Officer.com Police Blogs & Podcasts

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

I had the honor this past week of delivering a presentation during Cygnus’ combined public safety discipline expo in Atlanta, Georgia. My presentation had to do with school attacks and how much of law enforcement’s patrol protocols had evolved in response to such through the last century. From 1891 we really didn’t do anything different. In the late ’60s, due to riots and snipers, SWAT was developed and grew nationwide. The development of SWAT changed how patrol did business. In 1999 Columbine made us change again and patrol had to take back some of the aggressive “go get ‘em” attitude and work. 9/11 changed our outlook again as we took on the reality of terrorist events within our borders. Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

Via email I received this link to a story that concerns me. The story is about a small town called Hardin in Montana. In Hardin, Montana a private company named American Police Force Corporation has taken over both the city’s non-existent police department and it’s empty jail.

OK, so I can hear a few people wondering: If the police force doesn’t exist and the jail has no prisoners, then who cares? Here’s why it bothers me: this is a private corporation; a FOR PROFIT company that has taken over both a police agency (the moment the first officer is sworn in) and a jail. Such a company wouldn’t have done so unless there was a PROFIT to be made. That means that to staff the police agency they’re going to hire people at a certain wage and then bill the town a higher rate so that the company can make the profit. Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

It’s not even October yet as I type this but just yesterday I was in a retail store and saw Christmas decorations being put up. It wasn’t even the first store I’d seen this in. More than a week ago I was in a Hallmark store and they were putting up Christmas ornaments. I asked the employees, “Don’t you realize Halloween hasn’t even passed yet?” They assured me that they were all too aware and felt silly putting the decorations up. That left me wondering exactly whose idea it was then? Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

A quick look at my photo shows that I haven’t had to worry about my hair cut for quite some time. In fact, after I left uniformed police work in early 2000 I actually grew it out. That only lasted a few months as it drove me nuts and I was quite happy to return to my crew cut. Either way, I’ve never been a person who would put cornrows in my hair - on or off duty. We see news out of Philadelphia where a white police officer has been taken off of patrol duty because he did. Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

In a recent article shared on Officer.com we read about Mayor Sallie Peake of Wellford, South Carolina, who - in her infinite wisdom - has issued an order that the Wellford Police can no longer pursue suspects on foot. I don’t know quite what to say. Mayor Peake justified this order because of the insurance costs incurred when officers get injured and the workers compensation amounts the city is paying out. Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

I became a cop long enough ago that our issued gear was pretty simple: a revolver, a holster, a radio (if you had a portable one), a holder for it, a baton with a ring on your belt to carry it, and two speed-loaders in a pouch. Oh yeah, can’t forget those chain-link handcuffs in their pouch as well. Everything used to carry the gear was leather with brass snaps and you got inspected before each shift to make sure the leather was shined and the brass was polished. Your gun may or may not have been loaded or clean, but that was seldom inspected. Appearance mattered. You had to LOOK professional - and there’s nothing wrong with that. Well known writer / trainer Massad Ayoob once espoused the belief that the more professional and squared away you looked the less likely a bad guy would be to mess with you. Why? Because if you LOOKED that squared away you probably weren’t going to be a push-over in a fight; you were probably paying attention, aware of your surroundings and ready to put a bad guy down as hard as was necessary. Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

On this coming Friday, September 11th, 2009, the United States of America will be remembering the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11th, 2001. We will be remembering the 2,998 lives lost; the horror and devastation we all watched on television; the memorials people from around the world were kind and empathetic enough to place outside our embassies. We’ll should also remember a few other things that may cause us a bit of righteous anger: Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

Labor Day Weekend is upon us. The “last long weekend of the summer”. Typically, community pools stop being open on weekdays; most annual family vacations have been completed; any school systems not already in session start on Tuesday. As a result, many people take advantage of the opportunity to travel for one last long summer weekend OR they stay home and have bar-b-ques, etc. Either way, the chances increase for police interaction and any time that happens, our risk for negative interaction increases. Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

In the past I’ve written blogs or articles about a few things that tend to be a bit controversial. I know… I know… Some of you are thinking, “Frank? Controversial? Nah…” Now that we’ve all had a good laugh, I know we all realize that sometimes I like to stir a big bucket with a huge paddle. If it makes people think and inspires (intelligent) conversation then I’ve succeeded in my goal. What occurred to be just this morning is that I almost always assume that my blogs are read by people who have and exercise common sense. Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

I have previously written blogs about the various value to be found in police recruits that have a college education versus military experience. This morning, in sorting through news stories and checking out forum discussions on Officer.com, I discovered two related topics and felt the need to discuss them a tad. Read the rest of this entry »