Grads in the News

Finally, a student makes the papers, and there's no mention of stab wounds or blood-alcohol content.  Heidi Greenleaf of RAP20, who demonstrated poise and courage above and beyond by putting up with her knuckleheaded male classmates who outnumbered her 19 to 1, starts her way to fame and glory at Acadia National Park:

Acadia is one of my personal favorites.  The Evil Empress, Princess of Power and I visited there a number of years ago and thought it was great.  We also learned that having better grads working in the Park correlates with getting better camping spaces.  I believe Heidi was going to be assigned to horse work; her classmates will have prepared her well for dealing with large mammals that produce a lot of manure.

My Advice to the Medical Community

Some people take vacations over the summer - I see multiple doctors to repair all the damage done by the fall, winter and spring academies.  So if I've been to your office three times, and only been seen by nurses and PAs, and you walk in without a name tag or even a stethoscope and the 2 dozen pens and notebooks that doctors carry and you start asking me questions, don't be surprised when I ask "Who the hell are you?"  And if you think I have to unload a lot of stuff from my pockets, you definitely don't want to know what I left locked in the truck before I came in.  And I don't care if a nurse will only subtract X number of pounds from the scales for shoes and clothes, when I say "take 3 more pounds off" I mean subtract 3 more pounds.  It isn't all lard.

Someone at SIG Needs an Intervention

I posted photos of some .380s a couple months ago that SIG pimped out, but now they are doing it to real guns:

I suppose "Diamond Plate" is OK if you want it to match the tool box on your pickup or the running boards on your fire truck.  Or you are a member of EME or the Russian Mob.

I'm going for this one, though, so people think I'm a badass, maybe a member of SEAL Team 7 or something:

From the SIG description: "The 1911 Tactical Operations model features a SAO trigger, Novak® night sights, integral accessory rail, ambidextrous safety, Magwell, and Ergo XT grips."  Really, a single action trigger on a 1911?  When did they start doing that?  Maybe sometime around 1911? 

Sunday Is World Ranger Day (NPS Digest)

Sunday Is World Ranger Day (NPS Digest)

 Rangers on patrol in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 100 rangers have been killed in the line of duty over the past decade. NPS Photo

Altitude Sickness

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
Climber With Severe High Altitude Sickness Rescued

Last Friday morning, rangers were notified via cell phone of a 26-year-old Kansas man suffering from severe high altitude sickness at the Boulder Field on Longs Peak. He’d become ill while summiting Longs Peak the day before. Two members of a nearby park trail crew reached his location within a half hour and determined that his illness was severe enough to warrant evacuation by medical helicopter. A St. Anthony’s Flight for Life helicopter reached the scene shortly thereafter and flew him to the Medical Center of the Rockies. Doctors later said that the care given by the Flight for Life crew and the park trail crew likely saved his life. High altitude sickness (also called acute mountain sickness) occurs when you cannot get enough oxygen at high altitude. How physically fit you are plays no role in whether you get altitude sickness. Symptoms include a dull to throbbing headache, loss of appetite, nausea or a feeling of being sick to your stomach, vomiting, and feeling weak or dizzy.  The best treatment for high altitude sickness is to go to a lower elevation.

Bill's Note:  BTDT - Hit me like a hammer at an embarrassingly low altitude, like 9,000 feet.

"The best treatment for high altitude sickness is to go to a lower elevation."  I figured that out all by myself.

Rangers Conduct Multiple Technical Rescues (NPS Digest)

Too long to paste, from Zion NP:
Rangers Conduct Multiple Technical Rescues (NPS Digest)
Note the second case - you rig correctly, everything's cool. You rig incorrectly, it hurts. Falling that distance would give you time to think about the error of your ways, and completely empty your bladder.  And a 6 hour haul-out?  Too many of us can't manage a litter up or down a six story elevator ride.

Another Reason That I No Longer Ride:

Going slow and tight killed me - I almost get vertigo.  Notice how he looks at where he wants to go, not at the front wheel or cones right in front.

Update: U.S. Consulate Shooting | KTSM News Channel 9

Update: U.S. Consulate Shooting | KTSM News Channel 9

Interesting Article With Use of Force Implications

Dangerous Rock Attacks on Border Patrol Agents Are Up; Chopper Brought Down by Rock in ‘79

Assaults by illegals, coyotes and narco-smugglers using large chunks of rock on US Border Patrol agents enforcing the US/Mexico border continues to escalate.  These attacks can be life-threatening. In some instances, Border Patrol agents have been critically injured when struck in the face or head.(Continues...)

“ATHENS CO EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING, THUR 7/21/11, 12 NOON TO 8 PM. TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO STAY COOL! HEAT INDEX 105-107!” from Athens County PIO Network : Nixle

We get it; it's hot:
“ATHENS CO EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING, THUR 7/21/11, 12 NOON TO 8 PM. TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO STAY COOL! HEAT INDEX 105-107!” from Athens County PIO Network : Nixle

I Keep Getting E-mails From the Owner of the House We Rent Regularly at Hatteras...

We haven't been down in a couple years, and are overdue. Mike McG told me yesterday that they had been planning a trip, but are going to Gatlinburg instead. From NPS Incidents:

CAPE HATTERAS NATIONAL SEASHORE
Girl Injured In Apparent Shark Attack

Ranger Shane Bryan was dispatched by the Hyde County Sheriff’s Office to an area near off-road vehicle Ramp 72 on Tuesday afternoon to investigate a report of a person injured by a shark. He found Ocracoke paramedics treating a six-year-old girl for injuries to her lower right leg and foot. The girl’s father told Bryan that an unidentified witness had told him he’d seen a four- to five-foot shark knock his daughter out of the water with her leg in the shark’s mouth. He also said that his daughter was near the shore with a boogie board in about 18 inches of water when the incident occurred. She was stabilized and flown by medical helicopter to Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville for further treatment. The father, who is a medical doctor, told Bryan that he believed his daughter would be fine based on his view of the injuries.

More Guardrail Follies:

Abiding by a posted warning is "optional," I guess, abiding by the laws of hydrodynamics and gravity is not.  From NPS Incidents:
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
Three Visitors Swept Over Vernal Fall
Three visitors are presumed dead after plunging over Vernal Fall on Tuesday afternoon. Hormiz David, 22, Ninos Yacoub, 27, and Ramina Badal, 21, all from California, came to the park for a day trip with a group of family and friends.  They were seen entering the water above Vernal Fall, approximately 25 feet from the precipice. Witnesses reported to park officials that several people urged them to step back from the river, since it was flowing swiftly and was extremely cold. The area is signed as a dangerous area, and the group had crossed a metal guardrail placed there to keep visitors away from the dangerous, fast-moving water...continues...

Cool Training Opportunity, and the Price is Right, Too

Trace Evidence Symposium sessions to be streamed live online

Ohio CPT?  The agenda is available on the web-page, and it looks to be oriented mainly at lab-based forensic scientists, but if we field-types have a better understanding of what the lab-types can do, and whatthey need to do it, we all win.  Lots of stuff on soils...and as the father of a teenage girl/college student/ business lady/performance artist, I'll definitely be checking out: 

3:40 pm-4:00 pm - Glitter:  The Ideal Trace Evidence?  Claude Roux, Professor of Forensic Science, Centre for Forensic Science, University of Technology, Sydney, Broadway, New South Wales, Australia

Next year I'll be presenting: Sequins: Threat or Menace?

Am I fit enough? - NSW Police Online

Am I fit enough? - NSW Police Online

Actually, It Was a Great Movie

CDC NIOSH Science Blog: Horrible Bosses: Workplace violence in the real world

U.S. Border Patrol Weekly BlotterJuly 7 - July 13 - CBP.gov

U.S. Border Patrol Weekly Blotter</br>July 7 - July 13 - CBP.gov

Rangers Rescue Man Following 300-Foot Fall

From NPS Incidents, emphasis added,
On Monday morning July 11, 2011, 27-year-old Eric Brimlow from Syracuse, New York fell from the rim of the Crater Lake caldera in Crater Lake National Park. He was traveling in the park with friends when he went beyond a barrier wall along the walkway leading to the park's Sinnott Memorial overlook and jumped onto a snow bank. Eyewitness accounts indicate that the man slid head first down a snow chute, past  50 feet of vertical cliffs and several hundred feet of very steep, rocky terrain.  Brimlow came to rest at the base of a tree 300 feet below the caldera rim...

Responding to Epilepsy: Online LE Training Resources

Epilespsy Foundation: Law Enforcement/EMS Response to Seizures

Special Events at Hopewell Culture NHP:

Guided Walk at Fort Hill
July 30, 2011, 9:00 am - 12:30
Length: 4 miles
Difficulty Level: Moderately challenging with significant ascents and descents. Hikers should wear sturdy walking shoes and bring water and trail snacks.
Fort Hill, owned by the Ohio Historical Society, is one of the best preserved Hopewell hilltop enclosures in the world. The earthen wall is between 6 and 15 feet high, with 33 gateways along its impressive one and a half mile length. Because it was built on a hill top instead of agricultural land, this earthwork fared much better than most Hopewell complexes. Hikers who make the ascent can actually walk beside an intact 2,000 year old embankment wall. At the foot of the hill lies another mysterious enclosure. Unlike most Hopewell walls, this circle covers two rows of posthole molds that were discovered by archeologists in 1952...continues...

(Others on webpage, check them out)

Bicyclist Killed By Falling Tree (NPS Digest)

Bicyclist Killed By Falling Tree (NPS Digest)
CHESAPEAKE & OHIO CANAL NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK
Bicyclist Killed By Falling Tree
On July 3rd, park visitor Neil Reich from Forest Hills, New York, was riding his bike on a multi-day trip on the canal tow path from Harpers Ferry to Washington D.C. An afternoon storm hit the area with strong winds causing numerous trees to shear and fall in that section of the park. While he was biking through the event near Mile Post 33, a tree fell and struck him in his head area. Emergency services workers needed to cut trees that were blocking the tow path to reach him. A passing visitor had started CPR on him, but he was pronounced dead upon the arrival of the emergency squad. Ranger Brad Sones investigated the incident.

Bill's Note: My daughter was at Harper's Ferry around that time period, and said the weather was brutal. We also had high winds earlier this week that caused some issues, but no fatalities. The incident also points out the value of having some basic tools in the cruiser. While a chain saw might be a little much, plus you don't want pre-mix 2 stroke fuel in your trunk, particularly in a Crown Vic, bow saws are dirt cheap and might be all that's needed. A tow strap hooked to the frame, not the bumper, could pull reasonably-sized, downed timber out of the way. OSP still carries axes, mainly for entrapments, but I've gone on record as saying that if I ever saw a trooper headed towards me in a crashed car with an ax, I'd shoot myself. I don't think they cover axemanship in the Academy, certainly not directional felling.

Indiana Dunes Experiences Typically Busy July Fourth Weekend (NPS Digest)

Indiana Dunes Experiences Typically Busy July Fourth Weekend (NPS Digest)
290 Warnings
94 Violation Notices
78 Traffic Violations
3 Personal Watercraft Violations
15 Alcohol Incidents
2 Drug Incidents
44 Resource Violations
2 Vandalism Incidents
162 Miscellaneous Violations
2 EMS Responses

Comparing the Next Generation of Police Cars

Comparing the Next Generation of Police Cars
I haven't driven any of them, except a limited run in the first iteration of Charger. I assume that the Tahoe is still in the running and believe it was in last years' MSP test and showed very well.

I like over-powered RWD as much as the next arrested adolescent male, but we need to face reality and learn to live with AWD and traction/stability control. For the conditions we work in, they can only help, and as the LE community's traffic safety record shows, we could use all the help we can get, before we have to start installing Martin-Baker 0-0 ejection seats

The Fingerprint Sourcebook: It's Finished

It seems like it's taken forever, but then I didn't have to write it.  All the sections are on the NIJ page for download, or it can be purchased for 44 beans through NCJRS or GPO.  At a measly 388 pages, I'd fry the agency's printer.

In Fairness to the College...

...something neither Them or Me are big into, They did put a new sign up, though I think a set of gallows or brick wall for a firing squad pending the next round of bloodletting would be a nice touch.

Alhambra Police Officer Killed In Crash: Officers Crash After Responding To Same call - ktla.com

Eerily similar to the crash that killed Wellston Ohio PD Officer Kelli Lambert in 2003.

Alhambra Police Officer Killed In Crash: Officers Crash After Responding To Same call - ktla.com

August Academy Spots

We might ave a few seats opening up in the upcoming Academy - Connie returns from vacation and I'll have finished an all-consuming project Monday, and we'll try to sort out what's available and who might be able to fill in.

Yellowstone Bear Incident

It made the national news, but in case you missed it:

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
Yellowstone Visitor Killed by Grizzly Bear

A 57-year-old Torrence, California, man is dead after an encounter with a grizzly bear Wednesday morning. Brian Matayoshi, and his wife Marylyn, were hiking Wednesday morning on the Wapiti Lake Trail, located off the South Rim Drive, south of Canyon Village and east of the park’s Grand Loop Road. The couple was hiking west back toward their vehicle. At approximately 11 a.m., at a point about a mile and a half from the trailhead, they walked out of a forested area into an open meadow. It appears that the couple spotted a bear approximately 100 yards away and then began walking away from the bear. When they turned around to look, they reportedly saw the female grizzly running down the trail at them. The couple began running, but the bear caught up with them, attacking Matayoshi. The bear then went over to Matayoshi’s wife, who had fallen to the ground nearby. The bear bit her daypack, lifting her from the ground and then dropping her. She remained still and the bear left the area. She then walked back toward the meadow and attempted, without success, to call 911 on her cell phone. She began to shout for help and was heard by a distant group of hikers who were able to contact 911 by cell phone. Two rangers already in the area on backcountry patrol were contacted by the park Communications Center by radio and responded to the scene of the incident. Matayoshi received multiple bite and clawing injuries, and was dead when rangers arrived at the scene at approximately 11:30 a.m. Rangers immediately closed the hiking trails in the area. A subsequent helicopter patrol of the area failed to turn up any other hikers or backpackers. This small section of the park’s backcountry is expected to remain closed for several days. The initial investigation suggests the sow grizzly acted in a purely defensive nature to protect her cubs. This female bear is not tagged or collared, and does not apparently have a history of aggression or human interaction. Typically, the National Park Service does not trap, relocate, or kill a bear under those circumstances. A Board of Review which will include interagency experts will be convened to review the incident. Bear attacks are extremely rare. No one was hurt by a bear in Yellowstone in 2010. This is the first time a human has been killed by a bear in the park since 1986. Park visitors are encouraged to stay on designated trails, hike in groups of three or more people, and be alert for bears and make noise in blind spots. Visitors are also encouraged to consider carrying bear pepper spray, which has been shown to be highly successful in stopping aggressive behavior in bears. The Matayoshis were not carrying pepper spray.

Regarding Verdicts...

I can't remember the source of the first two paraphrased quotes, but they very definitely apply:

• We are a nation of laws, not men
• It is better to let 10 guilty men go free than to risk convicting an innocent man
• What you know, and what you can prove beyond a reasonable doubt, are two different things
• "Not guilty" is not the same as innocent or exonerated
• The American justice system has a lot of problems, but it is light-years better than the alternatives
• You may beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride
• Jury nullification is bad - they have to render verdicts based on the facts presented in court, and not on their personal opinions.

N.C. Officer Dies After Training Incident - Officer.com

Right now I'm butt-deep in writing risk assessments and drafting mitigation protocols, but this just goes to show that no matter what, bad things still happen.

N.C. Officer Dies After Training Incident - Officer.com

DCoE - FEATURE: Fit for Duty - Building Psychological Resilience

DCoE - FEATURE: Fit for Duty - Building Psychological Resilience

Ouch - I Hate When That Happens

Portland police mistakenly fire live rounds from a less-lethal shotgun, wounding a suspect | OregonLive.com

And this is ANOTHER reason why you inspect each round you are loading into the shotgun. In my opinion the idea of "dedicated" less-lethal shotguns is inherently flawed. If the gun will accept standard ammo, eventually someone will load it with standard ammo, no matter what color the stock is. I also wonder if sooner or later some EDP or tweaked out biker will retain a sufficient grasp of reality to realize that the guy or gal with the orange shotgun doesn't really mean business. It has to be costly also, inventorying essentially duplicate shotguns.

The only solution I can offer, other than keeping your head out of your butt, would be to maybe use such a radically different shotgun that the user would have to put on the mental brakes and double check what they are doing. For this I nominate my personal favorite, the side-by-side coach gun.

DHS Open Source Infrastructure Report

I gotta admit that I frequently delete this daily report without reading it, but with floods, wildfires and swarms of jellyfish attacking nuke plants it's probably worth checking out out:
Jellyfish swarm forces nuclear power plant to shutdown after they swim into filters Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2009771/Jellyfish-force-shutdown-nuclear-power-station-swimming-filters.html#ixzz1QrbRftGd