Monthly Archives: December 2012

U.S. Fire Arms ZiP Pistol

The U.S. Fire Arms ZiP pistol blurs the line between toy and real gun. We recently received a safety BOLO for this odd looking .22 cal. LR handgun. It uses Ruger 10/22 magazines. The ZiP can certainly be mistaken for a futuristic toy gun. I wouldn’t want to get hit with 10 CCI Stingers out of this thing, though! The largely polymer ZiP has a 5.25″ barrel and is 7.5″ long overall. The action is single action, striker fired. Its reported weight is just under 16 ounces. The ZiP pistol can also be configured as a short-barreled rifle with the add-on stock. They call the modification a BattleZiP Survival SBR … Continue reading

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Florida Leads Nation in Death Sentences

The non-profit group Death Penalty Information Center published their 2012 report on December 18.  Florida had the most death sentences in the country for 2012 with 21 total.  California (14), Texas (9), and Pennsylvania (7), and Florida combined to serve 65% of the nation’s death sentences.  The projected nationwide total for 2012 will be 78, up from 76 in 2011. Florida executed three inmates in 2012:  Robert Waterhouse, David Allen Gore, and Manuel Pardo.  Florida currently houses 407 inmates on death row, second only to California with 724.  In 2000, lethal injection replaced the electric chair for Florida’s executions. As the use of the death penalty is at all time … Continue reading

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CRKT Otanashi Noh Ken and Sakimori Fighting Knives

I wrote about the Columbia River Knife and Tool Hissatsu in my last knife review.  Here are video press release for two new James Williams-designed Japanese fighters that will be debuted at the upcoming SHOT Show in January. Randall

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Holiday Suck

Two of my good friends, who formerly worked at my department, got into an OIS in a neighboring city. God Bless them and their families. Thankfully they prevailed… Randall

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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from us at ThinBlueFlorida. May you have a joyful holiday. If you are working, thank you for your service and be safe. Randall

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Transparent Ballistic Shields by AP&T International

At SWAT Round-Up’s vendor area, I spied a product with which I am very familiar—transparent shields!  I stopped at the booth and met with David Malouff, AP&T International’s Vice President for Sales and Marketing.  We have been using AP&T’s 11” X 16” Level IIIa handheld transparent shields on operations for over 12 years.  I told Malouff we were very happy with their attributes and performance. AP&T International is a corporation that specializes in ballistic protection through the use of their proprietary transparent material that is H.P. White Laboratory tested for ballistic integrity and compliance to current NIJ Level IIa through IV standards. The advantages to a transparent shield are obvious.  … Continue reading

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Thoughts from the Week…

I have some random observations from this week. The first is from dinner with a couple of the guys. The conversation was dominated by a discussion of hardening up our schools. All the officers at the dinner have young kids. After Sandy Hook, the dads are pretty focused on safety in the educational environment. This week, we received training at Read Off on changes to photo pack procedures that have been “mandated” by the State Attorney’s Office. Not well received by the officers. It seems the Innocence Project, who fathered the changes, had police misconduct and potential witness misidentification as prime motivators– and did I mention police misconduct? The new … Continue reading

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Another Vote for the Ruger LCP

I was minding my own business at my desk the other day, when I overheard one of our twenty-year veteran sergeants say this to an officer:  “I have lots of guns…Glocks, 1911’s…but off-duty I carry that little LCP. It fits in my pocket and I know that everywhere I go, I’m always armed.”  He went on to add that he carries it in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster. Another vote for the Ruger LCP goes out from one of our seasoned SWAT guys who also pocket carries.  His rides in an Uncle Mike’s product. Both of these guys are state-certified law enforcement firearms instructors and long time officers.  Say what … Continue reading

Posted in Firearms | Tagged | 2 Comments

UTAS UTS-15 Bullpup Shotgun Review

On SWAT training days, you see some strange weaponry brought out to the range.  This is an UTAS UTS-15 military and police combat shotgun.  It has a 15 round capacity of 2 3/4″ 12 gauge shotgun shells, feeding from two 7 round tubular magazines above the 20.5″ barrel.  Overall length of the gun is 28.3″ and its weight is a light 6.9 pounds. UTAS (pronounced YOO-tash) is a Turkish firearms company that prides itself on innovative design.  That is apparent in the UTS-15’s build.  UTS-15 is a pump-action, bullpup shotgun. The receiver is 100% fiber reinforced injection molded polymer.  In fact, 80% of the gun is polymer. Between photos one … Continue reading

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Emergency Medical Conditions and the Law Enforcement Response

We had two officers injured in a fight this week with a person refusing medical treatment at a local hospital.  The situation highlighted what can be a gray area for the police officer, which is the question of when to provide hands on assistance in the involuntary detainment of medical patients. In debriefing the troops, we found that there was confusion with some of the officers over an “incapacitated person” verses a Baker Act when it comes to dealing with uncooperative patients–either on the street or at a hospital facility. From the Department of Children and Families legal information of Emergency Medical Conditions: “Chapter 401.455, F.S. governs situations when an … Continue reading

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Shooting a Venture Ballistics Level III Shield

In a earlier article, I talked about visiting the Venture Ballistic Composites manufacturing facility.  I was given a few test shields by Venture President Todd Garrett.  He also “loaned” me a Level III shield from one of their upcoming projects.  He encouraged us to shoot it.  So we did. On the range, we fired two .308 Winchester Federal Match Grade 168 grain BTHP bullets and an American Eagle 5.56 X 45 FMJ at a Venture Ballistics Level III blank.  The distance was 25 yards.  The .308’s were fired by a Springfield Armory M14.  The 5.56 was shot from an Adams Arms AR-15.  The firing order was .308, 5.56, and .308.  … Continue reading

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Intrepid Networks “Sting” Police Technology

If there is one thing I have noticed that is lacking in our tactical operations and drug busts, it is a solid situational orientation to our ground assets in a fluid incident.  For example, when coordinating a buy-bust takedown you may have multiple units working within the scenario:  narcotics officers, confidential informants, SWAT members, uniformed patrol, heck, throw in a K9 team or two.  Each of these personnel has distinct function, but often no one knows exactly where the other one is in relation to the target. Intrepid Networks, with roots in Central Florida, has designed their Sting software platform as a way to increase law enforcement’s situational awareness and … Continue reading

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Sniper Tryouts Are Today!

SWAT is holding sniper tryouts today.  I’ve never attended a sniper tryout, so this was an eye-opener.  Ah, the human suffering.  We had three candidates who were scored on marksmanship, physical ability, intelligence gathering, communication, teamwork, and attitude.  Real life stress cannot be simulated, so physical exertion and problem solving substituted. A hundred yard slow sniper crawl with a broom for a long gun, berm runs with “boxes of pain” (cases of ammo), endless calisthenics, and a healthy dose of verbal berating made for much fun for the assessors and no fun for the candidates. It was a very full day.  All the candidates put forth tremendous efforts.  After witnessing … Continue reading

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Vendors Row at SRI

Half a day is not enough time to spend checking out the vendors at the SWAT Round-Up International.  I arrived at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office firearms range with two of my agency’s assistant team leaders.  Even during years we don’t attend, we try to make it over to the outdoor vendor row under the range roof.  In our line of work, it is important to stay abreast of new products and technologies–it can save lives.  The emphasis for this trip was to look at both vehicle and personal armor options and at replacement guns for the aging HK MP5’s in our arsenal. I’m always surprised at how close the … Continue reading

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SWAT Round-Up International This Week in Orlando

I’ll be heading over to Orlando tomorrow to check out the vendors at SWAT Round-Up International. We were not able to send a team over this year due to budget constraints–again. It is a shame, because the classes are valuable and the competition is a good exercise in team-building. I competed at SWAT Round-Up in the 1990’s and one last time in 2006. I felt it bettered my knowledge and skills each time. I’ll let you know if I see anything new and interesting… Randall

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