Category Archives: Officer Safety

New CRKT Shizuka noh Ken Folder

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Randall

James Williams’ history as a U.S. Army officer and martial arts instructor to military and police special units has led him to design a line of knives for Columbia River Knife & Tool.  Personally, I own the Williams/CRKT Hissatsu folder and Heiho.  With these combative blades in mind, I was happy to see yet another new Williams offering on the CRKT table at SHOT Show 2015:  the Shizuka noh Ken. The Shizuka noh Ken is a smaller version of the very popular Otanashi noh Ken, from Williams’ drawing board for SOCOM personnel.  But the 4.6″ bladed OnK is intended to be a large knife.  Shizuka noh Ken dials down the … Continue reading →

Posted in Concealed Carry, Knives, Officer Safety | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

KA-BAR TDI at SHOT Show 2015

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Randall

I dropped in on John Benner at KA-BAR’s booth at SHOT Show.  Mr. Benner is the founder of the Tactical Defense Institute.  He designed the TDI law enforcement knife that KA-BAR builds.  Benner has 37 years of service as both a soldier and a police officer.  We had a great talk. You may remember that I wrote an article about the original TDI knife in 2012 in which I was not pleased with its sheath from a law enforcement perspective.  In March of 2014, KA-BAR introduced two new TDI knives, the Hellfire and Hinderance, which had locking sheaths.  I pronounced, “Problem solved!”  But with the reservation:  I wanted to know … Continue reading →

Posted in Knives, Officer Safety | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Police Officers Say, “Walk a Mile in Our Shoes.”

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Randall

Phoenix civil rights activist Rev. Jarrett Maupin and a Fox news reporter go through some standard police use of force scenarios and learn some things about what we as cops face everyday.  It strongly affected their preconceptions.  “We want his badge, we want his gun, we want his job!” Rev. Maupin had chanted earlier at a protest for a police shooting in Phoenix. After this training session with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Rev. Maupin said,  “I didn’t understand how important compliance was, but after going through this, yeah, my attitude has changed.”  During the Simunition training, both Maupin and the reporter shot an aggressive unarmed man approaching them in … Continue reading →

Posted in Officer Safety, Politics, Street | Leave a comment

Long Range Police Marksmanship Part Two

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Aaron

(Ed. Note:  Aaron is a sworn LEO and SWAT cop in another state.  He frequently comments here at TBF and is an editor at BlueSheepdog.com.  The following was originally sent as a comment to my article Long Range Police Marksmanship, but I felt it should stand alone as a post.  Welcome Aaron!) The mindset that the pistol cannot be used beyond 25 yards permeates the law enforcement community, and is a dangerous and ignorant concept.  It is true that a pistol is often not as easy to maintain accuracy at longer shots because of the lack of a solid supporting position, but it doesn’t mean that they cannot be effective, … Continue reading →

Posted in Firearms, Officer Safety, Street | 2 Comments

Tarpon Springs Officer Down

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Randall

A Tarpon Springs, FL police officer was shot and killed overnight.  The suspect is in custody.  Neither the officer’s, nor suspect’s names have been released, but the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and Tarpon Springs Police Department said they are both male. I will update this after a press conference is held later this morning. Update:  The murdered officer is Ofc. Charles Kondek, 45, a 17 year veteran of TSPD and five years MOS with NYPD.  He is survived by a wife and six children. No press conference as of 3:45 pm…  It appeared Ofc. Kondek was on a call for service when he was killed, but few other details about … Continue reading →

Posted in Officer Down, Officer Safety | 1 Comment

NYPD Officers Murdered in Retaliation

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Randall

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

Long Range Police Marksmanship Part One

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Randall

The November 28th police shooting in Austin, Texas, where a mounted patrol officer neutralized an active shooter at over 100 yards with his handgun, reminded me of another active shooter incident 20 years ago.  Both cases reinforce the lesson that police pistol training needs to take place at longer ranges. Austin Sgt. Adam Johnson engaged suspect Larry McQuilliams, who had unleashed over 200 rounds around the city’s downtown from two rifles, at 312 feet with his duty Smith & Wesson M&P40.  Johnson was on foot and holding the reigns of two horses when he fired a single fatal shot, one-handed, at the suspect.  The bullet hit the McQuilliams in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Firearms, Officer Safety, Street | 3 Comments

Updated: Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy Killed, Another Wounded

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Randall

As the greater Tallahassee community healed after Thursday’s FSU school shooting, more tragedy struck.  Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher L. Smith, responding to a house fire, was ambushed and murdered as he arrived at the scene Saturday.  The suspect, Curtis Wade Holley, took the deputy’s gun and began firing it as he walked down the 3700 block of Caracas Court.  Deputy Colin Wulfekuhl was shot and wounded by the suspect. Tallahassee Police Department Officers Mark Lewis and Scott Angulo came on scene.  Ofc. Lewis tried to help Dep. Smith, but was fired upon by Holley.  Tallahassee Fire Department personnel were also shot at and least one fire engine was seen racing … Continue reading →

Posted in Officer Down, Officer Safety, Street | 4 Comments

Lone Wolves Are a New Threat

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Randall

With this year’s terrorist attacks on the British soldier in Woolrich, England, the Canadian soldiers run down by an extremist, the shootings at the Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Canadian Parliament, and the hatchet attack on four New York City Police Department officers last week, we can assume that radical Islamists are targeting uniformed soldiers and police officers.  There is yet another cause for vigilance when working behind the badge. The calls from the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) and Islamic extremists to attack Infidels (that’s us) have inspired emboldened fundamentalist, or “lone wolf,” attacks on the symbolic warriors of Western values.  Law enforcement and Military … Continue reading →

Posted in Officer Safety, Street | Leave a comment

Deadly Force Policy Change in Miami Beach

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Randall

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

FBI Publishes Latest Active Shooter Study

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Randall

The FBI published its 2014 Active Shooter Incidents Report this week.  It collated information from a total of 160 ASI’s from the years 2000 through 2013.  In the introduction, it noted that the selection of ASI’s can be subjective and that the aggregate seeks to add “clarity and data of value” for a basic assessment.  The 2014 report adds 33 incidents, as well as 17 from 2013, to the prior bulletin from January of this year. From 2000 to 2013, the 160 incidents resulted in 1,043 casualties:  458 killed and 557 wounded.  The average number of ASI’s per calendar year was 11.4.  The first seven years of the study showed … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Misc., Officer Safety | 1 Comment

QALO Rings Save Fingers

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Randall

Ring avulsion.  This is something that first responders and soldiers should worry about on the job.  QALO Ring has come up with a solution to getting your wedding band or other metal ring caught in machinery or on a fixed object, which can result in finger amputation or serious degloving of the tissue.  Google it if you have a strong stomach.  I think it will convince you of the peril. QALO stands for Quality Athletics Love Outdoors.  They say, “We searched for a solution that would allow us to show our commitment of marriage, and wear a comfortable wedding band that could withstand our active lifestyle.  We started playing around … Continue reading →

Posted in Officer Safety, Street | Tagged | 3 Comments

FSA 2014 Officer of the Year

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Randall

The Florida Sheriff’s Association produced this video about their 2014 Officer of the Year, Officer Mario Gutierrez of the Miami-Dade Police Department.  All I can say is, Wow.  Ofc. Gutierrez’s account and the radio traffic are chilling.  It is an outstanding example of courage and staying in the fight. Randall

Posted in Misc., Officer Safety, Street | 1 Comment

I Got Pulled Over

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Randall

The other evening I ran out to the store for some supplies.  On my way home, I saw blue and red lights in my rear view mirror. Aaaaah.  I blinkered into the right lane, turned on to the first side street, and coasted to the curb.  When was the last time I was pulled over? The sheriff’s deputy made a driver’s side approach.  I was actually a little nervous as I kept both hands on the steering wheel; I’ve been on his side of the traffic stop, too.  The deputy stayed safely just behind the B-pillar and said, “Sir, I need to see your license and registration.”  I replied with … Continue reading →

Posted in Officer Safety, Street | 4 Comments

New FLIR One Thermal Imager

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Randall

FLIR Systems, Inc. is producing a new low-cost thermal imaging system that mates to an iPhone 5 or 5s and lets the user view heat signatures through the cell phone’s display.  The new device is called FLIR One and will sell for about $350 (iPhone not included). I mention this product, not because I see it as a cutting edge law enforcement tool, but because I see this as a precursor to some exciting technology coming to a cop shop near you.  I predict cost-effective thermal imaging will make infrared night vision obsolete as an LE search tool. A few SHOT Shows ago, I previewed FLIR’s latest handheld thermal units–the … Continue reading →

Posted in Officer Safety, Technology | Tagged | 4 Comments