Letter From the Editor – July 2021

Well, it’s July. Mid-July as you receive this and we’ve all survived the Independence Day holidays. Historically, our calls for service go up as we respond to “sound of shots” calls that are fireworks being set off, “drunk and disorderly” or “domestic dispute” calls that result from too much alcohol consumed at BBQs and family gatherings and more. For whatever reason, higher temperatures result in higher tempers and we all get called to referee the results. Remember this: it’s not going away until school starts back up in September. Keep sharp as you manage these calls until well after Labor Day.

The other thing we have to remember, some of us more than others depending on what region we work in, is that heat injuries ramp up during the summer months. A heat injury can kill you too and we’ve already lost far too many of our brothers and sisters in the line of duty this year. Be aware of the symptoms and stay alert to them not only for yourself but for others you work beside. Keep water handy and stay hydrated.

As you read through this issue, please pay attention to the Station Design Special Section. We held our first Law Enforcement Design Awards last year and also were part of the annual Station Design Conference and the response was huge. We’re doing it again this year and we’ll be regularly sharing information about it along the way. If your agency is planning on building a new facility or renovating an existing one, you might want to pay particular attention to this special section. For more information check out officer.com/21132878 and fhstationdesign.com.

As usual in this issue, we have a Tactical Column, this from Contributing Editor Lindsey Bertomen about Shotguns in Law Enforcement. It may be our oldest in use firearm, but the versatility of it makes it well worth the cost and training time. Yours truly wrote a piece about making training fun again… because let’s face it: a lot of our training is just dry and boring. There are ways to make it more entertaining without reducing the value of it and every instructor might want to embrace that goal. For those involved in Investigations and/or forensics, we have a couple articles: one about differing lights for use in crime scenes and one about a cold case that is pretty interesting as well. Contributing Editor Chief William Harvey (ret) provided us an excellent article on “Two Minute Solutions.” Read it and apply it. It might save you some heartburn. If you’re planning to buy an armored personnel carriers (APC), there’s an article about off-roading them and how to make sure it’s properly equipped for such. At the end of the issue you’ll find a review of a cool little survival rifle from Henry Repeating Arms (Henry USA) that collapses and is perfect for backpacking/outdoor ventures.

As always, I encourage you to stay safe. While society might seem to have calmed down a little as COVID comes under control and protests are reducing in frequency, never forget the inherent risks in our job. Stay safe. Keep your head on a swivel. NEVER compromise your officer survival skills or underestimate potential risk. Go home at the end of every shift.