Two Hialeah K9 Dogs Die in Vehicle

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Randall
Hialeah K9 Dogs

Hialeah Police K9’s Jimmy and Hector

This one really hurts.  A Hialeah Police K9 handler ended his shift Wednesday morning (after an OT search for a missing person), went into his Davie house, and left his two K9 partners in the vehicle.  By evening, both dogs had expired.  The officer was a seven-year handler and 13-year cop.  He was given both a Belgian Malinois and a bloodhound because he was a proficient handler.  How could this happen?

Apparently, when the handler went into his house, he turned off the engine of his assigned Ford SUV.  With the vehicle not running, his heat alarm supposedly went inactive.  I do not understand a system designed like this because every one I have had in my K9 cruisers still functioned with the engine off.  It is a back-up in case the engine stalls for a mechanical reason and the a/c goes out.

Most modern heat alarm systems trip at a pre-set high temperature, firing up the lightbar or an audible horn, dropping the rear windows, and activating a fan.  Some have pager options and door poppers, while others have a manual shut down routine that prompts Continue reading →

Posted in K9 | Tagged | 6 Comments

New Mil-Spec Monkey Boss Beaver Pack

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Randall

Mil-Spec Monkey had requests for a larger backpack following the popularity of his mid-sized MSM Adapt Pack.  The new Boss Beaver Pack combines a substantial main pack with an adjustable “beaver tail” pouch that can hold much larger, bulkier items.  The Monkey himself gives us a tour in the video.

There are times when I have had to lug my Kevlar pot along with other pieces of equipment in a backpack.  The Boss Beaver would have gotten that task done, then later converted back to a more reasonable EDC-style bag.  Much versatility was incorporated into this design, what with its ability to stow larger objets de guerre. Continue reading →

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Memorial Day

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Randall

American-Flag-2048x1536-iPad-wallpaper_1It is Memorial Day.  My wife and I gave thanks at dinner tonight for all the servicemen and women who have given their lives for our freedom.  We hope we are honoring them with the way in which we live each day.  “Thank you” cannot not adequately convey our gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice.

Randall

Posted in Misc. | Leave a comment

Tourniquets for Police Patrol

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Randall
Tourniquets for Police Patrol

Author’s SOF-TT, SWAT-T, and C-A-T tourniquets.

There was an officer-involved shooting in the City of St. Petersburg last week.  In the exchange of gunfire, an officer was hit in the leg by a bullet from the suspect’s pistol.  Unfortunately, the officer’s Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T®) was in his cruiser.  He attempted to fashion a field-expedient tourniquet from a garden hose to help staunch the flow of blood.  I am glad to report that he survived.  The suspect did not.

This shooting caused SPPD to examine their issuance of the C-A-T tourniquet.  Some officers complained that the C-A-T is difficult to carry on a crowded gun belt.  SPPD Chief Tony Holloway, in turn, approved the purchase of the SWAT-Tourniquet, or SWAT-T, which is essentially a flat elastic band that folds into a very small package.  In St. Pete’s case, the SWAT-T’s will supplement the C-A-T’s that the officers are issued.

Currently, I have a C-A-T, a SWAT-T, and a third type, the SOF® Tactical Tourniquet.  The SOF@TT is a windlass style of tourniquet, which Continue reading →

Posted in Medical, Officer Down, Officer Safety, Street | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Omaha PD LODD

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Randall
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Ofc. Kerrie Orozco

It was very, very sad to read that an Omaha, Neb. Police Department gang unit officer was shot to death today by a wanted fugitive.  Sadder still was that she was to start maternity leave tomorrow, as her daughter, born February 17, was due to come home from the N.I.C.U.  It is an unbelievably sorrowful situation.

Ofc. Kerrie Orozco, 29, had been with OPD for seven and a half years, three of which she was assigned to the gang unit.  The unit was serving an arrest warrant at about 1300 hrs. today when the armed suspect engaged the officers.  Both Ofc. Orozco and the suspect died from gunshot wounds.

Ofc. Orozco is survived by her husband, daughter, and two step-daughters.  OPD will announce funeral arrangements.  Prayers to Ofc. Orozco’s family and to OPD friends.

This tragic incident really captures modern day law enforcement’s sense of family and diversity as the personnel behind the badge have become more representative of all genders, races, and belief systems.  Is it any wonder we feel even more protective of each other as we try to survive our shifts?

by Randall

photo:  Omaha PD

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Miami Beach PD Cracks Down on Messaging

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Randall

imageFollowing a scandal involving 16 sworn officers over racist and sexist emails sent on city accounts, the Miami Beach Police Department has issued new policy requiring the recipients of any inappropriate emails, text messages, or social media postings to immediately report the communications to Internal Affairs.

Although a policy had been in place punishing the senders who distribute such banned content, the new directive is aimed at receivers who do not comply and notify IA.  The scale of the original violations of policy and professional conduct apparently resulted in the zero tolerance stance.

Former Maj. Angel Vazquez and former Capt. Alex Carulo were responsible for sending over 200 inflammatory emails to 14 other officers from 2010 to 2012.  Vazquez retired and Carulo was fired during multiple investigations.  Any of the other officers who forwarded Continue reading →

Posted in Legal, Media, Misc., Politics | Tagged | 1 Comment

Off Duty First Aid Necessities

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Randall

imageI was out on a hiking trail in California earlier in the day.  Yes, I am on vacation.  It occurred to me that there was something noticeably different about my fellow hikers and me.  Could it have to do with the large backpack that was absent on all but myself?  I had about six more miles to ponder this.

As law enforcement officers, we are trained in first responder medicine, which nowadays means we also learn about tactical combat casualty care or TCCC. When I was preparing for this trip of day-long hikes, I included medical gear.  Not just for myself and my spouse, but in the event we ran across anyone else who might need assistance out where there are unpaved trails and no cell coverage.

My department ran our annual in-service training last month.  It included several hours of practical TCCC. We had to put on tourniquets, Israeli bandages, and chest seals during both classroom and practical scenarios, among other things.  The training was instructed by one of our officers, who is a U.S. Army medic.  I thought it was a great learning experience.

So as I loaded for the vacation, I packed much in the way of self-rescue gear.  This included a nylon pouch with CAT tourniquet, Quik Clot combat gauze, dressings, bandages, a two-person first aid kit with small essentials, a flashlight, firestarter, whistle, lensatic compass, multitool, a few knives, an emergency poncho, and about thirty yards of 550 Continue reading →

Posted in Knives, Medical, Off Duty, Tactical Bags | 4 Comments

Elzetta Explains Flashlight Candela Vs. Lumens

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Randall

Elzetta Tactical Lighting’s Dave Barnett explains light measurement by candela in this video.  He contrasts that with the measurement of lumens, which is another term you will see when buying a tactical flashlight.  A little knowledge is power.

Dave is a solid guy and I have spoken to him many times at SHOT Show.  Their products have thoughtful design features.  We drove nails into a 2X4 with one of their Bravo models the first year I was at SHOT.  The flashlight still threw a perfect beam afterward and we were not the only ones to have beaten that particular sample! Continue reading →

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Dershowitz on Baltimore–Not What You’d Think

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Randall

Baltimore RioterThe following analysis of the Baltimore police arrests was made by liberal Harvard Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz on Newsmax TV shortly after Baltimore State Attorney Marylin Mosby made her announcement to charge the six officers with murder in Freddie Gray’s death.

“I understand why the Mayor and State Attorney want to prevent riots, but that’s not the job of the justice system. You cannot allow police officers or any other defendants to become scapegoats for crowds demanding a continuation of rioting.

“There’s no plausible, hypothetical, conceivable case for murder under the facts that we now know them. You might say that conceivably there’s a case for manslaughter. Nobody wanted this guy to die, nobody set out to kill him, and nobody intentionally murdered him.

Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Politics | 3 Comments

Adaptive Tactical’s NON-LITE Trainer Flashlight

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Randall

imageAdaptive Tactical has forty years of experience in firearms accessory design and polymer engineering.  They have lines of box and rotary magazines for Mossberg shotguns, Ruger 10/22 barrels and stocks, and M4-style furniture for Mossberg and Remington shotguns.  Another product from Adaptive Tactical is their NON-LITE training aid.

The NON-LITE is, shall we say, reminiscent of the Streamlight TRL weapon-mounted flashlight, but in solid polymer with no innards.  It protects your flashlight by acting as its stand-in during training evolutions so you don’t ding up the real deal.  Adaptive Tactical describes it this way: Continue reading →

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Swab-its Creates News Website

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Randall

Swab-its-News-LogoSuper Brush LLC manufactures the Swab-its® brand foam products, which are superior, lint-free swabs and applicators specifically tailored for precision gun cleaning.  I wrote about them here.  Swab-its now has its own website devoted to firearms articles, gun safety, shooting tips, and other useful information at www.swabitsnews.com.

Among the engaging articles in the inaugural edition are “Carry Concealed Tips” by gunwriter Jorge Amselle, “Succeeding with the Fundamentals” by shooting instructors Michelle and Chris Cerino, “Knife Sharpening” by outdoorsman Tom Claycomb III, and “To Magnify or Not to Magnify” by writer Sal Palma.

Mosey on over and check it out.  You might find an article about the history of Smith & Wesson Centennial Airweight Revolvers penned up by a writer familiar around here.

Swab-its LogoSuper Brush and Swab-its wanted to give something back to the shooting and outdoors communities that have supported their Made in the USA businesses.  There will be new articles every few weeks on the new site.  Enjoy!

Randall

Posted in Firearms, Knives, Media, Misc. | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Police and Modern Communication

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Randall

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Aaron over at BlueSheepdog.com just wrote about the changing perception of police officers in the last half century.  It is a nice read and made me think about how law enforcement influences its own public image.  Of late, it seems as if the mainstream media has focused on current uses of force and devoted much less airtime to the good work cops do every minute of every day in our communities.

In recent years, law enforcement agencies have gravitated to other strategies for positive public outreach.  Take the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, for example.  They employ five public information officers, two of whom focus specifically on their department’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.  Facebook and Twitter reach today’s younger mobile audiences.

At my department, a lieutenant draws the duty of administrating our Facebook page.  In CID, I have been tasked with having photos and copy available from my detectives’ significant activities and special details specifically for posting on the page.

In addition to Facebook and Twitter, Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Misc. | 2 Comments

NOPTIC Thermal Imaging System

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Randall

…and another thing!–I am jealous of the FLIR system on the orbiting police helicopter above!  It would be cool if I had a thermal imager in my cruiser to pick out bad guys hiding in the darkness like those rotorheads up in the chopper.  Well, someone has come up with just this idea.

I had not seen the NOPTIC, nighttime optical thermal imaging camera, until recently.  The NOPTIC camera mounts on the A-pillar spotlight of a police car and sends infrared imaging back to the in-car computer screen so the officer can see at night without the compromises of a visible light beam.

Using a passive IR camera, the NOPTIC unit allows an officer to stealthily locate suspects at an officer safety advantage.  As you can see from the videos, you find them before they even know they are under observation. Continue reading →

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QALO Thin Blue Line Ring Series

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Randall

QaloQALO Rings, about which I have previously written, has a new line of wedding rings that honor police officers and firefighters.  The Thin Blue Line and Thin Red Line rings allow you to show commitment to your profession while protecting the hands that hold your spouses tight.  Yes, they make them for both men and women.

QALO, pronounced Kay-Lo, will donate 20% of the proceeds from the sales of these rings to care for the families of fallen officers through the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.  A similar fund will distribute the 20% to families of fallen firefighters through the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and Firefighter Wife.  Says QALO:

“QALO’s new Thin Line collection offers law enforcement officers and firefighters the ability to casually show their support to their professional communities while safely wearing their wedding rings. The Thin Blue Line and Thin Red Line rings are constructed with the same high quality medical grade silicone as all of the other QALO rings. It provides a safe, functional alternative to the traditional metal wedding bands because of its pliability. The rings are predominately black in color with a thin blue or red line running around the center of it.

Continue reading →

Posted in Misc., Officer Safety, Street | Tagged | 5 Comments

Graphic Dash Video Shows Cruiser Hit Active Shooter

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Randall

On February 19, 2015, a wanted felon in Marana, Ariz. stole a rifle from a Walmart and strode down the street firing bullets.  Officer Michael Rapiejko saw an opportunity to end the incident before the suspect made it to commercial businesses and a busy roadway. This video is graphic, but illustrates the split-second decisions officers have to make while on the job.

Ofc. Rapiejko was praised for his decisive action by Marana Chief Terry Rozema, who credited the officer with saving citizens and the suspect’s life.  This felon spent only two days in the hospital before his transfer to jail.  He was wanted in connection with three incidents in Tucson:  a robbery, a burglary/arson, and a home invasion/auto theft.

Just this morning, a couple of detectives and I were talking about two instances here in Florida where officers we know were forced to strike suspects with their police cars during deadly force encounters.  Later today, this popped up after the video was released by MPD. Weird, sobering coincidence.

Randall

Posted in Media, Officer Safety | Leave a comment