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Illegal or unapproved tactics: You can’t hide it, and it will come back to bite you.
a defensive tactics system for use. It has been reviewed to be compliant with state laws, medically sound, and legally ac- ceptable in the courts. There are training sessions and hope- fully recertifi cation with legal updates on its applications. Should an offi cer attend any defensive tactics course or mar- tial arts system, its use may be subject to great legal scrutiny. Review of all use-of-force reports for compliance and just application is a must. Just because you have mastered the latest Kung Fu grip does not mean it can be used on duty. Another pitfall is the use of unapproved fi rearms and/or am- munition. There are cases where what would have been a clean police shooting became clouded by an offi cer’s use of unapproved or unregistered weapons.
Departments across the nation need to know what you are carrying and capable of launching for the integrity of the investigation and accountability factor. When you skirt the rules so you can pack some nuclear tipped ammo, nothing good can come from it. Now, I will hear the old maxim of rather be tried by 12 rather than carried by six. This could grant you some peace of mind but in reality, this could be a long-term problem. You may be tried in civil court by more jurors on the civil side, so weigh your options well. Street survival is one thing, legal survival is another, and you must survive both.
Alcohol One of the best demonstrations I ever witnessed was when I was a lad receiving my safe hunter course in Virginia. The game warden brought to the school a can of beer and opened it up to pour it in a clear glass. We were all in the sixth grade and to see a beer in the school was a real attention-getter. The game warden then opened up a paper shotgun shell to pour
56 LAW and ORDER I June 2015
Firearms and alcohol don’t mix. The police shield and alcohol don’t mix.
the lead shot and later the powder into the glass and stirred the mix. Then he told us to tell him what we observed. Nothing, the lead shot sank to the bottom and the powder
fl oated on the top. The point of this was to demonstrate to us that fi rearms and alcohol do not mix. In all of my years as an instructor, I have never forgotten this. Now, for the instructor side of me this is still my favorite classroom demonstration. I now would probably put a police shield in the glass with a bullet, and no, they don’t mix either.
Safety at home cannot and should never be compromised. I challenge every FTO, police fi rearms instructor to make a cognitive effort to drill into your students, new and old, to never compromise their family’s safety at home. We all have tools of our profession we are trusted with; most could be dangerous in young, inquisitive hands. Secure your equip- ment and handle it safely at all times.
We have got to stop the madness of young men and women who are losing their careers over plain stupid stuff. Most of these career-ending actions are preventable. The easy way out is to say that they as an individual ruined their profes- sional career. After a few of these in the media and under public scrutiny, you are going to be questioned on what kind of show you are running.
Our department’s public creditability is earned and main- tained daily. As commanders, we are to protect our offi cers and departments from all travails of life; these are so common and prevalent. Do yourself and the department a favor; let’s prepare our offi cers to meet all of the rigors of the job, the spoken and often unspoken.
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