Tactical Response

Tac Gear

Original SWAT has unveiled its new 6'' Classic Side Zip. The model has full-grail leather toe and 1,000 denier nylon upper, round laces, steel shank, and compression molded EVA midsole. The outsole is stitched to the upper at both the toe and the heel. The zipper is secured at the top with a Velcro® tab. For more information call (888) 476-7700, or visit www.orignalswat.com.

Calendar 2005

Calibre Press 25th Anniversary Street Survival Seminar, Las Vagas, NV. For more inormation cal (800) 323-0037, or visit www.calibrepress.com.

K9 Helicopter Insertion

The ASU has standard procedures that govern the style of deployment, or insertion, that the dog handlers will use. If the helicopter can land in an open area and the handler team can exit from the helicopter interior then this would be the first and safest deployment choice. However, if the only viable option is to long line a handler team into a difficultto-access area, then there are certain safety protocols to follow. The Calgary Police Service Canine Unit was established in 1960 with four...

Enhancing Immediate Care: Hemostatic Agents for Trauma in the Tactical Environment

Several obstacles must be overcome before implementation of novel hemostatic agents in the field. Laboratory studies of hemostatic dressings have involved precise, machine-cut wounds that differ vastly from the mechanisms of trauma. Dressings can only treat certain injuries that are accessible to a prehospital provider. The EMS setting itself is challenging for the maintenance of dressing integrity and its application. Hemostatic dressings must also be shown to safely promote appropriate clot...

Swat Comm

Jps Acu-Tactical... Interoperability You Can Carry

What if you don't happen to have an ACU-1000 equipped truck handy? No problem: JPS Communications has just released a portable version of the ACU-1000 called the "ACU-T." The "t" stands for tactical. The ACU-T is truly a tactical version of the ACU-1000. Rather than a rackmounted unit, the ACU-T comes in an eight pound black metal carrying case, with a top-mounted handle. Careless compares the JPS Communication/Raytheon ACU-T Modular Interconnect System, a portable version of ACU-1000 Modular...

Fixed & Folding

Strider Buck 890 Fixed Blade

The two 890 Strider knives are different in more than just the point. The spear point maintains the full blade thickness along the blade back for about half its length, then tapers down to a spear point on the blade edge and a false double edge on the blade back. The Tanto point knife maintains the full .250-inch blade thickness all the way to the tip of the compound angle, Tanto point. That is why the Tanto point knife weighs 1.4 ounces more than the spear point knife. Strider Knives and Buc...

Rear Guard

Plan B...And Plan C

In a quote often attributed to General Dwight Eisenhower, Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke wrote, "No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy." Eisenhower's addition to it was, "[...even so] I still cannot fail to plan." Sanow discusses the importance flexibility in planning. The value of planning is not to produce ahead of time a perfect plan, instead, the value of planning comes in training operators to be able to adjust and adapt to changing circumstances as they emerge.

Arrest Tactics

Mace Pepper Gel

To test for flammability, I placed a paper towel on fire and sprayed Pepper Gel on the burning towel. The spray actually accelerated the burn. I sprayed more product, again the liquid increased the size and intensity of the flame. Now, this is not to say that Pepper Gel(TM) could be ignited with an electronic restraint device such as a Taser®. According to Mace chemists, they could not ignite Pepper Gel(TM). Mace security International intends to improve the performance of chemical deterrent ...

Focus

The Quest for Less Lethal Systems

The PepperBall system utilizes a .68 caliber plastic sphere that is filled with one of any number of different substances. At the heart of the system is the actual OC powder from which the system takes its name. The OC, which is disbursed upon impact with the target, is in the form of a fine powder easily carried in the air. Oldman describes several least lethal devices including JTS PepperBall, the Oleoresin Capsicum spray, and Fabrique Nationale 303 Less Lethal Launcher. The PepperBall syst...

Long Gun

Surefire's M73 Rail System

The M73's two components are locked together by an interrupted rail. The upper component contains the top M1913 rail and the lower component the three, nine, and six o'clock rails. Once the standard handguards are removed (you will never need them again), the lower component of the M73 is assembled onto the weapon in the same way as the lower handguard, interlocking part way around the barrel nut. After testing Surefire's M73 Rail System, Johnston finds its ultra light weight and rigidity ide...

Physical Training

Lighten the Load

When you're forced to be on the go for hours there's no time to eat a cooked, well-balanced meal, so you often have to resort to snacks and junk. Worse yet, you may not be able to eat at all, and later make up for it by binging because you're starving. Either way, you lose. Let's start by focusing on how to get rid of the body fat you're carrying around every day. The most important aspect of staying lean and mean is to recognize that the difference is in one's head. If one can set one's mind...

Tems

4th Annual Medic Up Competition

The scenario involved a sniper operating out of a van, somewhat similar to the Maryland and Virginia sniper situation of a few years ago. The van was 200 yards down field from the sniper's victims. The tactical element's counter-sniper fired from 200 yards, but did not know for certain if the suspect had been eliminated. Thermal imaging, night vision, or binoculars could be used to assess the shooter's condition. Smoke was used to conceal the tactical team's movement. Weiss and Davis highligh...

Special Report: Hostage Negotiation

Nypd Hostage Negotiation Course

In all of this, perhaps one word exists that the negotiator really should avoid. Not "SWAT." Not "no." Not "suicide." Not "kill." Instead, stay away from the word "hostage." The subject may not eve know those people he has with him are hostages. We certainly don't want to plant that seed. Today's police negotiator needs skills taught by FBI, and the New York Police Department (NYPD) street-smart style of hostage negotiation. The Public Agency Training Council provides hostage negotiation trai...