Train with us now for the day shall come!
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The Business of Training
Considerations for trainers contemplating their own training company
It’s a question I’ve been asked before: “How did you do
it?” This could apply to a lot of things, but I’m not copping out to
anything more than this month’s topic: How I started my training
company. This question typically comes from instructors who want to do
the same. For those of you who’ve reached this point in your
instructional careers, I thought that this month it might be helpful to
discuss my experience.
Why We Do This
My first piece of advice is to start with an honest status check: Why do you want to pursue such an effort? Is your...read more
Ambush: Train, plan & prepare for it
LEOs must expand the traditional military model of what an ambush is
Oftentimes, when we think of ambushes, we think of IEDs
exploding against vehicles in a military convoy or terrorists open
firing with their AK-47s from concealed positions on troops on foot,
like our valiant soldiers and Marines must endure in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
In the police context, we may think of a lone sniper or gunman hidden
on a rooftop or in the shadows opening fire, as we walk toward the
front door of an address where we’ve received a call. All of these are
certainly ambushes, but is the military example above likely to occur
with domestic law enforcement? More likely, it’s the lone gunman
situation that presents the greatest threat and the one that we must
prepare for. We must also...read more
A Felon on Firearms
Their tactics aren’t the same as ours
n I entered law enforcement in 1976, my first assignment was the
county jail. Corrections officers didn’t exist at the time and every
deputy was expected to “walk the jail floors” until a spot opened up on
patrol. In fact, I spent seven years at various times working the jail
and another year in the courts, where guarding prisoners was routine. I
hated corrections then and I’m still less than enthused about it now.
However, looking back on it, I realize it was good for me. I’ve come to
believe that every cop in America should spend some time in
corrections—maybe in their first year. I know, you’re thinking, “You’re
nuts!” But to know your enemy is of great importance. Set aside
functions like DARE, Community Policing, PAL, Public Relations and focus
on the primary function of every police officer in America: To find and
apprehend those who prey upon the citizens we’re sworn to protect. Cops
must place themselves in harm’s way in order to do this—there’s no
way...read more
Edged Weapons and Gang Culture
Since the earliest days, gangs have relied on utilitarian edged tools to attack each other, as well as officers.
There's a reason I designed the LASD OSS gang unit logo
with a switchblade knife in the center. In modern America, the
switchblade is the most readily identifiable symbol associated with
gangs. From the time of the Civil War, gangs have armed themselves with
edged weapons. "The Gangs of New York" used meat cleavers, axes, kitchen
knives and stilettos more commonly than firearms.
Daggers, hunting knives and Bowies rode the same leather belts where
six guns were holstered, and were carried by western frontiersmen and
cowboys. Native American warriors revered their knives. This reliance on
the knife as a utilitarian tool and personal defense weapon naturally
carried over to the western outlaws and their bandit gangs.
Killing another human being with a knife is not like...read more
Up Close and Personal
The FBI compiles the most thorough statistics of actual gunfights in
the United States. According to the 2009 stats, 19 of the...read more
Point shooting versus sighted fire: Why the debate?
When all you’ve got is a hammer, everything looks like a nail
My favorite news item from this week is the one about
the recently-widowed, 18-year-old mother of a three-month-old boy — the
one who shot an intruder dead when he kicked down her door. I’ve done my
share of “when/then” thinking about a similar situation going down at
my house, and I firmly believe I’d have similar results. I believe this
because I practice, practice, practice. Frequent readers of this space
know that I do my level best to improve my skills through the various
training venues I attend, dry fire exercises (as well as repetitions
with my ‘Blue Gun’), and finally with practice by myself at the range.
When I’m at my local range — or any range, really — with a smattering of
skill levels represented up and down the line, it’s abundantly clear to
me that my shooting skills are “average” — certainly not “bad” but
sadly, also not “excellent.” I’ll never win any ISPC shooting
competition, but I’m definitely good enough to “solve the problem”
should it ever come to that.
That young lady in Oklahoma was simultaneously armed with a handgun
and a shotgun (my kind of gal!), and although I’m not presently aware of
which firearm she used to solve the problem, I’ve got a hunch it was
the...read more
