The Shooting Channel

By |2014-04-22T16:18:11-04:00April 22nd, 2014|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

THE SHOOTING CHANNEL: ACTIVE SHOOTER APRIL 2014 The term “Active Shooter” is one that will get immediate coverage from all news and cable networks across the nation. It is a term that will send chills down people's spines because we immediately associate active shooter with a school shooting or where innocent people are targeted. Since the Columbine Shooting law enforcement has taken great steps to prepare against active shooters. The frontline police officer has received training and equipment that was only reserved for SWAT Teams, and the methods of response has changed from setting up a perimeter to making active entry to hunt the shooter down. Even with all this focus on active shooting incidents we find that these events are still happening. Why they happen and the reasons or motives are not important when the bullets are flying. What can we do to protect ourselves becomes invaluable during an active shooter situation. If you happen to be lucky enough to live in a state that enables you to carry a weapon or if you are in law enforcement then carry your weapon! The shooter is looking for targets and targets are people that are running away screaming and cowering for help. A target is NOT someone that is going to shoot back, take a position of cover or a position of tactical advantage and present effective rounds on the active shooter. Whether we are able to carry a weapon or not we must always have a heightened sense of situational awareness. This happens through constantly looking around and assessing your situation. Even before we leave the house do have items that can help us like, a weapon, ammo, extra ammo, a knife, a flashlight, [...]

Training is Never Complete

By |2014-04-22T16:17:17-04:00April 22nd, 2014|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS YOUR TRAINING IS “NEVER” COMPLETE 2013 A true warrior's training is never complete. Tactics evolve and procedures change; a police officer's training regiment also has to change and evolve. Never become complacent...complacency will get you killed. The 2013 Police Expo in Atlantic City is always a great place to realize how much you do not know. The world of policing is rapidly changing and the Police Expo is a great place to see what else is out there and learn about the latest and gear, guns, equipment and technologies. I was even amazed that there is an “app” for police work. A company called POPGO supplies critical information to police officers through an app on your phone. The Police Expo is also a great place to network with other police officers. The first thing you realize that is basically we are all the same...same egos, same aggressive nature, same gripes, same sense of right and wrong, same willingness to get involved. As a police officer we all wear a costume...our uniform, and our uniform is earned with blood, sweat and A LOT of hard work! I have heard the comparison of a police officer to a knight of olden days. We wear a uniform, with a shield and we work for the good of others. A “true warrior” respects the other uniforms because he is trained, he is capable and he resolved in his purpose. The more you train the more skill sets you acquire and the more tools you can add to your toolbox. The more training that you have the better your mindset becomes, which leads to better situational awareness which leads to you going home SAFE! The Police Expo is a [...]

Superbowl

By |2017-05-19T12:09:42-04:00April 22nd, 2014|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS ARTICLE FOR FEBRUARY 2014 February 2, 2014 Superbowl XLVII is played in Met-Life Stadium. The week prior to the big game Met-Life Stadium was transformed, by the NFL, into a compound filled with VIP areas and tents to accommodate all of the high clients that attend these events. This whole transformation was very visible, but it was the invisible transformations made behind the scenes and out of the general public's eye that made Superbowl XLVII a great success. When Superbowl XLVII was first announced it was billed as the first Superbowl that was to be played outdoors and in a cold weather environment, and the public jumped on board. At the same time, the law enforcement community of New Jersey and New York looked around and said “the NFL must be nuts!” To bring a Superbowl to the most densely populated, most highly traveled and most target rich environment in the world is ridiculous. This event is going to attract every type of bad guy from around the world and will bring their bad deeds to our doorstep. To the credit of all law enforcement agencies involved everyone realized that this was too big for any one agency to handle. New Jersey's governor's office quickly authorized that the New Jersey State Police is the lead law enforcement agency. The State Police handles all Meadowlands Events already and the NFL holds the State Police security plan as a model for every other NFL city. Met-Life Stadium does have the benefit of hosting two NFL teams and the State Police handles twice as many games as any other stadium, but the biggest reason for this success is the partnerships developed with the surrounding Local, County, State [...]

Are you ready for the fight?

By |2017-05-19T12:09:42-04:00April 22nd, 2014|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS ARTICLE FOR MARCH 2014 ARE YOU READY FOR THE FIGHT? When I run self defense courses I often tell the Troopers and Officers that Firearms Training is necessary because we need to qualify twice a year, EVOC Training is the most fun because we get to drive fast, but Self Defense Training is the most important training that we do. We are being sized up on every encounter with the public, and that the image of your stance, size, stature and general appearance in a uniform will have a lasting impression on the public. One of the biggest issues with new officers these days is the fact that less and less police recruits have never been in a fight, or are afraid of physical contact. Complainants run from the XBOX generation to just a softer society. Now I am not saying you need to be a black belt or an MMA fighter in order to be a police officer, but there are a few concepts of self defense that every law enforcement officer should know. Number one, the best way to win a fight is not to get in one. Have a heighten sense of situational awareness when you are in front of someone. Do not miss little clues like a subject that is blading his body or has his hands in their pocket. Your stance is extremely important! You should always, always be in a good tactical stance when in front of a subject. A good tactical stance is basically an athletic stance with your weapon bladed away from the subject and your hands should be higher than the subject hands. Time and distance is your friend. Maintain a safe distance from a [...]

Racking of a Shotgun

By |2014-04-22T16:09:31-04:00April 22nd, 2014|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS ARTICLE FOR DECEMBER 2013 One of the most familiar and menacing sounds in the world is the racking of a pump action shotgun. Yet we see shotguns less and less as part of the frontline officer’s equipment and definitely less within the SWAT / SERT world. Shotguns have given way to a rifle / carbine platform. Whether it is a Colt, Sig Sauer, Bushmaster, DPMS or any other brand name the carbine platform has become more and more common place for the frontline patrol officer. The incident that became a turning point and forced this move over to carbines was the Hollywood Bank Robbery Shooting in the late 1990’s. Police Departments realized that being out gunned on the street was NOT an option. Unfortunately, just like everything else in police world the move have been very, very slow. One thing that was very apparent with last month’s Mall Shooting was a lot of police departments have made the move to carbines instead of shotguns. For the frontline officer this is a good thing! You can now take that longer shot and you are able to bring more firepower to the bad guy. Ok, so now that rifles are on the street how do we train with them and insure that your department has a good policy? First thing is first, if you have rifles in your department make sure they are on the street! Rifles do you NO good in the armory, under lock and key. I have spoken with several bosses / Chiefs and when they tell me that rifles in the armory I tell them, “It is time to RETIRE!” In New Jersey use must qualify four (4) times a year with [...]

NJ COPS Article

By |2014-04-22T16:09:02-04:00April 22nd, 2014|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS ARTICLE FOR JANUARY 2014 Welcome to 2014! In 2013 we saw an increase in murders, carjackings and we had two mall shootings! Although police officer deaths were down in 2013 there are plenty of reasons not to get complacent. This year, just like any other year there are resolutions to be made...and broken. One resolution that should not be broken is to refocus and rededicate yourself to your craft. We can all look back on that one stop or that one call that stood out in 2013. In 2014 we should look to cut down on those tactical mistakes that put us too close to the bad guy or exposed our weapon during a call. Make 2014 the year that you take an outside course and get out of your comfort zone. As a police officer mindset is key, and you can create a better mindset by doing more training and jumping out of your comfort zone once in a while. Being a police officer is unlike any other job in the world and although the public historically does not like us we have to be ready to serve and protect the public at a moments notice. So what makes a good training course? First and foremost the instructors. Any instructor that says he has all the answers and his way is “the way” should be discounted. Any instructors that constantly yells and belittles the students should also be discounted and probably slapped. A good training course should also be current. Many instructors get set in their ways and are presenting methods that were used when ADAM 12 was on TV. Now I am not sayings that tried and true tactics are not current, [...]

Low Light Tactics

By |2017-05-19T12:09:42-04:00April 22nd, 2014|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS ARTICLE FOR APRIL 2014- LOW LIGHT TACTICS FBI studies show that most fire fights occur between the hours 6pm and 6am and the FBI study puts that number at about 66%. However, a much more recent New York City study shows that the number of fire fights that occur in low light conditions in more like 86%. The reason for this is fire fights that occur in the daytime hours often happen in dark basements, hallways or in conditions that cause an officer to run from sunlight into darkness. So the message is always carry a flashlight with you, even during the day shifts. Flashlight tactics have dramatically changed over the past ten years. Twenty years ago, when I first became a police officer, the large, four D cell, or rechargeable flashlight was standard issue for police officers. No good cop would be without their MAG Light that double as a secondary night stick if needed. Today's officer is seeing the MAG Light being phased out for the smaller, lighter tactical flashlight that provide higher lumens, features such as strobe and laser functions and they too can also be used as impact weapons with features such as a bezzled edges. Now, weapon mounted flashlights are becoming standard in the field. This is an awesome tactical advantage because now you can maintain your two handed grip on the weapon instead of having to modify for the flashlight. For all of the advantages of a weapon mounted flashlight, just remember that you will still need a hand held light for normal duty functions. When using your light, hand held or weapon mounted, make sure that you use it as tactically as possible. First, use the flashlight [...]

NJCOPS ACTIVE SHOOTER RESPONSE

By |2014-04-22T16:06:52-04:00April 22nd, 2014|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS ACTIVE SHOOTER RESPONSE ARTICLE MAY 2014   The term ACTIVE SHOOTER is relatively new for law enforcement, but by now we all know what it is and when it happens anywhere in the Country there is 24 hour coverage on either FOX NEWS, CNN or a host of other cable channels.  I would point to the shooting at Columbine High School back in 1999 as the starting point that defined how law enforcement would respond in an active shooter situation.  With the Columbine Shooting officers did what they were trained to do...they called for the SWAT Team, and the officers and the police department were severely criticized. “How could you set up a perimeter when kids are dying?” became the underlying question. After Columbine there was a tremendous amount of resources that went to training frontline officers on how to deal with an active shooter scenarios.  Some of the training that was received has led to great gains for the frontline officers.  Equipment like carbines, long guns, helmets, shields and command post vehicles did not exist for the frontline officer before Columbine.  And more training opportunities became available in the form of tactical courses and incident command course after the Columbine Shooting. The “Diamond Formation” became the most common response for entering into an Active Shooter situation.  This formation offers 360 degrees of coverage for officers to move through a building or structure, and provided that if each officer handles his area of responsibility threats could be addressed from every area.  There are other formations such as a “T-Formation” and a “Stack Formation” but the Diamond Formation became synonymous with Active Shooter Response. With Active Shooter Response seconds count as we saw with the [...]

Shooting from the Hip

By |2017-05-19T12:09:42-04:00March 22nd, 2014|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

THE SHOOTING CHANNEL: SHOOTING FROM THE HIP MARCH 2014 We all know that shootings historically occur very, very quick and very, very close. Yet, when people go to the range I always see the target several yards away and everyone is looking for that nice tight grouping while they only shoot a couple rounds in close. I always caution people not to worry about these nice tight groups when they shoot. Everybody likes to know they can hit the target, and yes nice tight groupings are good for bragging rights, but if we “train as we fight” then we must spend a lot more time Hip Retention Shooting. The Hip Retention Position is meant to be used when a suspect is basically at an arm’s length away, but people can use this position from as far away as three (3) yards. In a gun fight milla-seconds count and the Hip Retention Position can save a someone's life. The Hip Retention Position should not be discounted when instructing in Firearms Training. This position should go hand in hand with any type of self defense training because this position is just an extension of any good self defense plan. When shooting from the Hip Retention Position we have to realize a couple of thing; that we are in very serious trouble, we did not recognize the initial danger signs and we let the subject get too close to us and now it is a fight for your life! Here are a few tips to think about while practicing the Hip Retention Position… When shooting from this position first and foremost we must be in a good self defense stance. Our strong leg should be slightly back, our [...]

Tactical Mindset

By |2017-05-19T12:09:42-04:00March 22nd, 2014|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

THE SHOOTING CHANNEL MARCH 2014 TACTICAL AWARENESS AND MINDSET In the USA owning a gun is a right and not a privilege. Law abiding citizens should be able to purchase weapons to protect themselves, their homes, their families, to hunt or for sport. Every gun owner also needs to know that once you purchase a gun your training is just beginning. The bad guys are out there and they are always on the prowl. They are sizing up productive members of society and looking for the easy targets. Whether you own a weapon or not or whether you are allowed to carry that weapon or not…depending on what state you live we need to be constantly on the lookout for the bad guys. Raise your level of situational awareness and adopt that tactical mindset. Here in the Northeast and particularly in New Jersey a game called “knockout” has become popular. Basically, a group of kids / thugs walk down the street and when an unsuspecting person walks by the thugs will punch the person walking by in the face in an attempt to knock him out. Now aside from all the political and social statements that this game even exists what we see on videos are people walking by looking down at their cell phones or reading newspapers and not even giving a second glance to what is going on around them. If you own a gun then you have already made a statement to say I am important and I want to protect what I have. My sensei would tell us that the best way to win a fight is to not get in one, and the best way to avoid a fight is [...]

The Shooting Channel

By |2014-04-22T16:18:45-04:00March 22nd, 2014|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

THE SHOOTING CHANNEL: CARBINES FOR MARCH 2014 One of the most familiar and menacing sounds in the world is the racking of a pump action shotgun. Yet we see shotguns less and less as part of the frontline officer’s equipment and definitely less within the SWAT / SERT world. Shotguns have given way to a rifle / carbine platform. Whether it is a Colt, Sig Sauer, Bushmaster, DPMS, LWRC or any other brand name the carbine platform has become more and more common place for not only the frontline patrol officer, but carbines have also become much more common place as a home defense weapon or just as a secondary platform for the avid shooter. The incident that became a turning point for law enforcement and forced this move over to carbines was the Hollywood Bank Robbery Shooting in the late 1990’s. Police Departments realized that being out gunned on the street was NOT an option. Unfortunately, just like everything else in police world the move have been very, very slow. The incident that sparked the carbine explosion for the civilian market was September 11, 2001. The thought of armed terrorist on American soil looking to hurt Americans was a new concept and Americans did what we do best...protect our way of life. Last November here is New Jersey we had a mall shooting incident and one thing that was very apparent with the Mall Shooting was that a lot of police departments have made the move to carbines instead of shotguns. For the frontline officer this is a good thing! You can now take that longer shot and you are able to bring more firepower to the bad guy. For civilian use the carbine [...]

The Real Superbowl

By |2017-05-19T12:09:42-04:00February 2nd, 2014|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS ARTICLE FOR FEBRUARY 2014 February 2, 2014 Superbowl XLVII is played in Met-Life Stadium. The week prior to the big game Met-Life Stadium was transformed, by the NFL, into a compound filled with VIP areas and tents to accommodate all of the high clients that attend these events. This whole transformation was very visible, but it was the invisible transformations made behind the scenes and out of the general public's eye that made Superbowl XLVII a great success. When Superbowl XLVII was first announced it was billed as the first Superbowl that was to be played outdoors and in a cold weather environment, and the public jumped on board. At the same time, the law enforcement community of New Jersey and New York looked around and said “the NFL must be nuts!” To bring a Superbowl to the most densely populated, most highly traveled and most target rich environment in the world is ridiculous. This event is going to attract every type of bad guy from around the world and will bring their bad deeds to our doorstep. To the credit of all law enforcement agencies involved everyone realized that this was too big for any one agency to handle. New Jersey's governor's office quickly authorized that the New Jersey State Police is the lead law enforcement agency. The State Police handles all Meadowlands Events already and the NFL holds the State Police security plan as a model for every other NFL city. Met-Life Stadium does have the benefit of hosting two NFL teams and the State Police handles twice as many games as any other stadium, but the biggest reason for this success is the partnerships developed with the surrounding Local, County, State [...]

Off Duty

By |2016-05-04T15:23:18-04:00October 22nd, 2013|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS OFF DUTY OCTOBER 2013 When we were in the Academy there was always an instructor telling us that we were ALWAYS ON DUTY 24/7 and upon graduation you swore to always be OTJ! Of course as time goes on and life creeps in sometimes we want to be just dad, mom, uncle, aunt, brother or sister, but keep in mind if we want to protect the ones we love and care for then it is necessary to carry your weapon off duty. Society is a funny place; people love cops when they need something but we are annoying to the public the rest of the time. The Federal Government says we can carry at all times yet society sets up theses gun free zones such as schools, private facilities like the 911 Memorial, airports and military institutions. To a bad guy these gun free zones equal LOTS of targets! We do not have to look any further than last month’s Washington DC shooting at the Naval Yard. As a “off duty” police officer we are regulated to try and sneak weapons into these facilities or try to explain to a supervisor that you should be allowed in without having to give up your weapon. Although it is annoying and it is extra time and extra lines make the effort because if something does happen we want to be able to protect the thing that is most important to all of us…your family! If your department is anything like my department you are ruled by SOP’s and our SOP says to carry at all time, just like yours does, but screw the SOP’s you are carrying to protect your family and loved ones! When you [...]

Back to School

By |2014-04-22T16:12:29-04:00September 22nd, 2013|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS BACK TO SCHOOL SEPTEMBER 2013 September 2013, the end of the summer season, back to work, end of vacations and back to school; for many police departments that means back to traffic posts, more traffic congestion, angry parents at drop off zones and more targets for bad guys. Now that school is back in session, it is time to re-examine and refocus on your department’s school safety policies and active shooter programs. It is time to set up meetings with school administrators and collaborate with them about an effective policy that includes familiarization, training and review of current policies. New Jersey guidelines say that schools must have a safety plan in place for every school. Do they? Do you know the plan? Coordination between school boards, school administrators and school employees is essential…you should know them and they should know you. A good police officer is aware of their surroundings. Become more familiar with the schools in your area. Don’t just leave it to the School Resource Officer, (SRO), because if and when that call comes in, everyone is going. Be familiar with the grounds of the school, the layout and design, walk the grounds and the hallways, get to know the principal, teachers and the kids and lastly know the plan. This is your area; no one should know it better than you! As a police officer your training should never stop. Ensure that your department has an active shooter program and is conducting training in the schools. Be sure that the training focuses on coordinated efforts between the school, your department and surrounding departments. Active shooter drills are extremely effective for not only police officers, but also for teachers and administrators so [...]

Shooting From The Hip

By |2017-05-19T12:09:44-04:00August 22nd, 2013|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS SHOOTING FROM THE HIP AUGUST 2013 We all know that police officer shootings historically occur very, very quick and very, very close. Yet, during firearms qualifications we shoot only a couple rounds in close. If we “train as we fight” then we must spend a lot more time Hip Retention Shooting. The Hip Retention Position is meant to be used when a suspect is basically at an arm’s length away, but officers can use this position from as far away as three (3) yards. In a gun fight milla-seconds count and the Hip Retention Position can save a police officer’s life. The Hip Retention Position should not be discounted when instructing in Firearms Training. This position should go hand in hand with any type of self defense training because this position is just an extension of any good self defense plan. When shooting from the Hip Retention Position we have to realize a couple of thing; that we are in very serious trouble, we did not recognize the initial danger signs and we let the subject get too close to us and now it is a fight for your life! Here are a few tips to think about while practicing the Hip Retention Position… When shooting from this position first and foremost we must be in a good self defense stance. Our strong leg should be slightly back, our feet are positioned about shoulder width apart, are knees our slightly bent and we should be on the balls of our feet. We should have our support hand up so we can defend ourselves and strike if we need to. Once we are justified to shoot and we are in fear for our lives then [...]

Drive to Stay Alive

By |2017-05-19T12:09:45-04:00June 22nd, 2013|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS DRIVE TO STAY ALIVE JUNE 2013 “Bumpers kill cops just like bullets do!” That is one saying that has always stuck with me from my Academy training. So far this year overall officer deaths are up 24% and auto related deaths are up 23%, according to the ODMP at the time of this article. With the summer approaching, the public will hit the road. In order to keep accident numbers down, drunk driver numbers down and fatalities down, departments will start up all sorts of initiatives with the hope of lowering last year’s numbers. With all of these extra vehicles on the road and the motoring public in “vacation” mode officers must take extra caution behind the wheel as well. I won’t even pretend to say that I have the best story for what I have seen someone doing behind the wheel, but I will say that some of the stuff has left me in utter amazement! As a police officer, the odds of being in an accident goes up tenfold just because we drive way more miles than the general public. The manner that a police officer often has to drive is also not conducive for the overflowing and congested roadways of New Jersey. I am sure that everyone out there has been the subject of a driving complaint one week and the next week you are questioned because your response time was too long. And besides that let’s not forget that a marked police car is a rolling 39:3-74 between computers, camera, lights, radars, cages, weapon mounts, patrol bags and let’s not forget about any personal items that we may need such as a phone or lunch. So what can we do [...]

Refine Your Skills

By |2017-05-19T12:09:45-04:00May 22nd, 2013|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS REFINE YOUR SKILLS MAY 2013 Recent events of the past month show us that the front line Police Officer is the one that is ALWAYS in harm’s way. The terrorist attacks at the Boston Marathon showed the uniformed officer rushing in to help and save others and as Boston was shut down the front line officer paid the ultimate price and another was severely wounded in the femoral artery during the investigation and events that led to the capture of the terrorists. By way the way, there is a product that can protect the femoral artery from gunshot wounds. The Boston Mass transit Officer lost all of his blood and had three (3) heart stoppages before the miracles of modern medical could stabilize him. The BUGG and BUGG out BDU offer Level III A ballistic protection for the thigh and femoral artery region. With these “new” threats such as terrorist and bombings police officers face even greater challenges that will bring increased scrutiny to an already highly scrutinized profession. Bottom line is now, more than ever, we need to be on our game. An event such as the Boston Marathon Bombing gives us a chance to refocus and rededicate ourselves to our mission of “Protect and Serve”. A simple step that we can take to refocus ourselves is to step up our training efforts. This is easier said than done in New Jersey, the most congested state in the union. Well the answer just got a little easier…The Woodland Park Range. Located in Woodland Park, New Jersey, and situated just off two major highways this state of art training facility will offer training solutions for the new recruit or the most experienced tactical expert. [...]

Training for IT

By |2017-05-19T12:09:45-04:00April 22nd, 2013|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS TRAINING FOR “IT” APRIL 2013 “Practice does not make perfect...Perfect practice makes PERFECT”-Vince Lombardi. A lot of Police Officers come from some sort of athletic back ground and I am sure that some coach along the way has screamed or uttered those words to you. As a Police Officer we need to practice not to win the “big” game but to GET HOME SAFE! We all know that there are many distractions out there such as family, bills, media bias, political pressures, and other job related issues, but we always must remember...THEY DON'T CARE! The guy on the side of the road that is kicking your head in does not care if you coach your son or daughter in tee ball, or if it is your anniversary. The answer is to keep training. In these financial times of cut backs and trimming of budgets, training becomes an easy target, but again it is only a distraction. Training is defined as preparation and education of someone to meet a standard, and in any training program there should be self evaluation for what needs to be enhanced and there should be personal goals that are set so the program can be re-evaluated. So what are you doing to prepare for the “it” encounter? Are you in shape for the “it” encounter? Because under stress your heart rate can climb to 180 beats per minutes in seconds. Do you shoot enough? Because under stress trigger slap becomes very common. Do you plan for “it”? A plan for a Police Officer is ALWAYS a good thing. Whether you stop a car, interview a suspect or are at the mall with your family you should always be planning for [...]

Motor Vehicle Stop

By |2017-05-19T12:09:45-04:00March 22nd, 2013|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS MOTOR VEHICLE STOP MARCH 2013 As a Police Officer there is one common bond that we share…the Motor Vehicle Stop. Whether you work for a local, city, county, state or federal agency or whether you patrol in a city, highway or rural environment the motor vehicle stop is the one aspect that we “ALL” share. When speaking with any Police Officer from anywhere around the country you will always get that one memorable stop story. Just like everything else in police work motor vehicles stops have become more scrutinized and we always need to know that are actions on a motor vehicle stop will be judged not only in court but in the court of public perception. With that being said the motor vehicle stop in by far the most dangerous aspect of a Police Officer’s job. More Police Officers have been hurt or killed on motor vehicle stops than any other call that we have and the General Rule with Motor Vehicle Stops is GO HOME SAFE! When you conduct a motor vehicle stop you are always at a tactical disadvantage. This is an unscheduled, unknown encounter with an unknown subject or subjects and in the public’s opinion it is considered an unpleasant experience. During the course of my training I have had several opportunities to train with high end operators from both law enforcement and military backgrounds. I can say with 100% certainty that 100% of them tell me that the Police Officer on patrol making a motor vehicle stop has the most dangerous job. Here are a few guidelines to enhance officer safety: Call the stop in: Relay the stop information over the radio to the dispatcher, the station or input [...]

School Safety

By |2017-05-19T12:09:45-04:00February 22nd, 2013|Categories: Gun For Hire's Bill Fearon|

NJCOPS SCHOOL SAFETY ARTICLE FEBRUARY 2013 In America our children are sent to school with the expectation of being safe. The Newtown, Ct. shooting incident was a turning point in the American psyche. The horrible crime committed on December 14, 2012 affected all Americans because it was a senseless act that attacked our most precious commodity…our children. While the incident will be investigated extensively and every detail will be scrutinized we can only realize that this act committed by an evil person has negatively affected so many families. Active shooter events occur quickly and the event is usually over before the police arrive. Law enforcement has had extensive training in response to an active shooter incident since the Columbine Shooting on April 20, 1999. The Newtown, Ct. shooting is a watershed moment not only for law enforcement but also schools, teachers, administrators and student. While the immediate reaction is to send uniformed police officers into every school or hire armed guards that will turn a learning environment into a prison facility. We know that town budget constraints and the lack of police manpower make this option cost prohibitive and not possible to sustain. The school environment must be a welcoming and well designed building that is conducive to a proper learning environment. What can we do? First: Denial is the Enemy! It cannot happen here is NOT a plan. Second: Planning- Schools need to have a plan in place and be able and willing to share the plan with law enforcement. Everyone involved with the plan has to understand the plan will have to adapt depending on circumstances of events. Third: Training- Coordinated and ongoing training between schools and law enforcement is essential. The training [...]

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