Officer.com Police Blogs & Podcasts

Carole Moore
Missing Persons Contributor
Officer.com

Only this one has an ending.

From the “what are they thinking” department comes this story from the Phoenix area: Last week a woman contacted police and advised that her eight-month-old daughter, whom she had left with a stranger, was missing. Early reports indicate that the woman, mother of little Chrisette Ochoa, had been out drinking with the other woman and had asked her companion to keep the little girl. Someone eventually took the missing baby to a market, where she was found after news broadcasts surfaced. Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

I have long said that the selection of a handgun (or long gun for that matter) is an intensely personal choice. Not only does the weapon have to be one that the owner has faith in, it has to be one the owner can handle and shoot competently. Further, it has to be one that evokes a sense of confidence from the owner / shooter; NOT confidence in himself or the weapon, but confidence in the TEAMING of the shooter, the weapon and the caliber / bullets used. Read the rest of this entry »

Carole Moore
Missing Persons Contributor
Officer.com

Cry for their abducted children.

I found a story that is truly disturbing. It concerns the proliferation in India of abducted children taken from their families and sold into slavery, to adoptive families and into the sex trade. According to officials, an estimated 44,000 Indian children simply vanish each year. Although some are recovered, the story claims three out of the four are never seen again. Complicating matters, it says, is the reluctance of police to become involved. Read the rest of this entry »

Ronnie Garrett
Editorial Director
Law Enforcement Technology magazine

I got stopped by a police officer today. I’m not proud of that fact, nor am I disputing whether I should have been stopped. I was guilty. The officer pulled me over for what he defined as a rolling stop – no further explanation required. However, during this stop, I received more than I needed. I received an in-depth education as to why police officers are sometimes sarcastically referred to as “Officer Friendly” – though I think a more apt term could be “Officer Unfriendly” or perhaps “Officer Having a Bad Day.” Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

On Thursday, September 4th, 2008, a hammer-wielding man, in the presence of his six-year-old son, attacked a rider on the Philadelphia subway system – apparently at random. This wasn’t news on the 4th; nor on the 5th, 6th or 7th. Indeed no one would have known about it except the victim, assailant, his son, and the ten other passengers in that subway car except that the subway authority released the video on September 8th hoping for assistance in identifying the assailant. Once that video was released the story was big news. True to the “news” policy of “If it doesn’t bleed it doesn’t lead,” the major news agencies didn’t give the incident any time or attention until millions were watching the video and therefore caught up in the drama. Read the rest of this entry »

Carole Moore
Missing Persons Contributor
Officer.com

…Who wasn’t.

John Delaney, found dead and decomposed in the bushes near a hospital in Manchester, England, was cremated five years ago. At least that’s what his family thought. As it turned out, Delaney was alive and living in a group home when his son, John Renehan, spied him on a television show about missing persons. Read the rest of this entry »

Carole Moore
Missing Persons Contributor
Officer.com

How do police know the score?

In Memphis, police officials are taking heat for not placing a missing teenager on its City Watch list until it was too late to save her life. Jaliesa Dickerson, a 16-year-old and the mother of a three-month old infant, vanished while walking to her high school. Five days later Dickerson’s body was found in a ravine not too far from her home. Read the rest of this entry »

Karen Bune
Victimology Contributor
Officer.com

When presidential nominee John McCain (R) pulled the surprise rabbit out of his hat with his pick of vice-presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, he made a stunning impact with strategists who had anticipated other potential candidates and were likely in the process of preparing their campaign methods of attack. During her convention speech, Palin displayed herself as a confident, self-assured, and highly professional woman fearless in taking on special interests, controversial issues, and the opposing political party. She stirred a crowd in which many have since been chanting, “Sarah, Sarah” wherever she appears. Read the rest of this entry »

Carole Moore
Missing Persons Contributor
Officer.com

…On Missing Loved Ones

Imagine how difficult it is for someone you love to go missing. Now imagine living with that disappearance every single moment of your life – not simply because their absence changes everything, but because you work hard to keep your loved one’s name and face out there. Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

I’ve recently either overheard or participated in a number of conversations about what caliber is best for off-duty and/or concealed carry guns. To me the answer is simple: off-duty guns should be the same caliber as your on-duty gun and should carry at least 10 rounds. Concealed carry guns for civilians or retired police officers is a different story as the choices grow when responsibilities diminish. Read the rest of this entry »