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Fitness
Are You Ready?
As life slowly returns to “normal” and COVID restrictions begin to ease up in 2022, many people find themselves in a landscape very different prior to the spring of 2020. For those of us in law enforcement, it remained business as usual to some degree, albeit with some new guidelines and restrictions. But, as a…
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Active Shooter
Police Response to Mass Shootings
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there were 28 events categorized as mass murders and nearly 700 mass shootings that occurred in the United States in 2021. Of those 28 mass murders, at least 12 of the incidents were perpetrated by “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated…
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Leadership
Lessons In Leadership
Leaders with any amount of tenure probably can all agree that time passes much too quickly. In what can seem like the blink of an eye, it becomes time to move on to another assignment, to promote, or perhaps even to retire. When I look in the mirror these days, I no longer see the…
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Law
California Assembly Bill 392: Does This New Legislation Affect the Decision to Shoot a Hostage Taker?
California Assembly Bill 392: Does This New Legislation Affect the Decision to Shoot a Hostage Taker? California Assembly Bill 392 (AB 392) significantly changed the use-of-force laws in California. One officer in Northern California has already been charged with voluntary manslaughter based on the new law, and with the current political climate, there are likely…
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Tactical Science
Identifying Terrorist Incidents
The American law enforcement community reluctantly accepted a new role in counter-terrorism operations after the attacks on September 11th, 2001. No one asked for this extra responsibility. It occurred simply because local law enforcement officers are always the first responders to these types of incidents, often preceding federal reinforcements by hours. Moreover, this new responsibility…
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Tactical Questions
It’s 0247 hours. You and the domestic watch commander are asleep. In the darkness, the cell phone calls to you. (A true tactical operator, the SWAT theme song is your default ring tone.) The voice at the other end triggers dramatic yet fuzzy questions to invade your dreams. It’s the graveyard shift watch commander. Patrol…
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Data
The Truth Is Out There
2021 Police Sniper Utilization Survey Available What is the average distance of a police sniper shooting in the United States? The generic answer to that question, for at least the last 30 years, has been “around 70 yards.” It has been stated as fact in sniper schools, articles, books, and conversations around the country. When…
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The CQB Environment: Where Are Officers Being Killed?
My name is Jake Pineo, and I’m a full-time police officer in California. I am in our department’s Special Enforcement Team, which focuses on fugitive apprehension, warrant services, and street crimes-related investigations. I am also a member of our SWAT team. The purpose of my study was to determine statistically where officers have been killed…
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Equipment
What’s the Right Gear for Today’s Tactical Operations?
Plate Carriers vs. Full Entry Gear One of the unique aspects of working for a sheriff’s department is the continual interaction with other agencies through academies, in-service training and mutual aid requests. At the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau, we host SWAT schools, explosive breaching courses, long rifle programs, K9-SWAT integration, carbine…
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Fitness
Are You Ready?
As life slowly returns to “normal” and COVID restrictions begin to ease up in 2022, many people find themselves in a landscape very different prior to the spring of 2020. For those of us in law enforcement, it remained business as usual to some degree, albeit with some new guidelines and restrictions. But, as a…