By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Discussions about the roles of policing that might be shifted to non-law enforcement are very important. A recent survey of officers and civilians showed that the majority of police officers and civilians have confidence in law enforcement responding to mental health crisis calls. While there is also significant support Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D If the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 passes the United States Senate and is signed into law by the President, American law enforcement will slip from the hands of local voters. The creeping federalization of law enforcement by the dangling of grant money and threats of Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D It has been said that even the paranoid have real enemies. In an era where any theory that focuses on the loss of freedoms is labeled as a conspiracy theory, rational considerations in interpreting current events can be lost. Let’s begin with the real views on differing theories of Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D The ludicrous commentary by celebrities about recent officer-involved shootings is an extreme example of the lack of knowledge of physics and human capacity as it relates to officer decision-making. The same tired arguments and misunderstandings have been going on for years. Some common topics arise when lay persons talk Read more »
By Steve Pomper It’s hard to believe, but the NPA began covering Blackwell Police Department Lt. John Mitchell’s hellish odyssey in early December 2019. What’s more difficult to believe is the reporting stemmed from an incident that occurred in May 2019. But the hardest thing to believe is nearly two years later, in April 2021, Lt. Read more »
By Steve Pomper With all the rioting going on over the past year and continuing, perhaps it’s time to learn something you might not know about the issues cops deal with during while on demonstration management lines. What is it like for an average police officer? Now, there is no way that any single police officer Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Gun sales in January surged by 80% after an already frenzied buying pattern in 2020. Shortages of firearms and ammunition are a sign to some as an overreaction to conspiracy theories. The idea that people are just being paranoid is countered by the headlines we see every day. April Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D The past year has seen major efforts to tear up the agreements that make for an orderly society. The idea of a social contract arose during the Enlightenment and had influence on the founding principles of the United States. The social contract is defined as an implicit agreement among Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski It never ceases to amaze how cops and public safety professionals are not only fashioned to mitigate and survive the most grotesque circumstances on the planet but also to hold each other up to maintain vigilance in service to the community and its citizens. One of the latest examples of this is Read more »