Category Archives: Tactics

Just Out For a Jog…

My exercise regimen includes running through my neighborhood. Being outside for a workout adds to its relative enjoyment. Hey, it is still an unwelcome exertion. On one of my recent weekly runs, I was on a very affluent street with waterfront properties. About 50 yards ahead of me I saw a man…sprinting. He was not attired to jog. Hmmm. Dressed in long pants and a dark hoodie, the man crossed the road and cut the corner through the opposite house’s yard. Definitely not normal. A burglar? The residence from which he fled belongs to a noted local restauranteur. As I approached, I saw the home’s garage doors wide open with … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Misc., Off Duty, Tactics | 4 Comments

Magnetactical Belt Clip Lends a Hand

Updated:  Devin sent me a slightly redesigned version of the Magnetactical belt clip, so I am re-posting this article.  Here is a photo of the old and new style.  The newer belt clip has a squared-off upper and lower edge, which will grip items better than the rounded type.  I like it. Devin Stutz is a sort of modern day Geomancer, one who divines things from the very properties of the Earth.  Bear with me.  While at his police range sessions, Stutz pondered how to improve his one-handed and support-handed reloads and manipulations for the pistol.  As if drawn to a solution with his “boots in the dirt,” Stutz came … Continue reading

Posted in Firearms, Officer Safety, Tactics, Technology | 1 Comment

New FLIR Scout TK Thermal Imager

FLIR Systems, Inc. introduced their latest handheld thermal imaging monocular at this month’s Consumer Electronics Show 2016.  The FLIR Scout TK entry-level device is the company’s smallest and least expensive model yet.  At an MSRP of $599.00, the Scout TK is more than a thousand bucks less than their Scout II model, which sells at about $1,900. The new Scout TK measures just 4″ x 1.5″ x 1.5″ and weighs only 6 ounces, so it really is pocket-sized.  I got to play with their older PS24 monocular back in 2012 at SHOT.  It was like a handful of science fiction!  Even in the lit show area, looking at the heat … Continue reading

Posted in Street, SWAT, Tactics, Technology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Indian River Sheriff’s Office OIS

Indian River County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Lester pulled over this suspect, who was riding a tagless scooter, at oh-three-hundred.  After appearing to be minimally cooperative, the convicted felon sucker punched Lester, then took a revolver from the small of his back and shot the deputy.  Dep. Lester returned fire and chased the suspect on foot.  In the audio, you can hear the difference between the badguy’s .357 and Dep. Lester’s .45. IRCSO K9 Falko found the suspect, who had two of Dep. Lester’s bullets in his gut, hiding at a packing plant.  Dep. Lester is in stable condition with a gunshot wound to the leg.  The suspect, who had done … Continue reading

Posted in Firearms, K9, Street, Tactics | Leave a comment

A Christmas Concert

My daughter’s college held a Christmas Gala last week where she was a member of the chorus. It was a beautiful show celebrating the season’s good will toward men (and women). The audience was filled with festively-dressed folks, many of them smiling seniors. Was it wrong for me to be thinking about radicalized violence? A Christian event drawing over a thousand people could be a prime target in these particular times. Once seated, I discreetly checked out the tactical options. Should something go down, where were the exits people would attempt to funnel through? What would constitute cover and/or concealment? How could an attack unfold, given the layout of

Posted in Misc., Off Duty, Tactics | 2 Comments

“Enough is Enough!”

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey is not afraid to give an opinion.  I think his observations have gone viral because they make us reflect on America and safety.  Gun sales in Florida have risen since the San Bernardino Islamic terrorist attack.  FDLE reports firearms purchase background checks were up 73% last Saturday and 86% Sunday, compared to the same dates a year ago.  People do not feel safe. Randall

Posted in Concealed Carry, Defensive Tactics, Firearms, Off Duty, Officer Safety, Politics, Tactics | 5 Comments

Terrorists and Cops Part Two

Two weeks ago, I wrote about terrorism migrating to our shores in the aftermath of the Paris attacks.  Then came the ISIS-inspired San Bernardino massacre.  Sadly, a homegrown extremist shooting occurred sooner than anyone thought would.  Local, state, and federal agencies responded swiftly to contain and extinguish the threat in SoCal. One of my colleagues complained Thursday that many departments have a “it won’t happen here” attitude toward agency preparedness.  He suggested more active shooter, tactical combat casualty care, and improvised explosive device training for all officers.  I would listen to him.  He has experience as a U.S. Army explosive ordinance disposal technician and combat medic.  Yeah, he’s seen the … Continue reading

Posted in Concealed Carry, Firearms, Off Duty, Officer Safety, Protective Armor, Street, SWAT, Tactics | 1 Comment

Chicago PD Murder Charges

I have watched Chicago PD’s officer-involved shooting video from October 2014.  A few things come to mind about the totality of the circumstances.  Officers are responding to a commercial burglary call where a suspect was detained by a citizen, but is now on foot in the urban area.  The suspect is armed with a knife.  He is now evading police on the street. The suspect sprinted through a fast food restaurant parking lot, stabbed the front tire of a police car, and damaged the windshield of another.  If you forward to 4:53 in the video time (not the PD time stamp), you get to the perspective of a cruiser entering … Continue reading

Posted in Knives, Legal, Media, Misc., Officer Safety, SWAT, Tactics | 4 Comments

Terrorists and Cops

As extremist violence proliferates around the globe, it will be local law enforcement who directly confronts the threat in this country.  The coordinated attacks on civilians in Paris last Friday by eight terrorists wielding AK-47’s and suicide bombs could well have been perpetrated in any of our cities right here in the USA.  Are you prepared to be the badge on ground zero when it goes down? While law enforcement has been criticized for “militarization,” those same armored vehicles, tactical equipment, and rifles, are exactly what we need to counter threats like

Posted in Officer Safety, Street, SWAT, Tactics | 7 Comments

Boydd’s Pat-Down Props

Boydd’s Products, Inc. will sell you a bag of “gold” that can help you with your trolls.  Boydd’s Pat-Down Props are injection-molded, non-functioning replica weapons and contraband used for realistic search training.  Raise your hand if your agency trains with crappy BB guns and busted knives with taped blades.  Yeah, it happens. Used by the FBI Academy, DEA Academy, FLETC, Dept. of Homeland Security, U.S. Probation and Parole, all major branches of the U.S. Military, and hundreds of state and local agencies, Pat-Down Props are safe, cost effective, and highly useful. A Single Pack of Pat-Down Props arrives in a carry bag that contains 16

Posted in Concealed Carry, Officer Safety, Tactics | Leave a comment

Odortec’s Skunk for Crowd Control

How would you fancy someone “taking a chunk of rotting corpse from a stagnant sewer, placing it in a blender and spraying the filthy liquid in your face.”  Skunk brand crowd control liquid, made by Odortec Ltd., delivers that vile scenario, according to one Reuters reporter.  Sounds like The Running Dead. We all know that dispersing unruly masses with smoke, CS, or OC can be effective if the crowd is given lawful orders, clear instructions, and viable escape routes.  Skunk is marketed as a “non-lethal malodorant” that comes with a strong incentive to flee from your own gag reflex. Skunk’s formula is water-based, eco-friendly, biodegradable, non-flammable, and made from food-grade … Continue reading

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Bounce Imaging Tactical Camera

This thing is cool.  The Bounce Image Tactical Throwable Camera would be a nice device for a team to use.  It uses white or near-infrared (850nm wavelength) LED’s to light up the area while it snaps panoramic still photos that can be immediately accessed via an Android or iOS phone.  The 360 degree photo array, from six monochrome cameras, updates once per second.  The unit will run on its internal batteries for 30 minutes at full flash intensity.  It is MIL-STD 810 drop-tested for durability.  The model used in the video, the Explorer Tactical Edition, costs about $2,500.00. Don’t diss the questionable tactics in the video, they’re only for demonstration … Continue reading

Posted in SWAT, Tactics, Technology | 4 Comments

Larry Vickers Recreates Collateral Shooting Techniques

As a profession, law enforcement sometimes fails to teach practical shooting drills in favor of square range target practice.  Yes, I know, Collateral was a just movie.  But the essence of the action here is a Controlled Pair from the holster on suspect one, followed by a Failure Drill, a.k.a. the Mozambique Drill, to suspect two.  If you have not depressed a trigger on either of these techniques thus far in 2015, you are not keeping your shooting skills honed. I was with a small group of sergeants who had rifle qualifications a few weeks ago.  Our instructor for the evolution is a reserve Tier One soldier with combat tours … Continue reading

Posted in Firearms, Officer Safety, Tactics | 1 Comment

NYPD Officers Murdered in Retaliation

Today’s assassination of two New York City Police Department officers was reported to be in retaliation for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.  The killer ambushed the NYPD officers as they sat in their patrol car in Brooklyn.  The killer posted his intentions on Instagram.  He committed suicide after fleeing the scene into a subway station. Criminals have been calling for the killing of officers since Ferguson.  The anti-cop rhetoric has increased since the in-custody death of Garner.  Unfortunately, the murder of police officers was predictable. I urge all officers to step up their situational awareness and team tactics.  We are marked targets.  Do not take your life … Continue reading

Posted in Officer Down, Officer Safety, Tactics | 1 Comment

Deadly Force Policy Change in Miami Beach

The Miami Beach Police Department is poised to change its deadly force policy to now prohibit an officer from discharging his or her firearm at a vehicle unless an occupant displays a weapon–not to include the car–or shoots at them.  This move stems from a 2011 incident involving officers shooting at a motorist who tried to run over five Miami Beach police officers. That driver, Raymond Herisse, was shot by officers of both the Miami Beach and Hialeah police departments after his violent behavior during Urban Beach Week.  Herisse died at the scene.  A video of the end of the incident went viral.  The last Miami Beach Police Department shooting … Continue reading

Posted in Defensive Tactics, Officer Safety, Politics, Street, SWAT, Tactics, Uncategorized | Leave a comment