Welcome to the April 2021 issue of OFFICER Magazine. There seems to be so much going on around the nation, but at the same time, the day-to-day work of law enforcement hasn’t changed all that much. Reform seems to be a hot button topic, but how to go about it or what it actually means is far from clear. For some politicians, reform seems to be anything that limits or “defangs” police. For others, reform is anything that adds more accountability (as they see it) to law enforcement agencies. In this issue of OFFICER, you’ll find several articles that are, or can be, related to reform.
Chief William Harvey contributed an excellent article about budgets and how they are tied to current trends. His article discusses how best to manage the change and steer it in a direction most beneficial to the agency and the community served.
There is a profile of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Team, and reform is mentioned in there as well. As the nation’s oldest documented existing Sheriff’s Office, St. Mary’s County maintains a clear focus on the need for and duties of their Emergency Services Team. The most basic operational protocols are in line with contemporary demand for reform—and have been since before the demand began.
Following up on last month’s Special Section regarding Firearms & Firearm Accessories, we have two related articles. The first is from Officer Lindsey Bertomen (ret) regarding the emergence of appendix carry. It has been around for a long time but is becoming more popular as a preferred method of carry off-duty. Pros, cons, training and concerns are discussed in Lindsey’s article. And speaking of off-duty carry (or backup guns), I wrote a piece about some of the more popular in the field today. What are the desired features, caliber(s) and capacities? I tried to cover that.
From Associate Editor Hilary Rodela, we have an excellent article about K-9 fundraising and some of the challenges that can be faced. K-9s are a tool that every law enforcement agency should appreciate, even if they don’t have their own due to budget or manpower. The community may have mixed outlooks about the working dogs themselves, but there’s no denying the operational value of having K-9 teams available.
Editor Paul Peluso provided us a piece on saddling up… but in a LyteHorse alternative vehicle rather than on a horse. While many agencies still have mounted units, others are putting alternative vehicles into service to save dollars and increase capabilities.
Officer Brendan Rodela provided us an article honoring April Fool's Day highlighting some of the most creative and comical ways wanted criminals have been caught by law enforcement officers.
Finally, as we look forward to May and the National Police Week events, we have an article about traffic-related line of duty deaths. Those who went before us, who made the ultimate sacrifice, would want us to learn from their loss; they’d want us to avoid finding ourselves in the same circumstance. This article takes a look at traffic enforcement-related LODDs and ways we can avoid or reduce them.
So… welcome to April. Thank you for your readership. Read on and Stay Safe!
