Do As I Say, Not As I Do The double standard - street cops and bosses / Officer.com,
July 22, 2008
http://www.officer.com/web/online/Leadership/Do-As-I-Say--Not-As-I-Do/16$42430

"June 5, 2008, Officer.com reports that San Francisco Police Chief Heather Fong has gone years without qualifying with the service weapon that she carries each day. According to the article by Jaxon Van Derbeken of the SF Chronicle: The issue of Fong's proficiency with a gun was raised last week by Officer Andrew Cohen. He wrote to Police Commission President Theresa Sparks that the chief had gone five years without being certified, which he called "an egregious matter of misconduct." "I know the chief is busy, and an occasional lapse or non-appearance may be justified," Cohen wrote. "However, 10 consecutive failures to qualify are simply outrageous and insulting to all the men and women of the department."

New forces start training programme to further improve performance / Government News Network, 3 March 2008
http://www.gnn.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=357146&NewsAreaID=2
"Four police forces [have] started a police training programme to further improve performance and give the public an even better policing service.
The QUEST academy and training programme has been developed to give frontline police officers the freedom and the skills to improve operational performance. It gives frontline police the skills to analyse their work and streamline work processes so they can work more effectively."

Close Quarter Striking: Your last line of defense! / Officer.com, 16 January 2008
http://digbig.com/4wfsp
RICHARD NANCE
"For some reason, the idea of a police officer striking a suspect in the face carries with it a certain stigma. Maybe it's because officers have so many other force options at their disposal (ie. Taser, baton, pepper spray, etc). With all of those gadgets, why on earth would an officer resort to striking a suspect in the "snot locker"? After all, it doesn't appear to be a very professional method of overcoming a suspect's resistance."

Training ambassadors to help police officers reach potential
Jane's Police Review, 28 November 2007
http://jpr.janes.com
"TRAINING and development 'ambassadors' are to be established in every force in England and Wales to ensure all officers are meeting their full career potential."
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A Constructive Critique of the Officer Safety Programme Used in England and Wales
Policing and Society, Volume 17, Issue 2 June 2007 , pages 164 - 181
http://digbig.com/4tqtd
John W. Buttle
"Currently, police officers undergo officer safety training at a level and regularity unknown to their predecessors. Using interviews with police officers, observations of officer safety training and official documentation, this article examines the rationale behind officer safety training, while exploring its limitations. It is argued that the officer safety training is structured in a way that encourages pre-emptive uses of force, which is exacerbated by the ambiguous nature of guidelines and rules of engagement that fail to adequately regulate the use of force. Furthermore, suggestions are made for changes that will ensure officer safety, while providing greater safety and accountability to the public."
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[USA] Safety: In Stun Gun Training, Officer’s Spine Is Fractured / New York Times, 18 September 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/health/18safe.html
ERIC NAGOURNEY
"Advocates for the use of stun guns by police departments like to point to evidence that they are a generally safe way to subdue aggressive suspects."

Crisis Intervention: The Police Response to Vulnerable Individuals
The Police Journal, Volume: 80 Issue: 2, June 2007, Pages: 109-116
http://www.atypon-link.com/VAT/doi/abs/10.1350/pojo.2007.80.2.109
Rick Parent
"Police agencies require a specialised response when dealing with individuals who are vulnerable owing to their emotional, mental or physical state. During their time of crisis, these individuals may be irrational and violent due to factors that include suicidal ideation, psychosis, emotional upheaval and the influence of a substance. In a significant number of these cases the police response has resulted in the wounding or death of the vulnerable individual. ... By way of specialised training, tactics and less-lethal weaponry the police may be able to facilitate a successful intervention to an otherwise tragic event."
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Violence Reduction Strategies: Focus on Returning Offenders / International Association of Chiefs of Police, July 2007
http://www.theiacp.org/profassist/ReturningOffenders.htm
"IACP is pursuing comprehensive violence reduction strategies to enhance public safety. Returning offenders, including those previously incarcerated for violent and/or sex crimes, pose significant challenges to communities. In partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), US. Department of Justice (USDOJ), the IACP is working to assist law enforcement through the identification and highlighting of potentially progressive approaches to offender reentry and sex offender management."

Police assessors fail to test officers’ ability to cope with counter terrorism and violent crime / Personnel Today, 29 June 2007
http://digbig.com/4tebr
"Police officers being assessed for promotion do not have to have the skills to deal with counter terrorism and violent crime, it has emerged."

Derbyshire Launch Crime Scene House / Police Oracle, 20 June 2007
http://www.policeoracle.com/news/detail.cfm?id=13731
"The pressure on a police officer to catch a murderer and find enough evidence at the crime scene to bring an offender to justice speaks for itself. But imagine having your every move scrutinised by a forensic scientist as you trace blood spattered around a site, examine suspicious weapons and search the crime scene for clues.
That’s just what forensic science students at the University of Derby are set to face every time they take part in a mock crime reconstruction in a new facility they have opened in partnership with the Derbyshire Constabulary."

[USA] Snap Judgments: Can we teach accurate 'thin-slicing?' / Officer.com, 14 June 2007
http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?id=36506&siteSection=3
PAT ROBINSON
"Watch his hands! How many times have you heard that in your law enforcement career? If you're a training officer, how many times have you said it? Contrary to the lessons taught in the most pervasive law enforcement training medium--television--we know that it's not important to "Watch his eyes, pardner." It's hands that kill. I've never heard of anyone who was struck and killed by a flying eyeball."

Interviewing to Detect Deception / ESRC, January 2007
http://digbig.com/4tccf
Professor A Vrij, Professor Ray Bull, Dr Rebecca Milne, Professor R Fisher
"The first major aim of the research is to investigate truth tellers and liars verbal and nonverbal responses under varying interview style conditions. The interview styles are derived from police practice and deception theory, and the outcomes of this first part of the project will result in a theoretical contribution to knowledge about deceptive responses. The second major aim of the project is to investigate whether different interview styles affect police officers ability to detect deceit."

[USA] Police Outperformed Students And Community Members In Tests Of Speed And Decision-Making In Shoot/No-Shoot Simulations / Medical News Today, 5 June 2007
http://digbig.com/4tcca
"From three experiments of video simulations of shoot-no shoot decision scenarios with police officers, community members and college students, researchers determined that training and experience is effective in minimising decisions based on stereotyped views. The authors say that an officers' training/expertise yields faster responses, greater sensitivity to the presence of a weapon and reduced tendencies to shoot a suspect because of his or her race. At the same time, suspect race did affect the speed with which both police officers and community members could formulate their decisions."
Across the Thin Blue Line: Police Officers and Racial Bias in the Decision to Shoot
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2007, Vol 92, No 6, 1006-1023
PDF - http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/psp9261006.pdf
Joshua Correll ; Bernadette Park ; Charles M. Judd ; Bernd Wittenbrink ; Melody S. Sadler ; Tracie Keesee

New Guidance On Physical Interventions / Police Oracle, 29 May 2007
http://www.policeoracle.com/news/detail.cfm?id=13549
"New guidelines on implementing good practice in physical interventions will help to ensure that security firms have detailed risk assessments, training programmes and formal policies in place for operatives dealing with physical conflict.
Mark Jenner, General Manager of Conflict Pro, said the new guidance – produced on behalf of Skills for Security – was the result of work carried out by a project group including the SIA, ACPO and the BSIA."

[USA] The Combat Draw Stroke: A life-saving skill you must master / Officer.com, 23 May 2007
http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?id=36217&siteSection=3
KEVIN DAVIS
"Simple concept: in order to fire your handgun to save your life, your pistol must be in your hand. The mere presence of a pistol on your belt or elsewhere does nothing to stop a deadly attack. Furthermore, once the pistol is drawn, your shots must hit your intended target as misses: a) won't stop anyone, and b) create a secondary problem of ending somewhere unintended (possibly in an innocent citizen)."

Hook, Catch and Don't Release : Tips for training openers / Officer.com, 22 May 2007
http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?id=35505&siteSection=3
VALERIE VAN BROCKLIN
"You're ready to begin training. You look at the sea of faces: some interested, some bored, some hostile, some veiled. What you say in the next few minutes can make or break all the work you put into this moment. It can tweak and pique your listeners' interest; engage their hearts as well as their minds in what's to come, or irretrievably lose them."

[Scotland] Police set to earn their stripes on degree course / Sunday Herald, 27 May 2007
http://digbig.com/4syxw
John Bynorth
"University study may replace sergeants’ exams
SCOTLAND'S POLICE forces will introduce a BA honours degrees in policing within two years to cope with the expected loss of senior officers through retirement, the Sunday Herald can reveal.
The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos) is set for further discussions next month on the proposal, which is still in the early stages of discussion. The move will see officers and civilian staff studying for up to eight years to pass the degrees, which Acpos hope will ultimately replace the police sergeants' exams which have been the traditional route to the top."

Driving Skills are Perishable Skills : They need to be practiced correctly / Officer.com, 25 April 2007
http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?id=35848&siteSection=3
STEVE ASHLEY

Training instincts
Jane's Police Review, 25 April 2007
http://jpr.janes.com
"How much does half-a-million rounds of ammunition cost? No, I do not know either, but I guess it is a lot."
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Mind matters
Jane's Police Review, 25 April 2007
http://jpr.janes.com
Royston Martis
"Mental illness affects many people in the UK, and it is police officers who are often the first point of contact when mental illness strikes."
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