[See editor’s note below for information on additional active shooter-focused articles.] Although total numbers are small, an analysis of active shooter events for the first time has estimated the statistical risk that a single officer assumes when entering a killing site alone in pursuit of a murderous suspect. “[T]here is a 14% chance that an...Read More
Anyone who has ever played a bad guy with murder on his mind in well-crafted scenario training says it’s an incomparable learning experience. Scott Buhrmaster, vice president of operations for the Force Science Institute, is no exception. “Having the opportunity to observe a traffic stop from the “other side” of the approach over and over...Read More
Part of an occasional series Earlier this year, we launched a series of articles on how Force Science teachings can be successfully applied to real-world law enforcement situations. Here are two more examples from graduates of the certification course in Force Science Analysis. If you have experiences of your own that would be instructive to...Read More
Important officer safety findings from a groundbreaking study of vehicle stop performance have been reported by the Force Science Institute. An analysis of various positions officers typically assume when talking to a driver of a stopped car and their immediate reaction to a sudden crisis reveals that: No position proximate to the suspect’s vehicle can...Read More
More agencies are mandating body armor and more officers are wearing it, but certain deficiencies in vest training may still be hampering the best possible ballistic protection, according to a new survey by the Police Executive Research Forum. PERF polled a representative national sample of 1,000 sworn officers and found that more than 92% are...Read More
Texas has become the first state to mandate for all academy classes the screening of a powerful new film that honors fallen LEOs and reinforces tactical awareness in those still on patrol. The 90-minute documentary, “Heroes Behind the Badge,” produced by Bill Erfurth, a 26-year street veteran of Miami-Dade PD, features three gripping re-creations of...Read More
When officers who’ve just finished a shooting exercise gather around and an instructor holds up a “no-shoot” target that looks like it’s been riddled by machine gun fire, that’s a sobering moment. Especially when the officers now see that the target sports a badge. Some flat out deny they fired any mistaken rounds. But after...Read More
At the latest ILEETA training conference, Rick Rosenthal, a veteran TV news anchor who’s now a law enforcement consultant, delivered some mixed metaphors you might find comforting as you contemplate the possibility of an OIS in your jurisdiction and the publicity firestorm that may well ignite in its aftermath. The media are not the bone-crushing,...Read More
A groundbreaking pilot study of more than 9,700 officers, aimed at determining whether it’s feasible to establish a national reporting system for police injuries, has revealed a wealth of intriguing facts about LEOs hurt on duty. Among the highlights: Training exercises were second only to making an arrest as the activity most often engaged in...Read More
Are some training exercises that focus on reaction time unintentionally compromising officer safety on the street? Two instructors raised that concern recently in separate presentations at the annual conference of the International Law Enforcement Educators & Trainers Assn. (ILEETA). Larry Hahn, a certified Force Science Analyst, told of detecting what seem to be unnaturally slow...Read More
