Monthly Archives: October 2013

Drug Deaths Decline in Florida

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Randall

In September, the Florida Medical Examiners and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement disseminated the Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons Report for 2012.  The report identified 8,330 drug-caused and/or drug-related deaths in the 178,000 Floridians who died in 2012, as reported to the Office of Vital Statistics. The report cited 17.7% fewer drug-caused deaths in 2012 verses 2011, a decrease of 2,090 persons.  Drug-related deaths, where at least one legal or illegal drug was present in the decedent’s body but was not necessarily the cause of death, dropped 9.9% to 4,944.  Oxycodone killed 41.1% fewer Floridians in 2012.  Deaths attributed to alprazolam, diazepam, hydrocodone, and methadone decreased as well. Said … Continue reading →

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In the SWAT Van

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Randall

The guys were loading up the van for a full blown SWAT call a few weeks ago. I was still a street supervisor and working the evening shift.  Thinking I might be of some use, I hovered around the equipment room to help.  As we collected gas, less lethal, long guns, tools, and the rest of the gear, I told each one of them to “Be careful,” or “Watch your buddies.”  Just before the van was pulling out, I waved and told the last pair aboard, “Have fun stormin’ the castle!” Something special to me about serving on SWAT was the camaraderie and shared experiences that unfolded under serious pressure.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, SWAT | 2 Comments

St. Petersburg Police to Test StarChase Pursuit System

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Randall

About a year and a half ago, I wrote an article about the StarChase Pursuit Management System.  StarChase fires a GPS loaded projectile at a fleeing vehicle.  Once the projectile is attached, it allows the police to back off the pursuit and electronically follow the vehicle in hopes of a less volatile ending. Assistant Chief Melanie Bevans has said that the St. Petersburg Police will be trying out the StarChase technology because, “This is something that we have found that we think will make (pursuits) just a little less dangerous.”  Police chases resulted in 17 crashes in 2012 for the St. Petersburg Police.  St. Pete will be the first police … Continue reading →

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Tampa Police Department’s Fallen Officers Memorial

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Randall

I was in downtown Tampa over the weekend and I just had to stop at the Tampa Police Department’s Fallen Officers Memorial in front of One Police Center at 411 N. Franklin Street.  I took a few quick photographs. I am always humbled by the sacrifices made by our law enforcement officers.  I know a memorial is just a dedicated place, but I am proud that the memorial lives on in our hearts and remembrance.  I have a special feeling for this memorial and the one in St. Petersburg because I knew some of the men whose names are engraved on each plaque. There are a total of 31 names … Continue reading →

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Zebra F-701 Pen Review

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Randall

Since moving to a plainclothes job, I started to re-examine my daily load out.  Seems it no longer qualifies as such.  The utility of a duty belt and cargo pockets has given way to the functionally spartan nature of dress shirts and slacks.  In both Patrol and CID, a writing instrument is required.  I decided I needed something less than a full blown “tactical pen,” but more than a plastic clicky pen.  Thus, I bought a Zebra F-701. An Internet darling, the Zebra F-701 is a stainless steel barreled retractable ballpoint pen with a 0.7mm fine writing tip.  The pen’s overall length is 5 3/8″ and its weight is 1.1 … Continue reading →

Posted in Detectives, Misc., Officer Safety, Street | Tagged , | 2 Comments

K9 Hijinx

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Randall

Okay, M@ reminded me of a story.  Back when I was in K9, when things were “in black and white” as a snarky friend once observed, a handler from a nearby agency told me about something that happened to him one night. It seems that at this particular department, they found a novel use for the K9 teams.  During narcotic buys-busts, a handler and dog would be hidden in the trunk of the undercover car.  When the narc dicks up front had completed a drug deal, they would give a short honk on the horn and, Surprise!, the K9 team would pop out to apprehend any runners.  Sounds fun, right? … Continue reading →

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