By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D The Montgomery County, Maryland police recently announced that they are exploring a “lighter” uniform look that is less intimidating. A notable experiment in Lakewood, Colorado put their officers in sportscoats rather than the traditional uniforms. They returned to the uniforms when they discovered that the public wanted their police Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser sounded like the parent of a pre-schooler saying some people picked up “bad habits” during the COVID isolation. He made the statement during a closed-door public safety roundtable held in Pueblo, Colorado, a community of 120,000 suffering from the same challenges of violent crime Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D When an OIS (officer involved shooting) occurs there is a major investigative effort by specialized units or by agencies outside of the officer’s employer. Witnesses are interviewed, measurements are taken, video is examined frame by frame, and physical evidence is collected. Even if no shot is fired but other Read more »
By Steve Pomper When we think about a “secret police,” we likely think of the former East Germany, the Soviet Union, the current North Korea, Cuba, or the many countries around the world run by tyrants. However, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is showing us another more mundane, though still sinister, definition of secret police. In Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D One of the controversies that doesn’t make sense to the average observer is the question of whether police officers should be able to review their own body camera video before writing their report. The alleged fear is that officers will be tainted by viewing their video. Really? Should physicians Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D We talk about “split-second” decisions as though it is an exaggeration referring to a short period of time. In the world of policing, split seconds are the reality of critical incidents. Citizens are quite content to ooh and ahh over close calls in sports. Fans may be frustrated by Read more »
By Steve Pomper On June 23, 2021, at about 3 a.m., Sgt. Michael Davis, a nine-year veteran of the Lanoke County Sheriff’s Office, stopped Hunter Brittain and two passengers. The AP reported, according to Davis, Brittain quickly got out of his truck and reached into the bed of his pickup. Sgt. Davis said he told Brittain Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D In May of 2015, one of the most anti-law and order Presidents in the history of the United States lifted his scepter and redubbed police officers as guardians. Obama’s imagery of police officers being soldiers in a war against its own citizens preceded a spike in gun purchases and Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D “OK everyone settle down. We need to review our use of force policy today. There have been reports that some of you are trying to defend yourselves and avoid disabling injuries. The higher-ups wanted to remind you that death, traumatic brain injury, getting stabbed, being run over, exposure to Read more »
By Steve Pomper Nothing good happens when radical activists and politicians try to “fix” something that isn’t broken—just because they don’t like it. Policing in America is not “broken.” So, what happened when they tried to “fix” what wasn’t broken in Washington State? They broke it. Now, they really have something to fix. Their stupid new Read more »