On Routine Patrol
Cop war stories from around the nation
Beat cop exposed … in Playboy magazine! I was an FTO and I had a trainee. We clocked a car at 75 in a 55, so we pulled him over. It […] Read More
May 2021
Sex crimes detective’s brush with elite sports history
When your best really matters, and why
If you don’t know what the hardest part of a sexual assault investigator’s job is, I’ll tell you: It’s when your heart and mind agree that the little girl or […] Read More
Proactive wellness training for organizations
The importance of having support from recruitment to retirement
Proactive principles of organizational wellness are essential, not only for individual officer and dispatcher survivability and wellness, but also for optimal functionality of the agency. Such wellness principles ensure the […] Read More
Resilience is officer safety
Can you imagine if the police academy didn’t teach officer safety? What if they told you that it would be important one day, that it might even be the difference […] Read More
To police or not to police in 2021
In the last few years, things seem to have a way of making it increasingly harder to be the police. In any roll call or coffee shop, if there is […] Read More
Getting through to young people
Serving 17 years as a school resource officer in New Jersey taught me a couple of tricks on how to get through to young people and help them make the […] Read More
Cop Hobbies: Painting
My pop was an artist. As far back as I can remember, he tried giving me and my sister lessons. My sister jumped in; I was too stubborn — it […] Read More
Resiliency in the face of mass casualty violence
A mass casualty event, whether it is human-generated or a natural disaster, leaves in its wake not only physical destruction and chaos, but also significant psychological costs. Intentional human causality […] Read More
Rethinking institutions
The case for change is in our brains
In 1838, Boston’s nightlife was out of control. The undisciplined volunteer night watch couldn’t manage the chaos, and so the first centralized police force — and the institution of policing […] Read More
Negligent police driving: the self-inflicted wound
Why it’s our blind spot, and what we should do about it
My friend Dave Edmonds (APB contributing editor) and I went through the ranks at the same time, both ending up as captains for large sheriff’s departments in California — him […] Read More
Sacrifice that is never forgotten
Minnesota sheriff’s podcast records fallen officers’ stories
Last year, a lot of people discovered they had a lot more time on their hands, freeing them up to try new hobbies — hence the endless memes about sourdough […] Read More
World Day of the Sick
How LAPD is promoting a wellness culture
World Day of the Sick, which occurs annually on February 11, is a day of observance — an intentional day of increased awareness and tangible support — for those who […] Read More
Like father, like son
For the Lynches, law enforcement has become a family profession
Of course, James Lynch was proud when his son, also named James, graduated from the police academy last summer. After all, as long as this dad could remember, young James […] Read More
Serving those who need it most
Chaplain Ron Leonard, the Texas state and national volunteer chaplain for the Fallen Officer Foundation, rescued pup Molly when she was left out in 18-degree weather to die with her […] Read More
