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.

Search Tips

Full list of recent and archived Police Tips

Watch for these hidden handcuff keys 5: Hidden handcuff keys are perpetually popping up all over the place — from bracelets to cufflinks, manufacturers keep coming up with clever concealment concepts. Today I have two ...
Video: Out-of-the-holster gun grabs 9: Tony Lambraia of Phoenix RBT Solutions and Ultimate Training Munitions — alongside demonstration partner “Rob” — shares some ways in which you can integrate some ...
Secure your 'tools' at home 4: We talk quite often about securing your firearms at home. But don’t limit the lockdown of your “tools of the trade” and ensure they are all well secured in a good-quality ...
Don't let your 'little mistake' fall on someone else 21: While we’re starting out on our New Year, settling into our annually-chosen resolution(s) that most of us fail to keep (losing weight, quitting smoking, etc.), how about we make a ...
Video: Close-proximity strike techniques 48: Tony Lambraia of Phoenix RBT Solutions and Ultimate Training Munitions — alongside demonstration partner “Rob” — shares a series of strike techniques you can easily ...
Psychological and emotional preparation for active-shooter response 14: As the hearings begin this week in the Aurora (Colo.) theatre massacre case, the chilling details of the chaos and horror responding officers met with at the scene are surfacing. Pay close ...
Video: Applying when-then thinking to evasive driving2: When do you need to be prepared to use evasive driving? Always, prepared, right? There’s no such thing as routine. PoliceOne Columnist Dave Smith discusses the need to have your broad ...
Enhancing your situational awareness 10: Whether you’re approaching the scene of a noisy domestic, walking into a stop-and-rob for refreshments, or sitting down in a neighborhood restaurant with your family off duty, staying ...
Take a deep breath to focus yourself 4: First of all, I want to wish everyone in Law Enforcement presently or retired a very Happy New Year and an extremely safe one too. My tip today will be a very simple one to remember, ...
Are you smarter than a five-year-old?7: It was the first Christmas in their new apartment in the city. Taking up too much space in the small living room it stood in the corner partially covering the bookshelf. But with a ...
Video: Escaping from a headlock 18: Alongside his demonstration partner Logan, Police and Corrections trainer Dan Severn shows two different variations on a single technique to escape from a headlock applied to you by the bad ...
Suspect identification: See like an artist2: Can sketching faces improve your observational skills? Trainer John Demand Jr. thinks so. In his courses on Rapid Recognition, which aim at strengthening officers’ visual perception, ...
Learn what's going on without asking a single question 4: When approaching a disturbance scene, don't immediately knock on the door and ask what's going on. If possible, stand outside the door in a safe location, and listen to what the ...
Video: Escaping the guillotine choke hold 35: Alongside his demonstration partner Logan, Police and Corrections trainer Dan Severn shows two different variations on a single technique to escape from a guillotine choke ...
Red teaming yourself: Critical self assessment3: Next time you’re alone in a safe and secure place — home is the optimal choice, but the company locker room is equally suitable — stand in front of the mirror and ask, ...
Don't wrestle! 50: This tip is being written just strictly for a tactical FYI only — your level of training may dictate differently. The average officer on the street gets — at best — ...
Video: Overhead knife defense from supine position 13: In this video tactical tip, Logan Graver of Conditioned Response works with demonstration partner T.J. Perez to show edged weapons defense from an overhead attack when you’re in the ...
Nice tuxedo... let me see your cufflinks 4: Next time you have to put cuffs on someone in a tuxedo — I’m looking at you, James Bond — be sure to look at your subject’s cufflinks. And although we are entering ...
Beware 'survival' bracelets 6: When you’re handcuffing prisoners, be on the alert for so-called “survival bracelets,” currently being marketed in a variety of colors on the Internet and via other ...
Car bomb risks and evacuation guidelines 2: If an informant’s tip or an alert officer’s observation of suspicious activity leads your agency to believe a vehicle bomb has been planted in your jurisdiction, would your ...