Author Archives: Randall

R.A.T.S. Tourniquet

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Randall

The Rapid Application Tourniquet System (R.A.T.S.) is another style of extremity hemorrhage control marketed to soldiers and police officers.  It consists of a 1/2″ flat bungee cord and aluminum cleat.  The instructions below are pretty self explanatory.

Posted in Medical, Officer Safety, Street | 1 Comment

RF Safe-Stop System to End Vehicle Pursuits?

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Randall

e2v technologies is a British company which is diversified into the defense, space, medical, industrial, civil aeronautics, and security industries.  They have a multitude of products that revolve around hi-reliability semi-conductors, lasers, radars, and the like.  In their security and rescue division is the RF Safe-Stop System. The system uses a proprietary radio frequency emission to “confuse” the electronics of a car or ship thus bringing it to a halt.  e2v says they have tested the RF Safe-Stop in low speed applications.  Further testing is in the works.  A prototype RF Safe-Stop is shown below  in the bed of a pickup.

Posted in Technology | Leave a comment

Absurd Police Foot Pursuits

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Randall

Lowa Boots, LLC, the German footwear maker, has a new line of tactical boots for the service professional.  The promotional video is a dramatized police foot pursuit.  I do not remember using parkour in any chase I was ever in. I do remember being in an absurd foot pursuit when I was a rookie on Midnight Shift.  It was like the chase scene from the movie Raising Arizona with dogs and houses and slo-mo’s of weird things passing by in the periphery.  We interrupted a residential burglar and he took off between the houses. Young and spry, I accelerated into the darkness to catch him.  It was not the nicest … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Street | Leave a comment

L.A.P.D. Approves Shellback Plate Carrier

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Randall

Shellback Tactical has announced that its Made in USA AGGRESSOR plate carrier in black has been approved for duty use by the Los Angeles Police Department.  The MSRP for the AGGRESSOR is $179.99.  The pouches and mags not included. Randall   NOW – L.A.P.D. (Los Angeles Police Department) Approved The AGGRESSOR Plate Carrier is integrated with several features. The AGGRESSOR Carrier challenges the status quo in Law Enforcement plate carriers. This carrier was designed from the ground up with the patrol officer or tactical operator in mind. Ideal to be worn as an outer plate carrier/ tactical vest with rifle hard armor plates. The carrier has integrated front and back … Continue reading →

Posted in Protective Armor | Tagged | Leave a comment

Florida Trooper Killed in Crash

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Randall

Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Chelsea Richard lost her life in the line of duty today when she was struck by a driver on I-75 in Marion County. While investigating a crash, a second multiple vehicle crash occurred and a pickup truck swerved into the trooper, a tow truck driver, and a bystander.  Trooper Richard and the tow truck driver were killed at the scene.  The third injured person was transported to the hospital in critical condition, where he later died. Trooper Richard, 30, was a nine year FHP veteran.  She is survived by her four year old son.  The crash is under investigation.  Services for the fallen trooper will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Officer Down | 1 Comment

Exoskel Climbers and Shin Guards

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Randall

Exoskel Group is a Made in the USA company producing a special shin guard that doubles as a stability and climbing aid.  The teeth, buckles, and stirrup design are tested to hold up to 1,000 pounds of weight.  Exoskel lists the following product advantages to a military or police operator: RAPIDLY ASCEND urban obstacles STABILIZER : firing / brace position on uneven ground Shin PROTECTOR Close Quarter BATTLE TOOL Perpetrator RESTRAINT Injury PREVENTION

Posted in SWAT | Leave a comment

U. S. Supreme Court Addresses Anonymous Tips

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Randall

This week, the United States Supreme Court decided upon the validity of an anonymous tip precipitating a vehicle stop.  Prado Navarette v. California was a 2008 case which involved an anonymous tipster calling in a 911 complaint to the California Highway Patrol of a pickup truck that had run her off of the road.  CHP officers pulled over a truck matching the vehicle’s description and subsequently arrested the occupants for possessing 30 pounds of marijuana in the truck’s bed. In a 5-4 decision, the majority opinion concluded that an anonymous tip can constitute reasonable suspicion for police to effect an investigative traffic stop under the Fourth Amendment.  Citing United States … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal, Street | Tagged | Leave a comment

Florida is First in Bitcoin Money Laundering Arrests

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Randall

The Miami-Dade State Attorney is the first local prosecutor’s office in the United States to charge suspects with money laundering related to the transfer of Bitcoins for illicit purposes.  Mitchell Abner Espinoz and Pascal Reid were arrested for providing unlicensed money services (FSS 560.125) and for violating Florida’s Money Laundering Act (FSS 896.101). For the uninitiated, Bitcoins are virtual currency used for online trading of goods and services.  The trading is done peer-to-peer and can be anonymous.  It is the anonymity and lack of government oversight that have made Bitcoin popular for drug dealers and money launderers.  A Bitcoin tutorial video is posted below. Espinoza was a trader of Bitcoins … Continue reading →

Posted in Detectives, Legal | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Future of Police Narcotics Dogs and Marijuana

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Randall

Supporters of legalized medical marijuana will have their opportunity in November to let the voters decide on whether medical marijuana will be available to patients.  The controversial ballot initiative was approved by the Florida Supreme Court.  Four legislative bills have been introduced which deal with defining, authorizing, and regulating medicinal cannabis and its infrastructure.  How will all of this affect law enforcement?  Not much…for now. Most recently, though, in Colorado and Washington State, decriminalization of recreational marijuana has changed the way police narcotics detector dogs go about their business.  The obvious issue is whether a narcotics dog’s alert still constitutes probable cause to perform a warrantless search of a vehicle … Continue reading →

Posted in K9, Legal | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

New Diamondback Firearms DB FS Nine Pistol

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Randall

Back at the 2012 SHOT Show, I got to interview Diamondback Firearms founder and CEO Brad Thomas.  I had been examining a prototype for the DB RTS tactical shotgun (that was eventually displaced in their line-up by the DB15 AR-15-style rifle).  During our conversation, Mr. Thomas told me about their plans to develop a full-sized pistol.  We are finally getting a look at it. The new DB pistol is a striker-fired 15+1 handgun chambered in 9mm.  In dimensions, it is roughly equivalent to a Glock 17 pistol.  DB FS Nine’s take down levers and its trigger safety are visually similar to the Austrian maker’s gun.  From Diamondback’s website: “This new … Continue reading →

Posted in Firearms, Off Duty | Tagged | 3 Comments

Windermere Police Officer Killed in the Line of Duty

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Randall

Windermere Police Officer Robert German was murdered at 4 a.m. today while on a suspicious persons stop.  He was apparently shot to death by two subjects he had stopped walking on Conroy-Windermere Road and Horizon Circle in Orange County. After Ofc. German radioed for assistance, several Orange County deputies, an Orlando officer, and an Ocoee officer found Ofc. German wounded at the scene.  Deputies and officers heard more shots fired in the area and they used a police car as cover while they moved Ofc. German to waiting OCFRD paramedics.  Ofc. German was pronounced dead at Orlando Regional Medical Center. A male suspect and female suspect ran about a block … Continue reading →

Posted in Officer Down | Leave a comment

New KA-BAR TDI Hinderance and Hell Fire Knives

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Randall

I feel kind of vindicated.  I wrote an article about the original KA-BAR TDI Law Enforcement Knife a while back that essentially said, “Like the knife, hate the sheath.”  And I got hammered for it on a few forums.  To be fair, my article was titled, “KA-BAR TDI Knife Review: Unsafe for Duty,” so I guess I started it. But that is in the past since the updated knives have a hard plastic sheath with a sliding thumb lock to keep the blade under your control.  Well, KA-BAR has finally addressed what I thought was the shortcoming and officer safety issue. In the avalanche of booths at SHOT Show 2014, … Continue reading →

Posted in Knives, Officer Safety | Tagged , | 7 Comments

TASER-proof Clothing Project

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Randall

Hackaday.com has webbed up a “TASER-proof” clothing project.  The suggested mod is to use carbon-fiber strips in garments to make them “100% taserproof.”  By inserting iron-on CF tape strips between layers of cloth, the space-aged material will allegedly conduct electrical energy from a TASER or stun gun away from the clothing’s wearer and into the  CF strips to be dispersed without result.  Skin penetration by the probes is supposedly rendered ineffective as well. Gee, it is too bad that modern law enforcement officers do not train to transition to other less lethal options when their CEW’s are ineffective.  Oh, wait a minute…  We do!  This geek-inspired Hackaday Internet invention is … Continue reading →

Posted in Officer Safety, Tactics, Taser, Technology | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Smart Gun Technology Skirts Common Sense and Second Amendment Rights

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Randall

Armatix GmbH of Germany is selling a new .22 cal. handgun that is slaved to a radio frequency identification (RFID) wristwatch.  The pairing makes the gun active when the watch is within ten inches of the firearm and deactivates the gun when the watch does not have the proper PIN entered or is more than ten inches away from the pistol.  I am skeptical on several fronts. Other than having to shell out nearly $2,000.00 for the Armatix Smart System ($1,399-gun,$399-watch, add taxes), I can think of a number of defensive scenarios in which this “smart” alternative would be ill-advised stupid.  I am addressing the shortcomings of this product from … Continue reading →

Posted in Firearms, Politics | 2 Comments

ELSA Mobile Language Translation

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Randall

ELSA is a mobile language translation system designed for first responders, government agencies, health care, and financial services among the end users.  Live translators interact with the user and client.  This service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  My department recently received two test and evaluation devices from RTT Mobile Interpretation, the developer. An ELSA device is a simple black box that is made to be clipped to the belt of the user.  With the push of a button, live translators are available over a wireless network to assist with translating a mind boggling 180 different languages and dialects.  Four small microphones on the top of … Continue reading →

Posted in Street, Technology | 3 Comments