Police Tips

The PoliceOne Law Enforcement and Police Tips section provides insight from PoliceOne columnists and members on the things Police Officers can do to increase safety and enhance productivity.

The tips and resources here—ranging from innovations in defensive tactics to new concealment techniques to off duty survival and dozens of other matters critical to law enforcement officers—are updated regularly. Every day, Officers on the streets encounter new information that can help fellow officers, so we encourage you to submit your tips. Help us to help Police Officers better serve and protect our communities.

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Full list of recent and archived Police Tips

Bad dog! When should you shoot a canine?40: How many times have you withdrawn your firearm, trained it on a human subject, and pressed the trigger? How many times have you had to withdraw your firearm, train it on some four-legged ...
Compliance leads to control 2: When working on the street you deal with all kinds of calls from barking dogs to man with a gun. One of the most important things you can hope for when arriving on a scene is compliance ...
Situational awareness in the squad car 13: Two quick thoughts on maintaining situational awareness in your squad — this stuff is not new, but two different conversations I’ve had in the past week have led me to ponder ...
Tactical kindness: Soften your initial contact 14: I’ve been home from IACP 2011 in Chicago for roughly 12 hours, and have reams of notes to convert into tactical tips for many months to come, but want to share one immediately that ...
Make time to remain a physically fit officer 22: Every single one of us knows that it is important to be fit in this line of duty. But we also know that it is so easy to get tied up in paperwork, or traffic stops, or get complacent, or ...
Video: Selecting a patrol rifle 14: What rifle should you bring on patrol? Don Alwes offers a few tips and tricks, including a useful test for determining the correct weight to choose. ...
Cameras belie your arrival at the door 5: Working on assumptions can be a dangerous business. Assuming, for example, that simply parking down the street from your target address and making a quiet, tactical approach will be enough ...
Rotate your pistol magazines 32: There are some truths and some misconceptions about the durability of pistol magazines. It would seem that everyone has an opinion, but most are based upon conjecture and not science.The ...
Video: Tech-savvy cops can prevent terrorism 3: Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith shares a terrorist prevention tip.
2 questions to help reduce cell phone robbery 2: Every day it seems, the sidewalks are filled with people whose eyes are squarely affixed to the little rectangular screens on their phones. Their total lack of situational awareness enables ...
Remember when you were cautious? 11: Remember your first hookup? That first time you actually told someone they were under arrest and put your handcuffs on your first prisoner? Remember that feeling you had in your stomach ...
Constant tactical positioning 13: In this video tactical tip, George Matheis of Modern Combative Systems discusses and demonstrates what he calls constant tactical positioning. This is the practice of always putting ...
Be mindful of your response when helping an injured officer2: If you find yourself involved with supporting an injured officer, particularly one who may be badly hurt, be very mindful of your expressions. Remember that your responses to the situation ...
The 'Bump Fire Stock' and officer safety 26: Here’s one more thing potentially in the hands of bad guys to use against us. Heads up for a product hitting the streets, sold by Military Gun Supply out of Texas, called the Bump ...
Video: Deadly force cover12: In this scenario, officers used strong verbals to successfully take a subject into custody.
Take a tactical pause 7: Cops respond to security alarms or reports of possible trespassing persons every single day. Now, if there’s some expediency necessary, it’s understandable that officers will ...
Traffic stop vehicle approach: Tinted windows 15: Don't approach vehicles that you cannot see into (cars with tinted windows, for example). Have the driver roll the windows down...both front and rear. If they can't, then call them out to ...
Video: Officer rescue with vehicle 13: In an open area, sometimes a vehicle must be used to rescue a downed officer. Betsy Brantner Smith explains how to get the officer into the car while still providing cover.
IDing yourself as LEO to an on-duty officer 63: Let’s get one thing out on the table right up front: If you’re off duty and end up responding to an incident, your only truly safe course of action when the uniformed officer ...
Cell phone screen to compare prints 19: When you have an identification document that shows a fingerprint or thumbprint and are unsure of if the carrier of the doc is an imposter, use the flat smooth screen of your cell phone to ...