I attended a meeting on the state of heroin in Minnesota yesterday and believe there are still too many people that do not understand how we got to where we are today with this serious public health issue. Heroin and opiate based prescription pain pills continues to have a terrible impact on families in every […]

FEATURED BLOGGER Gordon Ramsay Chief of Police Duluth Police Department, Minnesota

Each day, emails are sent out to our Department by the Officer-in-Charge giving a summary of the calls that occurred throughout Madison on each shift. Unfortunately, it has become rare that we don’t read about a heroin overdose or death on a regular basis. Heroin addiction is plaguing our City and the extent of heroin […]

FEATURED BLOGGER Michael Koval Chief of Police Madison Police Department, Wisconsin

As it approached midnight on December 31, 2012, I was eager to count down to the midnight hour so I could ring in the New Year. Like most people, I was ready to celebrate — but for a slightly different reason. I was watching the clock, listening to my police radio and holding my breath […]

FEATURED BLOGGER Kristen Ziman Commander Aurora Police Department, Illinois

By Kelsie Fraser The display of an Operation ID sticker can act as a strong theft deterrent to criminals. This is because they know that marked items can be positively identified by the owner. Criminals are also aware that ‘fences’, or receivers of stolen property are reluctant to buy marked items, for the same reasons […]

FEATURED BLOGGER Saskatoon Police Service Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Virtually none is the answer. We have about 7 ceremonial rifles used by our Honor Guard. That’s it. We’ve seen these programs come and go over the years based on what is happening with the military and what war they are or are not engaged in. We have not seen a lot of usefulness for […]

FEATURED BLOGGER Doreen Olko Director of Public Safety Auburn Hills Department of Public Safety, Michigan

I have written about Hot Spot Policing on this blog before, and I wanted to share with you the impact it has had in the two-plus years we’ve been doing it. At the beginning of this year, we nearly doubled the amount of personnel who work in hot spots, which are the small areas of […]

FEATURED BLOGGER Darryl Forté Chief of Police Kansas City Police Department, Missouri

The single most important piece of equipment a police officer carries is his or her radio. It connects the officer to fellow officers, to the dispatch center, and ultimately to the citizens. Radio communications is also critical in fire & rescue work. This is how firefighters and paramedics communicate with one another, with commanders, with […]

FEATURED BLOGGER Tom Casady Director of Public Safety Lincoln Department of Public Safety, Nebraska

The Spring Student Party (formally known as the Mifflin Street Block Party) has traditionally been held on the first Saturday in May. The party began in the late 1960’s as a street protest, where students took to street dancing in an effort to bring attention of their disdain for the Vietnam War. The party was […]

FEATURED BLOGGER Michael Koval Chief of Police Madison Police Department, Wisconsin

When I was a kid, I had a sticker affixed to my notebook that said, “Mean people suck”. My mom made me remove it because she thought the word “suck” was distasteful. I now see her point. There are many more ways to articulate displeasure for something without using an undesirable word; so to satisfy […]

FEATURED BLOGGER Kristen Ziman Commander Aurora Police Department, Illinois

When I first entered policing at age 20, I had many preconceived ideas on how I would handle various situations. As I gained more and more experience, I learned it was always easier to be the one critiquing the situation than the one who had to make the split-second decisions, often under significant stress. I […]

FEATURED BLOGGER Gordon Ramsay Chief of Police Duluth Police Department, Minnesota