Category Archives: Media

Walmarts Burden Local Police Departments

Posted on May 14, 2016 by Randall

Are you “lucky” enough to have a Walmart in your jurisdiction? If so, then the following won’t surprise you much…but it might shock those who don’t work in law enforcement. Tampa Bay Times reporters did a bit of research and found out that Walmart stores are a heavy drain on police agencies and taxpayer dollars. The TBT found that in 2014 there were 16,794 calls for service among the 53 Walmarts in the greater Tampa Bay area, to include Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando counties. Fifteen police agencies were asked for data. TBT researchers excluded traffic crashes, medical calls, directed patrols, business checks, and other calls not directly associated with … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Street | Leave a comment

Tampa Police Releases Body Cam Videos

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Randall

The Tampa Police Department produced this short video of incidents from their recent body camera pilot program.  The video shows a bit of what we experience out on the street. Thank you, TPD. Randall

Posted in Legal, Media, Taser | 1 Comment

Gun Control Sells More Guns

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Randall

This is an interesting graphic from the New York Times charting gun sales for the last fifteen years.  The tallies come from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.  The NYT article posits that firearms sales increase sharply after talk of gun control, as happened in December. I think these numbers show how serious Americans are about exercising and maintaining their Second Amendment rights.  In 2014, handgun sales exceeded long gun sales for the first time in the U.S.  To me, this is indicative of people purchasing personal self-defense firearms rather than sporting arms.  The trends speak to our citizens’ waning sense of safety and security. Gun sales spiked in … Continue reading →

Posted in Concealed Carry, Firearms, Media, Misc., Politics | Leave a comment

Uprising in The Villages!

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Randall

About sixty retired police officers in The Villages turned out at their Rialto Theater this morning to protest the opening of Quentin Tarantino’s new film.  You may remember Tarantino infuriated cops with his statements at a Black Lives Matter rally in New York City last October. Said the film director, “When I see murders, I do not stand by. I have to call a murder a murder, and I have to call the murderers the murderers.”  The NYPD Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association urged people to boycott Tarantino movies.  I do not stand by. Well, thanks Q for being there and putting your life on the line for all of us. Protesting … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Politics | Leave a comment

Gun Violence Remains in Decline

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Randall

The story here, for me, is the Centers for Disease Control publishing data showing current gun deaths at rates lower than the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.  The Mainstream Media would have you believe we are suffering through the worst gun violence in American history.  In fact, the Washington Post Blog’s headline for the above graphic was, “Guns are now killing as many people as cars in the U.S.”  Wholly suggestive. The Pew Research Center published their own graphics based upon the same CDC information.  Although Pew used slightly different measures, the trend was consistent.  Gun violence fell in the 1990s and has remained steady at pre-1970

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Chicago PD Murder Charges

Posted on November 27, 2015 by Randall

I have watched Chicago PD’s officer-involved shooting video from October 2014.  A few things come to mind about the totality of the circumstances.  Officers are responding to a commercial burglary call where a suspect was detained by a citizen, but is now on foot in the urban area.  The suspect is armed with a knife.  He is now evading police on the street. The suspect sprinted through a fast food restaurant parking lot, stabbed the front tire of a police car, and damaged the windshield of another.  If you forward to 4:53 in the video time (not the PD time stamp), you get to the perspective of a cruiser entering … Continue reading →

Posted in Knives, Legal, Media, Misc., Officer Safety, SWAT, Tactics | 4 Comments

Florida Open Carry Bills in the Legislature

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Randall

Imagine you are working road patrol in your uniform and marked squad car at the scene of an urban disturbance when you see a man walking up behind you on a crowded sidewalk.  As he moves closer, you see he has a 9mm handgun in plain view, tucked into his waistband over his shirt.  You make eye contact, but, despite your unease, you cannot stop and ask him about the pistol because that would be against the law.  Does this make sense? Under 2015 Senate Bill 300, and its companion, House Bill 163, open carry of firearms would be legal in Florida if the person possesses a state-issued concealed carry … Continue reading →

Posted in Concealed Carry, Firearms, Legal, Media, Officer Safety | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

News Misinterprets Suspect, Streetwise Readers Split Sides

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Randall

I almost tumbled off my sectional when I read this journalistic misfire on a television station’s news website.  Apparently, something has gone horribly wrong in the Mainstream Media. Cooper then ran from the scene to a nearby church, where the pastor found him hiding in a bathroom, deputies said. Cooper was taken into custody without further incident. Deputies said Cooper, who smelled of alcohol and marijuana, asked who was chasing him and said “you slow as [expletive].” Cooper then said he wasn’t driving the car, according to the report. “My dog was driving that car,” he reportedly said. “I ran ‘cause I wanted to. You ain’t gonna find no drugs … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Media | Leave a comment

Blue Lives Matter Billboards

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Randall

Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s Lamar Advertising Company has donated 302 digital billboards with a Blue Lives Matter graphic and #thankublu Instagram link to promote support for law enforcement.  Conceived by Memphis branding agency Tactical Magic, the billboards first appeared in that city, but Lamar has expanded their exposure nationwide. Tactical Magic creative director Trace Hallowell said a citizen approached him about honoring those who serve in local law enforcement.  The original Tactical Magic billboards, which went up in June showed support for the Memphis PD.

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Murders Spike in Baltimore–Cause and Effect?

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Randall

The number of murders in Baltimore during the month of May skyrocketed following the indictments of six police officers in the death of Freddie Gray.  Baltimore had 42 homicides in May 2015.  Of cities with comparable populations, Baltimore’s homicides top those of Boston, Denver, Las Vegas, Louisville, and Nashville–combined!  It is also eight more than in New York City, which has more than ten times the number of residents. Since the indictments, arrests in Baltimore have dropped by 56% from the number of arrests in

Posted in Media, Politics | 1 Comment

Miami Beach PD Cracks Down on Messaging

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Randall

Following 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 … Continue reading →

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

Dershowitz on Baltimore–Not What You’d Think

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Randall

The 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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Politics | 3 Comments

Swab-its Creates News Website

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Randall

Super 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 & … Continue reading →

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

Police and Modern Communication

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Randall

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Misc. | 2 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: … Continue reading →

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