Tag Archives: Officer Safety

Surviving to Twenty-Five

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Randall

Several months ago, I crested the 25-year mark as a sworn police officer.  More recently, I turned 50.  I had some thoughts about surviving a law enforcement career for a quarter of a century that I would like to share. I will get this one out of the way right off.  Continue your officer safety training and mindset throughout your whole career, regardless of your job description.  Everything else on which I will comment has no bearing if you do not live to fight another day.  Always be aware of your surroundings and think tactically on and off duty.  What would I do if X, Y, or Z happened right … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Medical, Misc., Off Duty, Officer Safety | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

What You Don’t Know…

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Randall

The weather was beautiful, so my wife and I took a walk to get out of the house.  Along the journey, we headed down the sidewalk near a set of waterfront condos.  There was a sheriff’s office cruiser parked parallel to our path.  As we went by the driver’s side of the patrol car, my wife and I waved to the deputy sheriff.  She was young and appeared to be talking on her cell phone–no problem there, she was stationary.  That would pass muster under our General Orders.  She smiled and nodded back to us–good public relations for Starman. I could not help but feel uneasy as I was strolling … Continue reading →

Posted in Concealed Carry, Officer Safety, Street | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Easy on the Less Lethal…

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Randall

I just got back from an armed barricaded suspect call.  Why do they always come out right at the end of shift?  I was a little taken aback when I saw that the three officers at the door to the knife-wielding suspect’s room were armed with either TASERs or a less lethal beanbag shotgun.  I made some adjustments to the personnel configuration and brought a handgun up to the door. We practice to have lethal cover with a less lethal option available when practical.  But the lethal cover should be up front, not from the guy way at the back of the stack.  When another sergeant and I did the … Continue reading →

Posted in Officer Safety, Street, Tactics, Taser | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Emergency Medical Conditions and the Law Enforcement Response

Posted on December 15, 2012 by Randall

We had two officers injured in a fight this week with a person refusing medical treatment at a local hospital.  The situation highlighted what can be a gray area for the police officer, which is the question of when to provide hands on assistance in the involuntary detainment of medical patients. In debriefing the troops, we found that there was confusion with some of the officers over an “incapacitated person” verses a Baker Act when it comes to dealing with uncooperative patients–either on the street or at a hospital facility. From the Department of Children and Families legal information of Emergency Medical Conditions: “Chapter 401.455, F.S. governs situations when an … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal, Medical, Officer Safety | Tagged | Leave a comment

Morphix Technologies Chameleon Chemical Detector Review

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Randall

Morphix Technologies has released a seven minute training video which gives some simple statistics and dangers about Meth Labs.  The video also addresses Morphix’s Chameleon Chemical Detector, one of their products for detecting hazardous chemicals by first responders.  I got my hands on a Chameleon kit for testing in October. The Morphix Chameleon is a chemical detection unit that is worn on the forearm or attached by Velcro to the uniform of a first responder.  The purpose of the kit is to provide an officer, firefighter, or soldier with immediate visual identification of the presence of hazardous gases. A passive detector, the Chameleon has ten windows, called cassettes, which change … Continue reading →

Posted in Medical, Officer Safety, Street, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Avoiding the Dangers in a Chemical Suicide Response

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Randall

On Monday in Boston, a BU pharmacology grad student committed suicide by lethal chemical.  Police and Fire department personnel responding to the apartment at 676 Massachusetts Ave. were in danger from highly toxic sodium azide, which has effects similar to cyanide.  Four police officers and two EMT’s were taken to the hospital for exposure to the chemical. I had just written an article on April 2 about a dangerous malathion suicide attempt, where first responders needed medical attention.  Last June, I wrote an article for BlueSheepdog called Chemical Suicides–A Safe Response.  I thought it very important to post that article on ThinBlueFlorida for obvious officer safety reasons. Police officers respond … Continue reading →

Posted in Medical, Officer Safety, Street | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Proposed Indiana Castle Doctrine Allows for Killing Police Officers

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Randall

Updated 3/23/2012:  It was signed into law by Gov. Daniels. Updated 3/9/2012:  SB 1 was passed by the Senate and the House and will be sent to Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.  See the end of the article for further. If you have not been following the legal machinations in the State of Indiana over Castle Doctrine, you need to read the appalling proposed “legislation” that is Indiana Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) 2012.  This bill passed the Indiana House 74-24 in a vote last week and was returned to the Indiana Senate with amendments. Sections (h)(i),(j), SB-1 from the Indiana General Assembly: (h) A person is justified in using reasonable … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal, Officer Safety | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments

Police Profiling for Officer Safety

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Randall

I was driving to work last night in my personal car.  My route takes me through a relatively rundown section of the city where I work.  I always tend to scan around as I drive, which sometimes prompts my wife to say, “Stop patrolling!” On this night, I saw some people walking around and from the anonymity of my own car, I thought about the nature of my observations as a citizen verses those of a law enforcement officer.  A red light stopped me at a cross street. A young black male was walking up to the intersection.  I gave him the once over:  baggy black basketball shorts, loose black … Continue reading →

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