By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D American policing is unique in the world primarily because of our national historic interest in liberty and self-determination. 1) We are not a branch of the military. Even though law enforcement is often described as paramilitary, American policing is decidedly civilian. Many of the founders didn’t even want a Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D You never know what you’re going to get. One of the things cops like about the job is the variety. It may seem that the days are filled with traffic stops, theft reports, and resolving disputes, but an ordinary call can become unique in a split second. Then there Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Dallas Police Officer Matthew Brady was one of four officers who fired shots that killed an armed murder suspect as they tried to arrest him. Brady committed suicide the next day. We can’t automatically assume that Brady’s death was immediately connected to the murder suspect’s death, but it appears Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski The rhetoric rings true: law enforcement officers are a resourceful bunch and always put their best foot forward in any venture for the good of others. In this case, using their firearm shooting skills to compete with other police shooting teams in a collective effort to raise money for cops fighting cancer, Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D When I first served as a chaplain for a wounded officer and spouse retreat at a Montana ranch, I heard a term for the first time. Officers were talking about their “alive day”. It was the day they could have died but somehow survived, borrowed from military combat survivors. Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski Anyone who physically attended or watched the footage of the sixth anniversary commemorating fallen NYPD police Detective Miosotis Familia couldn’t possibly miss the portion of her 46th Precinct station house and a mural of her painted upon its brickwork. Symbolically, it is as if she is protecting the building and watching over Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Ah, the sound of children playing in sprinklers and the smell of 4th of July gunpowder. Hit the road with the camper and see the sights. Crank up the AC and pour the sweet tea. And maybe check your ammo. Since the morning of summer solstice and the time Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski Recently, the NYPD hosted a celebration of the nation’s largest municipal police agency’s long-serving cops, bestowing the department’s Longevity Award upon seasoned law enforcement officers. Embroidered onto police uniforms are stripes and/or stars representing the tenure of service invested by law enforcement officers. As seen in our cover photo above and the Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski Every year when we commemorate fallen law enforcement officers during National Police Week, one of the most humbling portrayals is how cops care for the loved ones of fallen police personnel. As National Police Week aggregated scores of law enforcement officers, families, and citizens from all over (including other nations’ cops and Read more »
By Steve Pomper Law enforcement video technologies are a double-edged sword, providing both benefits and liabilities for cops. The benefits are that, very often, video evidence exonerates the cops. Liars no longer get to lie about police with impunity. One negative is that cameras don’t see all of what officers see and angles can be misleading. And officers Read more »