By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D It’s the oldest debate of our democracy: when does a citizen’s behavior merit government control? When it comes to protests and gatherings the Constitution clearly protects speech and the freedom to assemble. With that right comes the responsibility to do so peacefully, or if the intention is to engage Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski With the ever-burgeoning illegal immigrants disregarding our southern border, U.S. Border Patrol agents have ample dangerous activities on their plates, thanks to the present White House administration’s anemic stance on buttoning up the borders. The throngs of immigrants trekking across unkind terrain to enter America illegally, falling ill along the way, are Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D America’s law enforcement field training officers (FTO) are among the most important components of professionalism in policing. One could reasonably argue that the FTO exceeds the importance of basic academy training. The academy may be the backbone and skeleton of a police career, but those first weeks of supervision Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski A 22-year-old autistic man named Alex Mann recently visited the Lumberton Township, New Jersey police department, chalking up his 291st visit to a law enforcement agency. Besides his admiration of cops, Mr. Mann is touring the American landscape to teach cops about the many dynamics of autism and how to handle interactions Read more »
By Steve Pomper Ohio Law Enforcement Academy vehicle When engaged in police work, most physical exertion amounts to jogging your fingers around a keyboard or lifting a donut or coffee cup, right? As veteran cops know, police work is defined (as they say) by, “long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.” And while Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D There are two items that were added to my duty belt during my career for which I was very grateful. One was pepper spray, the other was a TASER. Before that, the only tools I had were my revolver, my nightstick, tear gas spray, and my hands. There are Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Why did they have to shoot him? That is the primary question that is asked after police use deadly force. Could they have done something less lethal to end the threat? Good question, and one that must be answered in every case in which a suspect is shot by Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski In police academies and thereafter, training should be incessant and must overcome the various reasons America’s law enforcement officers are ordinarily shortchanged from imperative life-saving skill-building. Nevertheless, police academies and law enforcement agencies employ a contingent of men and women who are certified expert instructors in all facets of police tactics and Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D The brim of the academy instructor’s campaign hat shudders just inches from the forehead of the rigid cadet straining not to bend over backward to retreat from the intense tirade. It was a typical start to a day that would be filled with push-ups and classroom studies. Even the Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D The mantra of police reformers is more training. The problem with many of those voices is that activists and politicians have no idea what the current state of training and education of law enforcement in the US is. Research has shown that college-educated officers suffer less from stress, generate Read more »