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The Supervisor's Role |
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At most agencies across the country, I could usually tell who the senior patrol sergeants were without looking for the stripes. They’re the ones with cracked; squeaking leather gear and only the belt equipment issued eight, 15 or 29 years before. A re-stitched “Level Zero” holster looking like a rhino’s butt after a hot day in a mudhole contains a revolver infested with dust bunnies. A dump pouch with a time-worn snap is perpetually poised to drop six rounds of .38 Special on the deck. His most recent concession to the modern era is a vintage MagLite, once blue-black, and now worn shiny. It ain’t funny when it’s true, guys.
Those sergeants were also the ones most likely to pause while shuffling papers, look up to see some young hard-charging officer showing off the latest tac-tool or warrior-widget to his pals, wryly mutter “Kids and their toys, hmph!” — and then just go back to shuffling.
I know many of you three-stripers get and stay on the cutting edge of LE technology, so this bullet’s not meant for you. Neither is it for those clinging stubbornly to the archaic and obsolete, either out of sheer sloth, a shameful lack of professional interest, or the misguided mindset saying “If the department doesn’t issue it to me, I ain’t buyin’ it.” They won’t listen anyway.
No, it’s aimed at large numbers of you who have the right motivation and interest, but you’ve been so busy just being sergeants the rapidly evolving world of techno-tools has blazed right past you. Buried under mounds of staffing and personnel issues, you’ve relegated it to “secondary status.”
Just visualize this scenario: A Marine squad leader who doesn’t know how to zero and adjust his troops’ Trijicon ACOG sights — and never put his own ACOG on because he was “too busy.” Got it? It is, in fact, every supervisor’s duty to be the rarely-surprised, always-informed, perpetually-interested educational resource for his personnel. It’s time to get caught up!
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Start Right Here – Right NOW
In this issue you’ll find American COP’s Christmas Gift Guide. Check out the latest handcuffs from Hiatt, and consider how far restraint devices have come in the last decade. SOG’s Bi-Polar knife is high-tech too, and that seatbelt-slashing “V-Cutter” could save lives at accident scenes. Safe Direction’s “Academy Pad” didn’t even exist a couple of years ago. Those Oakley glasses aren’t just “cool,” they’re impact-tested to withstand .25" steel shot fired at 102 miles per hour to earn ANSI Z87.1 approval. Know about that safety standard? Learn it, and be able to discuss it intelligently with your officers.
Now browse the ads and articles in this and past issues. What’s the latest in pistol-mounted lights and lasers? What the heck is a TLR-2, an SSL-1, or a Uni-Max? Are any of your cops carrying them? Do Bianchi or Safariland make a Level Two holster for your old Model 19, and what does Level Two mean? How does BlackHawk’s Level Three SERPA AutoLock holster work? Have any of your officers been stuck with hypo needles lately while doing suspect searches? Who’s making Kevlar-lined patrol gloves designed for safe frisking?
What’s a DAK trigger on a SIG pistol? What’s the benefit of retrofitting a Hindi Cap on an expandable baton? What’s new from Taser, and would LifeAct’s “Guardian Angel” be a better tool than your current issue pepper spray? Is it authorized?
This isn’t about endorsing products or selling ads. It’s about your knowledge of equipment making your officers more efficient and effective — perhaps saving their lives. Make a list of Web sites, and spend some time surfing.
Super-Vision, Supervisor
And, there’s another side of the issue that’s all yours, Sergeant: You can’t just be “knowledgeable” when you wear three stripes. You must also be analytical. Every time you see a new piece of gear being worn or carried by one of your cops — and you will, whether it’s authorized or not — you need to find out (1) How it works, (2) If it works and (3) Does your officer know how to employ it properly and safely?
Look at every new device you encounter with an open mind but a narrowed, critical eye, and don’t just look at their intended purpose, but how they’re actually used. In one case I know of, a rookie officer bought a new light and laser sight unit for his rail-equipped pistol. He wore the unit in a belt holder, and simply attached it to the empty spot on his gunbelt. That happened to be on his left rear side.
Following graveyard shift line-up on a freezing night, he carried his gear out to his cruiser, fired it up to warm the frosty interior, and then got out to load some gear into the trunk. His sergeant happened to be watching. When that officer sat down, he had accidentally activated that light/laser unit, and he was unwittingly spotlighting and lasing the port side of his own butt.
“Nice target,” the sergeant commented — and led him through a carry-options assessment. That’s just one example of dozens I don’t have space for on this page. But you get the picture, I’m sure. You have super-vision, don’t you?
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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.
First published in the Nov/Dec 2007 issue of American COP. |
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