Monthly Archives: February 2014

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

Sticky Holsters for Concealed Carry

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Randall

Mike Christoff started Naples, FL-based Sticky Holsters based upon his 25 years of experience as a police officer in Michigan and in Florida.  Sticky Holsters use a proprietary material as the outer shell of the holster.  I would not characterize it as “sticky” so much as it is “real grabby,” but that would not make for a good company moniker. Sticky Holsters makes 17 different sizes of its signature holster, so finding a fit for your handgun should not be a problem.  The range of sizes travels from the tiny Beretta Bobcat to the FN 5.7.  These are not only meant as pocket holsters (and you would have to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Concealed Carry, Firearms, Florida Companies | Tagged , | 5 Comments

FHP Trooper Files Lawsuit for Misuse of DAVID

Posted on February 15, 2014 by Randall

How many times does this have to be repeated to us?  DAVID is for official use only.  Period.  Period, period.  The latest shenanigans that involve the inappropriate access of Florida’s Driver and Vehicle Information Database is articulated in a lawsuit filed by Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Donna Jane Watts.  Watts is suing 88 law enforcement officers, and the 25 police agencies where they are employed, for a breach of the Federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994. Following Trooper Watts’ 2011 high speed pursuit of Miami Officer Fausto Lopez, in which Watts ordered Lopez out of his marked police car at gunpoint and arrested him for reckless driving, Watts said … Continue reading →

Posted in Misc., Technology | Tagged | 1 Comment

FBI Publishes Report on Active Shooter Events–2000-2012

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Randall

Last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation published the findings of a study of Active Shooter Events (ASE’s) that occurred from 2000 to 2012.  One thing is clear from the data, and you can probably guess what it is.  Active shootings, injuries, and deaths have all increased during in years examined. The FBI studied a total of 110 active shooter events during this period.  Complete data was not available for every instance, but there was enough information for an examination of the trends in several areas of concern. While you might think most of the incidents occurred on school campuses, 40% of ASE’s occurred in businesses, while 29% were in … Continue reading →

Posted in Officer Safety, Street, SWAT | 2 Comments

Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Slain

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Randall

Orange County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jonathan Scott Pine was apparently ambushed and murdered during a foot chase last night.  Dep. Pine was pursuing an auto burglary suspect that had fled from him, when the suspect shot Pine in a backyard.  Dep. Pine, a three year veteran of the OCSO, leaves behind a wife and three children. The murderer was violent felon who had been released from prison in 2012 after serving just three years of a seven year sentence for two bank robberies in Maryland.  He committed suicide several houses away from Dep. Pine’s shooting. Our condolences to Dep. Pine’s family and co-workers. Randall

Posted in Officer Down, Officer Safety | 1 Comment

Gradually Detectives

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Randall

It has been nearly five years since my cell phone rang in the middle of the night and I had to respond out to a homicide as an investigator.  Since leaving the both the Detective Bureau and SWAT, I had absolutely reveled in hanging up my on-call status, which had lasted for over 21 years.  Having now returned to DB:  Ringggg!  Back to the salt mines… I woke two of my burglary dicks and told them that we needed to go in to assist.  This would be their first full-blown murder as new detectives.  No, they were not the primary investigators, just the minors helping out the pros.  Still, their … Continue reading →

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New Double Tap P-Flex Grip

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Randall

That ↑ minimizes this ouch ↓ The P-Flex is $25.00 from Double Tap. Randall

Posted in Firearms | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Rob Pincus Introduces New Winchester W Series Ammunition

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Randall

Rob Pincus was once again at SHOT Show Media Day at the Range in the Winchester lane.  He was giving demonstrations of the new Winchester W Train and Defend line of ammunition.  According to their literature: “The W Train & Defend ammunition system is designed to provide threat-stopping power with less recoil to the shooter. The system pairs its range-ready Train rounds with technology-driven Defend rounds, both designed to limit the recoil felt by the shooter. This system provides a perfect solution for new shooters, especially women, who are interested in training to become proficient with their personal defense ammunition.” Both the Winchester Train and Winchester Defend are ballistically matched … Continue reading →

Posted in Concealed Carry, Firearms | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

StealthSCOPE by Zistos Video Systems

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Randall

I spent some quality time with Robert Levine and Michael Sterflinger at the Zistos Video Systems SHOT Show 2014 booth.  I was not just impressed with their Made in the USA (Holbrook, NY) products, but with Zistos’ extremely strong customer service attitude.  I also got to play with one of their cool new toys—the StealthSCOPE. The StealthSCOPE is a tactical tool that has a small articulating camera head that can be maneuvered into tough, tight spaces for covert video surveillance.  I took photos of its sibling, the ExplorerSCOPE.  The “wand” of these scopes moves in four directions to be able to place the camera in the desired orientation. A 980 … Continue reading →

Posted in SWAT, Technology | Tagged | Leave a comment