April 2013 Issue of Law Officer Magazine

April 2013 Volume 9 Issue 4
TECH TOPICS: LPR Update >> Cloud Computing >> Vehicle Tech
Go Time!
How vehicle technology is
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PLUS >>
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2 l LAW OFFICER MAGAZINE l April 2013 LawOffcer.com
Columns & Departments

Contents
April 2013
13 On Target
Articulating your mission & understanding
your community will go a long way in
keeping an LPR program
By Dale Stockton
24 Links in the Chain
Todays cruiser tech essentials keep offcers
effcient & safe
By JP Molnar
PLUS! The latest in vehicle tech p. 22
30 Outside the Box
External carriers are a game-changer for
body armor protection
By Jane Jerrard
34 Bridging the Gap
Tips for bringing down criminal
organizations with organizational analysis
By John A. Bertetto
38 K-9 Kaptures
Theres nothing like a K-9 partner to catch
your suspect
By Dale Stockton & Cpl. David Ober
42 Sit Down & Prepare Yourself!
Progressive frearms drills & exercises for
ambush preparation
By Lt. (Ret.) Michael Crowe, Offcer Bill Lowe &
Capt. (Ret.) Donald Moss
6 Editors Note
Complacency
By Dale Stockton
8 Staging Area
Riding for the Cause
Below 100: Progress
Tallied
On-the-Go Tool
16 Product Spotlight
LPR
18 Tech Talk
A Mix of Clouds &
Sunshine
By Nick Selby &
Dave Henderson
20 Street Survival
10 Things Not To Do
By Lt. Jim Glennon
45 Tactics
A Free Cup of Coffee
By Dave Grossi
47 Firearms
Skills, Drills & Standards
By Dave Spaulding
50 Train the Trainer
Pro Tips for the Firing
Line, Part II
By R.K. Miller
52 Department Depot
Trigger Control
More Gear

54 Product Spotlight
Sights & Slings
55 Advertiser Index
56 Bullethead
Guns & LE Exemptions
Exclusively on LawOffcer.com
Lets Get Real About the Gun Debate
Lt. Jim Glennon
--------------------------------------------------------
So You Want To Be a Dispatcher?Cindra
Dunaway
--------------------------------------------------------
21st Century LeadershipScott Hyderkhan
Most LEOs spend more time in the patrol vehicle than anywhere else in
their professional lives. And the truth is, the patrol vehicle has become
an incredibly powerful tool. From LPR to in-car cameras to MDCs to at-
the-ready special weaponsoffcers have a lot riding on those four tires.
Check out J.P. Molnars review of the latest in vehicle tech, p. 22. Pictured:
Offcer Melanie Heinicka, Boca Raton (Fla.) PD (Photo Dale Stockton)
Features 24
8 STAGING
50 TRAINER 47 FIREARMS
ABOUT THE
COVER
1304LO_2 2 4/11/13 9:36 AM
1304LO_3 3 4/11/13 9:36 AM
April 2013LawOffcer.com
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JP Molnar
COLUMNIST/TACTICS
Dave Grossi
COLUMNIST/TACTICAL OPS
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R.K. Miller
COLUMNIST/LEGAL
Laura L. Scarry
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
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Editors Note
E-mail Dale Stockton editor@lawoffcer.com
D
Complacency
The most insidious of all threats
During a recent Below 100 presentation in Boca Raton,
Fla., I witnessed a classic example of readiness. More
than 70 offcers from more than a dozen agencies were in
attendance when several Boca Raton offcers suddenly jumped
to their feet and left the room in response to an active shooter
call. The offcers, including Chief Dan Alexander, were fully
suited up, including their body armor, when the call came
even though they were sitting in a training class.
It was a sobering reminder to everyone that we dont get to
choose when bad things happen. They fnd us on their terms.
Rationalization Leads to Complacency
That afternoon, we worked through Below 100
instructor development with about 35 veteran train-
ers. We asked where they saw the greatest challenge
within their agency. A surprising number expressed
serious concerns about complacency. Some said their
agencies were very small and offcers assumed noth-
ing would happen. Others said that they had several
offcers who had come from long careers with busy
agencies and now seemed to be in quasi-retirement
mode. One very tenured command level offcer from
a large school police department said that his offcers
didnt suffciently understand how suddenly dangerous their
environment could become. The more complacency came up,
the more others in the room acknowledged they had very simi-
lar concerns.
The day after this class, I received an email from one of
my favorite people and one of the most popular trainers in
the country, Gordon Graham. Although he seldom needs an
introduction, Ill simply say that Graham knows more about
risk mitigation and common sense offcer safety than virtually
anyone else on the planet.
His email was prompted by the recent surge in attacks on
public safety offcials, including Colorado Corrections Director
Tom Clements and the murder of a district attorney and his
wife at their home in Texas. Graham alluded to a book entitled
Predictable Surprises and written by professors Max Bazer-
man and Michael D. Watkins.
The books premise is that disasters (like 9/11) are preceded
by clear warning signals that leaders ignore, miss or fail to
take action on. Graham espoused the opinion (and I strongly
agree) that these and other events are signs that shouldnt
be ignored or rationalized away. Using the books analysis
of 9/11 as a guide, heres the thought process that results in
complacency, even when we see warning signs.
Itwillnothappenagain;
Ifitdoeshappen,itwonthappenhere;
Ifithappenshere,itwontbeabigdeal;
Ifitendsupbeingabigdeal,itwontnegativelyimpactme;
and
If it ends up being a big deal that negatively impacts me,
theres nothing I could have done to prevent it.
As a result of Below 100, I have become acutely aware of just
how many times we engage in this dangerous rationalization
that leads to inaction and outright compla-
cency. Weve lost way too many offcers in
situations where they assumed it wouldnt
happen or would happen to someone else.
Even in agencies that have had tragedies,
the passage of time often results in revert-
ing to the previous behavior. Perhaps the
biggest problem: Some in leadership posi-
tions stand in the way of preventative or
proactive measures by invoking phrases
like, It hasnt happened in 20 years, so its
not a problem.
In a job that is largely made up of
responding to things that have already occurred, its way too
easy to succumb to a pattern of passivity. Bottom line: You cant
allow yourself to fall into this trap because it never ends well.
The best you can hope for is handing off your lack of action
to someone else as you slide out the door. But thats outright
negligent. You owe it to those who look to you to learn from the
past, monitor the present and proactively engage the future.
Conclusion
During Below 100 training, we always ask for words to describe
the opposite of complacency. The most frequent response by far
is the word vigilant. And thats the best way to sum up the
attitude that must be embraced, regardless of your position in
your agency.
If others let their guard down, challenge them with a cou-
rageous conversation. If those above you arent supportive,
do what you can within your area of responsibility and be an
example for others. Study whats going on, watch for pre-event
indicators, make sure you and your people are ready and, as
the old saying goes, keep your powder dryyou might need it.
DALE STOCKTON, EDITOR IN CHIEF
LOM
1304LO_6 6 4/11/13 9:38 AM
1304LO_7 7 4/11/13 9:38 AM
Below 100 celebrates milestones, maintains mission
By Dale Stockton
T
wo years ago this month, the
frst Below 100 Train-the-Train-
er was presented at the Interna-
tional Law Enforcement and Educa-
tors Association (ILEETA) conference.
Since that time, thousands of offcers
in approximately half of the states of
the U.S. have heard this straightfor-
ward and common-sense offcer safety
message. Were receiving requests ev-
ery week from areas that want to en-
gage with Below 100.
Were very proud of
the fact that this life-
saving initiative was
launched by Law Of-
fcer, and what an in-
credible journey this
has been! Were now using more than
a dozen core trainers, all of whom are
superb presenters with extensive LE
experience and all of whom volunteer
their time to make this happen.
There are multiple statewide efforts
underway and the overall awareness
of Below 100 and its missiondrive
down line-of-duty deaths to fewer than
100 in a calendar yearhas grown
dramatically. I regularly receive emails
showing Below 100 posters displayed
in briefng rooms and even bathrooms
(!) around the country.
Perhaps the most remarkable as-
pect of this program is that it has ex-
perienced such organic growth: There
have been more than 1,500 downloads
of the training material that per-
mits those who have been trained to
share the information with others and
theyre often taking it outside of their
agency to other areas.
One of my favorite testimonials
comes from an LE training icon, Col.
Bob Coach Lindsey (Ret.), of Jef-
ferson Parrish (La.) Sheriff s Depart-
ment: The main thing that Below 100
is doing that no one else has ever done
is putting the onus on the individual
offcer, regardless of gender, age or as-
signment. This is not a pipe-dream,
this is reality based. We can do this.
Coach Lindsey is absolutely right.
We can do this.
Last year was the lowest LODD toll
in more than 50 years, but to continue
making progress, everyone must do
their part. That means embracing a
culture of safety and having the cour-
age to confront those who dont. That
means you!
For more information on Below 100,
including how to get materials, post-
ers or schedule an event, visit www.
Below100.com.
Progress Tallied
Law Enforcement Uniteds Police Week ride is always a thrill. This years a little
more interesting. LEUs president, Chad Chadwick, will be completing the 250-mile
ride in body armor. Theres no excuse not to wear your vest!
1304LO_8 8 4/11/13 9:38 AM
1304LO_9 9 4/11/13 9:38 AM
Staging Area
Riding for the Cause
Law Enforcement Uniteds Chad Chadwick
will bicycle the 250-mile trekin body armor
H
onoring the fallen, remember-
ing the survivorsthats how
Law Enforcement United (LEU)
defnes its mission.
As part of this mission, the 400-plus-
member group organizes the yearly
Road to Hope to raise funds for the
Offcer Down Memorial Fund (ODMP.
org) and Concerns of Police Survi-
vors (COPS), and to honor the fallen
at Police Week. One group of cyclists
begins in Chesapeake, Va., and another
begins in Reading, Pa., each embarking
on a 250-mile ride. The massive stream
of bicycles convenes in Washington,
D.C., at the Jefferson Memorial, and
its truly a sight to behold.
This year is a little different. LEUs
president, Chad Chadwick, will be
wearing body armor as he rides his
bike. (You read that right.)
The point is to draw attention to
the fact that we still have offcers who
wont wear their armor because they
say its too hot or not comfortable,
explains Law Offcers Dale Stockton.
Well, Chad is going to prove them
wrong.
The armor is being provided by
Safariland, with a custom vest carrier
donated by Mocean. The armor fabric is
Dyneema, which will also be support-
ing the event. Follow Chads adventure
at www.ArmorMatters.com.
All in all, its a ftting tribute, true
to their mission. Honoring the fallen
means more than paying lip service. It
means standing as an example as you
learn from their sacrifce.
Our hats off to you, Chad Chadwick!
For more information on LEU, visit
www.LawEnforcementUnited.org.
Law Enforcement Uniteds
Core Values
1. We are stewards of giving. We are
committed to the organizations we
support and our mission.
2. We believe that we receive by giv-
ing; and strive to recruit a strong core
membership and donors to facilitate
our mission.
3. We believe in giving our donations
to our causes not salaries. We are
100% volunteer driven organization.
1304LO_10 10 4/11/13 9:38 AM

ASSET contains vital information
about the legal issues offcers confront
every day, from obtaining search war-
rants, to the grounds for Terry stops,
to proper use of GPS tracking devices.
The ASSET app includes information
on arrest and detention, digital inves-
tigation, interrogation, lineups and
showups, nontestimonial ID orders,
On-the-Go Tool
University of North Carolinas law enforcement app
aims to increase LEO productivity, reduce error
F
ailure to follow the dictates of the
law when acting in an offcial ca-
pacity can turn a slam-dunk case
into a misfre. Unfortunately, investi-
gating offcers arent always up on rel-
evantand often confusing and evolv-
ingcase law. The Arrest, Search and
Seizure Electronic Tool, also known as
ASSET, was developed by UNC School
of Government Assistant Professor
Jeff Welty to give LEOs the legal tools
they need, when they need them.
The app can be used as a quick ref-
erence guide on the law and investiga-
tions for offcers, public offcials, and
even students. For example, if an off-
cer has a question about a search war-
rant or a traffc stop, he or she can re-
fer to ASSET to quickly get an answer.
search warrants, and warrantless
searches.
Moreover, ASSET doesnt require
an Internet connection, making it
ideal for multiple environments, par-
ticularly inside buildings with poor or
disabled connectivity or in locations
where network coverage is unavail-
able.
The ASSET app can be download-
ed via iTunes now and a version for
Android will be available in summer
2013. To learn more about the groups
currently using the ASSET app, visit
the N.C. Department of Justice at
www.NCDOJ.gov or the N.C. Sheriffs
Association at www.NCSheriffs.org.
LOM

1304LO_11 11 4/11/13 9:38 AM
WHAT NARCOTIC IS MOST
PREVALENT IN YOUR AREA?
Marijuana
Heroin
Prescription drugs
Methamphetamine
Other/All about the
same
>>
APRIL POLL QUESTION
>>
March Poll Results
WHICH DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST
EFFECTIVE WAY TO END A VEHICLE PURSUIT?
PIT MANEUVER ........................................................................33%
TIRE DEFLATION DEVICE .........................................................45%
ROLLING ROAD BLOCK...............................................................5%
GO UNTIL THEY CRASH OR RUN OUT OF GAS .............................6%
PURSUITS NOT PERMITTED AT MY AGENCY .............................11%
ALWAYS ON DUTY
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LawOffcer.com is formatted to work with your tablet and PDA. That means you can get all the breaking
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Female Fit
When it comes to ballistic vests, one size does not ft all
T
odays female LEOs are having an easier time fnding body armor, uniforms and equipment that ft their frames.
Thats good news because a better-ftted ballistic vest makes an offcers job easier and maximizes her safety, accord-
ing to Sgt. Pam Starr of the Dallas Police Department.
Starr teaches a class on equipment issues for female enforcers for Lifeline Training, and estimates that the general
trend toward manufacturing uniforms and equipment ftted for females started around 10 years ago. Thats good, because
the trend used to be, This is what we have, so this is what youll wear. But to me, its a safety issue, Starr says.
Are you satisfed with the way your armor fts? Tells us what you think! www.Facebook.com/ArmorMatters
Its Time to Get Real
about the Gun Debate
Were talking past the issues& we have real issues
By Lt. Jim Glennon
Y
ou cannot address crime prevention without getting
rid of assault weapons and handguns. I consider
them a threat to national security, and I will go door
to door if I have to, but Im gonna convince Americans that
Im right, and Im gonna get the guns.
Thats a line uttered by fctional Commander-in-Chief
Andrew Shepard played by Michael Douglas in the movie
An American President. He makes the above declaration
after delivering a heartfelt speech about love, country and
character near the end of the movie. At the time (17 years
ago), I never thought much about the Second Amendment:
I only owned a couple of handguns, wasnt a hunter and as
a police offcer I was allowed to have and carry a frearm
virtually any time I wanted.
And while the movie was considered a romantic comedy
and overall I thought it was a pleasant little fairytale, even
back then that line still struck me as odd and somewhat
disturbing for a number of reasons ...
www.LawOffcer.com/GetReal
1304LO_12 12 4/11/13 9:38 AM
LawOffcer.com April 2013 l LAW OFFICER MAGAZINE l 13
L
icense plate reader (LPR) tech-
nology has really come on strong
during the last fve years and
the good news is that the tech-
nology keeps getting better, the prices
have become more reasonable and the
benefts of sharing the data have been
recognized and acted upon by many
agencies around the country.
However, there have been some
challenges, and, for the purpose of this
article, Im going to focus on an area
that should be a priority for agencies
using, or contemplating the use of,
LPR. This area is so important that
ignoring it could jeopardize your entire
LPR program or, at the very least, sig-
nifcantly limit its effectiveness.
The biggest potential obstacle for
many agencies comes in the form of
public perception and media scrutiny.
As LPRs have become more common
and the databases they feed more
effective, the public and press (often in
the opposite order) have been asking
questions that some agencies are hav-
ing diffculty answering. And this awk-
wardness compounds the problem as
the public/press points to the apparent
lack of transparency as a validation of
their concern. Many of the published
articles have a signifcantly negative
tone and sometimes theyre outright
infammatory. Forewarned is fore-
armed, and you need to be ready when
the questions start coming.
Just a few months ago, the Wall
Street Journal published an expansive
front page article entitled New Track-
ing Frontier: Your License Plates and
focused primarily on the use of LPR in
Southern California. A recent Inter-
net article that received a lot of play
focused on LPR efforts in Little Rock,
Ark. In questioning the use of LPR, the
story pointed out that the town was
not a hot bed of terrorism and noted
the data was retained indefnitely with
no policy regarding use or retention.
Just days after the Little Rock story,
Arkansas state legislators put forth a
bill that would restrict the use of the
technology and severely limit the time
that the records could be retained. This
type of overreaction can be minimized
if youre prepared and have a relevant,
workable policy.
Many articles that Ive either read
or been quoted in have implied that
LPR is an out-of-control, unregulated
governmental intrusion on the private
lives of ordinary citizens. The writers
or quoted sources point to the millions
of records on fle, sometimes dating
back two or three years and assert
these records serve no legitimate
public safety purpose. Theres often a
strong suggestion of potential abuse by
unchecked governmental agents intent
on prying into the lives of law-abiding
citizens with no history of wrong doing.
Dispelling the Prying Eye
Although some have loudly criticized
LPR as an unwarranted tracking of a
private persons everyday movements,
LPR systems dont really work that way.
Despite the effciency of LPR and
the millions of records that reside in
many databases, an individual vehicle
will only come to the attention of law
enforcement in one or both of two situ-
ations: a) If the vehicle is on an alert
list (e.g. stolen or felony stop) at the
time the license plate is initially cap-
tured (read). If this is the case, an
offcer generally takes whatever action
is warranted. This is no different than
an offcer observing a vehicle and rec-
ognizing the plate from a hot sheet; b)
When a query is made as a result of
a criminal investigation and a vehicle
or vehicles are identifed as meriting
follow-up. As an example, this could be
the case when a crime victim reports
a partial plate and an investigator
queries the LPR database looking for
vehicles with that plate combination
that match the description provided
by the victim.
Even with extensive LPR cover-
age, the LPR records are intermittent
captures of encounters with vehicles
and dont come close to the full-time
tracking of GPS devices. This is impor-
tant because the U.S. Supreme Court
recently issued a ruling that continu-
ally monitoring a vehicles movements
for a period of 28 days using a GPS
tracker requires law enforcement to
obtain a warrant. (United States v.
Jones, 565 US, 132 S.Ct. 945)
Despite protestations to the con-
trary, LPR records arent personally
identifying information, a legal term
that assigns a greater level of scrutiny
to data gathering. LPR cameras cap-
ture images of a vehicle and its plate,
not the person who is operating it. The
identity of a driver and his or her rela-
tionship to a vehicle is never assured
because vehicles are instruments that
can be shared and borrowed. Even the
name of the vehicles registered owner
is unknown to law enforcement with-
out a separate query of a secure data-
base that leaves an audit trail. This
is signifcant because it essentially
negates the concern that
Articulating your mission & understanding your community
will go a long way in keeping an LPR program running
On Target
By Dale Stockton
1304LO_13 13 4/11/13 9:38 AM
14 l LAW OFFICER MAGAZINE l December 2013 LawOffcer.com

LPR is gathering extensive amounts of
personally identifying information.
Although a single person may own
a vehicle, this person isnt identifed in
standard LPR operation and most LPR
images dont even display identifable
photos of the occupants. This is an
area that bears more discussion than
I can give it in this limited space. But
a great resource is the International
Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) that
was published in September, 2009.
The electronic version of the document
is available without charge at www.
IACP.org, keyword LPR.
Debunking the Abuse Allegation
LPR technology is a powerful crime
fghter and force multiplier. Not sur-
prisingly, those who are opposed to
LPR frequently and loudly proclaim
that the technology could be misused.
For instance, an offcer could query
the system to determine, for personal
purposes, where a specifc vehicle has
been going.
In fact, the Wall Street Journal arti-
cle on LPR cited an example of a Wash-
ington, D.C., police lieutenant using a
law enforcement database to black-
mail the owners of vehicles parked at
a gay bar. Although the reference was
used to make a point about potential
abuse of LPR data, the actual case
involved an offcer using a vehicle reg-
istration database and had absolutely
nothing to do with LPR. Further, the
case points out that those who misuse
databases are held accountable. In
the D.C. case, the offcer was fred and
prosecuted for extortion.
Perhaps more relevant to this dis-
cussion, none of the LPR critics have
produced a single case of an LPR
database being used for nefarious
purposes. The reality: Other routinely
used LE databases have much more
intrusive and private information
than an LPR system. For instance, a
simple drivers license check will tell
you how much a person weighs, what
their natural hair color is, when they
were born, where they live and what
their driving infractions have been.
To suggest that LPR records should
not be gathered because the result-
ing information might be misused is
specious.
Understanding the Public Reaction to
Fixed Cameras
Although the most commonly deployed
LPR technology involves cameras
mounted on patrol cars, some areas
of the country have successfully used
LPR cameras in fxed locations where
thousands of cars may pass by in a sin-
gle day. However, getting a fxed LPR
camera system installed can be a real
challenge and many well-intentioned
efforts have been derailed because of
adverse public or political reaction.
Theres a parallel to red light and
speed enforcement cameras in terms
of public perception. People may not be
happy about offcers writing tickets for
speed or red light violations, but theyll
accept the activity much more read-
ily than an automated system that is
perceived as an unfair extension of
authority. Accordingly, LPR cameras
mounted on a roving patrol car are
viewed by many as a legitimate use
of police technology while a 24/7 fxed
(and therefore unmanned) LPR instal-
lation is thought of as an unwarranted
governmental intrusion. Understand-
ing this difference and sensitivity can
save you a lot of time and money. If
youre thinking about using fxed LPR,
do a little testing of the water before
you get surprised.
The Primary Targets of Concern
Criticism of police use of LPR often
focuses on how long the records are
retained and how many records are
kept on fle. The issues are directly
related, combined with how many sys-
tems are contributing to the database.
The most frequent question Ive been
asked about LPR is how long records
should be kept. Like many things
in our business, the easy answer is
it depends, but this wont satisfy
an investigative reporter or privacy
activist.
So, before you get asked the reten-
tion question, determine: 1) legal
requirements, 2) operational and
investigative needs, 3) data storage
capabilities and 4) a reasonable bal-
ance of the previous areas in light of
public sensitivity.
Regarding a legal requirement for
retention, some jurisdictions (and
states) have a legal requirement to
retain electronic records for a speci-
fed period. If thats the case in your
area, then this period is the minimum
retention for your data. After identify-
ing any legal requirement, examine
the reality of your investigative pri-
orities. If youre a traffc enforcement
agency, then the need to retain LPR
records may justifably be shorter
than an agency actively pursuing cold
case homicides.
When it comes to data storage, there
are two factors to consider. First, how
1304LO_14 14 4/11/13 9:38 AM
LawOffcer.com December 2013 l LAW OFFICER MAGAZINE l 15

much storage are you willing to pay
for? Storage is generally cheap but if
you have 30 or 40 units in the feld and
a half dozen fxed installations, youll
be in the millions of records within the
frst month of operation. This means
you have to plan ahead and determine
what you need (based on number gen-
erated and the retention time) plus
what you can afford.
Second, consider your operational
effciency. As records in a database
grow, a database can begin to slow
down as it searches through more and
more records. This is particularly true
with partial plate searches, something
that investigators depend on.
Finally, consider the publics sensi-
tivity to LE use of technology. This is
subjective and can change in a heart-
beat, but use your best judgment based
on the totality of circumstances. One
good benchmark: Consider what agen-
cies around you are doing. That can
put you within an acceptable norm.
Heres my recommendation on
retention. One year is a minimum,
two years is preferred and three years
is ideal. This is based on dealing with
agencies around the country and
learning from their experiences and
whats been of investigative beneft
to them. Nonetheless, there are agen-
cies (some of them with huge systems)
that hold their records indefnitely
and point out that many investiga-
tions take a while, especially when it
comes to terrorism (e.g., some of the
same operatives involved in the 1993
WTC bombing were also involved in
the deadly attack on 9/11).
At the other extreme, New Hamp-
shire has prohibited LPR use and
Maine has limited retention to less
than a month. Well-meaning legisla-
tors in these states have deprived
police of a valuable public safety tool.
Summary
If youve got LPR, make sure youre
familiar with the issues, have
addressed the question of retention
and are sensitive to the political and
public climate regarding police use of
technology within your jurisdiction. If
youre contemplating LPR, do your due
diligence and check with agencies that
are within your region and state as to
what has become the operational norm.
Also ask these agencies if they have
related policies that you can review
and if they might consider sharing LPR
data information so that the database
can be more effective. For more great
information on LPR, check www.Law
Offcer.com, key word LPR.
LOM
DALE STOCKTON is the editor in chief of Law
Offcer and a retired Carlsbad, Calif., police captain.
In addition to being the LPR project manager at
ARJIS (Automated Regional Justice Information
System), he has frequently worked with both the
IACP and NIJ on LPR initiatives and has presented
LPR training to hundreds of agencies. He has a
masters degree from the University of California
School of Criminology, Law and Society and is a
graduate of the 201st FBI National Academy.
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1304LO_15 15 4/11/13 9:38 AM
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News products worthy of a look
LPR
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The AlertVU LPR system automatically reads plates by
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CarSystem 6 is the latest version of ELSAGs in-vehicle user
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1304LO_16 16 4/11/13 9:38 AM
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Mobile LPR Software
The PlateSmart Mobile LPR software works with any
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Platesmart
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Customizable LPR System
Coban Technologies Vision is a cost-
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The new CitySync Rapid Plate Recognition technology is
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1304LO_17 17 4/11/13 9:38 AM
Tech Talk by Nick Selby & Dave Henderson
Storing agency data in the cloud is
cheap, but you must exercise caution
A Mix of Clouds
& Sunshine
A
long with the informa-
tion revolution has come a
completely new set of prob-
lems and challenges for
any organization that creates, modi-
fes and stores data. The most obvious
challenge is also the one that most
people think least aboutthat is, of
course, until they need to. Then theyre
surprised.
Heres a manifestation of the chal-
lenge: A Boston-area company called
EMC is so successful and its staff so
busy that, inside its campus, youll fnd
a Starbucks, a ftness center, a couple
of restaurants and a dry cleaner. The
place has to be like a mall, because its
employees rarely get to leave.
What do they do? EMC makes hard
drives.
Law enforcement agencies, like
everyone else, fnd themselves gener-
ating more data than ever. Each offcer
at the 18,500 U.S. agencies generates
many megabytes of email every year;
each agency generates gigabytes of
records and, now, hundreds of giga-
bytes of video and audio recordings.
Were now measuring storage require-
ments in terms of terabytes and, in
larger agencies, petabytes.
Where do we put it all?
What We Do Now
For thousands of small agencies, stor-
age involves a couple of external hard
drives. Prices of disk storage have
plummeted in recent years as reli-
ability has skyrocketed. The ability to
go down to Frys and pick up a couple
terabytes of storage for less than $500
means that the storage issue hasnt
been, if you ask most agencies, much
of a problem.
But this is mainly an untested
hypothesis. That kind of storage strat-
egy is designed not for mission-critical
law enforcement applications, but
rather for family photos and music.
Indexing, maintenance, encryption,
search and recovery tools are distinctly
lackingand of course, if someone
steals the drive, youre out of luck.
For these reasons, as well as mainte-
nance, reliability and cost, many agen-
cies have begun to look to the cloud.
Simply speaking, the cloud is a place
to put your data thats accessible via
the Internet. Services such as Dropbox,
Box.net, Mozy.com, Amazon AWS and
many, many others advertise cheap
and reliable storage, and thats true.
Storing in the cloud can result in mas-
sive savings, plus the certainty that
your data will be accessible when you
need it.
We need someplace to put all this
stuff, but unlike corporate America,
we dont have the budgets to go out
and buy large networks of storage
appliances. Your IT organization (if
you even have one), at some point in
the next 36 months, is going to look to
cloud storage.
Face it: Your data storage needs arent getting any smallertime to seriously con-
sider cloud solutions to data storage needs.
C
R
E
D
IT
:
P
H
O
T
O
S
P
IN
1304LO_18 18 4/11/13 9:38 AM
Getting Started
There are three main questions you
must ask to fgure out your storage
requirements:
1. What have you got now and how
much will you have next year?
2. Where do you keep it now, and
where will you keep it next year?
3. How will you secure it?
The How much data will you have
next year? part of the question is your
best indication of how soon you have
to make decisions. For many agencies,
the ramp-up to more data than you
can store locally is not yet here, but it
will be in the next 1836 months. So
you have some timeand right now,
innovations in secure storage mean
that time is absolutely on your side
(more on that later). If you can wait,
you should.
Where Is The Cloud, Anyway?
One of the most fundamental ques-
tions you should consider when look-
ing at cloud storage is just what that
means, in terms of the location of your
data. We would never consider mailing
those external hard drives to Kuala
Lampur and asking someone there to
hang on to them for a while, but many
cloud storage providers do indeed set
up their data centers internationally.
Many of the less-expensive cloud stor-
age companies are less expensive pre-
cisely because their data centers are in
third-world countries.
This brings us to the biggest consid-
eration outside Can I ever get my data
back? when it comes to cloud storage:
securityand, by extension, compli-
ance. Take nothing for granted.
Key Management
The reason for price disparity among
cloud storage providers isnt about
the volume of data you seek to store;
its entirely about data security. For
reasons of compliance and basic com-
mon sense, law enforcement data must
be encrypted whenever it leaves the
relative security of your network, and
depending on how much data you have,
and how often you need to access it,
the need to encrypt in the cloud comes
down to key management.
Encrypting data is easy. Governing
exactly who can access it, and under
what conditions the data can be un-
encrypted and accessed later, is the dif-
fcult part. This is hard for corporations,
hard for the NSA and CIA, and its hard
for you.
When someone unencrypts some-
thing, for example, should they unen-
crypt the entire stash of data? Just one
or two fles? For how long? What hap-
pens 15 years from now when everyone
who currently works in your IT depart-
ment is gonehow can you recover
keys? What retention periods do you
currently have for your data, and how
can you automate destruction at the
end of those periods?
The answers to all these questions
and many more like them will govern
a lot of your decisions, and all of them
require your lawyer.
All of the cheap cloud storage ven-
dors describe security as easy, but in
fact the questions are very hard. The
easiest way to be certain that you can
retain control over your data is to com-
press it into chunks, encrypt it and then
send it to cloud storage. That way you
know that no one else can see your data,
and only you control the keys. Unfortu-
nately, that makes it really, really hard
to manage, and youre getting the worst
of all worlds when it comes to accessing
your data later.
In addition, many cloud storage ven-
dors do dangerous things with encryp-
tion, such as breaking the fundamental
rule of encrypted data and storing the
keys on the same drive as the data itself.
Its the digital equivalent of leaving the
key under the fower pot on the porch.
There are other compliance require-
ments as well, such as those concern-
ing CJIS data and where it canand
cantlive.
So while cheap storage may sound
fantastic to the city manager, its best
to check with the city attorney and your
IT director or a consultant before you
pay 99 cents for unlimited storage at
Beijing-Storage-a-Go-Go.
Waiting Is the Best Part
The reason we mentioned that time is
on your side is this: The storage and
data problem is so acute, this is an area
of explosive and disruptive innovation.
Generational advances are being made
monthly, and security is at the fore,
just behind capacity. Recently, indus-
try leader Amazon launched something
called CloudHSM, which has made it
possible to do encryption in the cloud
but maintain secure control of the keys
in the cloud through something called
a hardware security module. This has
reduced the cost tremendously, but its
still in the range of $20,000 a year, put-
ting it outside the reach of small and
even some mid-sized agencies.
But vendors like Amazon and oth-
ers are working on products that will
allow splitting up HSMs, which will
bring secure storage of encryption keys
well within the reach of everyone. The
$20,000 that youll spend today on a
robust, secure cloud storage system will
plummet to $5,000 or even $1,000 a
year in the next few years.
By 2016, if youre not storing most
everything on the cloud, something will
be very amiss with your agency. The
time to learn about this is now, mainly
so that you wont miss out on the sav-
ings as soon as they become available
to your size and storage needs.
LOM
NICK SELBY AND DAVE HENDERSON serve
at a Texas agency and run CSGAnalysis.com and
policeledintelligence.com. In 2005, Selby founded the
enterprise security practice at industry analyst frm
The 451 Group. He was sworn as a police offcer in
2010. Henderson is a police sergeant with 15 years
of law enforcement and instructional experience.
We need someplace
to put all this stuff,
but we dont have the
budgets to go out &
buy large networks of
storage appliances.
1304LO_19 19 4/11/13 9:38 AM
Street Survival by Jim Glennon (Ret.)
The top ways crime scene investigations
get screwed up
10 Things Not to Do
I
spent almost half of my career in
investigations. I was even com-
mander of the investigations divi-
sion of our countys homicide task
force for six years. I studied the craft,
and trained, read and worked hard.
Still, what I dont know about inves-
tigations could fll a generally large
receptacle. What I was good at was
being incredibly lucky.
As commander of investigations I
was fortunate enough to have an orga-
nized obsessive-compulsive Sgt. Dave
Kundrot. Alagna, Vasil, Malatia, Abena-
nte, Wirsing, Nevara, Heim, Belanger
they were exceptional detectives and
self-starters. On the task force I found
the same luck. There are too many to
count who were at the core of an incred-
ibly successful and effective team. My
skill was in assigning them based on
their individual talents.
So with my experience in mind, the
editors at Law Offcer asked me to put
together a list of the top 10 things not
to do at a crime scene. So here goes.
No. 1: Dont cover the body with
a blanket! Ive seen this done several
times, usually by inexperienced police
offcers. But they arent the only cul-
prits of this evidence-destroying prac-
tice. Often the guilty parties are fre-
fghters, emergency medical personnel
and well-meaning citizens.
I explained to fre supervisors many
times about how covering bodies trans-
fers material, contaminants and other
evidence from one part of the crime
scene to another. They politely listened
and told me they got it. But, they didnt
get it. Next dead bodya blanket on it.
When questioned why their
response was always a version of:
Were just preserving the integrity of
the dead person. And no matter how
many times you explain, Hes dead so
integrity isnt his biggest issue! many,
not all, just had a hard time grasping
that concept.
Solution: Make them watch 200 epi-
sodes of NCIS.
No. 2: Dont unload or secure
guns in an already secure crime
scene! Early on in my detective career
I responded to a guy shot in an apart-
ment. When I arrived a senior patrol
offcertraining a recruithad two
guns that belonged to somebody
unloaded and handcuffed together on
top of the refrigerator! It was a condo
with no one present but the two uni-
form cops!
I asked the offcer why he moved the
guns and he said with a condescending
tone, Needed to make the guns safe.
I queried: Safe from who?
Ya never know, he snorted.
So I continued. Did you take a pic-
ture of them before you moved them?
Did you make sure you didnt smudge
fngerprints? Did you read them their
Miranda rights before you hooked them
up and detained them on the fridge?
He wasnt amused.
No. 3: Dont let a parade of curi-
ous cops walk through any crime
scene! One of the frst shootings I
was involved in was in a neighboring
town and I was just a back-up watch-
ing the rear door. But what I noticed
after entering the house was how every
offcer working that night walked into
the crime scene so they could see the
gore. They stepped on pills, kicked
bullet casings and literally picked up
the deceased in order to peak at the
entrance wound in the back of the dead
guys head.
Bottom line: Even if you fnd it for
some reason fascinating, restrain your-
self and do your job.
No. 4: Dont fail to keep a com-
prehensive log of everyone who
walks into a crime scene! And when I
say everyone, I mean EVERYONE. That
includes bosses, chiefs, mayors, alder-
man, prosecutors, the chiefs mother, the
mayors neighbor and nosey cops.
Let them know youre logging their
entry. Better yet, try to keep them out.
Suggest that they might wind up in
court or in a deposition if theyre on the
list. Thenwatch em run.
No. 5: Dont be afraid to take
charge! I dont care if you are a rookie
with three weeks experience: If youre
the frst one there, TAKE CONTROL
OF THE SCENE. Relinquish it when
someone shows up who outranks you
or who actually knows what theyre
doing, but, believe me, controlling the
scene will be greatly appreciated by
those who need to investigate and are
concerned about scene integrity (see:
the O.J. Simpson case).
No. 6: Dont forget to take pic-
tures! Take em soon. Take em often.
You never have too many (see below).
Start shooting as soon as its tactically
safe to do so. Remember: Use any-
thing you can for scale or to establish
positioning.
No. 7: Dont take stupid pic-
tures! Cops pretending theyre kiss-
ing the dead guys ear doesnt look
good in court. Putting funny hats on
the victim or placing cigarettes in the
mouth are also bad ideas. Pictures of
1304LO_20 20 4/11/13 9:38 AM
offcers playing with sex toys found in
the closet or wearing dildo hats (yes,
Ive seen that) are not only unneces-
sary, theyre discoverable and tough to
explain to three grandmothers sitting
on the jury. Smoking or drinking at the
scene is also a big no-no, made even
more so when it ends up in a picture.
Youre professionals, so act that way!
No. 8: Dont overdo Miranda
Warnings! First understand the
parameters of the decision. Know what
custody is and how the court views it
(from the perspective of a reasonable
person in the position of the suspect).
And the warnings only have to be read
once if theyre done correctly. Docu-
ment: when they were read, by whom,
how (should always be from a card in
my opinion), where exactly, who wit-
nessed them (have at least one person
if possible), and what was the response
of the suspect (what they actually said).
That part is important. Remember they
have to understand and waive them.
No. 9: Dont forget to keep a
timeline! As soon as you can, get that
thing going. Use the same timepiece
for each entry whenever possible, and
coordinate with dispatch times. Try to
be precise but allow for some approxi-
mates. It aint an exact science but
using the timeline shows professional-
ism and an attention to detail.
No. 10: Dont discard your notes!
There is case law about this issue, so its
better to save any notes you take, even
if they are on a napkin. All is discover-
able. Therefore, write them as though
you were a professional, because after
all you are. Jotting down juvenile jar-
gon such as: Found the asshole hiding
in the closet isnt recommended.
Conclusion
So there it is. A short, abbreviated list
of donts. Maybe too simplistic and
rudimentary for some, but reminders
are a good thing.
At some point everything you do,
say, dont do, dont say, write or dont
write may be an issue for a professional
defense attorney or plaintiffs attorney
and brought up in court. Remember: You
live and die by what you write in your
reports. You live and die professionally
by how you conduct yourself. And know
this: if you screw up one investigation,
it can affect your subsequent investiga-
tions for years to come.
LOM
LT. JIM GLENNON, a third generation LEO,
retired from the Lombard, Ill. PD after 29 years
of service. Rising to the rank of lieutenant, he
commanded both patrol and the Investigations
Unit. In 1998, he was selected as the frst Com-
mander of Investigations for the newly formed
DuPage County Major Crimes (Homicide) Task
Force. Glennon is the owner of Calibre Press.
1304LO_21 21 4/11/13 9:38 AM
Gun Lockers
Automated Weapon Secu-
ritys Rapid Deployment
Gun Lockers are designed
to meet the needs of todays
law enforcement profession-
als. The units open by elec-
trical impulse in one second
by wireless remote or push
button. They hold assorted frearms (shotgun, rife, pistol,
etc.) and ammo, without taking up trunk or foor space. The
SUV gun lockers are manufactured to allow access to a spare
tire and stackable for extra storage space. Offcers can add
the gun lockers to the following vehicles: Dodge Charger and
Challenger; Chevy Impala, Caprice and Tahoe; Ford Explorer
Pursuit, Crown Vic and Taurus.
Automated Weapon Security
860/559-7176 www.AutomatedWeaponSecurity.com
Mobile Modem
The Harris MBC-100 Mobile
Modem, designed for
high-bandwidth appli-
cations over 700-MHz
LTE networks, pro-
vides frst responders
with access to the Public Safety
Band 14 LTE network for use with mobile
applications, including secure streaming live video feeds,
access to public safety databases, mobile productivity applica-
tions and geo-location information. The MBC-100 includes an
internal GPS receiver to support location-based services and
situational awareness functionality. A customized user inter-
face provides access to the subscribers position. The rugged
device features a mechanically hardened case that is water
resistant and safe from electrical interference. The MBC-100
Modem connects easily to existing vehicle-mounted computers
through a standard USB 2.0 connector.
Harris
800/442-7747 www.Harris.com
Side-Handle MAG Dock
Gamber-Johnsons newest MAG docking station for the Getac
B300 computer, the Getac B300 MAG Dock, is constructed
using a one-piece magnesium chassis. The docking station
has passed MIL-STD-810G shock and vibration testing and
has undergone extensive cycle testing on the latch and dock-
ing mechanisms. Additionally, the docking station features
forward-facing ports for low-mounting capability, and mini-
mal cable strain and swivel resistance. The Getac B300 MAG
Dock is USB 2.0 compliant and comes stan-
dard with an integrated internal power
supply. The docking station also has
a power switch with a green LED
indicator light and optional by-
pass capability and comes with
a three-year limited warranty.
Gamber-Johnson
888/515-0072
www.GamberJohnson.com
V-Shaped LED Lighting
Standing at only two inches tall, Federal Signals Valor light
bars low-profle and non-linear, V-shaped appearance pro-
vides 360 degrees of light output coverage. Its Solaris LED
refector design features lighting at 45- and 90-degree angles
for safe intersection clearing. The product also includes the
new SpectraLux multicolor LED technology that allows you
to program different LED color combinations (amber, blue,
red or white). Valor also features the Hotfoot system for
adding LED alley and takedown lights or LPR cameras in
the mounting foot of the light bar. The product can be easily
removed from your cruiser for maintenance by a simple dis-
connect feature.
Federal Signal
800/264-3578 www.FedSig.com
Electronic Citation
digiTICKET from Saltus Technologies allows offcers to eas-
ily create electronic citations using a range of popular mobile
devices. Offcers can simply scan a drivers license and assign
violations, parking or code enforcement, while fnes and court
dates are auto-flled. digiTICKET increases offcer productiv-
ity and recovers lost
revenue by eliminat-
ing human error. It
serves as a force mul-
tiplier for both small
and large agencies:
Agency personnel
Vehicle Tech:
Equip your cruiser with these latest offerings
1304LO_22 22 4/11/13 9:39 AM
can easily view incident locations and
key productivity metrics by offcer or
department, as well as reproduce tick-
ets in PDF and export data to RMS and
Court Systems.
Saltus Technologies
877/249-3249
www.SaltusTechnologies.com
Choose 212 at www.LawOffcer.
com/rs.
Tablet Mounts
RAM offers many tablet mounting
alternatives, including with and with-
out sleeves, heavy duty protective cases,
as well as locking and docking versions
of all iPad models. The new Roto-View
Adapter Plate is an easy-to-use mobile
tablet interface that allows users to
adjust its confgurations. The Roto-View
uses multiple detents to adjust the tab-
let to the most popular viewing angles,
including landscape and portrait mode.
No need to loosen the knob of your
double-socket arm to reposition your
tablet. Instead, simply rotate the cradle
to achieve the same result. The Roto-
View is compatible with all 11.5-inch
bases/mounts with AMPS hole pattern
or diamond hole pattern.
RAM Mounts
800/497-7479
www.RamMount.com
com/rs.
Wrap Around Push Guard
The easy-to-install Go Rhino! Heavy
Duty Wrap Around Brush Guard pro-
vides front end protection ideal for PIT
maneuvers and protection from road
hazards. The push guard comes with a
thick, pre-dilled center plate for mount-
ing speakers and warning lights. Its
welded one-piece construction provides
optimal strength and comes with a
durable black powder coat fnish. The
Heavy Duty Wrap Around Brush Guard
is available for all popular vehicle appli-
cations, including the Ford Interceptor
Sedan and SUV and Dodge Charger.
Product comes with a fve-year war-
ranty.
Go Rhino!
888/427-4466
www.GoRhinopd.com
com/rs.
1304LO_23 23 4/11/13 9:39 AM
R
ecently, I walked around a
historical museum for the
Phoenix (Ariz.) Fire Depart-
ment and perused the various
items on display. There was a section
dedicated to early vehicle communica-
tions equipment. A dusty old mobile
computer terminal (MCT) sitting on a
shelf caught my eyeit reminded me
of the one I used for the frst time in
San Diego in the early 90s. With its tiny
screen that only spit out data in orange
lines, a rudimentary keyboard and a
few push buttons, it was cutting edge
back then and also a reminder of just
how far things have come since. Other
than maybe Lo Jack, having a MCT was
about all that was ever available, and
only if you were fortunate to work for a
big enough department.
More interesting is that, despite
nearly 20 years of massive technology
advances in patrol vehicle technologies,
there are still many departments that
dont even have access to information
that my old MCT did from inside the
vehicle. Thats a shame because, while
the needs of departments vary from
jurisdiction to jurisdiction, one thing
that never changes is the value of useful
information to the offcer in real-time.
For departments looking to create
a command center from the seat of
the patrol vehicle, the opportunity has
never been better. Heres a look at some
core in-vehicle products to assist offcers
on the job.
LPR
License Plate Recognition (LPR) has
been in the U.S. for many years. Its a
proven technology that combines the
computerized process of vehicle regis-
tration checks with the physical pres-
ence of the offcer and police vehicle in
a seamless manner. The second set
of eyes provided by LPR, coupled with
immediate and constant access to data
streams via an MCT setup, increases
the detection of criminal behavior and
violator apprehension.
Its also an offcer safety enhance-
ment for several reasons. First, the sys-
tem is automatically checking plates,
which allows the offcer to keep their
eyes on the road. Second, it identi-
fes violators and provides signifcant
information about the vehicle and
potential intentions of its occupants
so that offcers can be prepared prior
to initiating a traffc stop. This is espe-
cially critical when identifying sto-
len vehicles, AMBER alerts and other
wanted vehicles. LPR also timestamps
as it checks plates, which can be ben-
efcial for investigative purposes when
determining where a vehicle of interest
may or may not have been in a given
Todays cruiser tech essentials
keep offcers effcient & safe
By JP Molnar
1304LO_24 24 4/11/13 9:39 AM
place at a given time.
LPR comes in several confgurations,
depending on your needs. Setups are
available in fxed, portable and lightbar-
mounted confgurations from compa-
nies such as Autovu, Data 911, Elsag,
NDI, PIPS, PlateSmart, Vigilant Solu-
tions, and others.
Radar & Lidar
Radar has been around for a long time,
and the basic principal of its operation
hasnt changed. What has changed is
its size and functionality, as well as its
integration with video and MCT con-
fgurations. No more hefty units that
take up half the dash with thick wires
running all over the car. Setups like
this were not only a potential safety
hazard in a collision, they also had a
very basic operation.
Todays typical radar control unit isnt
much bigger than a small notebook or a
deck of cards. Add in the ability to have
two radar antennas units that are com-
pact to mount just about anywhere, plus
operate independently of one another,
and radar has been really pushed to the
highest level of performance.
As an example, Stalkers 2X model
(size of a thick e-book reader) offers
a dual-zone mode, direction sensing
technology, automatic same-direction
tracking, stationary direction con-
trol (closing, going away or both), rear
traffc warning, a read-through lock, a
cordless infrared remote, compensated
true audio doppler, a digital antenna, a
waterproof Ka-Band antenna, a small
detachable display unit and computer/
video interface. Thats an amazing
amount of fexibility for offcers. These
types of features can maximize radar
Todays LPR units are smaller, more effective and the lower profle ensures that the lightbar visibility isnt impaired. This LPR
setup is on a Boca Raton (Fla.) Police Department unit. (Photos Dale Stockton)
enforcement productivity.
Lidar is another technology regu-
larly used by LE agencies. It offers
precise detection when conducting traf-
fc enforcement in a stationary mode.
Some feature a laser ranging system
that can detect speeds as far as 7,000
feet away with accuracy within one
foot. Advantages of being a handheld
device include vehicle-independent
operation and capturing speed readings
from multiple directions and angles.
Lidar also features a read time of less
than half a second and crosshairs or
red dot in the viewfnder that clearly
identify the violator vehicle.
Lidar is a fairly new technology. But
in conversations with offcers who use
them, lidar makes their job signif-
cantly more productive and effcient.
Best of all, as a supervisor or feet
purchaser, you dont need to put one
in every car. Instead, delegate them to
specifc offcers. And, as offcers, you
dont have to wait until your patrol
vehicle has one installedyou can
just get trained, grab and go. Overall,
lidar provides results that are hard to
disputewhich can be helpful in court.
Mobile Computer Terminals
The MCT is the heart of todays vehicles
data control network. Just about every
piece of information-gathering equip-
ment out there is designed to integrate
with the MCT hub. Since theres so
much information and so many models
in the marketplace, it would be impos-
sible to identify the capabilities of each
and every new model.
However, its important to under-
stand that there are two aspects to
MCT integration: the hardware and
the software. With hardware, the
choices come down to a hardwired
system or a portable laptop or tablet.
It really depends on the type of work
your offcers or you will do. With soft-
ware, todays MCTs offer GPS map-
ping, a bevy of information portals and
dispatch connectivity, among other
things. The MCT can also function as
a report-writing tool as well as a video
and audio management system. For
example, the Hub-Data M6 Mobile
Digital Computer allows departments
to integrate the companys Mobile
Data Video unit directly for video
capture, storage and wireless upload-
ing with hard drive capacities of more
than 1.5 terabytes, something unheard
of just a few years ago.
Another innovative direction for
future MCTs is the use of existing
computer systems in modern pas-
senger vehicles. Example: Chrysler is
currently working with the LAPD to
integrate their consumer U-Connect
Touch infotainment system with the
MCT operations normally associated
with stand-alone computers. The test
confguration features a much larger
than factory (12.1- vs. 8.1-inch) screen
that the LAPD hopes to integrate
many of its traditional MCT opera-
tions into. Although the verdict is still
out on this, it shows that the integra-
tion of highly sophisticated and power-
ful manufacturer-created data systems
is becoming a reality.
In-Car Video
In-car video is a bit of a misnomer these
days because the technology has come so
far since the days when I used to stick
a clunky VHS tape into my
1304LO_25 25 4/11/13 9:39 AM

Federal Signals latest solution for safeguarding law
enforcement professionals. To help ofcers work more safely
and securely than ever, DTX Digital In-Car Video System is the most reliable
mobile system. Every aspect of performance and manufacturing integrity is
thoroughly tested to assure that it stands up to day-to-day demands of law
enforcement. Whats more, DTX is engineered for software and rmware
upgrades to ensure that your investment will be as compatible with
tomorrows technology as it is with todays.
Contact us to nd out more about
the DTX In-Car Video System.
800-264-3578 www.fedsig.com/dtx
system located in the back of my trunk.
Now, with the ability to put a camera
just about anywhere, more solutions are
available to record every aspect of the
offcers day. The ability to accurately
record the events of a traffc stop, pur-
suit, arrest, feld sobriety evaluation,
prisoner transport, combative subject
and other opportunities makes it invalu-
able in court, report writing and for
recalling and reviewing incidents.
Video capture is part of everything
from Lidar units to fashlights to shirt
pockets to more traditional mountings
in the car. As an example, WatchGuard
offers direct-to-DVD systems, DVR
systems that stream to secure servers
wirelessly when the vehicle is in prox-
imity and portable wearable video cam-
eras with internal storage for instances
like SWAT operations and traffc stops.
One big advancement is high-
defnition recording, which signif-
cantly increases the resolution and
clarity rate. This, coupled with high-
fdelity wireless microphone systems,
means that events can be recorded in
a manner previously unheard of. Many
systems on the market also seamlessly
integrate with MCTs for viewing and
storage options. Pre-event recording
is standard these days, a feature that
can be critical to explain the unfolding
of events that older cameras simply
couldnt capture.
Summary
Technology wont replace the offcer.
But it will continue to help make our
jobs easier and more productive, and,
as supervisors, more effcient. We have
come a long way since that worn MCT
I saw sitting on the shelves at the
museum that day, but thats a good
thing because modern day technology
options are the best links ever in an
information chain designed to keep
offcers productive and safe.
LOM
JP MOLNAR, who has a master of arts in educa-
tion and training, is a former state trooper and
has been teaching EVOC since 1991 for numerous
agencies. Hes a contract instructional designer
and performance/public safety driving consultant.
He has also raced cars for 25 years and has taught
at numerous high-performance racing schools.
Chrysler is currently working with
the LAPD to integrate their consumer
U-Connect Touch infotainment system
with the MCT operations normally asso-
ciated with stand-alone computers.
Improper installation of police
equipment can disrupt effectiveness
of air bag deployment and cause
safety issues. Visit LawOffcer.com for
tips on safely installing your vehicle
tech. Search keywords vehicle tech
installation.
1304LO_26 26 4/11/13 9:39 AM
PlateSmarts License Plate Recognition
(LPR) software-only solution is the most
advanced and most affordable LPR
technology available. Its totally scalable,
allowing a range of installations from single
systems to hundreds. And it accurately and
automatically identifes license plates from
all 50 states.
PlateSmart also provides analytics through its
exclusive Automatic Recognition Enterprise Solution
(ARESj. Find out how you can arm your team
with the most advanced license plate recognition
system available.
Get the fastest and most accurate
License Plate Recognition solution anywhere.
Provides analytics for smart policing. Works with existing cameras or video systems.
www.platsmart.com P13-7D-DPD2
The next generation of license plate recognition.
1304LO_27 27 4/11/13 9:39 AM
Now theres no such thing as a getaway car.
1304LO_28 28 4/11/13 9:39 AM
2013 FORD POLICE INTERCEPTOR
Intelligent AWD design is geared to complement pursuit driving. It provides inescapable

handling for condence on the job. So even on the worst day of the year, theres not much
chance anyone can give you the slip.
fordpoliceinterceptor.com
1304LO_29 29 4/11/13 9:39 AM
External carriers are a
game-changer for body
armor protection
L
aw enforcement in general has embraced wearing
body armor. But the fact remains: Traditional vests
can be uncomfortable, hot and restrictive. Thats why
more and more departments are turning to external
carriers.
Theres no debate about it, if you could put on armor like
a T-shirt, everyone would wear it, says Jeff Chudwin, for-
mer chief of police for the Village of Olympia Fields (Ill.) and
president of the Illinois Tactical Offcers Association. The
problem with [traditional] armor is that its heavy, it can be
hot in warm weather, and it can be uncomfortable. In recent
years there have been great attempts to improve armors
fexibility and comfort.
The biggest change has been the option of wearing armor
in an external carrier.
The Low-Down
Simply put, external carriers are fabric vests that carry tra-
ditional, under-uniform ballistic body armor. The traditional
vest with plates is inserted into the outer vest or carrier. It
fts into the carrier we manufacture. Were not disrupting
the design or construction of the armor, explains Bill Lev-
itt, president of Mocean, which manufactures uniforms for
police, security, EMT and mountain bike patrol.
Levitt recalls that the concept originated out of Chicago.
External carriers were approved by Chicago Police Depart-
ment (CPD) 10 or 12 years ago, and they used a local whole-
sale distributor that started making them. The carriers
Chicago PD has led the charge in external vest carriers, but
their popularity across the U.S. is undeniable these days.
By Jane Jerrard
By Jeff Chudwin
P
olice offcers working the
streets arent on historical
battle felds of massed
armies, but deadly dangers exist
in other forms. The advanced technology of weaponry is still
in large measure offset by the advances in personal armor
construction. Ultimately, the only question then is whether
you have and are wearing your body armor.
First, do you have armor? And if not, why?
Only @ www.LawOffcer.com
Obtaining, & Maintaining,
Body Armor
were designed to accommodate existing body armor. He
adds that even at that time they were already designed to
look like a uniform shirt, and sofrom distance anyway
the armor was still concealed, in a way.
Eight years ago, when that distributor stopped mak-
ing external carriers, Mocean was approached by another
wholesale distributor about continuing the manufacture.
P
H
O
T
O
A
P
/
M
A
T
T

R
O
U
R
K
E
.
1304LO_30 30 4/11/13 9:39 AM
1304LO_31 31 4/11/13 9:39 AM
Agreeing to it, Mocean then became
the source for external carriers for CPD
and many surrounding departments.
The carriers were a typical upper
Midwest productpeople there were
familiar with them and a lot of depart-
ments wore themand it slowly
started a groundswell, says Levitt.
The carriers gradually spread out to
the east, the south, the northeast and
west.
More Comfort Equals More Safety
The major difference between tradi-
tional body armor and exterior carriers
is comfort. Its a hot weather issue,
explains Chudwin. This gets the vest
off of your skin. It allows heat to vent
off. Its also easier to get in and out of.
While comfort may sound insignif-
cant compared to safety or effective-
ness, its nonetheless a game-changer.
With external carriers, more offcers
are more likely to wear external carri-
ers consistently. When it comes to body
armor and police work, increased use
translates into increased safety and
effectiveness. As Below 100 instructors
frequently say, Armor works but only
if you wear it!
If you have a mandatory [body
armor] policy, youre going to wear
it whether or not youre issued an
exterior carrier, Chudwin points out.
However, he adds: Id say that given a
choice, 90% of law enforcement would
choose outside vests.
One strict rule must be followed
when considering external carriers:
dont mess with the armor panels or
youll reduce the effectiveness of your
vest and you might open yourself up
to liability and void warranties. The
only time [an external carrier] will go
out of warranty is if an offcer removes
the armor panels and then re-inserts
them, says Levitt. In a case like that,
the panels might start sliding around
inside the carrier. Its important to
leave the panels alone.
He adds that, as with traditional
body armor, its crucial that offcers be
professionally ftted for external carri-
ers. If it doesnt ft, he says, it might
not work.
A Style for Every Need
Some decision-makers are opposed to
external carriers because they dont
look professional. Some feel exter-
nal carriers give offcers a military or
tactical appearance. However, avail-
able styles have come a long way in
the last several years. Today, theres a
wide range of external carriers avail-
able from multiple manufacturers, all
of which can blend into a uniform well,
without making offcers look like a
SWAT team.
Todays external carriers can look
very goodthey look like uniform
shirts, says Chudwin. Plus, some of
them have added gear pouches so you
can carry more on your person. There
are pockets on some vests for addi-
tional ammo, fashlights, radio, and
smaller pockets as well. The ability
to carry more [in pockets]thats a
bonus.
Levitt says that body armor manu-
facturers are now in the business of
making external carriers, along with
uniform manufacturers.
They make carriers with a Class
A [uniform] look, a Class B look, and
a more tactical look, he says. Were
going one step further: In April were
releasing a vest with a two-tone shirt
look for bike patrols, Segways, ATVs
and private security.
Conclusion
Bottom line: External carriers are as
effective as traditional body armor, but
the advantages that they offer might
mean that they get worn moreand
that could make the difference between
life and death.
LOM
JANE JERRARD is a law enforcement writer based
in Chicago.
I
f you havent checked out ArmorMatters.com, do it
now. The site features the latest in armor-related
news, exclusive features, Below 100 updates, videos,
webcasts and more. To join in on the conversation,
like www.Facebook.com/ArmorMatters.
Blauer
www.blauer.com
Elbeco
www.elbeco.com
Mocean
www.mocean.net
Point Blank Body Armor
www.pointblankarmor.com
Tactical Gear Now
www.afmo.com
The Vest Man
www.thevestman.com
Truspec
www.atlanco.com
US Armor
www.usarmor.com
Warson Brands
www.warsonbrands.com
www.ArmorMatters.com
The ballistic protection resource!
Resources
Thinking about going external? Here
are options & resources to consider!
1304LO_32 32 4/11/13 9:39 AM
Archived Webcasts
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Body Armor Saves Lives
How In-Car and Body-Worn
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1304LO_33 33 4/11/13 9:39 AM
A
n organizational analysis should provide for two
things: a thorough and specifc understanding
of the targeted organization and the creation of
strategies and operations that specifcally target
that organization. If these two purposes arent fulflled, your
analysis has limited utility.
Unfortunately, its all too common to see law enforcement
agencies become embroiled in what can more correctly be
called categorical classifcation exercises, mistaking these
for organizational analyses. While categorical classifcations
can be worthwhile, their utility for providing an under-
standing of an organization that allows for specifc strate-
gies and operations that disrupt, destabilize and dismantle
those organizations is severely limited.
Categorical classifcations, like defnitions, are only help-
ful if they serve to adequately categorize items into dis-
tinct groups. For example, street gangs have, for the most
part, shared traitsbut not all gangs have the same shared
traits. This makes thorough categorical classifcation of
gangs diffcult. A criminal organization might ft well into
two or more classifcations. But as gangs proliferate, vari-
ety will increase. When this happens, more categories must
be created or every organization is labeled a hybrid net-
work. It doesnt matter which route is chosen, the result is
the same: the understanding of the organization and what
makes it tick takes a backseat to making it comport to some
Parole and Special Service Unit agents from the California
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) take
a parole violator to jail as they participate in the Operation
Guardian gang parolee compliance program in Los Angeles.
Photo AP/Damian Dovarganes
Tips for bringing down criminal organizations with
organizational analysis
T
H
E
BY JOHN A. BERTETTO
P
H
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N

D
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1304LO_34 34 4/11/13 9:39 AM
predefned category.
To truly understand an organization so that specifc
strategies and operations that effectively target it can be
created, you must use a questions-based organizational
analysis. The questions used must focus on specifc and rel-
evant organizational and operational areas of the organi-
zation. The combined answers will provide specifc insights
into the organization. Furthermore, each area for inquiry
has known methods for targeting, allowing for specifc oper-
ations to be planned once the analysis is complete.
Areas for inquiry are:
History;
Objective;
Operatingpractices;
Structureandcommand;
Financing;and
Support.
History
A thorough organizational analysis must provide for a com-
prehensive understanding of the organizations history.
These questions allow your agency to develop an under-
standing of the organizations culture and, when the cul-
ture is understood, likely future actions and reactions to law
enforcement operations can be predicted.
Consider organizational culture as it relates to a sports
team. Weve often heard coaches or players on a sports team
exclaim, Lets show them how weplaythisgame!Organi-
zational culture is the identity and personality that drives
the entity. For the criminal organization, relevant historical
questions include:
Whatidentityhastheorganizationgivenitself?
What types of actions and endeavors has the organiza-
tionengagedinpreviously?
Whathavepreviousorganizationalleadersdone?
If the organization goes towar, what causes it?What
stopsit?Whatistheobjectivedestructionofarivalor
submissionandassimilation?
Whathastheorganizationdoneinresponsetoprevious
lawenforcementactions/operationsagainstit?
Objectives
Objective refers to the primary purpose of the organiza-
tionnarcoticssales?Traffcking?Accrualofturf?Fencing?
The primary goal of the organization must be determined,
then targeted.
Operating Practices
Operating practices are those activities the organization
engagesintoachieveand/orsupportitsobjective.
What means does the criminal organization use to meet
its organizational objective, and how do those individual
means interact? You must understand the diversifcation
in operations for the criminal organization (if applicable)
and how those diverse operations work together toward the
organizationsprimaryobjective.
Structure & Command
Structureandcommandrefertotheoverallleadershipand
operating management practices for the criminal organi-
zation. Hows the organization led and managed? Does it
have a single, strong leader or use a board of directors?
If theres a single leader, whats that individuals history?
Whatkindofpersonisthis?Inpreviousinteractionswith
rival organizations and with law enforcement, what kind of
reactionshasleadershipshown?
By learning about organizational command, you can begin
to anticipate and plan for likely responses to law enforce-
ment operations. The more you can think ahead and plan
for responses, the more you can manipulate those responses
toward a specifc outcome. Is a rank structure defned? Is
thereadefnitivehierarchyincommand?Howstheorgani-
zationmanaged?Howscommandmaintainedandhoware
information/orders relayed? When the structure and com-
mand of the organization is understood specifc strategies
can be implemented to interrupt or remove vital layers of
that structure. The result is loss of communication, control
and operational effcacy.
Financing
Howdoestheorganizationearnmoneyandprocessmoney?
Is it self-fnanced or does it receive outside fnancial sup-
port?Ifitreceivesoutsidesupport,isitfrombeingpartof
a larger criminal network or from outside sources with a
concernedinterest?
You must understand how money fows into, through,
and out of the organization. This information can be used to
target fnancial transactions, seize funds and bankrupt the
operational payroll of the organization.
Support
All criminal organizations receive support of some kind.
Criminal street gangs often rely on the tacit support of a
population unwilling to cooperate with law enforcement.
Determinewhatkindofsupporttheorganizationreceives.
Isitovertortacit?Wheredoesthesupportcome
P
H
O
T
O

IS
T
O
C
K
By truly understanding how a criminal organization works,
your offcers will be in a position to take it down.
1304LO_35 35 4/11/13 9:39 AM

fromother criminal organizations, fnanciers or the local
population? When sources of support are identifed opera-
tions can be put in place that work to separate the organiza-
tion from them. Strategies should also include operations
that target public opinion or perception.
Driving It Home
Each of these areas for inquiry can be targeted with specifc
strategies and operations. Organizational culture can be
mitigated. Operations can be manipulated. Organizations
can be separated from their objectives, have their operating
practices disrupted, their managerial layers removed, their
fnancing frozen and seized, and be separated from sup-
port. Although any one of these efforts will likely disrupt an
organizations effcacy, its the fully integrated analysis and
subsequent fully integrated operations that will ultimately
destabilize and dismantle the criminal organization.
The applicability of this type of analytical approach
with an example: the Medellin cartel. A categorical name
for that cartelnarcotraffcker, narcoterrorist, criminal
insurgencydoesnt suffciently assist law enforcement
in either understanding the criminal network or driving
operations against it. What you must understand to take
action is that its organizational structure and command is
dependent upon strong central leadership, organizational
fnancing dependent on outside support and support from a
local population that views the cartel as benefcial to their
day-to-day lives. Law enforcement must attack the fnanc-
ing, funding and strong leadership. They must peel away
layers of control by attacking links in the managerial chain
and become actively engaged with community projects
while pushing out a strong counter-narrative to the cartels
public image.
This integrated analysisin which the organization is
deconstructed into areas for inquiry and the examined
results are reintegratedis different than a fusion analy-
sis, in which multiple sources of intelligence are exploited.
Rather, its completed after fusion analysis has been per-
formed. To be a fully integrated analysis, law enforcement
agencies ensure that each section of your agency has a seat
at both the analysis and operations table while these efforts
are being conducted.
Working Together
Inclusion of various groups within the agency in the analy-
sis is particularly important in larger agencies, where the
responsibilities for gang operations, vice, narcotics and asset
forfeiture are typically handled by separate units. Each of
these units provides specifc subject-matter expertise thats
critical to both fully understanding a criminal organization
and planning fully integrated operations against them. In
this manner, each unit within the agency has a shared per-
spective of the criminal organization, resulting in operating
plans being both complimentary and most effective.
Without a shared perspective there exists intelligence
dissonance, which occurs when threat assessment or orga-
nizational analysis is conducted by two or more groups with
differing results. One group conducts a threat assessment
and determines that the threat poses minimal risk while
another groups assessment of the same threat determines
higher risk. More commonly, one section of an agency is try-
ing to gather intelligence on a particular organization only
to fnd out later that another section has had that intelli-
gence for some time. The result of intelligence dissonance
is often ineffective operations and always strategic failure.
The simple act of having all relevant players sit together
to engage in intelligence sharing, analysis and operations
planning eliminates this.
Conclusion
The above framework for organizational analysis is just
thata framework. Its incumbent upon you to gather the
intelligence and perform the analysis. The wider the intel-
ligence net is cast and the better the intelligence gathering
and processing abilities are, the more effective operations
will become.
Focusing a coordinated and fully integrated approach on
organizational analysis and operations eliminates intelli-
gence dissonance. Through a proper and thorough organi-
zational analysis, operations target the key fgures within
a criminal organization or network. By removing these
criticalities, law enforcement has the best and most effcient
means to effectively disrupt, destabilize and, ultimately, dis-
mantle those criminal organizations in their communities.
LOM
JOHN A. BERTETTO is a sworn member of the Chicago PD. He is the author of
Countering Criminal Street Gangs: Lessons from the Counterinsurgent Battlespace
and Designing Law Enforcement: Adaptive Strategies for the Complex Environment.
Offcer Bertetto holds a Master of Science degree from Western Illinois University
and a Master of Business Administration from St. Xavier University.
Sizing Up a
Criminal Organization
Questions to ask before taking
them down:
What is its history?
What are its objectives?
What are its operational practices?
How is it structured and who calls the
shots?
How is it funded?
Who iswillingly or grudginglysupporting
its illegal activities?
1304LO_36 36 4/11/13 9:39 AM

1304LO_37 37 4/11/13 9:39 AM
Editors Note: K-9 handlers are a unique breed. Recognizing that, we created the
Facebook page K-9 Offcer, which has become an overnight success. More than
11,000 fans are already sharing their thoughts and stories. We wanted to share a
favorite K-9 memory from our editor and one of our favorite reader stories. Enjoy!
1304LO_38 38 4/11/13 9:39 AM
I
d been a patrol offcer for about
two years at Carlsbad (Calif.) PD
when I was selected for the K-9
program. I was partnered with a
donated German Shepherd, and we
trained together for several months
before hitting the streets as a team.
When I got him, his name was
Shawn but that didnt seem like a good
name for a police dog so I renamed
him Schultz after the big sergeant on
the T.V. show Hogans Heroes. (Young
guys: Google it.) The name seemed to
ft because Schultz was biga shade
over 100 lbs.and a little bit clumsy
at times. We worked together until I
got promoted about three years later.
Schultz was assigned to another off-
cer, but I got to see him frequently.
Heres one of my favorite memories of
our time together.
My phone woke me up around 0400.
The dispatcher on the other end told
me that I (actually, my K-9) was needed
for a burglary in progress in the south
part of town. This was our frst call out,
having completed K-9 training only a
month before.
We were on the road 10 minutes
after the call. Schultz was rocking the
patrol car as he quickly paced back and
forth on the plywood platform mounted
behind my seat. Schultz always knew
when we were going to something good.
My interaction with the radio and the
way I drove resulted in a Pavlovian
responsehe knew it was time to go to
work and he loved it. Truth be known, I
was pretty jazzed also.
Upon arrival, I got the brief from
Senior Offcer Steve Forman. A silent
Editor-in-chiefs favorite incident
with K-9 partner Schultz By Dale Stockton
PHOTOS COURTESY DALE STOCKTON
alarm had been received from a busi-
ness and Forman had discovered a
large hole in an exterior wall of an
adjacent business. The hole was big
enough for a man to go through.
Wed been experiencing a series
of these burglaries where a hole was
knocked in the side of a business with-
out an alarm and then an adjacent
business was burglarized by going
through a common wall. They were
doing this to circumvent the perimeter
alarm on the actual objective. In this
case, though, the burglar didnt know
about a motion detector at the intended
target and thats what resulted in the
police response.
As I was being briefed, a respon-
sible party showed up with a key for
the main entrance to the strip mall.
Although I could have sent Schultz
through the hole, I refrained because I
didnt know how far away the bad guy
would be
and the types of poten-
tial hazards that could injure my part-
ner. I wanted to be able to maintain
control and voice contact. Also, if he
went through that darkened hole, I
would have to go through toosome-
thing I really didnt want to do. I was
glad we were going to go through a
normal opening.
Once inside, I saw that all of the busi-
ness entry doors appeared to be closed.
I sent Schultz on his search mission
with the command, Find him! Schultz
took off at a run and quickly pulled
up short at one of the business doors.
He put his nose to the opening at the
base of the door and I could hear him
breathe in deeply. It was as if he was
savoring every scent particle. Then he
grabbed hold of an adjacent door frame
and bit down, splintering the wood.
I should probably explain that this
wasnt a trained behavior. Schultz was
supposed to bark and visibly demon-
strate where the bad guy was hiding.
However, we were still working on
that and Schultzs default alert was
to clamp onto the nearest object. It had
been a source of contention during our
training, but there was no doubt what
Schultz was telling me, so I was con-
tent to work through it.
As soon as I saw his mouth on the
door frame, I knew we had a bad guy.
I praised my dog, brought him back to
a heel position away from the door and
then yelled, Police with a K-9. If you
dont surrender, Ill send in the dog.
Schultz put an exclamation
1304LO_39 39 4/11/13 9:39 AM
I
was recently asked to be the start-
up K-9 offcer at our small depart-
ment in Dagsboro, Del. So for four
weeks, I attended Custom Canine
Unlimited, a K-9 training facility in
Georgia. My K-9 partner, Ary, and I
returned home from training on Dec.
22, 2012, and the action has been vir-
tually non-stop since.
The day after returning I was asked
to work a four-hour shift to cover the
paperwork that had piled up while I
was gone. But within an hour of being
at the offce, I was dispatched by our
state police department to assist with
a search of a suspect who ran from a
traffc stop. My partner and I quickly
responded to the scene.
I began casting Ary in the area the
suspect was last seen. Within moments
he picked up an odor and began track-
ing down a paved road. After track-
ing down the road for approximately
400 yards, he turned slightly into the
wooded area. Once he got there, he con-
tinued to follow the odor for another
100 yards, to where I observed a large
fallen tree.
Ary jumped on the tree and came
to a complete stop. (Hes trained not
to bite unless otherwise toldor if the
suspect begins to struggle.) I ran up to
the tree and observed a subject match-
ing the description of the suspect who
ran. He was told not to move. State
police placed the suspect under arrest.
Two days later, on our frst complete
shift, we were asked to search for a
suspect who had fed from a vehicle
for unknown reasons. Again, I cast Ary
around the suspect vehicle, and he was
able to pick up on an odor.
While tracking into a wooded area,
Ary located the suspects jacket. At
that point we approached a large, deep
drainage ditch. Ary didnt hesitate to
jump in to continue the search. During
training, I was taught to always trust
my dog, so I jumped in after him.
After a short swim, Ary picked up an
odor on the other side of the ditch and
tracked approximately 100 yards into
the woods. As he approached another
ditch, I saw arms fy in the air. I give
up! I give up! the suspect shouted over
and over again.
The suspect was arrested. The
jacket later yielded marijuana,
cocaine, crack cocaine and various
medications. Later it was discovered
the suspect had several warrants
for his arrest. Although this time we
came out cold, wet and muddy, it was a
truly amazing feeling to see the train-
ing and dedication pay off.
The moral of the story: Always trust
your dog!
LOM

K-9 Arys frst captures prove that
training & dedication pay off
mark on the order
with several loud
barks. The response
was immediate,
OK, OK! We give up! Just dont let
that dog in here!
Apparently, the splintering door
frame had been pretty convincing.
I was a little surprised that the
response had indicated there was more
than one bad guy in the business (We
give up). My cover offcer and I main-
tained positions of cover and gave very
specifc commands so that we could
observe the burglars as they were
ordered into the open and then down
onto the foor. They were extremely
compliant, perhaps because Schultz
was part of our team and making it
clear that he was waiting for the com-
mand to engage.
The suspects were quickly hand-
cuffed and searched. They were both
hugeeasily in the 290300 lbs.
rangeand I marveled at how they had
made it through the darkened hole. I
was also thinking how glad I was that
my K-9 partner had done such a great
job of turning these two burglars into
sniveling wimps. Of course, to Schultz,
it had just been a game of hide and
seeka game hed won.
This was our frst big catch and one
that I often refect on as one of the best
times in my law enforcement career.
LOM
Send Us Your K-9
Kapture Story!
Have a K-9 story youd
like to share? Send up
to 800 words to editor@
LawOffcer.com, along with
a high-resolution (12 MB)
photo of you and your K-9,
and well review and post
it to our website. And dont
forget to like our new
K-9 Offcer Facebook
page.
1304LO_40 40 4/11/13 9:39 AM
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1304LO_41 41 4/11/13 9:39 AM
Progressive frearms drills &
exercises for ambush preparation
S
unday, Nov. 29, 2009, was a most horrifc day for
LEOs around the world. Although the date may
not jog your memory, saying Lakewood, Washing-
ton, will. On this date, four fellow police offcers
were murdered while sitting in a coffee shop completing
incident reports, checking departmental emails and social-
izing with fellow offcers. The offcers likely noticed when
the attacker Maurice Clemmons frst entered the coffee
shop, but some of the victims never saw that hed pulled a
handgun on them.
Offcer Tina Griswold and Sgt. Mark Renniger were killed
as they sat in their chairs. Offcer Ronnie Owens struggled
with Clemmons, but was fatality shot during the fght. Off-
cer Greg Richards, who was standing at the counter plac-
ing his order when the assault started, engaged in a violent
physical fght with Clemmons. During the struggle, Rich-
ards frearm was torn from his duty holster. Richards was
able to shoot Clemmons once in the torso, but Clemmons
eventually gained control of the weapon and killed Richards.
After Action
Lakewoods After Action Report (AAR) of the incident con-
cluded that the time that elapsed from the frst shot kill-
ing Griswold to the fnal shot killing Offcer Richards was
approximately one minute. The report notes that LEOs
are often in public places and its unrealistic to have guns
drawn whenever a citizen walks by. There was a compari-
son of a suicide bomber detonating a bomb with zero reac-
tion time. Clemmons saw the uniform patrol cars in the
parking lot, but walked into the coffee shop apparently
committed to executing the offcers.
The premeditated violence of a solo attacker who will-
ingly attacks multiple LEOs was repeated more recently
on January 23, 2011. Lamar Moore walked into a Detroit
police station to murder offcers. Moore was armed with
a shotgun and engaged in a close-quarters combat (CQC)
with offcers sitting at their desks. Moore was fatally shot
in the attack, but not before wounding four offcers. The
intensity of the ambush was captured on the stations video
AUTHORS NOTE: This article is dedicated in honor
and memory of fallen Lakewood, Wash., police offcers Sgt.
Mark Renninger, Offcer Ronald Owens, Offcer Tina Gris-
wold and Offcer Greg Richards, and in admiration of Seat-
tle Offcer Benjamin Kelly who used lethal force defending
himself against Maurice Clemmons ending Clemmons
rampage of violence.
By Lt. Michael Crowe (Ret.), Offcer Bill Lowe & Capt. Donald Moss (Ret.)
1304LO_42 42 4/11/13 9:44 AM
surveillance system.
Clearly, the speed, surprise and
violence of action elements that are
characteristic of achieving an advan-
tage in combat were all achieved by
both Clemmons and Moore when
they assaulted the two groups of
offcers. Given that the offcers were
with other offcers in places famil-
iar to them the Color Code of Men-
tal Awareness was evident. Some of
the offcers were likely in Condition
White: not paying atten-
tion. They were focused
on their computers or
paperwork and never
saw their attacker. At
best, a few might have
been in Condition Yel-
low, which is when one
is attentive but relaxed.
However, when the
attackers struck, the
offcers instantly tran-
sitioned from Condition
Yellow to Condition
Black, which is actively
fghting for your life.
Progressive
Firearms Drills
As Roswell, Ga., Police
Capt. Donald Moss
worked with his cadre
of frearms instructors
drafting the depart-
ments annual fre-
arms schedule, they
all refected upon the
recent ambush events.
As a result, there was
a commitment ensur-
ing offcers would be
prepared to defend
themselves in the
event any offcers faced
similar ambushes. Pro-
gressive frearms skill
development includes
drills and exercises
focused on shooting on
the move, prone, knee-
ing, behind cover, in
low-light and no-light
scenarios, in CQC and
with patrol rifes and
shotguns.
After reviewing the horrifc details of the Lakewood and
Detroit incidents, instructors designed three new shooting
drills:
1. shooting while seated;
2. shooting while moving from seated to standing; and
3. shooting while seated in a patrol vehicle.
Duty Weapon & Ammo Selection
Roswell PD seeks to maximize offcer safety by issuing all
uniform patrol offcers the 15-round Glock 22 chambered in
.40 caliber. Offcers carry two additional 15-round
Police ambushes
are infrequent and
potentially deadly.
But that doesnt
mean that theres
nothing you can
do to prepare your
offcers in how to
respond. Training
will improve
reaction times and
tactics if one of your
troops is ambushed.
1304LO_43 43 4/11/13 9:44 AM

magazines on their duty belts offering
a total of 46 rounds for standard duty
carry. Offcers are also encouraged to
have a go-bag containing additional
magazines and ammo for extended
operations, such as an active shooter
incident.
Ammo selection is as important as
choosing a proven handgun for LEOs.
The objective of deploying lethal force
is to stop the threat in the shortest
time possible with the fewest possible
rounds fred. Many frearms experts
believe a common sense approach is to
ensure the duty round used is a cali-
ber that begins with a 4.

Aim Small, Miss Small
Roswells lethal-force policy directs
whenever possible or appropriate
offcers should fre for center of mass.
The two objectives sought by this pol-
icy are:
1. Maximize the probability that the
suspect will immediately cease hos-
tile activities; and
2. Minimize unfavorable circumstance
for offcers and innocent bystanders.
Many offcers may recall in the
movie, The Patriot, where Mel Gibsons
character coached before an engage-
ment to Aim small! Miss small!
Going for center mass helps compen-
sate for the 50% rule, which states in
an actual lethal force encounter youll
only be 50% of your best practice day.
Our frearms instructors developed
and adopted the below training sce-
narios and drills as part of the annual
frearms training. The purpose of
the drills is to engage targets from
seated positions to simulate being
seated in a restaurant or in a patrol
vehicle. The drill equipment includes
one silhouette target, one chair, barri-
cades (representing fellow offcers) 36
inches directly in front of the shooter
and a handgun with three loaded
magazines.
Seated shooting drill: At the 15-yard
line, shooters are seated with weapons
holstered (loaded with 16 rounds). On
command, shooters will remain seated
and lean to the direction called out
(Lean left! or Lean right!), engaging
the threat with two center-mass shots
while shooting around their fellow
offcer (simulated with a barricade).
Repeat drill eight times until all 16
rounds are fred. Reload while seated
with a magazine of 15 rounds.
Seated-to-standing shooting drill:
At the 15-yard line, shooters are
seated with weapons holstered (loaded
with a 15-round magazine from the
previous drill). On command, shoot-
ers will remain seated and lean to the
direction called (Lean left! or Lean
right!), engaging the threat target
with two center-mass shots while
shooting around their fellow offcer
(barricade). Shooter will then stand,
move to cover while fring an addi-
tional two center mass shots. Upon
reaching cover, shooter takes one fail-
ure to stop headshot on the threat.
A total of fve rounds are fred for
each threat command. Then reload
with the offcers third duty magazine
(15 rounds) and repeat the drill a total
of six times (30 rounds).
Conclusion
Feedback from offcers upon complet-
ing the annual frearms training was
very favorable. The training day was
aggressive and demanding. It included
reviewing use-of-force policy and
handgun, backup, patrol rife and shot-
gun qualifcations. The seated shooting
drills were well received. Most offcers
admitted thinking about how they
might react and respond if attacked
while in a restaurant and were grate-
ful for the opportunity to evaluate their
marksmanship while seated, moving
from seated to standing and while
seated inside their patrol vehicle.
We hope this article will encourage
our fellow offcers and agencies to rep-
licate, and improve upon, our efforts
within their own agencies. At the
beginning of every offcers shift, being
trained and prepared for a violent
encounter with a determined violent
criminal is critical to survival. Depend-
ing upon fortune and fate arent a
substitute for frearms training that
challenges offcers to shoot fast and
straight.
LOM
MICHAEL CROWE is a lieutenant (Ret.) with
the Roswell, Ga., Police Department where he has
worked for 32 years. Crowe is a uniform patrol assis-
tant watch commander and supervises the Reserve
Police Offcer Program. Crowe has been a Ga. POST
frearms instructor for 28 years.

BILL LOWE is a reserve police offcer for the
Roswell, Ga., Police Department where he has
worked for two years. Offcer Lowe is a fre depart-
ment battalion chief (ret.) and tactical medic with 32
years of service. Lowe has been a Ga. POST frearms
instructor for three years.

DONALD MOSS is a captain (Ret.) with the Roswell,
Ga., Police Department where he has worked for 33
years. Capt. Moss is a uniform patrol watch com-
mander and has been on the departments SWAT
team for 18 years. Moss has been a Ga. POST frearms
instructor for 26 years.
For the defnitive account of
Lakewoods tragedy and the demise
of Maurice Clemmons, visit www.
LawOffcer.com and search Legacy
of Lakewood. Brian McKennas masterful telling
gets all the details right and includes study
questions and lessons learned. And dont miss Jan
Zacharias animations of the eventsa great and
free training resourceonly at www.LawOffcer.
com!
City of Roswell, Ga.,
Police Department
Roswell (Ga.) Police Department is a
140-sworn-offcer LE agency protecting
a population exceeding 90,000 citizens.
Money Magazine ranked the City of
Roswell as one of the top 20 best cities
to live in the eastern U.S. The Roswell
Police Department has accreditation
from the Commission on Accredita-
tion for Law Enforcement Agencies
(CALEA).
1304LO_44 44 4/11/13 9:44 AM
Tactics by Dave Grossi
Revisiting the concept of freebies for LEOs
A Free Cup
of Coffee?
I
n December 2009, I wrote a short
piece for LawOffcer.com entitled
Theres No Such Thing as a Free
Cup of Coffee. It got a lot of atten-
tion, and 99% of our readers were in
agreement with my premise that its
simply wrong for police offcers to
accept, let alone seek, food, drinks or
other freebies from merchants or busi-
nesses within their jurisdiction or else-
where on the badge.
The other 1% justifed the practice
on the basis of our jobs are dangerous
and its just a way for the merchants
and business people to say thank you.
Well, the issue of freebies for cops
reared its ugly head again last month
and ironically resulted from an inves-
tigation into the practice by a newspa-
per from my home state of New York.
A Free Ride
It seems that the newspaper got wind
of police offcers being given free lift
tickets at an upstate ski resort. Appar-
ently, one of the resorts employees
had been keeping a list of the free lift
tickets that were being given out to the
local cops for years. The list contained
names, dates and lift ticket numbers.
When she became a disgruntled former
employee, that list found its way to the
local newspaper.
It became an even bigger problem
when the local police chief was con-
tacted by the press and actu-
1304LO_45 45 4/11/13 9:45 AM
Tactics
ally justifed the practice on the basis
of his offcers being able to provide vis-
ible security for the resort during the
time theyre there skiing. There was no
explanation on exactly how that was
going to be accomplished while those
offcers were careening down a 2,000-
foot vertical drop in nondescript ski
jackets, pants and goggles.
He then attempted to justify the
practice based on the fact that his on-
duty offcers would probably respond
a little faster when summoned to the
resort by staff because they appre-
ciate that the management takes
care of them with freebies. He fnally
ended the embarrassing interview
with the explanation that because a
portion of the mountain resort was on
government land, it wasnt really an
improper beneft at all. However, he
conceded that it was his local cops,
not the State Department of Environ-
mental Conservation Police, who were
receiving this bennie.
Needless to say, he didnt come off
looking real good.
Compromised Ethics
I learned about the issue when the
papers editor happened across my
LawOffcer.com piece during her
research on police ethics and called,
wanting a comment from yours truly. I
repeated my premise that the practice
is not only unethical and improper but,
in my opinion, is an embarrassment to
the law enforcement profession as a
whole. I think I ended the interview
with, That chief ought to be ashamed
of himself. It is disgraceful the dam-
age he caused to the reputation of not
only his own agency but our honorable
profession.
So how does this ft in my Tactics
column? Well, all the tactical profes-
sionalism and proper police procedure
arent worth a hill of beans if your
ethical conduct in the public eye is
compromised.
For years, law enforcement has
been striving to be considered a pro-
fession, not just a job. And weve come
far in that endeavor. Most agencies
demand their applicants or recruits
have some level of college education, a
measure by which some believe police
work truly becomes a profession.
Many states require their offcers to
earn CEUs to maintain their recerti-
fcation, like other professionals. But
the practice of seeking or accepting
freebies denigrates the professional
image law enforcement has been
striving to achieve and maintain. Just
imagine how the cops in that upstate
N.Y. agency who pay for their own lift
tickets or who simply dont ski there
feel when theyre out in public in
uniform.
Theres no other occupation I know
of (short of mobsters) that has the pos-
sible expectation of freebies. I know a
few accountants, a handful of teachers
and lawyers, one or two plumbers and
insurance brokers, and a half dozen or
so doctors. None of them expect to get
kissed into plays, nightclubs or ball-
parks based solely on their profession.
Not only that, but think of what the
paying citizen who is standing behind
the cop whos getting his freebiebe it
a cup of joe, a Big Mac, or a lift ticket
is thinking?
Making a Choice
Theres a great textbook out there on
police ethics by Debbie J. Goodman
called Enforcing Ethics: A Scenario-
Based Workbook for Police and Correc-
tions Recruits and Offcers. If the police
chief of this particular N.Y. agency, or
any of his offcers, is a reader of our
outstanding magazine, they may want
to pick up a copy of that book. Toward
the end of the text, it asks the offcer
whos being placed into the uncomfort-
able position of being offered a freebie
to ask him or herself three questions.
1. Why is this resort offering me this
free lift ticket?
2. Is it because Im a cop?
3. If I werent a cop, would they still be
offering me this freebie?
Some, like the chief, might want to
hold on to the stale excuse that the
resort wants police visibility. But thats
hard to buy because the ski patrol
are the only skiers on the slopes who
wear distinctive and readily identif-
able garb. Others might buy into the
speedy response excuse, but most cops
are professionals and are going to roll
code regardless of whether the place
kisses them in a few times during the
winter months.
But if the answers to questions No.
2 and No. 3 are yes and no, respec-
tively, then you ought to know that
this lift ticket isnt really free at all. It
comes with a price. And that agency,
from the chief on down, should know
the cost of the free lift tickets. It could
be a price most cops just arent will-
ing to pay. It could cost them their
reputations.
Conclusion
If the offcer whos reading this isnt
uncomfortable at all with the issue of
accepting freebies based on the badge,
then neither this article nor that book
is going to do them any good at all. And
people like that pose a cost to our pro-
fession we just cant afford.
LOM
Resources
Goodman, D. Enforcing Ethics: A Scenario-
Based Workbook for Police and Corrections
Recruits and Offcers (3rd Edition). Prentice-
Hall, Inc.: Old Tappan, N.J., 07675, 2008.
Jones, J., et al. Reputable Conduct: Ethical
Issues in Policing and Corrections (2nd Edition).
Prentice-Hall, Inc.: Old Tappan, N.J., 07675, 2004.
DAVE GROSSI, Law Offcers Tactics columnist,
is a retired police lieutenant from upstate New
York now residing in southwest Florida. A private
police trainer/consultant and member of the Force
Science Institutes National Advisory Board, Dave
testifes frequently as a police procedures expert.
The practice of seeking or accepting
freebies denigrates the professional image
law enforcement has been striving to
achieve.
1304LO_46 46 4/11/13 9:45 AM
C
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Combative frearms drills designed to test
the shooters essential skills
Skills, Drills & Standards
R
ecently, I was teaching a com-
bative pistol course to a group
of law enforcement profes-
sionals and legally armed
citizens. Although many instructors
call the basic handgun skills funda-
mentals, I prefer to use the word essen-
tials because shooters must have these
skills in order to use a handgun for
personal security.
I begin many of my courses with sev-
eral time in drills in order to evaluate
each students skill sets. My time in
drills are fred at 20 feet into an 8-inch
square as follows:
Oneshotfromthereadypositionof
their choice in one second;
One shot from the holster in two
seconds;
One shot, slide closed reload, one
shot in four seconds; and
Six shots from their ready position
in three seconds.
I look for essential skills such as
proper grip, trigger control, recoil con-
trol, aggressive body position and gen-
eral weapon handling ability. I also
look at whether theyre confdent in
their gun handling or confused and
uneasy. Bottom line: Do they look as if
they know how to run their gun?
Armed Combat
During class, one of my students drew
his frearm and shot in a very slow,
deliberate mannerit took him almost
three seconds in all. It was, I supposed,
an attempt to be deliberate and on-
target. So I asked him to do it again,
assuming hed step up his pace on his
second run. But he performed the drill
with the same slowness. When I asked
about the speed of his draw stroke, he
said, I have found that it leads to a
higher level of success when I shoot the
XYZ Drill. I have been working toward
a faster time on this.
I then asked him what other skills
he practices regularly and he told me:
none. I feel this drill is an excellent
compilation of what I will need in a
gunfght it covers it all.
After a brief pause I said, Except
someone shooting back at you.
Range drills and standards should be used to build skills. They shouldnt be thought
of as gunfght solutions.
Firearms by Dave Spaulding
1304LO_47 47 4/11/13 9:45 AM

Firearms
Drill Description Target Goal Standard
Distance (sec) (sec)
(yards)
1 Ready position, 1 shot, 1 target 7 1 1
2 Holster position, 1 shot, 1 target 7 1.5 1.7
3 Ready position, 2 shot, 1 target 7 1.5 1.5
4 Ready position, 5 shots to the body 7 3 3
zone, 1 shot to the head, 1 target
5 Ready position, 4 shots, 2x target 7 3 3
6 Ready position, 4 shots (2x weak/ 7 4.5 5
2x strong), 1 target
7 Ready position, 1 shot malfunction 7 3 3
drill, 1 target
8 Ready position, 4 shots, 2 reload 2, 7 4.5 5
1 target
9 Rife up, 1 shot, dry fre/transition 7 3 3.25
10 Holster position, 1 shot kneeling, 25 3 3.25
1 target
Total: 25 rounds
Combat Shooting & Tactics Drills
It was obvious he didnt know what
to say.
I fnd this mentality in my classes
more often than Id like. Few people
have experienced armed confict, so
they confuse their competition expe-
rience with combat. Theyre not the
same. Although both involve shooting
guns and stress, the stress level isnt
equal in severity.
Ive competed in scholastic and col-
legiate sports as well as shooting and
Ive had someone try to kill me on mul-
tiple occasionsthe stress isnt the
same. The activities themselves arent
the same either. If there are rules, its a
sport or competition. There are no rules
in a gunfghtso if youre not cheating,
youre not trying hard enough to win.
This is an obvious difference in mindset
compared to sport or competition.
Armed confict should be avoided
because you always run the risk of los-
ing, no matter how well trained and
prepared you are. Worse yet, many
people believe theyre better trained
and prepared than they really are.
They enter confict with a serious dis-
advantage they dont know they have.
Confusing profciency in a particular
drill with combat prepa-
ration is a symptom of
this affiction. Shooting
standards and drills dur-
ing training are an excel-
lent way to build and
maintain essential skills,
but they arent a solution
to armed confict!
A standard is some-
thing established for use
as a comparison in mea-
suring quality while a
drill is systematic train-
ing, practice or teaching
by repeated exercise. A
skill is an ability or pro-
fciency; an art, craft, etc.,
using the hands or body.
As these relate to the
combative application of
a frearm, skills are those
essential physical activi-
ties needed to shoot well
enough to save your own
life, a drill is used to reinforce the phys-
ical activity and standards are used to
measure performance as training pro-
gresses. None of these are a gunfght
and to confuse them as some type of
equivalent is unwiseand potentially
deadly. Standards and drills should be
viewed as vehicles toward preparation,
as should competition, but neither
should be confused with being pre-
pared to act.
With this understood, drills and
standards are useful tools and most
every student of combative weapon-
craft is always looking for new ones
in which to test their skills.
Team tactics would be an excellent example of a skill
set worth learning and practicing.
Close retention shooting is a combative,
not a competitive, skill set.
1304LO_48 48 4/11/13 9:45 AM
I thought Id share some of my favor-
ites and why I like them. Theyre not
all-inclusive, nor should any drill be
thought of as such.
El Presidente Drill
One of my favorite drills is the classic
El Presidente, as pioneered by the late
Jeff Cooper.
This drill is still used in classes at
Gunsite (www.Gunsite.com) and I like
it because it tests a number of essen-
tial skills in a short exercise. From a
distance of 10 yards, 12 rounds are
fred at three targets one yard apart.
The targets should represent the high
chest region.
Col. Cooper used 10-inch circles
while Gunsite currently uses an 8-inch
circle. I use 8-inch squares, but 8-x-
11 sheets of paper work fne too. With
your back to the targets, turn and
draw from your holster and shoot two
rounds at each target. Perform an in-
battery reload and then fre two more
rounds at each target. Try to get all
hits in at 10 seconds or less.
A Set of Standards
An excellent example of a set of stan-
dards comes from former Delta Force
Operator Paul Howe, founder of Com-
bat Shooting and Tactics in Texas.
Howes standards are realistic and
designed to test the shooters essential
skills. His pistol course is built around
the successful completion of these
standards while his instructor course
is directed at how to teach them.
The listed drills on pg.48 are
designed with three purposes in mind:
1) to give you a measurable standard
to maintain, 2) to give you an effcient
stair-stepped workout program that
covers all the bases and 3) to test the
individual shooter at various times to
show areas needing improvement.
Only score shots in the A zone of
an IPSC, FBI or CSAT target. If an
enemy turns sideways, that will be
all you have to engage, resulting in a
worst-case scenario. All drills can be
performed in assault gear or while
wearing a protec-
tive mask.
Notes on the
standards: Drill
#7 has the pistol
set up with an
empty chamber.
On the start sig-
nal, a dry round is
fred and then the
malfunction is
cleared, followed
by the live round.
Drill #8 is a slide-
lock reload. Drill
#9 uses a round
fred from the
carbine (which
must be a hit)
followed by the
pistol transition
shot. Drill #10
begins in a stand-
ing position. The
shooter gets one
chance at each
drill in sequence
and must pass at
least eight to pass
the standards.
You cant aggregate passes in some
drills and add on successes. You have
to pass them all in one testing process.
In Sum
Hopefully the difference between drills
and standards is apparent. Both are
designed to build and test skills, but
they should never be confused with
what will occur in armed confict. In
a gunfght expect nothing, plan on
everything potentially failing and be
prepared to move on to a contingency
plan. The person who will win in armed
confict is someone who can adapt their
essential skills to the situation they
face. This isnt something that can be
taught in a drill or standard shoot.
LOM
DAVE SPAULDING was the 2010 Law Offcer Trainer
of the Year. Hes a 28-year law enforcement veteran
who retired at the rank of lieutenant, and then went
to work for a federal security contractor. Dave cur-
rently runs his own training company that focuses
on the combative application of the handgun. His
website, www.handguncombatives.com, contains
information on his courses. His blog The Combative
Mind can be found at www.davespaulding.com.
Spaulding uses tunnel vision goggles in
his courses to better prepare shooters for
the realities of combat.
The Roswell, Ga., Police Department
teaches progressive frearms drills and
exercises for ambush preparation. You
can review them at www.LawOffcer.
com, keyword search frearms drills.
www.ColumbiaSouthern.edu/LOM | 800.358.4452
Visit our websiteat www.ColumbiaSouthern.edu/Disclosurefor informationabout gainful employment includingcost of attendance,
on-timegraduationrates, occupational opportunities, medianstudent debt andother important informationabout CSUprograms.
ww
Craig DSouza
2012 Graduate
Special Investigator
Toronto, Canada
Visit Us Online to Learn How
Craig Balanced Work and School!
1304LO_49 49 4/11/13 9:45 AM
Train the Trainer by R.K. Miller
Take your frearms training to the next level
T
his month were back on the
range talking patrol rife
and SWAT frearms training.
Theres a lot involved with
such an instructional effort. Unfor-
tunately, we dont have the time and
space to address them all. Make sure
to check out last months Train the
Trainer article, Pro Tips for the Firing
Range (p. 42). Were going to hit a few
more tips this month, but they are only
the tip of the training iceberg.
The good folks at Law Offcer and
I encourage you to never be satisfed
with what you presently know and
teach. Look for the next step or the
newest technique so you can share
them with your students. My brain
could never come up with all the pro
tips I share unless some good instruc-
tors had been willing to do the same
for me. In fact, I wish I could spend
a couple of days swapping ideas with
you so that this could be a two-way
discussion.
Shoulder to Shoulder
Normally, range training takes place
with some distance between shooters.
Although this is good for standard live-
fre drills and certainly required for
new shooters, theres another place-
ment to be considered. This alternative
is to put patrol rife offcers or SWAT
cops shoulder to shoulder.
Heres the logic: Were acclimating
the students to a close-quarters shoot-
ing environment with a partner next
to them. Whether in a T formation,
hunting down an active shooter, or two
SWAT cops fring down a hallway at an
armed suspect, its realistic to train in
such close proximity. Important: The
frst time students experience muzzles
going off next to them and brass fying
in front of their eyes shouldnt be dur-
ing a gunfght.
There are safety considerations
that have to be addressed with this
approach. One is that hot brass may
land on exposed skinoften the neck
Patrol rife training on the fring line should simulate the real-world to the extent that is safe.
Pro Tips for the Firing Line,
Part II
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1304LO_50 50 4/11/13 9:45 AM
or shoulder. To prevent this, shoot-
ers are told well in advance to button
their collars and turn them up or wear
something like a high-necked shirt. An
alternative is to have them bring tow-
els or similar items to wrap around the
neck as protection.
Note: We usually tell our students
that if they smell bacon, its not time
for breakfast. Its probably hot brass on
exposed fesh. Theres an expectation
that students will maintain control of
their weapons and behavior until the
heat subsides. A strong combat mind-
set requires the ability to think and
act appropriately even though your
skin has become a brass magnet.
This admonition should be part of the
safety briefng prior to starting close
in fring.
The Wave
A drill to throw into the mix with
SWAT as well as patrol rife training is
The Wave. If run safely and correctly,
its a challenging way to gauge stu-
dents accuracy, use of fring positions,
communications, tactical awareness
and handling stressall in one pack-
age. Note: This is an advanced drill
that shouldnt be run unless the stu-
dents are capable of safely participat-
ing. A review of the weapons handling
rules should precede the drill.
The Wave starts with a relay of
offcers on line at a chosen distance.
Each individual shooters target is a
plain sheet of white paper. The course
of fre begins with the long guns loaded
and ready. From a standing position, it
starts with the command to fre given to
the frst offcer on the left fank who now
must shoot three rounds at their target.
Once done, that person has to commu-
nicate with the next shooter to the right
that its their turn. That person can only
fre after hearing this. This carries down
the fring line to the end. When done,
that last student must loudly communi-
cate to everyone this status.
As the wave progresses, the original
shooter on the left fank takes a kneel-
ing position, ready to fre again. Once
the frst phase has been completed,
the shooting sequence returns to that
frst offcer. Now three more accurate
shots are required from each shooter
in sequence until the wave reaches the
last offcer again. The fnal fring posi-
tion is the prone.
Especially as shooters transition
from kneeling to the prone, they should
be instructed to have their safeties
on. The reason for this should be obvi-
ous: Multiple muzzles are on the move.
Although its expected that students
will observe the Laser Rule, the extra
insurance of having the safety on as
they do so is just plain smart. (Pro tip:
If a students muzzle accidentally digs
into the ground while getting into the
prone, the shooting should be stopped
and that muzzle inspected before more
shots are fred.)
Each individual fres three shots
from the prone. The last shooter com-
municates when done and the shot
timer is stopped.
Along with the built-in peer pres-
sure to get accurate hits, timing the
drill adds mental pressure tooespe-
cially if were pitting one relay against
another. If theyve been accurate, each
paper target should have nine hits on
it. Each miss adds an extra second to
the time score. The winning relay with
the shortest time is designated the
Class Assault Team and the losers are
labeled the Perimeter Team.
A twist thats even more advanced
(and has to be run safely) is to get the
next relay involved. In this case, those
offcers waiting their turn are invited to
interact with their brother offcers on
the line. They cant touch the shooters,
use bad language or range commands.
But theyre allowed to verbally harass
those on line during the wave drill.
This provides additional stress and
forces the shooter to focus even harder
on what needs to be done. Remember:
Accurate hits are the quickest way to
end a lethal force encounter.
Low Light
We often run some form of low-light
training. To do this, however, an
instructor has to have an even higher
level of safety awareness while also
making it as realistic as possible. Here
are some suggestions.
Count off: Before low-light training
starts, consider taking roll by having
the students verbally count off. They
should then be instructed that if they
have to leave the range, they must frst
check in with the instructor running
the low-light drills. They must also
check in when they return.
At some point, the shooters will be
taken forward to look at their targets.
The last person to leave the impact
area should be an instructor. Prior to
doing so, the target line area should be
illuminated to make sure no one else
is still present. Its suggested that the
instructor also ask multiple times in a
loud voice, Is anyone down range?
With no response, the class counts
off again to make sure everyone is
present on the line and no one is miss-
ing before shooting resumes. Although
this may seem excessive, these are
smart steps in making sure that its
safe to resume training.
Light em up: Im not a big fan of
students raising their hands when they
have a problem on the fring line. Its
a potentially life-threatening practice.
Instead, they should be taught to work
through a gun glitch as they would have
to do in a frefght. But its a given that
they may need help on the range.
Under low-light conditions, an
easy way to pinpoint a student is to
include in the safety brief the follow-
ing instructions: If you experience an
unfxable condition, keep the weapon
pointed toward the target, take out
a handheld light, hold it behind your
back pointing down at the ground and
then turn it on.
This is a better way to get help from
the staff when operating in low-light
conditions.
Dark targets: An option to make
paper targets appear more realistic
for low-light conditions is to use black
spray paint. Darken the area
1304LO_51 51 4/11/13 9:45 AM

Train the Trainer
around the target and then for good
measure spray a light black mist over
the target. This changes the appear-
ance into that of a suspect in a dark
hallway or at night in an alley. Youve
probably experienced something like
this for real. Let students experience it
frst under training conditions rather
than in a real confrontation.
Range disco: Another idea for
low-light training is to simulate a
suspects muzzle fash toward the
students. Obviously, this isnt going
to really happen on your range, but
make it a little more realistic with this
technique.
Purchase some strobe lights and
electrical cord. Set the strobes on a
slow fash sequence and hook each
one into a wireless remote control
and power source. (You can fnd these
remotes in home improvement stores
around Christmas time.) Depending
on how many lights you have, position
them at regular distances at the base
of selected target stands. Instruct the
students that the strobes represent
hostile fre coming at them and before
the drill begins, briefy turn them on
to orient the fring line. (Its a good
idea to emphasize that lethal force
should be aimed at the target and not
the strobe!)
The command to fre isnt a verbal-
ization. The instructor should instead
activate one or more of the lights. This
means that some students will be
shooting and some wont. Those who
do are expected to use an illumination
tool to identify the appropriate target
and engage that target. This range
disco drill is obviously a little out of
the box. But done properly, it works.
Weve used it for static fring line drills
as well as lateral movement and fring
on the move as the students advance
and withdraw from the targets.
(Editors note: A variation of this can
be done by using the overhead emer-
gency lights on a patrol car. While you
dont have individual target lighting,
you expose your students to another
real-world possibility in nighttime
shooting.)
Conclusion
I hope these suggestions prompt you to
take your frearms training to the next
level. Try them out and if they work,
share them with other instructors as
well.
Train safe. God bless America.
LOM
R.K. MILLER retired from the Huntington Beach
(Calif.) Police Department as a lieutenant after 30
years of service in a variety of assignments, includ-
ing FTO, trauma support, beach detail, detective,
SWAT and feld supervisor. He serves on the staff
at the Golden West College Police Academy as an
instructor and SWAT Academy coordinator, and as
an instructor for the NRA Law Enforcement Activities
Division and his own company, National Training
Concepts, Inc. (www.ntc-swat.org). Miller holds a
bachelors degree and is a Marine Corps Vietnam
veteran. Contact him at rkmiller@socal.rr.com.
DEPARTMENTDEPOT
Trigger Control
Ghosts EVO-Elite trigger connector
gives Glock a smoother depression
By David Spaulding
The move from the double-action
(DA) revolver to the semi-automatic
pistol created a liability problem that
many didnt consider: is the pistol
trigger too light? The long 1214 lbs.
trigger of the DA revolver allowed
many to get sloppy with the trigger
fnger because fring the revolver
involuntarily was
seldom encountered. This isnt the
case with short trigger pistols, lead-
ing many agencies to adopt DA/SA
(single-action) models (i.e., guns with
a long frst trigger followed by short,
easy-to-shoot trigger actions). What
became known as the DA/SA transi-
tion made many instructors want to
pull their hair out trying to get shoot-
ers to accurately work through the
frst long trigger without interrupting
muzzle alignment and then instantly
adapting to short trigger presses that
sometimes went astray.
This led many agencies to adopt
the Glock, with its consistent safe
action trigger that many shooters
could easily master. However, the
frst short trigger brought problems
of its own. But through increased
training and emphasis on keeping
ones fnger off the trigger until the
shot is to be intentionally fred, the
short-trigger problem has
almost disappeared. The
THE3RDDEGREE
GHOSTS EVO-ELITE
PROS
Eliminates the felt glitch in
the Glock trigger action for a
smoother depression
CONS
None
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STREET PRICE:
$36.95
CONTACT
Ghost Inc.
305/252-7422
www.ghostinc.com
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1304LO_52 52 4/11/13 9:45 AM
APRIL MORE GEAR
biggest problem with the Glock trig-
ger is the felt catch when the trig-
ger bar/striker meets the connector,
which cams the trigger bar down to
release the striker to fre the cham-
bered round. Many shooters want to
slam through this glitch, taking the
muzzle off target.
Ghost Connector
No one has done more to solve this
problem than Arthur Viani, the
inventor of the Ghost
connector. Viani stud-
ied the Glock factory
connector and discov-
ered the angle could be
reconfgured while still
maintaining a safe level
of trigger pressure.
He also added an
over-travel tab that
shortened the length
of trigger travel for
faster follow-up shots.
Although the Ghost
connector improved
the Glock trigger, it didnt completely
remove the glitch felt in the trigger
actionuntil now.
Ghosts new trigger connector, the
EVO-Elite, looks nothing
like the stock factory con-
nector or Vianis earlier
versions. This new Glock
trigger connector not only
eliminates over travel, it
also eliminates the felt
glitch in the Glock trig-
ger action. The result: a
smoother depression. Ive
been working with a pro-
totype trigger for the last
few months (at this point, I
have around 5,000 rounds
on the new trigger) and I
must say it gives my old
G19 a whole new feel.
Using a set of certifed
trigger weights (vs. a
fsh-scale-style trigger
pressure gauge), I dis-
covered my EVO trig-
ger broke right at 5.5
lbs., but felt much lighter due to the
smoothness of the action.
In Sum
Considering the diffculty encoun-
tered when trying to hold the muzzle
still while applying rearward pressure
on the trigger, the EVO-Elite is revo-
lutionary. I predict it will be one of the
most popular after-market products
sold in the United States.
LOM
DAVE SPAULDING was the 2010 Law Offcer
Trainer of the Year. Hes a 28-year law enforcement
veteran who retired at the rank of lieutenant, and
then went to work for a federal security contrac-
tor. Dave currently runs his own training company
that focuses on the combative application of the
handgun. His website, www.handguncombatives.
com, contains information on his courses.
VIDEO
Spaulding takes a look at
Ghost Inc.s new EVO trig-
ger connector for Glocks.
For more info check out at
www.handguncombatives.
com or www.youtube.com/
watch?v=4YZ7D9NyQw4.
Starting from the top: a
factory Glock connector,
a frst-generation Ghost
connector and a Ghost
connector with trigger
over travel tab. The new
Ghost EVO-Elite trigger
is seen on the bottom.
(Photo Dave Spaulding)
Uniform Shirt Vest Carrier
U.S. Armors Uniform Shirt Vest Carrier is designed specifcally for
offcers who want an external body armor carrier option, but still
need a professional/non-tactical appearance. The Shirt Vest Car-
rier features a 600-Denier
polyester outer shell and
a 100% polyester lining.
It blends in with your uni-
form shirt while allowing
you to carry ballistic body
armor panels (Level IIA,
II, or IIIA ballistic panels).
The vest carrier allows air
circulation between the
body and body armor for
reduced heat stress and
increased comfort. It also
includes a name tag holder,
badge holder, shoulder
epaulets, pocket and shirt
buttons.
U.S. Armor
800/443-9798 www.usarmor.com
Hands-Free Lighting
The XPP-5450G
and XPP-5452G
headlamps
feature user-
selectable
high- and
low-brightness
white LED
spotlight settings,
which are easily selected
with the push of a single
button. With a multi-position
tilt-head design, elastic head strap
with non-slip lining and a heavy-duty rubber head strap, these
headlamps can be easily used on ball caps, hardhats or directly
on the head. The XPP-5450G and the XPP-5452G are identical
in size (2.4 x 1.9 x 1.8; 3.5 oz.). Both are chemical and impact
resistant (drop rated to 2 meters) and are IP-X7 waterproof. The
only differences between the two products are light output and
run-time.
Bayco Products, Inc. (Nightstick)
800/233-2155 www.baycoproducts.com
1304LO_53 53 4/11/13 9:45 AM
Product Spotlight
Digital Night Vision
The new digital night vision rife-
scope, Digisight N750, offers the
same features as the N550, but
also has higher image resolution,
more magnifcation and better
overall image quality. The Digisight
N750 rifescope is designed for observation and shooting in
twilight and at night, and can be used within a wide tem-
perature range (-2050C). The Digisight N750 is equipped
with a built-in laser/IR illuminator that increases the view-
ing range. Basic control functions (switching on/off the rife-
scope and the IR illuminator, activation of digital zoom) can
be performed with an included wireless remote control.
PulsarVision
718/332-3450 www.PulsarVision.com
Single-Point Sling
The Storm Single-Point Sling XT from
Blackhawk is constructed of high-
quality 1.25-inch nylon webbing that
limits bounce and enhances retention.
The sling can be adjusted from 46 to
54 inches in diameter with the tri-glide
buckle to ft around tactical vests and
police gear. Theres also an elliptical
bungee that provides comfort and sup-
port. The sling features a removable,
elastic-encased MASH clip for quick
frearm attachment and two side-
release buckles for quick sling detachment, frearm attach-
ment and weapon removal.
Blackhawk
800/694-5263 www.BlackHawk.com
Back-Up Iron Sights
The new XTI (Xpress Threat Inter-
diction) AR-15 angle-mount sights
from XS Sight Systems and Lone Star
Armory is a set of sights that include
an XS Express Standard Dot Tritium
front sight and a White Stripe Shal-
low V rear sight. These back-up iron
sights are designed for quick acquisition in close-quarters
combat situations (mounted at a 45-degree angle), and
when combined with magnifed optics, you have a rife ft
for close and long range. The XTI Sights are ambidextrous
with an easy do-it-yourself install.
XS Sight Systems
888/744-4880 www.XSSights.com
Two-Point Sling
5.11s VTAC 2 Point Sling features two
attachment points, high-impact
plastic slides and clips, and
a durable static nylon
strap. The
shooter can
adjust the overall length of the sling
for quick transitions from strong side
to support side and back. By pulling the free-running end
of the sling, the shooter can bring the rife up to their body.
The shooter can easily return the sling to its original length
by pulling the release. This gives the shooter fexibility in
tactical situations. The VTAC 2 Point Sling comes in a pad-
ded and standard version.
5.11
866/451-1726 www.511Tactical.com
HD Night Sight
New for 2013 are the Trijicon HD
Night Sights now available for
the Ruger SR9 and Beretta Px4,
90-TWO and 92/96A1 model pis-
tols. The HD Night Sights are
designed to excel under the most demanding condi-
tions by placing primary emphasis on faster front
sight acquisition and de-emphasizing the rear sight.
Upfront, a tritium lamp lies within an extra-large,
brightly colored (yellow or orange) dot area that provides a
distinctive sight. In addition, special photo luminescent (glow-
in-the-dark) powder in the paint aids in faster front sight
acquisition during transitional lighting operations.
Trijicon
800/338-0563 www.Trijicon.com
Worthwhile gadgets & gizmos for your guns
SIGHTS & SLINGS
1304LO_54 54 4/11/13 9:45 AM
Advertiser RS# Page
3M Traffc Safety Systems 20 41
Aedec International 23 C4
ATK Sporting 7 9
Chrysler Fleet 1 C2-1
Columbia Southern University 21 49
Ear Phone Connection 4 4
Federal Signal Corporation 13 26
Ford Motor Media 15 28-29
Jamar Technologies 9 11
L-3 Mobile Vision 5 5
Law Offcer Family of Products 17 33
LawOffcer.com 10 15
Lenco Armored Vehicles 18 37
Lind Electronics Inc. 19 41
Mocean 16 31
National Tactical Offcers Association 8 10
Platesmart 14 27
Ram Mounting Systems 2 3
Sprint 6 7
Tacview Inc. 11 21
Truspec 22 C3
Vigilant Solutions 12 23
Waldorf College 3 4
1304LO_55 55 4/11/13 9:45 AM
Bullethead
LAW OFFICER, ISSN 1553-9555, USPS 858-060, is published 10 times a year (monthly with two combined issues in June/July and November/December) by PennWell Corporation, 1421
S. Sheridan Road, Tulsa, OK 74112; phone 918/835-3161. COPYRIGHT 2013 PennWell Corporation. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Law Offcer, P.O. Box 3425, Northbrook, IL
60062-9912. Claims of non-receipt or damaged issues must be fled within three months of cover date. Periodicals postage paid at Tulsa, Oklahoma and at additional mailing offces.
Sir:
I watched in horror as N.Y. Governor
Cuomo declared their new law was
the most restrictive gun law in the
country. In their haste, the Legisla-
ture forgot to carve out an exemp-
tion to the seven-round magazine
limit for offcers. What got me upset
was why should police be exempt
from the laws average citizens have
to obey? As a police offcer, I wasnt
allowed to drive recklessly, do drugs
or break any law citizens had to
obey. Why should I be exempt from
this one?
The meaning of the second
amendment isnt for hunting or
target shooting. Its to preserve life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Those rights are given to us by our
creator. They arent something thats
issued by a governmental agency on
a whim and withdrawn whenever
it feels like it. In order to maintain
those rights, you need the means to
enforce them. Just as police offcers
carry guns to save lives and preserve
peace, law-abiding citizens have the
same right.
When I took my oath as a police
offcer, I swore to uphold the
Constitution of the United States. I
will never obey an order to disarm
law-abiding citizens or obey an order
that runs contrary to the constitu-
tion. I urge police offcers to consider
this issue carefully. This is an us-
against-them battle, but the them
are those who would dismantle our
rights.
Retired Cop
Guns & LE Exemptions
Cops today must have the ability to meet
force with equal or greater force
Retired Cop,
Its a good thing youve retired since
youve decided not to enforce certain
laws. You might want to check the oath
you took. Along with the Constitu-
tion, it probably said something about
the laws of the state and the orders of
those appointed above you.
Thanks for your interpretation of
the second amendment. Thats some-
thing thats gone on for years by con-
stitutional scholars and will continue
to go on for as long as our great nation
stands. But now that we have your ver-
sion, those folks can relax.
As for your religious argument, Ive
looked at history a bit and have been
to church a time or two. Neither says
anything about God appearing at the
constitutional convention or writing
the constitution. So even if those who
wrote it had a Christian paradigm, it
was people who did the writing. Those
same people wrote the 10th amend-
ment, which grants the states power
to pass other (or more restrictive) laws.
While were at it, arent hunting and
target shooting done in the pursuit of
happiness?
Since youre against law enforcement
exemptions, we should also probably not
carry guns at all in states where thats
not allowed. We shouldnt be allowed to
turn on some pretty lights and then be
able to ignore traffc laws. For that mat-
ter, why should someone be able to sign
something that says the fourth amend-
ment no longer applies to you, so now
I can blow up your door at zero-dark-
thirty and run into your house with a
bunch of my friends, trash the place
and take all sorts of stuff. Jeez, that
exemption seems to make home inva-
sion legal for cops!
Gun Debate
Really, the whole gun debate is a bit
ridiculous. None of the legislative fxes
have resolved anything. A few years
back in Irvine, Calif., they had a guy go
active violence with a sword. He was in
a grocery store chopping on people until
the cops got there and put him down.
Even if we were somehow able to get rid
of the guns, it wouldnt stop active vio-
lence. It might make it much easier for
cops to get the guy and allow people to
out-run the suspects ability to do harm,
but it doesnt really matter. There are
about 200 million guns out there, and
fairly open access from Mexico for any-
one who wants a gun.
Im not a gun nut. I own some and
I carry a bunch either on me or in my
car. My primary weapon only holds
seven in the mag and Im confdent I
can manage with that number or at
least with that number and a few mag
changes if need be.
I do, however, believe in exemptions
for cops. We need to be able to outgun
the crooks. I was at a recent shooting
scene, in a neighboring jurisdiction,
where one offcer died and another was
badly injured. The deputies and offcers
in that fre fght put out about 1,000
rounds to keep the crooks head down
while they performed a rescue on the
two downed offcers. Having restricted
mags might have cost more cops their
lives. I hope New York fxes their law
quickly. Cops today must have the abil-
ity to meet force with equal or greater
force.
LOM
1304LO_56 56 4/11/13 9:45 AM
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2-knife/accessory pockets
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2-internal magazine compartments
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Expandable back pockets with
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Reinforced knee with inside
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Prices good March 1 through April 30, 2013. Ofer only valid on Original 24-7 Series Tactical Pants in Poly-cotton/Rip-stop. Includes
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1304LO_C4 4 4/11/13 9:13 AM

April 2013 Issue of Law Officer Magazine

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April 2013 Issue of Law Officer Magazine

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April 2013 Volume 9 Issue 4

V8 provides the power to accelerate from

V8 with 395 hp/410 lb-ft of torque

Cargo Management System

1304LO_10 10 4/11/13 9:38 AM

Intelligent AWD design is geared to complement pursuit driving. It provides inescapable

1304LO_36 36 4/11/13 9:39 AM

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