Letter From the Editor - May/June 2023

Welcome to the May/June issue of OFFICER magazine. As we move from spring into summer, there is a lot on the plate of every agency. School years are ending so there are more children out and about. Pools are opening. Outdoor family gatherings are on the increase. Bike patrols, foot patrols, water patrols, mounted patrols, motorcycle patrols… all are on the uptick. Does your agency have a plan for all of that? Or are you “winging it?”

As the summer months kick into high gear the temperatures do the same. Dehydration and heat injuries can become a major concern if you don’t plan to avoid them and train to treat them properly. One of our earliest podcasts addressed that topic and you can find it on our Roll Call podcast page (officer.com/21295074). It was actually our first and now there are well over 30 podcasts available for your download/listening. Honestly, I’m having the most fun with our weekly Lineup podcast. Our news editor, Joe Vince and I (usually) discuss the hot news articles for the week. It gives me the ability to express an officer’s outlook and voice concerns the public might not be aware of or able to understand. I think you’ll like it and we’d certainly enjoy any feedback you care to offer ([email protected] is the email to send feedback).

In this issue you’ll find some great content about a variety of topics to include Riot Control and Less-Lethal equipment. There is an awesome Product Showcase section with information on everything from communications to SWAT equipment. We have all of our “normal” content and then a section dedicated to Honoring the Fallen (it’s always there) about Police Week 2023. As this issue was built before Police Week occurred, it’s a look-ahead type of piece but we still hope you find it of value.

This issue also has our first two Officer Review Lab reports. We accepted products and training for field testing and review to see if they could earn our “Tested – Field Rated” approval. The products we tested were from T4E and they performed well, earning our “stamp of approval.” The training was the Master’s program from University of San Diego and a thorough review of their course work plus interviews with both professors and student officer attendees proved the value of the program. It also earned out Stamp of Approval.

Beyond all that I’d like to remind you about our Virtual Academy (virtualacademy.officer.com). If you haven’t taken any of the no-cost courses available there, I encourage you to check them out. Each course includes handout material, reading material, videos to view and, in some cases, links for podcasts that are related to the topic. We will soon be adding tests and are pursuing in-service certification for most of the programs. We add to them regularly so visit often.

Stay safe. Watch your six. Take care of each other.