Calibre Press

At the launch of the trial of Officer Kim Potter, the now former Brooklyn Center, MN officer who was charged with manslaughter after fatally shooting Daunte Wright I, like probably every other law enforcement professional in the country, took inventory of the key issues in this trial. The two most salient were whether Daunte Wright posed a deadly threat to the involved officers (or any threat at all, as one prosecution expert questioned during th... Full Article »

Editor's note: Chief Magnusson has been a longtime and much appreciated contributor to Calibre Press. We wish him all the very best in his retirement. Although we hope he enjoys some relaxation, we're grateful to hear that he plans to continue writing. Thank you for your many years of service and your dedication to the betterment of law enforcement across the country, Chief! I stepped down as chief of the El Portal, CA Police Department on Nov... Full Article »

Editor’s note: Although this is clearly not Dave’s “typical” article it’s a fun distraction from the day-to-day we all face. Taking a mental breather is not only enjoyable, it’s also healthy. With that, enjoy… Most Calibre Press readers know I’m originally from upstate New York. And many have noted that I frequently refer to my new home in southwest Florida as “Paradise.” The Sunshine State with its sun, tropical climate an... Full Article »

Not surprisingly, Jim Glennon’s recent commentary on the Mt. Prospect, IL Village Board vote to remove thin blue line flag patches from their police officers’ uniforms drew spirited response. Those Board members who voted to remove the patches cited a belief that they reflected a symbol of hate perpetuated by actual hate groups who, those Board members claimed, have used the thin bue line flag as a symbol of their warped beliefs…although ac... Full Article »

In last week’s newsletter we shared a question from an officer looking for insights into the pros and cons of carrying O.C. on either the strong side or the reaction side. After posting a response from a former Calibre Press instructor, we tossed the question out to our readers. Response was heavy. Here’s a sample of some of what we heard. Thanks for all the excellent feedback! Chief Phil Bostian with the Park City (KS) PD wrote: I h... Full Article »

In my last article, I seemed to have struck a chord—or a nerve depending on your perspective— regarding increasing violence throughout this nation and the possible reason that is the case.  In this article I am going to deal with another intensifying issue and convey a plea to all law enforcement professionals.  I’m guessing I will probably get almost as much feedback, some likely mixed with wrath, on this one as I did with my pre... Full Article »

Dark days lie ahead for law enforcement. LE will continue to be blamed for society’s ills and mistakes. Why? Because LE is the arm of government that is out on the streets interfacing with the public on a daily basis. No other government agency has that task or, more importantly, that duty. LE will continue to be criticized. Officers will be thrown under the bus and prosecuted for performing their lawful duties. The Capitol police will be sc... Full Article »

Living in South Florida (and even during my time in North Carolina) I would count down the days towards November 30th after going through five to five and half months of mind-boggling stress with the hurricane season.  Perhaps a sigh of relief once Halloween passed though there was technically still a month left.  This hurricane season, with the exception of 2005 perhaps, was unlike anything we had known.  I bring this up becaus... Full Article »

A lot of folks know the name Ron Martinelli.  Ron is a retired California police detective and owner-operator of Martinelli & Associates, a law enforcement consulting firm based out of Boerne, Texas.  However, his name might soon become known more as a renowned novelist rather than as a police expert. Absolute Justus is Ron’s first foray into the world of fiction writing. And with Absolute Justus Martinelli has hit a home run.&... Full Article »

I've been out of operational law enforcement for over two decades.  But because my 6 years in the military and my 20+ years as a cop were so significant to me, I stayed in touch with several of my fellow ‘Nam vets as well as a few of my cop buds. Late last year I went up to NY to attend a police function sponsored by our PBA.  Historically, this banquet was always held to honor our retirees as well as thanking a host of local civil... Full Article »

Most readers know I’m a big fan of Sticky Holsters, Inc.’s family of firearms-related products.  Owner Mike Christoff cut his cop bones for 15 years with the Dearborn, Michigan PD before finding the warmth of Southwest Florida where he spent another dozen years with the Marco Island, Florida PD.  I’ve written about his line of items for several years, mostly focused around the original Sticky Holsters.  For those unfamiliar w... Full Article »

Law enforcement has been on its heels much of 2020.  A lot has changed, and a lot more will change moving forward.  It all matters, regardless who holds the megaphone but perhaps what may matter most is but a few weeks away. As I switch from my law enforcement 8-point cover to my historian cap, I recall that we've had 45 presidents (44 men, to be exact, since Grover Cleveland won two non-consecutive terms).  I mention this be... Full Article »

I haven’t written an article about police work in a while. It’s been a tough year for the profession. I try my best not to gripe and complain, and there are already people out there stating our case far more eloquently than I can. The reason I am writing this now is because I had something of a revelation recently, and I thought it might help at least a few of my brothers and sisters out there who are struggling like I am. The Problem T... Full Article »

I’m one of the old guys.  And being an old guy, I carried a wheel gun for 19 of my 20+ years on the job.  Ergo, I’m very familiar with speedloaders.  In fact, I’ve won a few guns in revolver competitions in NY and Canada using speedloaders.  So, when Mike Christoff at Sticky Holsters, Inc. turned me on to these new speedloaders from CK Tactical, I knew I had to get my hands on them.      Time and s... Full Article »

[Editor’s note: Lt. David Haynes with the Michigan State Police shared an excellent poem his talented 13-year-old daughter, Annika, wrote with--no prodding or assistance. In it she shares the thoughts of a child dreaming of the day they can become a police officer. “I was extremely impressed, blown away in fact, by her writing skills and her level of observation and attention to detail,” her Dad told Calibre. “Many of the images she share... Full Article »

I’m the son of a cop. My dad was the son of a cop. And, yes, my dad’s dad was also the son of a cop. They all served the city of Evansville, Indiana. In 2011, I eagerly became a police officer in Evansville myself. My father is still on the job. He’s in his 29th year. My grandfather served for 39 years, and my great grandfather for 23. My family has been serving Evansville continuously since 1943. I grew up knowing exactly what a c... Full Article »

As a police trainer, I get a lot of requests for law enforcement product evaluations.  Most, probably about 85%-90%, find their way into my circular file under my desk with the items sent back.  The remaining 10%-15% are really good quality items with relevance to and for today’s street cops.  So along those lines, here’s one I found really interesting. I own quite a few guns.  I do a lot of firearms training and most o... Full Article »

The problem There’s no doubt this Covid-19 deal has thrown a curve to most everybody, law enforcement included.  It recently reared its ugly head to yours truly, but in a weird kind of way.  The local sheriff’s office down here in Paradise, Florida has been more than gracious to us out-of-town retirees when it comes to our annual HR-218 requals. After my initial HR-218 shoot up in the great northeast, I’ve been able to shoot ea... Full Article »

A note from the author: This article was originally written about three months ago and in the midst of a wave of similarly focused articles, was put in the publication queue for future consideration.  By mid-June it looked as though COVID was spiking again and once more, masks were becoming a big issue as well as dealing with people who just refuse to listen to reason.  Combine this with the demonstrations and protests that have also... Full Article »

I recently had the opportunity to work two peaceful and productive organized protest events in Wichita Falls, Texas. I was on the ground with the crowds at each event and listened to several speakers. One of the speakers in the first event expressed a frustration that the previous speakers were not angry enough. He stated that he understood that not all police officers are bad and there are good officers. Then he said loudly, “However!” Ba... Full Article »