A major responsibility of the leadership of any specialized police unit is the awareness of endlessly changing societal, legal, and managerial developments that affect operations. This third edition of The Management of Police Specialized Tactical Units represents a significant updating and expansion of each of the chapters from previous editions. In addition to explaining the steps for developing and maintaining a realistic and effective response to increasingly violent levels of crime, this edition discusses the social, political, and technological matters that must be continuously identified, defined, and resolved prior to the implementation of any substantive or procedural change in tactical policy and practice. Legal and operational guidelines are provided to help tactical leaders to develop their leadership abilities and tactical success, thereby enhancing the tactical unit’s ability to safeguard the public. The authors make extensive use of the latest court decisions to provide the legal bases for operations as well as recent case histories to illustrate the various aspects of organizational management. These case histories do much more than summarize the sequence of events. They also point out what was learned from the successes and failures alike. Of particular interest is the new material on how the range of activities assigned to tactical units has expanded dramatically since September 11, 2001 and how the law enforcement community has been forced to respond to its newest critics. Emphasis is placed on how decision-makers must not only be organizational managers and administrators but also on how they should possess a firm grasp of confrontation tactics and leadership principles.

Donated by Criminal Justice Review In honor of Dr. Richard J. Terrill, Professor of Criminal Justice, Georgia State University.

This is the only book in existence that discusses the process of documenting an investigation from start to finish. It presents just about everything an investigator needs to know regarding how to document an investigation. This new edition builds upon the principles outlined in the first edition, but the new edition has a criminal defense bent, with numerous case examples provided that include insurance claims and civil litigation, criminal defense, murders, sexual assaults, and other serious felonies, particularly wrongful convictions. These require meticulous documentation. Proper documentation matters most in criminal cases. This book therefore will focus also on the rights of those accused of crimes. The first chapter discusses the five primary principles of investigative documentation: taking comprehensive notes; documenting every effort to contact witnesses and all surveillance; preparing reports whenever there is any possibility of needing to testify; taking verbatim statements from hostile witnesses and declarations from friendly witnesses; and providing all case documents to the client or maintaining a document retention plan. The second chapter details the numerous misconceptions pertaining to investigative documentation. This chapter sets the stage for the remaining chapters on note-taking, running resumes, reports, statements, and documentation retention. Each chapter is broken down into four or five sections that approximate the methods used to complete that particular documentary endeavor. The book also contains an exhaustive appendix that many investigators will find to be very useful. This is an advanced book for people who already have the necessary skills to do an investigation. By following the principles outlined in this book, investigators will see the quality of their investigations improve markedly and ultimately be more successful. Although the authors have chosen to refocus the second edition on criminal defense investigations, where proper documentation is most important, the principles herein remain the benchmark of how to document any investigation in the private sector.

What's it like to have the legal sanction to shoot and kill? This compelling and often startling book answers this, and many other questions about the oft-times violent world inhabited by our nation's police officers. Written by a cop-turned university professor who interviewed scores of officers who have shot people in the course of their duties, Into the Kill Zone presents firsthand accounts of the role that deadly force plays in American police work. This brilliantly written book tells how novice officers are trained to think about and use the power they have over life and death, explains how cops live with the awesome responsibility that comes from the barrels of their guns, reports how officers often hold their fire when they clearly could have shot, presents hair-raising accounts of what it's like to be involved in shoot-outs, and details how shooting someone affects officers who pull the trigger. From academy training to post-shooting reactions, this book tells the compelling story of the role that extreme violence plays in the lives of America's cops.

This textbook instructs patrol officers in their roles and responsibilities as first responders, with attention to new and evolving threats and responses to incidents that have broadened the scope of responsibility of the patrol officer. The first of the five parts of the book contains four chapters on patrol officer's preparation and conditioning. These chapters focus on the importance and features of mental and physical fitness and preparing for various police encounters, some of which may involve a fight for survival. The four chapters of Part 2 address training and equipment. The chapters discuss the principles of combat shooting, the specifications of intermediate rifles for use in patrol work, specialty impact systems that can be used as less-lethal force options, and first responders' recognition of explosives. Part 3 consists of three chapters on various types of patrol procedures: the use of police dogs in patrol operations, vehicle stops, and building searches. The four chapters of Part 4 consider patrol responses to critical incidents. One chapter instructs patrol officers in the responsibilities of first responders at the scene of a hostage/barricade/suicide incident. A second chapter describes the tactic of "immediate action/rapid deployment," which is recommended for patrol officers who are the first responders to a violent attack in progress that involves multiple actual and potential victims. A third chapter describes the planning and implementation of procedures for a unified command when multiple agencies are responding to a mass disaster. A fourth chapter focuses on knowledge and procedures used by first responders in their handling of disasters caused by terrorists' weapons of mass destruction. The three chapters of Part 5 instruct patrol officers in preparing for civil litigation that alleges violations of constitutional rights due to officer actions.

The eighth edition of this comprehensive collection includes carefully chosen articles with fresh perspectives on the most current trends in policing. Critical Issues in Policing provides ready access to the brightest minds in the field of policing. The 36 contributions sharpen understanding of the intricacies of police work and encourage readers to change from holding the police responsible for crime rates to holding them accountable for specific goals, tasks, and objectives. The new edition continues its authoritative, insightful coverage of complex elements of policing and presents vivid and pragmatic illustrations of law enforcement issues. The anthology offers an alternative to traditional policing texts. It covers philosophies of policing that guide discussions about police culture, police misconduct, use of force, operational concerns, and technological innovations.

Medical support for special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units is different from civilian EMS in many ways. A tactical medical provider (TMP) is charged with providing life-saving care to downed SWAT officers and taking measures to defend against criminal suspects. Mastery of these skills requires extensive, specialized tactical emergency medical services (TEMS) training and experience in the tactical environment. Designed for EMS and medical professionals of all levels of training, Tactical Medicine Essentials provides the foundation needed to create world-class TMPs. Written by an experienced team of authors from diverse backgrounds, this text covers the essential curriculum of tactical medicine, including tactical patient assessment, expedient extrication and evacuation, and self-defense skills. Important Notice: The digital edition of this book is missing some of the images or content found in the physical edition.