Deadly Error #1

This is the first installment on the Ten Deadly Errors as written by Pierce Brooks. For the whole list, refer to the introduction to this series here: http://blueprojectstalbans.blogspot.com/2015/03/10-deadly-errors-original-text.html

1) Failure to maintain proficiency and care of weapon, vehicle, and equipment

Wow is this an overlooked one. If the last time you went shooting was your last qualification, you're wrong. I must confess I am wrong many times. Hey, life gets in the way. Spouses, kids, track meets, football games, cheer-leading competitions, it all adds up to not enough hours in the day. Regardless, you have to make time for range time. It can be tough when ammunition prices spike, but there are ways to get some trigger time in that won't break your bank. One former co-worker of mine had a 22 pistol and went shooting about every week or so and probably shot 500 rounds for next to nothing. Keeping the eye & trigger finger connection trained doesn't always require the caliber of your sidearm.

But we are more than our sidearm. When was the last time you practiced drawing your sidearm? At least once a week I empty my Glock and practice with my duty holster. Every few weeks it's the same drill only with some movement. You never need your sidearm in to play until you need it quickly. That is the time you don't want to be a beat slow. Remember boys and girls to empty that gun first! Why do I do this? Well, I have always done that. But as I've gotten older and changed assignments to a more administrative role, I have felt the need to stay proficient. I don't wear my uniform every day so my method of carrying changes. When in civilian clothes I have a different holster naturally. It is of a similar type to my duty holster, so the muscle memory doesn't change, but I now have to deal with a jacket or other clothing covering the holster. Doing 10 or so dry draws makes me feel a bit more ready in case something happens. When transitioning back to uniform carry, it is a requirement to adapt to that holster and it's extra layer of security. If I don't get my mind right for that holster, there could be dire consequences.

Why bother you ask? Well if you utter those words, "It will never happen here" you can stop reading now because there is nothing I can say that will change your mind. You are so far out in the land of unicorns and rainbows I can't help you. Hopefully you are not an instructor who will poison the minds of people you "train." Let me clear: IT CAN HAPPEN HERE! IT CAN HAPPEN WHERE YOU ARE! People probably told Chief Tim McKenna of the Chardon, OH Police Department that a school shooting would never happen in that small town of just over 5000 people. Yet they had performed drills with area law enforcement, local fire and EMS, and even the city's street department ready to block streets off with dump trucks. All of those drills paid off on February 27, 2012 when five students were murdered.

What about your backup weapon? If you carry a backup sidearm, practice on getting that in to play. If it's an ankle piece, you better run on the treadmill with it so you are confident that holster is comfortable and the gun is secure. If you carry a knife for this purpose, can you get to it quickly? Can you open it under stress? Is it in an accessible location?

Are your handcuffs in good working order? Can you open them or are they virtually glued shut by dust, grime, and dried something off that dirty guy you arrested a few months ago? One of my coworkers wipes his handcuffs down with a wipe after every arrest. In case you haven't noticed we don't deal with the cleanest of people. It's really sad to make the one clean decent person who just made a bad decision wear the same handcuffs as the heroin addict who hasn't bathed in weeks.

Check that TASER every day you carry it. Check your ASP baton to make sure it still opens. Check the oil in your cruiser before you start it. Look underneath for any wet spots which could indicate fluid leakage. Turn on the emergency equipment and walk around the cruiser to make sure they all work. With LED lights, they won't burn out anytime soon but all electrical systems can fail so check them anyway.

How do your shoe or boot strings look? You don't want to be late for roll call because you had to scramble for string. Maybe change them when they first start to appear worn. I have found if I start the shift bad by being especially late or scrambling because of some oversight, things tended to snowball and my whole day was shot. Maybe that's just me and I am a doom and gloom guy. But just maybe I want my mind right when I am at work.

We should do these things because we need to and not because someone tells you to. It is what is REQUIRED to be the police! Recently I found a great video of former Baltimore Raven Ray Lewis talking to some college football players on what it takes to be great. He said, "Greatness is a lot of small things, stacked on top of each other." Watch the video here:
http://walkercorporatelaw.com/motivational-speeches/greatness-is-a-lot-of-small-things-done-well-via-ray-lewis/