Police Training Services News & Articles

Police officers in Aurora are using a new training simulator ...

Although there are 53 HYDRA training centers in the world, this is the first one operating in the U.S. ...

I don't want to paint a bleak picture, but agencies from coast to coast do not have their emphasis on training. Their emphasis is trying to maintain staffing levels in a shaky economy. The good news is ...

By Tim DeesThere are thousands of books, DVDs, posters and every other kind of instructional aid produced for the law enforcement market. Most of them aren’t very good. How do you cull out the losers ...

By Dave Smith Street Survival Instructor PoliceOne ColumnistOne of our most commented on points early in each Street Survival Seminar is the importance of trusting your instincts. When it doesn’t ...

Creating training with realism is the primary factor that will help build better cognitive thinking skills so when SWAT cops are subjected to actual combat they will feel that they’ve already been there and been exposed to that environment. There are several techniques you can use when training SWAT cops to achieve this, but introducing stress into all of your training is paramount. ...

What do a swimming pool, a dark room, and interrupted simulator scenarios have in common? All can be instrumental parts of innovative training that can help officers win against armed assailants, according to Chris Ghannam, president of Sark Securities Inc., an independent advanced-training organization based in Tampa, Fla., that is making its mark with unique hands-on and classroom programs for law enforcement and the military throughout the U.S. and Canada. ...

Critical analysis is nothing but the thinking that should have preceded the incident. Therefore, we use the theoretical principles (nine principles of war) to determine the facts of the situation. These principles should not be used as a checklist or as rigid external rules. They should be applied as self-evident truths. While this cannot always be completely achieved, it must remain the aim of any critical analysis. ...

We do not have to move ten feet each time we move: ten inches might be enough. The critical thing is to move off the line of attack! I’m not talking here about shooting on the move, either forward or backward. I’m talking about a simple, single step, maybe laterally, maybe aggressing forward or slightly back from an opponent. This seems, at first glance, to be a no-brainer; it’s harder to hit a moving object than a stationary one. Most of us, however, were trained in the school of “plant your feet, pick your target...” ...

Being a trainer is akin to being a sergeant, in as much as both are leaders. However, just as the title of sergeant doesn’t mean a thing if the individual bearing that title does not practice good leadership skills, the title of trainer means little if that individual does not back it up with competence and credibility. ...

The development of Internet email has been a huge boon to the passing of endless reams of jokes. Some of the jokes are pretty funny and the funniest ones of all are those that come dangerously close to the truth. One funny email about shooting makes the circuit every few months, and is worth an examination for its basis in truth. ...

Hopefully you carry a firearm off duty. You can now legally do so nationwide, thanks to President Bush signing the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act a couple years ago. Yes, the politicians — including, unfortunately, some of the police brass — in a few cites such as New York and Chicago may still give you a hassle for so doing, but think about it: why should anyone know that you are carrying a concealed handgun at all? ...

Gun carriers, whether armed professionals or competitors, all argue about what is best. Which stance, which caliber, physical fitness, 1911 or Glock, carbine or shotgun...we can argue for years and never agree. Some opinions are so strongly held that, especially after the amber-colored liquid flows, there have been fistfights over what is “best.” All of this is irrelevant if we are not physically and mentally prepared. ...

Several months ago I made the transition from custody sergeant to patrol sergeant. One day I was working the largest (with nearly 800 sworn employees) jail in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, the next I was working one of our smallest patrol stations (with fewer than 50). Needless to say, the resources available to me changed dramatically. ...

Informants are not — nor do they look like — “Huggy Bear.” No, witnesses can be informants, victims can be informants, people you meet on your beat can be informants. Hotel workers, gas station attendants, the people who work the counter at convenience stores, cab drivers, priests, teachers...the list is endless. ...

Some learners remember facts, figures, and stats—they are analytical, left-brain thinkers. Others respond to the emotional and/or the visual and are right brain thinkers. Most of us are a combination of the two. Storytelling involves the whole brain and everyone can get something from a properly told story. ...

Regardless of the promotional testing process being used, there are things you can do which are within your control to position yourself for career advancement. What really makes a person valuable to the organization are old concepts such as integrity, self-discipline, honor, love of the department, strong work ethics, loyalty to oneself and his/her brother and sister officers, the courage to do the right thing when no one is looking, and ethical behavior. ...

Since Mike Vega was given a “Positive Self-Talk Card” at a Street Survival Seminar a couple of years ago, he’s made it part of his daily ritual of preparing for work. Printed on the front ...

Tactics are for everyone—not just specialized teams. But tactics and the planning principles are useless if you do not develop a Strategic Objective or the proper mindset or mentality for survival. There are seven planning principles that can be applied to every situation is some form or another; all one has to do is find a way to implement them into your response to a given situation. ...