National Police Week has arrived once again. We honor with sadness the 181 officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in 2007. There have been a number of articles written about the value of attending Police Week and what it means to remember and honor the fallen. That’s not what this blog entry is about. (more…)

Just today I was talking with some folks and in the course of conversation the topic of how well various public safety members get along was brought up. There was a belief put forth that police officers and deputies don’t tend to get along with firefighters all that well, and that firefighters don’t tend to get along so well with EMS Responders. I took issue with that. (more…)

“Training should be like a bloodless battle so that battle is just like bloody training.” (A maxim of the Roman Legion.) Some time back I wrote an article about firearms training and how many agencies simply don’t approach it correctly. Many focus on meeting and documenting their ability to meet whatever minimum state standards have been set. Instead, in my humble opinion, they should be focusing on instilling maximum skill in their officers. (more…)

When I was in junior high school I had friends that I was sure would be in my life FOREVER… and none of them are. In high school I knew guys and had friends that I was sure would be in my life FOREVER… but none are. When I was in the Army I made friends I was sure would last FOREVER… but none have. When I was in the police academy I made friends I was sure would last at least through my career… but I haven’t talked to any of them in years. (more…)

“It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you; it’s what you leave behind you when you go.” - Randy Travis

Call me corny but I’m a country music fan for the lessons that can be learned from many of the songs’ lyrics. Since 9-11 Toby Keith has written a number of patriotic songs I really enjoy. Songs that contain small lessons about life have been put out by Montgomery Gentry, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and others. For some reason, this music appeals to me more than the classic rock I grew up with - even though that’s still fun too. (more…)

Have any of you seen the movie, “Demolition Man” starring Sylvester Stallone? It’s a wonderfully imaginative science-fiction movie in which every human being is tagged with a microchip embedded in their skin. If anyone commits a violation of law (such as violating the “morality statue” by cussing) their bank account is automatically debited a specified fine amount. In the movie, Stallone’s character refers to this as “fascist”. What scares me is that we may well indeed be on our way to such a system. (more…)

Mentor:

1. A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.
2. To serve as a trusted counselor or teacher.

Welcome to April; the beginning of spring – a time for new growth from what has been dormant since fall. Pardon the reach, but isn’t this something new growing from that which is old? Last year’s maturity being passed into this year’s youth? Throughout the ages this has been a path of education, wisdom – and to some extent – likes and dislikes. Yet here I sit, as a man who has served in one uniform or another for more than 25 years now, and as I look back there are only one or two mentors I remember having. Why is that? (more…)

I have previously touched on “the oldest debate” about the long drawn out argument about whether bigger/slower bullets are better than smaller/faster bullets. With this blog I want to touch on the controls of law enforcement agencies over duty and off-duty weapons. (more…)

With my last blog I was pretty sure I’d found the biggest hornets’ nest in the world and hit it with a big bat. To date, the number of comments received has been record setting (for me). SO, this time I figured I’d take on another politically challenging topic: The 2nd Amendment. (more…)

With this entry I decided to tackle a problem that has no easy solution: illegal immigration. Now before you good readers get your dander up, please understand a few things: first, this is all my opinion (unless I cite facts and references); second, we all have different opinions; third, we aren’t all ever going to agree about everything. With all that said, let’s take a look at a few statistics I was provided via email and let me share some of my outlook with regard to them. (more…)