover, 288 he literally cannot respond to verbaliza- pages, 350 black & white photos. tion, he can’t reason well, all he can do is fight like a madman. He tries to snatch an officer’s gun. Please add $7.00 S&H (Outside US add “Now deadly force is authorized, but $30.00 S&H). CA Residents add 7.75% sales because he’s in close to the victim tax. Allow 2-4 weeks for delivery. officer, we can’t shoot. You’re telling me Order HOTLINE (800) 628-9818 I can club him with a hollow metal pipe The Night Sentry — uh, sorry, I mean ‘expandable baton,’ “Fits between your mattress & boxspring!” until I break bones, cause a skull frac- ture, maim or kill him. I can’t use a neck restraint to limit his consciousness until we can get restraints on him — after which he may or may not die due to the drug use and long-winded struggle — without leaving a mark on him?” “That’s right. That’s the policy.” Well, that makes sense. Is That Enough? Finally, have you taken a job with little in the way of rewards? A job where no one is really your friend or ally, but The sound of window glass breaking or the car simply out to get a promotion or some alarm in the driveway...How fast can you prepare to other reward from you? A job where you defend your loved ones and your property? incur large amounts of liability, where no one thinks you have common sense? The “Night Sentry” will work with most any size or type of holster you provide, while your flash- Where every decision you make is light is always within easy reach. Also great for picked apart? A job that gives you little cell phones, mace or stun guns. but all the grief you can handle? It’s no wonder most Chiefs of Police The “Night Sentry” can be a lifesaver! don’t last more than four or five years. Makes A Great Gift! If it’s not the media, the City Council, To order your “Night Sentry” visit our web site at the citizens, the union or the street cops, www.diamondsentrydistributors.com it’s a national magazine called Amer- $29.95 check/M.O., 1st Class Postage Paid to: ican COP that gives you a hard time. Chief, you’ve chosen a thankless Diamond Sentry Distributors job. Sometimes you can’t trust your PO Box 195 own staff or even the guys on the Black Diamond, WA 98010-0195 Email us at: road. Maybe that’s why it’s so hard to [email protected] make right decisions. All I know is, (206) 604-2203 I’m glad you’re doing it and not me. * WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM 72 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:58 PM Page 73

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DEATH DANCING Continued from page 57 after round into him? Linear and lateral movement are a given, but diagonal, oblique, zigzag and circular patterns performed subcon- sciously and randomly, somewhat like the flow of bayonet fighting, are involved with the ultimate goal of creating distance, so two-handed sighted shooting can be brought to bear. We have also been taught that crossing legs is a no–no, but it frequently occurs. Knee-bend is pronounced and the gunman’s crouch is graphically evident. Hand fighting, with focus on the weapon, involves a flurry of usually openhanded blocking, deflecting and striking move- ments to distract, confuse, stun and possibly disarm. Yeah, and at these ranges and conditions, forget your front sight for the moment, but get back to it as you PRACTICAL create distance between you and the . T A C T I C A L . hopefully disoriented threat. You are so pumped up with your warrior mindset and your evasive choreography that sustained injuries will probably be ignored until you achieve victory and start to come down from your combat high. Sounds athletic because it is. Is it fair? No way, Josée. Won’t it be only on the rare occasion that I will need these aggressive capa- bilities? Probably, but it’s the one percent chance that usually kills you. New Breed’s Affirmation I had a young stud who is a professional gunman and field-office trainer for a federal agency with very special, Flashlight? Weaponlight? The Liberator™ Tactical Light is two lights in post 9/11 security duties look over my one – its revolutionary rotating design lets you switch between general-duty missive, and he replied, “Looks good, light and weaponlight instantly. It’s perfect for shooting with both handguns Bob. Like I tell my guys, never stand and long guns, handcuffing, control tactics and more – and doing it all more still in a gunfight. It’s not realistic quickly, accurately and effectively. If it takes two hands, it takes a Liberator™ anyway. Shootouts, just look at any videos of shootouts, involve instinctual Tactical Light. See why at www.firstlighttactical.com. human movement and they are usually short, violent and close quarter, arm’s reach or conversational distance. Bad guys aren’t going to try to rob or carjack you from 15 to 25 yards. Also, if I take a © 2006 First-Light USA, LLC toll-free: 877.454.4450 handful of rocks and start throwing them at you, you’re not going to stand still and let me do that. You are most likely going to move evasively and attempt to get away. If you pick up rocks to return fire and maneuver to do so, we are engaging in a Dance of Death.” Who Really Needs I t? Can you win without these skills? Hopefully, but your opponent will most likely dictate the rules of engagement, so we should train for the worst-case scenario — right? This is why you, as a cop in a position to lawfully deprive someone of their liberty and freedom, should be a physical and mental Centu- rion. You owe it to yourself, your family, fellow officers and the community. * 74 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:59 PM Page 75 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:59 PM Page 76 WIN!WIN! THIS PACKAGE

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ark Westrom, president of ArmaLite, served as an ordnance ofﬁcer in Germany and really liked the CZ- WIN THIS M 75 he brought home from his tour. With the dissolu- tion of the Iron Curtain, availability here began to open up but they were still expensive. A version known as the Kilinc (Turkish for “sword”) is the issue sidearm of the Turkish mili- ArmaLite tary. It’s made in Turkey by giant armsmaker Sarsilmaz whose name may not be well-known here but some guns they make carry very familiar names. Their headquarters is in Istanbul AR-24 and the plant in Duzce. ArmaLite wanted to update the gun a little cosmetically and bring it back to the US market, so they worked with Sarsilmaz to develop the pistol you see here. The slide might be familiar AND to fans of the SIG P210. One feature lots of people loved was the fact it could be carried “cocked and locked” like the 1911. All in all it’s a substantial and well-made ﬁrearm that will Wilson serve admirably even with years of hard use. AR-24 SPECIFICATIONS Tactical’s • Action: Short recoil, locked breech • Material: Carbon steel • Finish: Heat cured epoxy • Caliber: 9mm Luger COP Tool • Overall length: 8.27" • Barrel length: 4.67" • Weight: 35 ounces • Capacity: 15+1 • Trigger: 12 pounds DA, 5.5 pounds SA • Sights: Adjustable • Grips: Checkered wood * Manufacturer: Sarsilmaz • Importer: ArmaLite Inc. Wilson Tactical’s COP Tool Designed in collaboration with American Handgunner editor Roy Huntington, his 20+ years as a street cop and Wilson Tac- tical’s manufacturing experience have resulted in an important 3 new design. Made of ⁄16" D2, the COP Tool can be used as a pry bar — something any cop understands — without worrying about breakage. The seatbelt cutter makes it a must for LE and EMT personnel, and does double-duty for cutting lightweight line. The cord wrap handle gives a positive grip and the exposed steel butt acts as a glass-breaker or pounding tool.

For More Info: www.sarsilmaz.com www.armalite.com

Photo: Dave Douglas www.wilsontactical.com

TO ENTER CONTEST: Use a postcard (no envelopes, please) and follow the sample COP MAR/APR 2007: shown. Send to AMERICAN COP Dept. X3, P.O. Box 501930, San Diego, CA 92150- Name ______1930. Entries must be received before May 1, 2007. Address ______City, State, Zip______Limit 1 entry per household. This contest is open to individuals who are residents of the United States and its territories only. Agents and employees of Pub- EmailSample Address ______lisher’s Development Corporation and their families are excluded from If I win, please ship my prize through: entering. Contest void where prohibited or restricted by law. Winners must meet all local laws and regulations. Taxes and compliance with firearms regulations Dealer ______will be the responsibility of the winners. Winners will be notified by CERTIFIED Address ______City, State, Zip______MAIL on official letterhead. No purchase necessary to enter. Phone ( ) ____ - ______Store hours __ am __ pm

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SPOTLIGHT

AR-24 ArmaLite Inc.

ArmaLite announces the arrival of the AR-24, a high-capacity, double-action 9mm service pistol in both full-size and compact models. The AR- 24 features steel frame, slide and barrel. ArmaLite plans to add a .45 and a .40 S&W to the line as well as a line of polymer frame pistols. Shipping has begun, but supplies are limited until 2007. Check them out at www.armalite.com or call (800) 366-0184.

PYGMY FALCON-II BACKPACK LIGER GUN BELT Edgygear Maxpedition Hard Use Gear

The Liger Gun Belt by Edgygear is Maxpedition’s most compact backpack the Pygmy Falcon-II (Item now available with the Gen3 #0517) has finally arrived and is available in Black, Green, buckle which is sleeker and more Khaki, and Digital Foliage Camo. While the utilitarian compart- contoured than any of the previous ver- ments were retained in their original specs, two rows of PALS sions. Finger grooves were added for ergonomic webbing was added to the front on each side for improved purposes. The belt is totally impervious to water, capacity. Contact Maxpedition for dealership opportunities at mildew, rot and resistant to many common solvents. Ideal 877-629-5556 or to see the entire exciting line of Maxpedition for discreet CCW carry. See the full line of tactical and dress products, visit them on the web at: www.maxpedition.com. gun belts at: www.maxpedition.com.

RADIY-BRK TACTICAL MIRROR SIGHT/BUIS STR Inc. ShieldShot, Ltd.

The Radiy-BRK is an The TMS/BUIS offers the ability to aim and shoot accurately around extremely lightweight corners while still maintaining cover position. The TMS mounts on mobile perimeter pro- the rail of an assault rifle behind a red dot sight and flips up or tection package, which down in an instant between its in-use position and its stowed posi- can be quickly tion. It stays completely out of the way when it is flipped down deployed in a variety of terrains and conditions. If you have to secure an aircraft, a vehicle or a VIP site, and be against the rail. The TMS maintains all of the accuracy of the notified of any intruders wirelessly, up to 3,200' away, this device is right for you. Point your browser to weapon’s red dot sight. The TMS allows you to shoot around cor- www.strsecurity.com for more details. ners, under vehicles, even over walls you can reach over but can’t see over. For building clearing operations or shooting over high walls, the TMS comes with a larger mirror that snaps on over the smaller mirror. In case of failure of your red dot sight, the TMS TACTICAL APPAREL has a built in backup iron sight which locks in position and is fully Magnum Boots adjustable for windage and elevation. For shooting demo videos, photos and more details, see Clothing designed for the same fit, comfort and durability www.mirrorsight.com, or call as the Magnum line of footwear. The new Tactical Apparel (866) 431-1700. line includes Stealth Spec Long Sleeve and Short Sleeve shirts and Stealth Spec pants. All feature a six month no- fade guarantee and are made of wash-and-wear cotton canvas. The shirts feature pencil pockets, hidden cuff key pockets, badge tab holders, epaulettes, extended trunk lengths, vented backs, anti-microbial protection and elbow pad pockets in the long sleeve shirt. The pants feature flat front design, six Velcro pockets, hidden cuff key pocket, hidden key pocket inside the pant, dual mag pockets, knee pad pockets, two front slash pockets, blousing holes and anti-microbial protection. Point your browser to www.mag- numboots.com for more information.

78 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 MACOPsection2 2/5/07 9:59 PM Page 79

For more information on seeing your product featured in “Spotlight,” contact Delano Amaguin (888) 732-6461.

LIFE-BOX Secure Services Group

Keep emergency necessities handy with the Life-Box. The Life-Box contains a specially designed emergency escape tool, rope, strobe lights, flashlight, life vests, dust masks, first aid kit, burn kit, packaged water, energy bars, space blankets, whistles and duct tape. All of this fits into a bright yellow, 34"x22.5"x18" waterproof, flame retardant polymer box. Visit www.life-box.org or phone (888) LIFE- BOX for more information.

VERSA TOOL Wilson Combat

It’s 10 tools in one handy package, it’s the Wilson Combat Versa Tool and it includes everything you need to SINGLE POINT TACTICAL disassemble and reassemble a 1911. TACTICAL ADJUSTABLE SLING The Versa Tool can also be used to Buffer Technologies remove Allen head grip screws, extended SIGHT magazine buttons, two-piece guide rods, STI and adjust more adjustable sights including The Single-Point Tactical Sling features 1.25" flat web- Bo Mars. It has two built in barrel bushing bing and is completely ambidextrous, attaching to the The TAS is built of 4140 carbon steel with a matte blue wrenches and stainless steel frame construc- weapon through a rear lock plate or attachment finish and a fully serrated rear blade. The sight features tion. Tools include screwdrivers, Allen wrenches, system like the Tango Down sling mount. The sling full click adjustments for windage and elevation and uses a a punch, an ambidextrous safety blade and features a quick-release Fastex buckle and is available standard dovetail low mount sight cut. To learn more about bushing wrenches. To view the Versa Tool, click over to in khaki or black. The ZM Weapons Single Point sling the STI TAS, log on to www.stiguns.com and check it out. www.wilsoncombat.com. offers the same features, but with a bungee feature that allows the user to set tension for one-handed control. It is available in black only. To see both slings, G3 and other gear, log onto www.buffertech.com. SureFire

The G3 flashlight features a light output of 105 lumens and has a Nitrolon polymer body for added rigidity and abrasion resistance. The body is molded with the same gridlock pattern as the G2, and O-ring seals make it moisture resistant. The tailcap features momentary on and constant on settings and locks to prevent accidental activation during transport or storage. The lens is Pyrex glass with an anti-reflective coating. The G3 measures 6.5" and weighs just 5.5 ounces and will run off three three-volt lithium batteries with a run time of one hour. It is available in black and OD green. For more info, call (800) 828-8809 or log on to www.surefire.com.

10-8 GUN Nighthawk Custom MK-16 COMBO TOOL CJ Weapons The Nighthawk Custom 10-8 Gun is a Colt 1911 designed for optimum performance and accuracy, designed in collaboration with 10-8 Con- sulting. The gun features the new 10-8 Performance rear sight, low The ultimate tool for the M-16 and AR-type rifles, profile Dawson Light Speed Rail, serrated front sights with Tritium the MK-16 Combo Tool features a carbon scraper, inserts, a long, solid trigger with hidden fixed overtravel stop by broken shell extractor, screwdriver, wrench, Hilton Yam, front and rear cocking serration on the slide, strong-side threaded rod to attach a cleaning cable, two push safety, 25 LPI checkered front strap and a lanyard loop mainspring pins, a brush attachment and five-prong and four- housing. Grips are VZ Diamondback in green or black linen micarta prong tools for adjusting the A1 and A2 front and the 10-8 logo. The finish is black Perma Kote. To learn more sights. The tool measures 4.5"x2"x1" and comes in about the 10-8, or any Nighthawk Custom guns, log on to a black carry case with belt attachment. Check out www.nighthawkcustom.com or phone (877) 268-4867. the Combo Tool at www.cjweapons.com.

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AMERICAN COP INDEX

Classified ads $2.00 per-word per insertion. ($1.50 per-word per insertion for 3 or more) including OF ADVERTISERS name, address and phone number (20 word minimum). Minimum charge $40.00. Bold words add $1.00 5.11 Challenge 71 per word. Copy and rerun orders must be accompanied by PAYMENT IN ADVANCE. NO AGENCY OR CASH DISCOUNTS ON LISTING OR DISPLAY CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING. All ads must be received with advance Action Target 64 payment BY NO LATER THAN THE 1st of each month. Ads received after closing will appear in the fol- Action Target Academy 12 lowing issue. Please type or print clearly. PLEASE NOTE*** NO PROOFS WILL BE FURNISHED. Include Aimpoint 15 name, address, post office, city, state and zip code as counted words. Abbreviations count as one word Al Mar Knives 19 each. Mail to AMERICAN COP CLASSIFIEDS, 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, California 92128. NOTE: WE NOW HAVE DISPLAY CLASSIFIED ADS IN BOTH GUNS MAGAZINE AND AMERICAN HANDGUNNER. ASK American Gunsmithing Institute 73 FOR OUR NEW RATE CARD, Or call (858) 605-0235. ArmaLite, Inc. 33 Benchmade 11 ACCESSORIES COLLECTORS Bianchi Int’l. 69 Black Hills Ammunition 23 !" #$ ( ) * Delta Tactical % &'#% $ * * BlackHawk Products Group 12 Brownells 6 PATROL BAG Crimson Trace Corp. 13 CrossBreed Holsters 70 Cylinder & Slide 70 DeSantis Holster 67 Diamond Sentry Distributors 72 This is no ordinary, generic bag. DPMS 27 This is a piece of equipment designed Elite Sports Express 72 by working cops, for working cops. First-Light USA 74 www.deltatactical.com Glock 37 Gun Vault/Cannon Safe 8 ICMA-RC 21 EMBLEMS & INSIGNIA Kimber 11,17,84 GUNS FOR SALE LaserMax, Inc. 2 Mec-Gar USA, Inc. 64 GUNSMITHING Meprolight 25 INSTRUCTION Midway USA 62 Military Book Club 66a LEATHER OfficerStore.com 65 POLICE EQUIPMENT Pearce Grip 25 Pentagon Light 7 REAL ESTATE Rock River Arms 6 Safariland 10 Sigarms 19,27 Smith & Wesson 31 LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? Springfield 83 STI International 29 Streamlight 58 Back issues are SureFire 3 still available! TOPS Knives 67 At REGULAR cover price of $5.95! Trijicon 9 Truglo 23 GET THEM ONLINE AT: UK International 13 www.americancopmagazine.com Wilson Combat 63 OR CALL: 888-732-2299 XS Sight Systems 72

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INSIDERRUMINATIONS Continued from page 82 INSIDER

A COMPLETELY SUBJECTIVE LOOK AT THINGS I LIKE RUMINATIONS Insight Technologies Insight Technologies, Inc. — not to be confused with Insight Technology the supplier of tactical lights and lasers to the U.S. Special Forces — is a small company located outside Chicago, Ill. They make one thing and they make it very well. Their safety vests are of the highest quality I’ve ever seen. Your department may have been provided a reflective vest for traffic work and we all know they’re uncomfortable and last about two sessions before they rip or fall apart. Not this vest. This one will last quite a while. It’s made from high quality materials and the workmanship is outstanding. There is one thing different than most of the vests out there, this one is illuminated. Other vests require some ambient light to reflect so that DUI driver or inattentive idiot sees you. This one has its own light source called Lyte-Wire. It’s sewn into a pattern on the front and back of the vest and comes with a battery pack and controller. You can have a continuous light or make it blink. For More Info: http://67.59.191.210

BlackHawk Warrior Wear These are the most comfortable boots I own. BlackHawk Warrior Wear Desert Ops Boots are not only comfortable but they’re well made of superior components. The Vibram “Multisport” rubber out- soles in “Trek” compound have large, open lugs for easy handling of debris and provide excellent trac- tion on irregular surfaces. Cordura and suede uppers, Dri-Lex lining and an Ortholite footbed also ensure performance. They have 2" webbing in just the right spot for ankle support and enhanced stability. Durable, rub- berized toe and heel reinforcements provide abrasion and scuff resistance, especially when in a prone position or kicking stuff — and we all like kicking stuff. For More Info: www.blackhawk.com

Pentagon Lights I saw this new light from Pentagon Lights and had to have one immediately. The Molle light is one of those things that just makes sense on a number of levels. It has a 0.5- Watt LED, a multi-point attachment clip, a top positioned switch, a lanyard hook, the angle head design of the highly serviceable WWII TL 122 or Vietnam vintage MX991\U military ﬂashlights (that’s before anyone started calling them illumination tools), colored ﬁlters, an optional compass and — best of all — it’s powered with one AA Alkaline battery. For military applications and the Swatologists out there, the light is designed and sized to securely clip on Molle gear. For the street cop, detective and anyone else, it easily clips to a belt, shirt or jacket pocket or fits handily in a pants pocket. The light provides 30 lumens of output over 12 hours continuous running. The bulb is rated to give you around 5,000 hours of service life. The most astounding thing about it is the small price tag. I don’t put prices in the magazine but — when Pentagon told me the suggested retail price, I said, “Are you freaking kidding me?” except I didn’t use the word freaking. They’ll sell a zillion of these so you better hurry to beat the rush. * For More Info: www.pentagonlight.com

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INSIDER RUMINATIONS DAVE DOUGLAS Anti-Police Politicians he LEAA column on page 14 tells the story of a very lib- again sometime in the future but it’s going to be painful. As eral congressman who’ll have sway over the entire law a group, law enforcement needs to do a better job of T enforcement community for at least the next couple years. pointing out the morons in public life. John Conyers, We need that like another ninth circuit decision. I would Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, is indeed one of have written, “hole in my head” but that’s kind of what their them. I’m sure there will be one running for President in the decisions are anyway. How on earth did we get to this point? next election too. I’m just not sure which party they’ll be I think the media has so distorted the war in Iraq and the affiliated with. We need to band together and yell loudly — President’s role there; it’s just another nail in the Repub- hell, shriek — from the watchtower about who has their lican Party’s coffin. Not that the Republicans need any help head up their butt and who doesn’t. burying themselves. They’ve done a stunningly brilliant job Usually we let our unions or associations do it for us. But of just that. Congressional Page scandals, Randy Cun- they’re just as much of the problem. Admittedly, their job is to ningham’s excruciatingly disappointing betrayal of his get us the best pay and benefits they can. It’s their responsibility office by taking bribes, a huge deficit, out of control to do that. But when they support one of the morons we should spending and total head-in-the-sand (or in somewhere else) be shrieking about, it’s time for them to take a step back and inaction on the illegal immigration crisis just scratch the look at the overall good. This guy might want the unions to get surface. Folks are tired of the crap and voted for a change. I a raise for their members but he’s also the one who wants to do just wish it wasn’t this change. away with a cop’s rights or strip us of certain immunity from We’ll get through it, we have in the past and we will prosecution. That’s a bad move. pride in their job? Where are the folks who really care and take the extra steps if necessary to make someone’s life a little easier? In either the ER or plumber situation we’re vul- Toro Caca nerable. If we knew how to fix things we'd do it our- ave you ever been to the Emergency Room? Now selves and be that much better off for it. But when that’s a silly question. I used to live in the ER, we need someone, when things are out of our H it’s where I met my wife. But really, have you control and we don’t know how to handle it, we ever been there off duty? With a few exceptions, you call on that nurse or plumber to care for us. And need to have an advocate with you. You know, they’re fairly well compensated for it too. someone who speaks the particular dialect of that hos- If you’ve experienced this, then you know pital or for that matter, department within the hospital. just how some of the people who call us feel If you don’t have that person, you’re doomed. Not when we get there. The tendency to wash out a necessarily in the you’re gonna die way but your visit report or shine on a victim because we don’t care for will undoubtedly be an exercise in misery. Long their life-style is exactly the same thing. Put yourself waits, reduced levels of service, and the in their position for a second and remember, per- issue of the service provider just not going ception is reality for most people out there. the extra step to make you happy, feel Even if things are not exactly what they think secure or be comfortable in a situation you they are, if they’re thinking they are that have little if any control over. way, they are. Some may say that’s pretty I’ve felt that way in a hospital situation much the stupidest thing ever written in this and with the plumber. I’m not a handy magazine but read it a few times and the person, so if I need repairs around the house meaning will magically appear — trust me — I’m compelled to hire someone who knows I was a sergeant — I’m here to help. what they’re doing. I’ll wait four, five or Don’t waste two hours washing out a report six hours and then the guy shows up that you could finish in a half hour. Take a little smelling like the pet goat of a tran- time with people; they may remember it

RUMINATIONS sient, without the proper parts, for the rest of their lives. They may tells me to just shut the water off even tell their grandkids about it. for a few days, he’ll be back when Yes we handle the same issue he gets around to it and still wants seven times a day but it’s a sig- to charge me for a house call. niﬁcant life event for them. Treat This is Toro Caca! What ever them like you’d want to be treated by INSIDER happened to people who take that nurse, doctor or plumber.

INSIDERRUMINATIONS Continues on page 81 82 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2007 COPcoversMA 2/5/07 9:54 PM Page c3 COPcoversMA 2/5/07 9:54 PM Page c4

From left, the Ultra CDP II™ .45 ACP, Aegis II™ 9mm and Ultra RCP II™ .45 ACP along with the new Kimber LifeAct™ Guardian Angel™ non-lethal self defense device.

The Ultra Carry II™ .45 ACP has a 3-inch barrel and weighs just 25 ounces. It is also available Kimber Carry Pistols. with optional night sights and Powerful. Dependable. Accurate. Crimson Trace Lasergrips.

The best carry pistol is a Kimber 1911. Powerful, accurate, safe and fast – !XQ[\WT[XWQV\VI\]ZITTaIVLÅ\ITUW[\IVaPIVL