I haven't done it, yet, but the Seattle trunk rifle is bringing forth a lot of confessions from cops on the interweb who have misplaced guns. I've seen it happen three times. In two of those events, the officer did not have a back-up gun, so they were totally unarmed. I also wonder if there is a correlation between forgetting a duty gun, and not bothering to wear a BUG, or two.
Probably the best suggestion for avoiding this stupid cop trick comes from LE writer Tim Dees, who mentioned locking the cruiser keys with the gun when going into secured areas like jails or other places where guns are checked in. At least if you forget you wont get far when it's time to leave.
None of them do it anymore, but my personal nightmare involved instructors setting a malfunctioning shotgun off to the side of our range, where a breeze could easily cover it in leaves and tall grass. Which has lead me to counting them 4 times in the course of getting them from storage, distributing them at the range, leaving the range, and re-storing them. And with 3 styles of shotguns, it's a pain.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Dude, where's my gun? Officer drives away with assault rifle on trunk | 9news.com
It's a little more complicated that it sounds at first, but still really, really bad. I shouldn't talk, having once driven off with a portable radio sitting on the cruiser roof.
Dude, where's my gun? Officer drives away with assault rifle on trunk | 9news.com
Dude, where's my gun? Officer drives away with assault rifle on trunk | 9news.com
BBC News - Bangladesh plans special force to protect tigers
Bangladesh is setting up a special force to save the critically endangered Royal Bengal Tiger and other animals.The 300-member force will be deployed mostly around the Sundarbans mangrove forests, one of the last refuges of the tigers. The decision came months after they seized three tiger skins and a large quantity of bones, the biggest haul of illegal tiger parts in decades. (Continues...)
WWF - Collared tiger in Nepal poisoned
Kathmandu, Nepal -- A Bengal tiger fitted with a GPS tracking collar and translocated from Nepal's Chitwan National Park to Bardia National Park has been killed, according to Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation officials.
Authorities believe the tiger died after eating the flesh of a cow deliberately laced with poison. 3 men suspected of involvement in the death have been arrested. (Continues...)
Authorities believe the tiger died after eating the flesh of a cow deliberately laced with poison. 3 men suspected of involvement in the death have been arrested. (Continues...)
WWF - Timber firm could axe endangered Amur tiger habitat
WWF - Timber firm could axe endangered Amur tiger habitat
Primorsky, Russia - The discovery of plans to log key Amur tiger habitat in a proposed UNESCO World Heritage Site has led to a public outcry demanding the cancellation of the logging lease in Russia’s Primorsky Province.
WWF Russia and the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Primorsky Province are leading the call against JSC Les Export, a wood harvesting and export company that specializes in parquet flooring.
Primorsky Province in the Russian Far East is one of the last remaining strongholds of the largest of all big cats, the Amur tiger, which numbers less than 500 in the wild. (Continues...)
Primorsky, Russia - The discovery of plans to log key Amur tiger habitat in a proposed UNESCO World Heritage Site has led to a public outcry demanding the cancellation of the logging lease in Russia’s Primorsky Province.
WWF Russia and the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Primorsky Province are leading the call against JSC Les Export, a wood harvesting and export company that specializes in parquet flooring.
Primorsky Province in the Russian Far East is one of the last remaining strongholds of the largest of all big cats, the Amur tiger, which numbers less than 500 in the wild. (Continues...)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Zion National Park to Increase Drunk Driving Enforcement over the Holiday Weekend
From NPS: Zion National Park will enhance impaired driving enforcement over the Fourth of July weekend through expanded DUI checkpoints and increased road patrols...Continues
Coincidently, Speaking of Tribal Law Enforcement and NA Crime...
New Release from BJS:
Compendium of Tribal Crime Data, 2011
Focuses on BJS's existing data on key criminal justice issues in Indian country and addresses gaps in tribal crime data. It includes recent findings on tribal law enforcement agencies, state prosecutors’ offices with jurisdiction over crimes in Indian country, and tribal youth processed in the federal justice system.
Compendium of Tribal Crime Data, 2011
Focuses on BJS's existing data on key criminal justice issues in Indian country and addresses gaps in tribal crime data. It includes recent findings on tribal law enforcement agencies, state prosecutors’ offices with jurisdiction over crimes in Indian country, and tribal youth processed in the federal justice system.
Rat bites officer: Baltimore City police officer bitten by rat on way to call - baltimoresun.com
I'm sorry, but the paranoid schizophrenic in me would make me start looking for whatever copper on my squad couldn't control the giggles. Cops have been salting other cop's cruisers with wildlife, and wilddeath, forever: a raccoon can do over $5,000 damage to radios, mdts, radar units and car interiors in a couple hours, though I can't say how I know that. As carp cops, trout troopers and meadow mounties, conservation LEOS have all kind of options available to them, but I suppose that a rattlesnake is over the line, and trying to wedge a polar bear into a Charger is probably going to be more trouble than it's worth. Note also the mention of the exotic lizard nailing another cop, in one of their parks. And only a sergeant would have an umbrella in their patrol car.
Rat bites officer: Baltimore City police officer bitten by rat on way to call - baltimoresun.com
Rat bites officer: Baltimore City police officer bitten by rat on way to call - baltimoresun.com
The CSI Effect
I can't imagine that anyone teaching basic investigation, crime scene management or intro forensics doesn't discuss it: the unrealistic expectations that the legal and civilian community have about our ability to locate, protect, preserve, document, process and analyze evidence at crime or incident scenes, based on what they saw on TV or the movies. While I wish it was like on TV, with a smokin' hot partner and a $45,000 SUV filled with a $100,000 of hi-tech equipment, that, like always finding a parking space directly in front of the station or whatever address you are called to, just doesn't reflect reality. It's far more likely we are going to have to crawl under a singlewide with a flashlight and a masonry trowel and pick through the trash until we find what we are looking for, while also discovering that all of the abode's waste plumbing flushes to the ground directly under the toilet and drains.
The NIJ has a new website that directly addresses the CSI effect and provides some tools and guidance for countering it:
CSI Effect Theory: Strategies and Views
Check it out and see what you think.
The NIJ has a new website that directly addresses the CSI effect and provides some tools and guidance for countering it:
CSI Effect Theory: Strategies and Views
Check it out and see what you think.
Monday, June 27, 2011
BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT: Park Evacuated Due To Wildland Fire
From NPS Incidents:
A wildland fire that began in the Santa Fe National Forest about a dozen miles south of Los Alamos early yesterday afternoon has spread so rapidly that it has forced a number of evacuations and closures, including Bandelier National Monument. The Las Conchas Fire had burned over 3,500 acres by yesterday evening and had spread into Frijoles Canyon within the park. Bandelier was accordingly evacuated. Residents living within Cochiti Mesa and Las Concahs were also evacuated, along with campers in nearby Forest Service campgrounds. Voluntary evacuations are in effect for White Rock and Los Alamos. See reports on the Las Conchas Fire for additional details.
A wildland fire that began in the Santa Fe National Forest about a dozen miles south of Los Alamos early yesterday afternoon has spread so rapidly that it has forced a number of evacuations and closures, including Bandelier National Monument. The Las Conchas Fire had burned over 3,500 acres by yesterday evening and had spread into Frijoles Canyon within the park. Bandelier was accordingly evacuated. Residents living within Cochiti Mesa and Las Concahs were also evacuated, along with campers in nearby Forest Service campgrounds. Voluntary evacuations are in effect for White Rock and Los Alamos. See reports on the Las Conchas Fire for additional details.
Drugs in Parks? No Way...
From NPS Incidents:
NEW RIVER GORGE NATIONAL RIVER
Two Men Busted For Meth Lab In Tailwaters Campground
Two men were pulled over for speeding while driving on US 19 by a Summersville PD officer last Thursday evening. The officer observed a one-bottle meth cook going on inside and called the Central West Virginia Drug Task Force. Officers learned that the men were staying at the Tailwaters Campground in Gauley River NRA and went there to continue the drug investigation. A search of the tents and campsite revealed precursors of meth production. Both men were arrested and arraigned last Friday in state court. A third man supposedly involved has not been identified yet. The investigation continues, as rangers gather case information from drug task force officers. Both suspects had just gotten out of prison and have meth charges in their criminal histories.
NEW RIVER GORGE NATIONAL RIVER
Two Men Busted For Meth Lab In Tailwaters Campground
Two men were pulled over for speeding while driving on US 19 by a Summersville PD officer last Thursday evening. The officer observed a one-bottle meth cook going on inside and called the Central West Virginia Drug Task Force. Officers learned that the men were staying at the Tailwaters Campground in Gauley River NRA and went there to continue the drug investigation. A search of the tents and campsite revealed precursors of meth production. Both men were arrested and arraigned last Friday in state court. A third man supposedly involved has not been identified yet. The investigation continues, as rangers gather case information from drug task force officers. Both suspects had just gotten out of prison and have meth charges in their criminal histories.
Ask Me About Hocking College...
Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words:
All it needs is a couple smoldering fires and guys with rifles wandering around chewing khat.
 |
| Remains of Sign at Entrance to Campus |
All it needs is a couple smoldering fires and guys with rifles wandering around chewing khat.
Driving Related Deaths
That's two fatalities over the weekend, and reading between the lines, when cars are cut in half and bursting into flames, there was some high speed involved. I also get a little suspicious when the run is described as being an "assistance" or "officer needs help" call, but the nature of the problem isn't identified. I'll run Mach 3 if a copper is trapped in a gunfight, but if it's Otis the town drunk acting up even though he's already wrapped in TASER wire, that's subsonic.
LODD/Homicide: Navaho Nation Tribal Police
EOW Sgt. Darrell Curley
I'd contend that tribal LEOs have arguably the toughest beats in the nation, and don't have nearly the recognition or resources they deserve. Pick the worst, most problem-plagued community you can think of, and, if you aren't already thinking of a rez, multiply the crime, violence, addiction and health problems by a factor of 20 and try to police it with 1/20th of the cops assigned there. That they aren't killed more often speaks highly of their skill and courage.
I'd contend that tribal LEOs have arguably the toughest beats in the nation, and don't have nearly the recognition or resources they deserve. Pick the worst, most problem-plagued community you can think of, and, if you aren't already thinking of a rez, multiply the crime, violence, addiction and health problems by a factor of 20 and try to police it with 1/20th of the cops assigned there. That they aren't killed more often speaks highly of their skill and courage.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Physical Activity Levels of High School Students --- United States, 2010
This news isn't news, and it sort of makes me wonder about all the stuff we hear about "bullying," which I guess is the hip new problem to have now. I suppose it's possible to be intimidated by a fat blob of gelatinous grease, but back in the day, the best anti-bullying program typically involved a kid who was at least mentally more fit than the bully convincing said bully to pursue different recreational options. Bloody noses, missing teeth and inhaled dirt was usually involved, but for some reason society didn't collapse.
Physical Activity Levels of High School Students --- United States, 2010
Physical Activity Levels of High School Students --- United States, 2010
Monday, June 20, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Calif. Officer Dies During Firearms Exercise - Officer.com
Calif. Officer Dies During Firearms Exercise - Officer.com
We focus so much on firearms safety that we forget about the simple risks, like a slip & fall, reactions to insect stings or bites, cold- and heat-related crises, dehydration, injuries from handling targets and props, and the like. I've never been shot on a range, but have personally experienced everything else, from sun-burn to chigger infestations, 2 snake bites (inconsequential, small snakes) to removing bats, being rushed by deer, and a turkey, lacerations for splatter from steel targets to my all-time favorite, necrotizing spider bites.
We focus so much on firearms safety that we forget about the simple risks, like a slip & fall, reactions to insect stings or bites, cold- and heat-related crises, dehydration, injuries from handling targets and props, and the like. I've never been shot on a range, but have personally experienced everything else, from sun-burn to chigger infestations, 2 snake bites (inconsequential, small snakes) to removing bats, being rushed by deer, and a turkey, lacerations for splatter from steel targets to my all-time favorite, necrotizing spider bites.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Eye doctors salvage sight in war zone - USATODAY.com
Mandatory eye pro is the smartest thing the military has done since adopting gunpowder:
Eye doctors salvage sight in war zone - USATODAY.com
Eye doctors salvage sight in war zone - USATODAY.com
Monday, June 13, 2011
Don't Mess With Texas
Texas agency: Authorities take gunfire on border with Mexico
More importantly, they returned gunfire.
More importantly, they returned gunfire.
Editorial: Another black eye | The Columbus Dispatch
The soap opera that is Hocking College:
Editorial: Another black eye | The Columbus Dispatch
Editorial: Another black eye | The Columbus Dispatch
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Hoquiam man with dead weasel arrested for assault | KING5.com Seattle
Hoquiam man with dead weasel arrested for assault | KING5.com Seattle
Crappy reporting - so which was it, a weasel or a marten? Either way, anyone who has watched The Big Lebowski knows that getting assaulted with a dead weasel would be better than a live one.
Insert your own weasel/lawyer joke here:______________
Crappy reporting - so which was it, a weasel or a marten? Either way, anyone who has watched The Big Lebowski knows that getting assaulted with a dead weasel would be better than a live one.
Insert your own weasel/lawyer joke here:______________
Soul of Athens
This is a neat project done by that other college down the road, by students in their visual communications program. It is extra-neat, because one of the pieces is about a former guest of the Evil Empress, whom I did not realize had a "sensible haircut." The photography, or videography, or whatever you call video shot with a DSLR is extremely good, though unfortunately I've heard a lot of the same shuck and jive from other cons, who put the "con" in "convict." I wish him well, but wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't already back in somebody else's lockup by now. Another is about a couple that live about a quarter mile from us who got hammered bad during the September tornado, not that tornadoes ever give a good hammering, unless you have a trailer you want to get rid of. And there is also the obligatory hippies living in a school bus and ravages of rural drug addiction bits that are staples of the Appalachian narrative, but cool stuff nonetheless.
Our Dreams are Different
Our Dreams are Different
Headed Home
I'll be leaving FLETC in the morning, and no, I don't have test scores for RAP20. If I can get internet access during a break in the drive I'll try to check my e-mail and see if they have been sent, otherwise it will be Monday earliest.
RAP21 won't know how good they'll have it. RAP22 will be under new curricula mandates, and will face, depending on whose counting, 2 to 5 independently administered certification exams.
Photography is prohibited on Center, so I'll be posting pictures in a new album as soon as I find my card reader.
RAP21 won't know how good they'll have it. RAP22 will be under new curricula mandates, and will face, depending on whose counting, 2 to 5 independently administered certification exams.
Photography is prohibited on Center, so I'll be posting pictures in a new album as soon as I find my card reader.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Independence Police Shoot At Concrete Alligator - WDAF
Independence Police Shoot At Concrete Alligator - WDAF
Somewhere, right now, on multiple gun forums, guys are asking about the type of round used and arguing which caliber is best for killing a lawn ornament. The late, great Bill Perine, always one for causing aggravation, gave me a shot-up 3D alligator target which lived for a couple years in a ditch just off the range: about 1 in 5 students were observant enough to spot it. Then Athens Police apprehended a real, live one doing the Court Street Crawl late one night, but it was a juvenile, so it only counted as underage and maybe a curfew violation.
Somewhere, right now, on multiple gun forums, guys are asking about the type of round used and arguing which caliber is best for killing a lawn ornament. The late, great Bill Perine, always one for causing aggravation, gave me a shot-up 3D alligator target which lived for a couple years in a ditch just off the range: about 1 in 5 students were observant enough to spot it. Then Athens Police apprehended a real, live one doing the Court Street Crawl late one night, but it was a juvenile, so it only counted as underage and maybe a curfew violation.
Cool Weather Training Resource
I haven't tried going through it, but may give it a try between writing standards and risk analysis documents in my hotel room with the AC set to 40 degrees, watching the condensation roll down the window outside.
NWS Enhanced Fujita Scale Training
NWS Enhanced Fujita Scale Training
Out of the Office
In my quest to experience different weather calamities in different areas I will be spending the start of hurricane season in the lowlands of Georgia. I'll leave their heat and humidity and return to Ohio heat and humidity somewhere around June 13. Connie can find me in case of crisis, and yes, RAP20, I've made arrangements to get your test scores and will call when I have them, even if its from the stomach of an alligator.
Ranger Academy Ramp-Up
The Academy slated to start August 8th carries the class designator RAP21. If you are in that class, know that number, it's part of your new identity.
Paperwork regarding fingerprinting for background checks and medical exams is being sent out and needs to be completed and returned to us by end of business on July 22.
ANYONE WHO IS ON THE CLASS ROSTER, BUT NOT RESPONDING TO CALLS, MAILINGS OR E-MAILS, OR WHO MISSES DEADLINES WITHOUT GOOD CAUSE SHOWN, IS LIABLE TO BEING STRUCK FROM THE ROSTER. Likewise, if for whatever reason a person realizes that they can't attend, please let Connie know, so we can accommodate people on the waiting list.
Paperwork regarding fingerprinting for background checks and medical exams is being sent out and needs to be completed and returned to us by end of business on July 22.
ANYONE WHO IS ON THE CLASS ROSTER, BUT NOT RESPONDING TO CALLS, MAILINGS OR E-MAILS, OR WHO MISSES DEADLINES WITHOUT GOOD CAUSE SHOWN, IS LIABLE TO BEING STRUCK FROM THE ROSTER. Likewise, if for whatever reason a person realizes that they can't attend, please let Connie know, so we can accommodate people on the waiting list.
It's Pretty Bad WhenThey Won't Allow FEMA Trailers in Town
Officials won't force FEMA trailers on Ala. town
"Longtime resident Jim Madison said some residents support the trailer ban as an effort to keep "lower-class people" out of town, but he's written the City Council asking members to temporarily waive the law so people can have a place to live."
I assume that by now FEMA has gotten ones that aren't made out of asbestos, Chinese wallboard and glued together with mold, so send them here. Our "lower class" people, and a number of our "middle class" could use them. SE Ohio is like the land of lost singlewides, a sanctuary where trailers go to breed and die.
"Longtime resident Jim Madison said some residents support the trailer ban as an effort to keep "lower-class people" out of town, but he's written the City Council asking members to temporarily waive the law so people can have a place to live."
I assume that by now FEMA has gotten ones that aren't made out of asbestos, Chinese wallboard and glued together with mold, so send them here. Our "lower class" people, and a number of our "middle class" could use them. SE Ohio is like the land of lost singlewides, a sanctuary where trailers go to breed and die.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
What drives the illegal wildlife trade
Interesting article from Malaysia on the underground exotic animal market, if for nothing other than the sort of disturbing photo of a woman who looks like she's about to grope an orangutan.
What drives the illegal wildlife trade
What drives the illegal wildlife trade
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Prisoner Non-Searching
It's in for-real Spanish, which means I can't understand a word, but I definitely understand the universal language of "There's a pistol stuck in her pants." I won't remember the technical term for it until after 10:00 am, but it is something like "expectational blindness," when we don't see something because we don't expect to see it. There may have been some gender issues also - note that the pistol was spotted by a female officer right quick, whereas the guys were probably doing nothing more than a quick peek to see if her belly button was an inny or an outty, and were more concerned about being accused of scoping the scenery.
I don't know the context of the stop, but worked vice long enough to know that you've got to do a thorough enough search to determine if a female is an actual female. If you can't tell bumpy from smooth with the back of your hand, something's wrong with the back of your hand, and any pistol is going to be bumpy, even when it's in plain site.
It also gives me an opportunity to work the word "pantaloons" back into my vocabulary.
Mujer fue arrestada con una pistola en su pantalón - Univision Univison Sacramento
I don't know the context of the stop, but worked vice long enough to know that you've got to do a thorough enough search to determine if a female is an actual female. If you can't tell bumpy from smooth with the back of your hand, something's wrong with the back of your hand, and any pistol is going to be bumpy, even when it's in plain site.
It also gives me an opportunity to work the word "pantaloons" back into my vocabulary.
Mujer fue arrestada con una pistola en su pantalón - Univision Univison Sacramento
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