EXCLUSIVE Preview:
THE JULY/AUGUST 2006 ISSUE OF
AMERICAN COP IS HOT!

TERRIBLE TURF BATTLES
Avoiding the "not-invented-here syndrome."

IF I COULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN
Career do-overs.

THE YOST-BONITZ 1* M1911
Simple, no-frills reliability.

WORKING GUNS AND CRAPPY PLACES
Gun cleaning for the worst environments.

INTRODUCING THE CONTRAPTOR
Retention level 8 holster fortification.

Plus the special features below!

ALL YOU'LL EVER NEED
Simple Is Better
Dave Douglas
Photos: Ichiro Nagata

After a couple stints in the field as a patrol cop and then as a sergeant, I found one universal truth could be applied to darn near any aspect of my daily duties — Simple is Better. That applied to the preliminary reports cobbled out in the field, to directing traffic, making the approach on a possible burglary in progress or planning for a special event. After all, we had the lieutenants, captains and chiefs to come up with the overly complicated grandiose abject failures. Uncomplicated, easy to understand, easy to explain and easy to implement seemed to work so much better for me. Maybe that’s why I tried to use the same philosophy in other aspects of work and officer safety equipment was one area especially ripe for de-complication. Some of you may say, is that a word? Who knows but it sounds good doesn’t it?

A holster that doesn’t cause you to twist, rock, leap in the air and configure your fingers in a gang sign to draw your handgun is one aspect of de-complication. Shucking off all the unnecessary carrying pouches for vinyl gloves, cell phones, PDAs, pagers, those twelve extra sets of handcuffs and my favorite, a silent key carrier from your duty belt is another. But one area some overlook is the choice of firearms you take to the field everyday. So, here’s what I’d carry if some moron were to drag me out of retirement, put a uniform on me and make me get back into a patrol car.

Get all the facts in the July/August issue of American COP.
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ON DECISION MAKING

I ’ve been asked a hundred times by alleged “professionals” in other fields, “What do you think distinguishes your job from others?” It’s asked in a number of ways, and usually with an ill-disguised element of arrogance and offensiveness. I think it offends these “professionals” when a ranking police officer exhibits confidence, self-assurance and quiet pride, coupled with a perceived lack of reverence for the exalted position of Doctor So-and-So or J. Bittlesford Bumpquin, Esquire.

“Decision-making,” I reply.

“Well,” sniff the supercilious snivelers, “We all make decisions, don’t we? What makes yours so different?”

“My decisions range from the purely administrative to giving the green light to a sniper to end someone’s life — at that instant; from petty paperrouting to depriving a person of their liberties and livelihood; making drop-dead or drab-dull decisions in a split second or over months, without the luxury of turning the process over to a group of eager interns or professional staff, and knowing the outcome will not be routinely reviewed by a sympathetic panel of peers or protected from public purview, but rather, tried in open court and dragged bloody across the headlines. That’s the difference, pal.”

John Morrison served in combat as a Marine sergeant, and retired as a senior lieutenant from the San Diego Police Department, having served there as Director of Training, Commanding Officer of SWAT and division executive officer. He has taught, written and lectured widely on training, tactics and leadership. Contact him at StreetLevelOne@yahoo.com.

Sometimes You'll Never Know

When you get checked out on Taser operation, you’re routinely briefed on the possible results — suspects dropping like a box of rocks, going into Grand Spaz mode, incontinence, projectile hurling, and so on. But in Daytona Beach, a team of our brothers and sisters in blue got one they never expected.

Our Taser-target du jour, 53-year old Dennis Crouch, had already had an eventful evening. Following an episode of drinking and dwelling on his financial and medical problems at a friend’s place, he grabbed a knife and stabbed himself in the chest and stomach. When his pal phoned the police, Dennis fled to his home, where he promptly got into a beef with his wife over plans to go change his luck in Las Vegas. He grabbed a kitchen knife and the fun began again. This time his wife bailed out and dialed 911.

When officers kicked in the door, Crouch was across the living room, clutching an eight-inch knife pointed at his tummy and playing the old game of, “Don’t come any closer or I’ll mutilate the moron.” After Crouch repeatedly ignored commands to drop the knife, Officer Betsy Cassidy reluctantly but resolutely raised her Taser and popped him. Asecond later, all the gathered officers could say was, “Wow!” The instant the darts hit Crouch, his chest seemed to burst into flames.

“The subject,” reported police Sergeant Al Tolley, “Immediately dropped the knife.” Well, Duhhh. He needed both hands to beat out the fire on his chest, of course. It was later learned that Crouch had a disposable plastic butane lighter in his shirt pocket. One of the Taser darts punctured the lighter, and ignited the butane. We expect to see this scenario added to Taser training, titled the “Marshmallow at a Campfire Effect.”

There’s more in the JULY/AUGUST issue.
Make sure you get it!
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COP BASHING

There’s nothing new about groups like the ACLU and Amnesty International bashing cops in order to get press and raise money. But this time their cop bashing is proving to be dangerous even for the criminals they so diligently work to protect. The ACLU of Northern California (go figure) recently came out with an attack on police use of TASERs. These criminal coddlers tried to blame police use of TASERs for in custody deaths and called for a ban on their use.

The Law Enforcement Alliance of America (LEAA) doesn’t take kindly to cop bashers, and we eviscerated the ACLU’s phony claims with a report exposing their wild exaggerations. We warned the press and the public that if the ACLU got their way, and cops were robbed of options for less lethal force, the outcome would be more dead suspects.

Get the rest of the column in the July/August issue!

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HOW TO: SHOOT YOURSELF IN THE FOOT
Nobody Can Screw Up Your Case Like You Can
Jeremy Clough

Some cases have tough facts, and some have complex legal issues; these cases are hard by their very nature. But then there are the ones where the arresting officer has already killed the case before the bad guy even gets booked in. Don’t get me wrong, we DAs make plenty of dumb mistakes that lose cases. But even so, we can only try as good a case as we get. So we’re gonna look at three things that can kill your case: first, Miranda, then evidence and witnesses, and we’ll wrap it up with general stupidity.

BONUS: Read this special feature from the July/August issue of American COP right here.

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SMITH & WESSON
S&W M&P .40
And SureFire X200A Weapon Light!

Smith & Wesson’s new offering to the Law Enforcement Community comes with a legacy of more than a hundred years of service to cops and the military. The M&P was specially designed to meet the needs of global military and police personnel. Its designers incorporated feedback throughout the design-cycle from more than a dozen law enforcement and military organizations and specifically engineered it to provide professionals with the high level of performance and safety critical in our day-to-day duties. This is one truly duty ready pistol. It offers a number of distinctive features providing durability, safety and versatility. They include a polymer, reinforced frame and stainless steel barrel and slide for durability, a passive trigger safety to prevent it from firing if dropped and a unique trigger mechanism that eliminates the need to press the trigger in order to disassemble the firearm. A loaded chamber indicator is located atop the slide and there’s an internal lock system. The M&P’s ergonomic design is enhanced with three interchangeable grip sizes, allowing the user to customize grips in a matter of seconds. The firearm also features an ambidextrous slide stop and magazine catch release, as well as an enlarged triggerguard designed to accommodate gloves. A universal Picatinnystyle equipment rail allows the addition of tactical lights and lasers. www.smith-wesson.com

One lucky reader will win all the goodies shown here!

The July/August issue has all the details
on how to win this prize package!
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