A couple of months ago I took an officer safety class that has really helped me a lot, and I thought I would pass along this info to everyone. One of the first things we were shown was the new cache of weapons that had been confiscated from the street that look like everyday household items, most being guns. The two that really caught my eye were
- Bic Lighter Gun
This gun looks exactly like a small bic lighter that people carry all of the time. It fires a single shot, and I could not really tell the difference between the gun and the real thing. - Wallet Gun
This gun is carried in the suspect’s pocket and is a 25 cal gun. It has the gun inside of the wallet. A hole is cut in the center of the wallet for the trigger. The person is able to pull the trigger without opening the wallet.
I bring these two up because during a pat down, if I feel what I believe to be these items, I always remove them from the suspect’s person. I can articulate, through training, that these could be a weapon used against me. Our legal department says as long as you can articulate that this could potentially be a weapon, you are golden. This may seem like a small thing, but I have seen the guns, and they are very real.
Next, we were told to air our stops and tags prior to actually stopping the vehicle. This is something I have started doing and I can tell you it has helped me greatly on two fronts.
First, I anticipate where I am going to stop the person (within a street or two). I air the tag and any other pertinent info needed. Then I initiate the stop. If I have to adjust my location a little, I can do that after everything is going ok. If I have already aired my info prior to stopping the car, I am able to cut 10-20 seconds off of the beginning of my stop. This allows me a greater opportunity to observe the suspect and I am able to quickly get to his car before he can do anything, (ie: destroy narcotics, get a weapon.)
Second, if the person runs on foot or in the car, I don’t have to worry about airing all of that info. I can focus on chasing the person or car. An added benefit to this is all of your backup already has the info they need to respond, (ie: tag info, general location, and vehicle description)
I have to tell you, in an area where we chase people all the time, this has helped me out tremendously. I really cannot see any downsides to this. Let me know what you think.
Officer James Howe
Owner and Operator
“Drug Interdiction for Patrol”
www.druginterdiction.bravehost.com