New Memorial To Fallen St. Petersburg Police Officers

Posted on October 14, 2012 by Randall

I had the honor of attending yesterday’s unveiling of the new memorial dedicated to fallen St. Petersburg police officers.  A few hundred citizens, law enforcement officers, and dignitaries stood in solemn tribute to the fifteen officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty protecting and serving the citizens of St. Petersburg since 1903.  The memorial proudly stands near the bay in Demens Landing, the waterfront park dedicated to city founder, Peter Demens.

A piper from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office began the proceedings with Amazing Grace.  Speakers included St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster, Councilwoman Leslie Curran, representatives of the non-profit Heroes of the St. Pete Police foundation, and architects for the project.

The St. Petersburg Police Honor Guard laid a wreath and were assisted in the proceedings by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard.  The names of the fallen officers were read by St. Pete Chief Chuck Harmon.  A police helicopter flyover, 21-gun salute, and Taps concluded the ceremony.

The granite monument features a silhouette of a St. Petersburg officer, which represents those who are now missing.  To the right and behind the granite slab is an aluminum monolith into which are cut the names of the fifteen officers.  The American Flag completes the freestanding elements.

Though I don’t feel that a man-made structure can truly represent the lives sacrificed and contributions made by these men, I was heartened by the public attendance and reverence Continue reading →

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AG’s Office Issues Brief on Concealed Firearms Carry

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Randall

Last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi filed an amicus brief with the Florida Supreme Court in the case of Anthony Mackey v. State of Florida.  The Supreme Court will consider the direct conflict between Mackey v. State (Fl 3rd DCA 2012) and Regalado v. State (Fl 4th DCA 2010), which relates to concealed firearms carry.  The AG asks the Supreme Court to uphold the decision by the Third District Court of Appeal of Florida in this matter.

The AG brief addresses the authority of a police officer to conduct an investigation of a person carrying a concealed firearm.  In short, on March 6, 2010, Miami Police Officer Alexander May observed Anthony Mackey leaning on an apartment complex fence with a piece of the handle of a handgun protruding from Mackey’s pocket.  Ofc. May approached Mackey and asked if he had anything on him.  Mackey said, “No.”  Ofc. May conducted a pat-down and found the firearm.  Mackey was arrested for carrying a concealed firearm and convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Mackey’s defense first contended the weapon was not concealed.  Failing that motion, they argued that Ofc. May did not know Mackey did not have a concealed weapons permit, thus the stop was invalid.  The defense argument relied on the Fourth District Court’s ruling in Regalado that “the firearm should be suppressed since it is legal to carry a concealed firearm in Florida, so long as you have a permit to do so, and the officer did not have reasonable suspicion unless he had reason to believe that the defendant did not have a permit.”

This assertion was rejected by the Third District Court, who sided with the case of State v. Navarro (Fl 3rd DCA 1984), which decided that a clothing bulge observed to be a firearm Continue reading →

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High Noon Holsters Side Effect Review

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Randall

High Noon Holsters is a West Central Florida maker of custom cowhide and horsehide gun holsters.  I saw the High Noon Holsters Side Effect hanging on a rack in the LGS.  I needed a good concealed carry holster for my Glock 27, so I sprung for it.

As a bit of background, about ten years ago I met High Noon’s owner Justin.  He was making his holsters out of the garage of his Florida home at that time.  He was a super nice guy who had worked for one of the larger holster companies.  Justin decided to go off on his own to produce holsters of his design and manufacture.  He stresses high quality and customer service.

My holster need was for a belt carry holster with a thumb strap.  The Side Effect is molded to the individual type of gun.  It has an open muzzle design with a tension screw at the trigger guard.  My Side Effect is in black unlined cowhide, though horsehide and lining are options.  Available finishes are in tan, black, and natural.

The Side Effect can be ordered in right or left handed and is intended for belt carry on the dominant side from 3 to 5 o’clock.  The single wide belt loop carries the gun at a 15 degree forward cant.  All the stitching I have seen on High Noon Holsters is even and heavy duty.

To retain the gun, a reinforced thumbsnap breaks open the very tight fitting leather hood.  The snap’s back is covered to prevent it from damaging the pistol’s slide. Continue reading →

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Police Technology. Meh.

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Randall

There have been many technological changes in the last quarter century that have made the copper’s job…different.  Not always better, but certainly not the same.

When I started out, our duty belts held a .38 cal. revolver (S&W M64), 2 HKS speedloaders, large Motorola MT500 portable radio, handcuffs, and rings for a full-length Monadnock PR-24 sidehandle baton and Mag-Lite.  My agency made the switch to Smith & Wesson 669 9mm semi-automatics pistols in 1987.

The firepower on a patrolman’s belt has definitely increased.  We got hi-cap magazines for the S&W autoloader that topped off at 15 rounds.  Forty-six rounds of 9mm sure beat 18 slow-to-reload wheelgun shots.  My issued handgun now has .40 cal. S&W bullets.  Some of our guys wear new triple mag pouches, bringing the deadly cartridge count to 49.

Several years after I was hired, we would get OC spray and collapsible PR-24’s.  Monadnock kept our business when we switched from the old PR-24’s to the newer Autolock batons.  I still miss my PR-24.

My agency had ECD’s back in the mid-1980’s.  Our SWAT Team originally fielded the Continue reading →

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Georgia K9 Dog Dies From Severe Neglect

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Randall

K9 Sasha

I am absolutely sickened by this story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about Warwick, GA Police K9 Sasha, who died of neglect in her Chevrolet Tahoe while her “handler” was on a three day vacation.

K9 Sasha, a 10 year old Dutch Shepherd, had been given to the Warwick PD by the Miami, FL Police Department about two years ago.  She was a trained narcotics detector dog with many finds both in Florida and in Georgia.

Click the link above if you want to read the details of her death.  I really do not feel like printing them here.

As a former Police K9 Handler, I had nothing but outrage in reading the story.  I sincerely hope that the horrific death of this animal did not come about as described.  I have had friends who lost their partners to faulty A/C and heat alarm units, but never something as criminally neglectful as forgetting a K9 dog in a car for three days.

The articles quotes the Warwick police chief’s report as saying, “(the ‘handler’) stated that Sasha must have let herself inside the vehicle over the weekend while he was out of town.”  Wha? Continue reading →

Posted in K9, Media | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Bushnell Marine 7X50 Binoculars for Law Enforcement Use

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Randall

Surveillance is a daily component of the job as a law enforcement officer.  A good pair of binoculars and the understanding of how they work are essential to the task.  Bushnell’s Marine 7X50 binoculars are outstanding in this arena.  Why?  That requires a little explanation.

Tech alert:  if you don’t want to learn about how binoculars work, too bad.

A binocular optic enhances our vision by magnifying the light that enters our eyes.  Binocular vision means having two eyes arranged for stereoscopic viewing, which gives us depth perception.

The magnification power of a binocular is the first number, say, 7 in 7X50.  These binoculars have a 7 power (7X) magnification and a 50 mm objective lens in the front.  The larger the objective lens, the more light it gathers.

Much of police surveillance occurs in low light or darkness conditions.  Traditionally, 7X50mm binoculars are referred to as “night glasses” because of the maximum amount of light they can provide at dawn or dusk.  This also works when the sun has gone down.

Simply speaking, the size of the “exit pupil” of a binocular determines how much light Continue reading →

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Broward Motor Deputy Killed in Crash

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Randall

Deputy Christopher Schaub

Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Schaub was killed yesterday in an on-duty motorcycle crash.  Dep. Schaub, a 22 year BSO veteran, was pronounced dead at Broward Health Medical Center after emergency surgery.

Dep. Schaub’s motorcycle collided with a silver Mercedes-Benz sedan at West McNab Road and North Andrews Avenue in Pompano Beach on Wednesday.  He was airlifted from the scene, but died of his injuries.  The driver of the Mercedes was treated for minor injuries.

Dep. Schaub was one of BSO’s fifty motorcycle officers.  He joined the Motorcycle Unit several years ago after long service as a detective.

Dep. Schaub is survived by a daughter and his son Deputy Timothy Schaub of the Broward Sheriff’s Office.  The crash is under investigation.  Funeral arrangements will be announced by BSO.

Randall

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Changes Proposed for Florida’s Photo Array and Live Lineup Procedures

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Randall

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Police Chief’s Association, Florida Sheriff’s Association, and the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association are issuing standardized guidelines for law enforcement agencies shaping how photographic and live lineups will be conducted in the future.

Originally proposed by the Florida Innocence Commission and used in the Eyewitness Reform Act (SB 1206 and HB 821), this legislation failed in both houses last year.  Though lobbying in Tallahassee against legislative mandates, the FDLE, FPCA, FSA, and FPAA have endorsed voluntary changes to photo and live lineup procedures.

Because the FPAA is “requiring” the voluntary changes in each judicial circuit, the implementation of these guidelines is a foregone conclusion.  Your police agency will be adopting them.

The Standards for Florida State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies in Dealing with Photographic or Live Lineups in Eyewitness Identification outlines the Florida Innocence Commission’s position on the matter.  Subsequent to this, the FDLE, FPCA, FSA, and FPAA issued their Commentary and Instructions to the above standards.

The general standards can be summed up here:

III. Standards for Florida State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies in Dealing with Photographic or Live Lineups in Eyewitness Identification

Each Florida state and local law enforcement agency shall have in place a written policy regarding photographic or live lineups to be utilized in eyewitness identification.  The policy shall address at a minimum the following:

A.    The creation, composition, and utilization of the photo array or lineup.
B.    Standard instructions to be used to instruct the witness Continue reading →

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BDS Tactical HydroBull Taurus Hydration Pack Review

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Randall

I got tired of seeing tags inside my nylon gear that said, “Made in Some-Asian-Country-istan.”  I have been trying to throw my hard earned treasury notes at more products Made in our United States of America.  When I sought out a new hydration pack, I typed “Made in USA” into the all-knowing search engine.

One of the top entries with which I was rewarded was BDS Tactical.  BDS makes high quality nylon gear in their production facility in Oceanside, CA.  The president and CEO of BDS Tactical is Michael Bornfriend, a USMC 1st Recon Bn and Baltimore PD veteran, who tired of failed tactical equipment.

BDS Tactical makes a rugged array of military, law enforcement, and civilian nylon gear that “is designed, manufactured, and assembled in the United States.”  Okay, that gets my attention!

My most recent purchasing requirements were for a lightweight, simple hydration pack for my exercise forays.  1.  It is very hot and humid in Florida.  2.  I go out into #1.   I am the second to admit I try to take too much stuff with me when I egress the primary residential portal.  I just wanted a stripped-down way to carry some water on long walks with my spouse (the first one to admit…).

Surfing the BDS website, I clicked on the Hydration tab and saw their HydroBull Taurus.  It is a low profile hydration backpack that holds a 100 oz. bladder.  The Taurus comes in 8 colors:  Coyote Brown, Multi Cam, Army Cam, Black, Ranger Green, OD Green, Foliage Green, and Air Force Cam.  The hydration bladder is included in the purchase and comes Continue reading →

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Evolution of the Police TASER

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Randall

There is no doubt that one of the most significant technological advances in law enforcement over the last twenty years has been the development and deployment of Electronic Control Devices (EDC’s) for less lethal suspect management.

The father of the modern EDC was the late Dr. John “Jack” Higson Cover, Jr., a nuclear physicist and NASA scientist.  He envisioned an electric weapon that could immobilize a person without the harm of a firearm.  In 1974, Cover patented an ECD named after the 1911 novel Tom Swift and his Electric Rifle—hence the name TASER.

Dr. Jack Cover

Cover’s original TASER Systems TF-1 was classified as an NFA Title II weapon by the BATF based on the case design and because the electrified wire-tethered darts were propelled by a gunpowder charge.  Further developments by Cover led to the TF-76 and TF-76A being classed as “handguns.”  Sales of the new technology were therefore less restrictive.

After TASER Systems went bankrupt, Cover sold its interests to an investor who marketed ECD’s under the name Tasertron beginning in the mid-1980’s.  Their flagship EDC was the TE-86.  Still gunpowder fired, the TE-86 was marginally effective.

At my agency, TE-86’s were fielded by SWAT members and supervisors. The triggering device on the Tasertron was a rocker switch.  Push right to fire the right side cartridge, push left for the other cartridge.  The problem was that you had to push to fire the darts, but hold down the rocker switch to continue the electrical charge to the probes.

I have one vivid recollection of a knife-wielding suspect being hit with a TE-86 in the late 1980’s.  The sergeant, though trained, was not proficient with the ECD’s use.  He pushed the right then the left rocker, but under stress he did not hold down either one.  The suspect jumped into the air, having only been briefly stunned and now wearing four darts.

Worse, the suspect had convulsed and grabbed the blade of the butcher knife he had been brandishing.  I won’t forget the mix of anger and shock on his face as he stood there Continue reading →

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DeSantis Mag-Packer Pocket Magazine Carrier Review

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Randall

Last night I went for a casual dinner with my wife.  I wear either jeans or slacks when we go out.  Not wanting to feel like I am equipped with a duty belt, I pocket carried my Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380.  Inexpensive, functional pocket holsters are available from makers such as Galco, Uncle Mike’s, and DeSantis.  But how to bring along more bullets…

DeSantis Holster and Leather Goods of Amityville, NY, makes the Mag-Packer carrier, which solves the reload dilemma when you are dressed to tactically relax (heh, heh, heh).

I was in the bad habit of dropping a spare magazine or revolver speed strip into my support side front pocket.  Not quite so bad, when compared to some of my associates who will leave the house without a reload.  Still, it’s not good.

While the gun and holster always ride alone in their pocket for safety’s sake, I may deposit car keys or spare change on the other side with my extra ammo. I want the magazine or speed strip oriented so I don’t have to fish for it. Continue reading →

Posted in Concealed Carry, Firearms, Off Duty | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

KA-BAR TDI Knife Review: Unsafe for Duty

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Randall

When I arrived at work yesterday, there was some buzz about a training incident between an FTO and a recruit that had occurred earlier in the day.  It seems that it was our new recruits’ first day in the blue uniform.  Some of them were assigned to Daywatch.  After roll call, they were examined by their training officers.

One of the FTO’s noticed a strange handle sticking out of the front of the recruit’s gun belt.  Yes, it was a KA-BAR TDI knife, ostensibly designed for an officer’s last ditch self defense.

The FTO had never actually handled a TDI, but he had heard of them.  To demonstrate the vulnerability of the knife, the FTO reached out just to tug on the handle of the TDI.  To his surprise, the blade came right out!  The recruit instinctively went to grab his knife and bang!  He got cut.  Oh, dear.

I purchased a KA-BAR TDI two years ago.  I threaded it into my underbelt and situated it in the recommended location, behind my gun belt’s double magazine pouch on my support side front.  Tactical Defense Institute said the knife could be mounted in either a forward or reverse grip for the support hand.  I have trained in a reverse grip.  In either position, I was immediately concerned with its lack of security.  It did not stay there the whole shift.  A fellow sergeant also had the same experience.

The problem is not with the knife itself.  The TDI positions the blade aggressively in the hand for cutting and punching with a straight wrist.  Its handle is relieved to lock the index finger and prevent one’s digits from sliding on to the blade.  With training, the TDI can be wielded with great martial lethality.

Continue reading →

Posted in Knives, Officer Safety | Tagged , , , | 33 Comments

9/11 Observance

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Randall

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I was nearly two hours into a Daywatch patrol shift when I decided to swing by a high school and visit with the School Resource Officer.  The school was in my sector and the SRO was by himself.  With more than 2000 students, I knew he needed some back-up on occasion.

As I entered his office, I saw him intently staring at the television and absently chewing a Twizzler.  He did not look up at me when I came in.  I sat down next to him and asked what was going on.  “Not sure,” he said.  It was about 8:50 am.  We began watching the terror attacks unfold.  At 9:03, we watched, stunned, as the second plane hit the World Trade Center.  The Pentagon was next around 9:37.

Within an hour of me entering that office, the United States of America had awoken to the power of terrorism.  The SRO got a call from the school’s administrative office.  Parents were panicking and coming to the campus.

We abandoned the horror on TV and went to the school’s courtyard and pick-up area.  Students were moving about the school.  Several stopped to ask if we had seen what was going on in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania.  “It’s fine, you’re all safe,” we delivered with a smile.  A stream of cars, mini-vans, and pick-ups began to clog the driveway.  Scared parents were arriving to get their kids.  The SRO and I attempted to calm them, too.

I work in west central Florida.  I look back and I am amazed at how the fear of terrorism crossed distance and communities without impediment.  President George W. Bush was in Sarasota that day, not far south of my city.  I think that may have heightened the Continue reading →

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Jupiter PD Officer Killed in Presidential Motorcade

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Randall

Ofc. St. Laurent, Jupiter PD

Jupiter Police Ofc. Bruce St. Laurent was killed yesterday while engaged in a police motorcade escorting President Obama.  Ofc. St. Laurent’s motorcycle was hit by a truck as the officer was shutting down I-95 at 45th Street in West Palm Beach.  The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol are investigating the crash.

Ofc. St. Laurent, 55, was a 20 year veteran of the Jupiter Police Department.  He was a motor officer for the last 18 years.  Ofc. St. Laurent had participated in several past presidential motorcades.

Funeral arrangements will be announced by the Jupiter Police Department.

Randall

 

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Crimson Trace Lasergrip LG-405’s For Your BUG Revolver

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Randall

Most cops are not gun guys or gals.  I know from talking to them.  I was showing my unloaded Smith & Wesson 442 Centennial Airweight back-up gun to a co-worker, when a few others happened into the office.

“How does it turn on? ”  “Is it accurate?”  “Are they expensive?”  I felt like I was showing them a Ray Gun from 1950’s science fiction.  “Careful, lads, it’ll blast a hole clean through that wall!”

I run Crimson Trace Lasergrips on my Smith & Wesson J-frame revolvers.  My choice is the LG-405, which has slightly shorted hind quarters when compared to the longer gripped LG-305.  The smaller butt on the 405 gives better concealment for my needs, on and off duty, but I still find plenty of grip in the hand.

The frame of the LG-405 is polymer.  It houses the laser diode, battery, and switch.  There are rubber overmolds on the front and back strap of the Lasergrip.  They add a tackiness to the handle.  I find the back-strap overmold is nicely flared out to provide extra cushioning Continue reading →

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