It sounds pretty cool. You’re looking at application of fundamental skills in realistic situations. There’s no repetition here. There won’t be an instructor standing beside you telling you to tuck your elbow in or keep your eyes open. Think of it as an experience that will train the one thing rarely exercised on the range; your mind. This makes it a program for students who have a firm grasp of fundamentals and are ready for the next level of development.
Additionally, Haley Strategic Partners is offering civilian classes in addition to Military/LE only classes. Courses will be unique to the environments they are conducted in. The class may incorporate vehicle operations, CQB, problem solving and navigation in both daylight and darkness, tracking, survival, human interaction and more.
Specializing in weapons accessories and illumination equipment, BE Meyers is constantly innovating and introducing new products. Here are two of their latest designs which will be well suited for Law Enforcement applications.
When you think BE Meyers you generally think military. But they have developed the new GLARE® Enforcer which is the only non-lethal visual disruption laser FDA approved for law enforcement organizations. This green laser relies on Eye Safe® technology which automatically adjusts the output power depending on the target distance, ensuring the delivery of maximum safe power at all times while maintaining the safety of all nearby personnel against accidental eye injury. It is effective beyond 2 km. Within 500m, it produces an overpowering visual effect that deters hostile action and dissuades further approach. The device produces a large target spot, making it easy to aim at moving objects and providing coverage of multiple individuals simultaneously.
The CIRIS® long-range infrared illuminator is so powerful it makes night mode cameras night vision capable. Despite its power (1,000 mW), the device is completely eye safe when used at distances greater than one meter. The CIRIS® is capable of illuminating subjects at distances over 600 meters.
So yesterday a gun company buys another, it’s not nearly as big news as this. Galls, LLC, a veritable powerhouse in the public safety, first responder and private security sector, has merged with Cerritos, California-based Quartermaster, Inc. While this alone is significant, add in this tidbit. Galls was acquired by New York-based private equity firm CI Capital Partners in September of 2011. Now, you begin to see some consolidation by outside investors.
Bob San Julian, Chief Executive Officer of Galls said, “We are very excited to announce the merger of these two industry leaders. Quartermaster’s large customer base will benefit from Galls’ broad product offering, high level of customer service, and East Coast distribution capabilities. In turn, Quartermaster’s highly recognizable private label brand, long-standing relationships with key suppliers, and established West Coast distribution presence will be instrumental as we compete for customers in the public safety products sector.”
Jim Duncan, current Chief Executive Officer of Quartermaster, will become President of the combined company. Mr. Duncan commented, “Quartermaster has achieved tremendous success on its own since 1974. As we look toward our future growth, we realize that joining forces with Galls and forming a national distribution platform is the best means of serving our customers. Galls and Quartermaster share a commitment to the highest standards of quality and customer service, making Galls an ideal partner for us going forward.”
“When we closed the acquisition of Galls last fall, it was our goal to build and position this business for long-term growth and profitability, both organically and through strategic acquisitions,” said Thomas Ritchie, Managing Director at CI Capital Partners. “Quartermaster’s strong brand recognition, marketing capabilities, and experienced sales organization make it an exceptional combination with the Galls platform.”
PNC Business Credit, AEA Mezzanine and PennantPark Investment Corporation provided financing for the transaction.
As the DoD budget shrinks, the LE and first responder markets begin to look even more lucrative. However, it’s not easy money by any means. The market is extremely segmented and it takes a great deal of leg work to reach the multitude of customers. You have agencies and organizations spanning from local to state to federal, all with differing requirements, funding and procurement systems.
A lot of departments rely on bicycles for urban patrol. In fact, the Las Vegas strip is rife with them. To this end, Safariland has teamed All Terrain Bike specialists Kona to produce the new Patrol Bike 29er. Bike riders will know that the “29er” designation comes from the tire size. One feature that is cool is the sloping tube that makes it easier to mount and dismount.
Arc’teryx LEAF has been showing their new Wolf color quietly to its customer base for some time now. We’ve even caught a couple of glimpses of the color here and there which we’ve been able to share. The new Wolf color makes a great counterpoint to the Bird’s other exclusive pantone – Crocodile, which was developed several years ago to provide a shade compatible with both greens and browns for the the military side of the LEAF equation. Not only is Wolf well suited for Law Enforcement use, it gives all of us another color option to help blend into the background and truly become the Grey Man.
In conjunction with the release of Wolf, Arc’teryx is also debuting several new styles.
Additionally, Arc’teryx provided us with this official statement which does a great job explaining their concept of Wolf:
“Urban Wolf— blend into the sprawl
From a distance, or in situations with marginal light, the greyscale tone of most surfaces is dark grey. Concrete, glass, asphalt and rooftops are common modern backgrounds, environments that are subject to low ambient light and shadows. In these conditions, black stands out in the shadows, easily identifiable and clearly defined. In contrast, dark grey is the least visible colour; it blends into its surroundings.
Optimized for urban and industrial environs and their margins, Wolf breaks with tradition and introduces a colour blend for modern environments. A modern alternative to traditional uniform colourways, grey is less traditional and therefore a less recognizable uniform of authority. Wolf introduces a covert tonal shade for law enforcement purposes in urban environments.
Available in the new Drac Jacket and Drac Pant, Bravo Jacket and new Naga Hoody, the wolf colourway is a practical uniform option and is the colour preferred for Law Enforcement/SWAT and Military Special Forces use.
Arc’teryx leads the pack with Urban Wolf—on patrol in the margins.”
A short Op-Ed from BOLO Report on some recent border security issues that haven’t gotten much attention in the press. Apparently Herman Cain’s alleged philandering and the prosecution of Michael Jackson’s doctor is more important than the murder, rape and appalling violence now happening on both sides of the border. There is an interesting related note here.Â
As you may recall we ran a story about the shootout between Harris County Sheriff and other LEOs in the local DTF (Drug Task Force) and/or HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) and alleged Zeta gunmen in Houston. Though details are of course sketchy and remain unclear, a couple of compelling and potentially dangerous points have become clear.
1. At least one DTF member was engaged by a responding deputy and wounded. The former was in civilian attire and undercover. The latter was rolling up on a gunfight in progress with numerous long guns employed, observed a man with a weapon, challenged and shot him. Obviously there are several problems here with no easy answers. A marked officer can’t very well work undercover. OPSEC and COMSEC will prevent the HIDTA or DTF from communicating routes and operations to the LEOs on the street. It is unknown whether the DTF agent had any sort of flip panel, chain badge or other “ready” identification, but the number of fratricidal shootings we’ve seen even in high stress training scenarios make it clear that under stress such measures don’t always work. Again, no easy answer there, but our training officers and tactical supervisors need to be looking at it (without casting any blame or Monday morning quarterbacking). Enough of us are killed in the line of duty by suspects: we don’t need to do it to each other, but there are very realistic constraints that make this an extremely difficult problem to resolve.
2. The four individuals taken into custody were all sporting short, military style haircuts and no visible tattoos. More than one of our contacts in the counter-drug community have remarked on the fact that these four did not immediately look like some of the Zeta shooters that have been killed or captured south of the border. This may mean a lot or nothing, but it’s hard to believe it’s a coincidence.
The official report on border violence compiled for the Texas Dept. of Agriculture remains inaccessible at this time on official websites. We’ll put links up if that is rectified. If not we will post it ourselves.
The Punch and Pull entry tool may be the next evolutionary step in manual breaching kit. It may, in fact, relegate the hallagan (which a lot of folks incorrectly call a “hooligan”) to a much more secondary role.
“A lot of tactical guys are a little iffy at first,†says the Punch & Pull’s designer, “but once they try it and see how well it works they love it. A SWAT team should have more options on an entry than a hallagan, a ram and a damn big hammer.
Originally developed in 1996, the Punch & Pull was built by Rick Lopez, a 20+ year veteran of LAPD’s D Platoon (SWAT) and Narcotics Division for use on the fortified doors their narcotics officers were encountering on drug warrants and SWAT operations. Because it causes a lot less collateral damage (and doesn’t leave quite the same amount of wreckage) than other breaching equipment he describes it as more “brass friendlyâ€.
“Its actually pretty simple,†Lopez advises. “It’s usually a two man operation. The guy with the hammer spike sets the hole in the security door, the guy with the Punch & Pull, handling it like a weapon at port arms, comes in at 45 degrees and sets it. “BAM,” it comes open, opening up the inner door for the slam man [ram carrier].†The Punch & Pull remains hooked so it’s not in the way, lying underfoot or encumbering anyone during the immediate entry.
The spike is set by the doorknob to preset the Punch & Pull’s hold. It doesn’t break the deadbolt (most times you can barely bend a deadbolt), it tears the plate open. The plate is much more vulnerable than the rest of the mechanism. That’s what the Punch & Pull busts out. (Lopez prefers to do a door peal on the doorknob side at an angle to pop the door. It puts all the tension around the doorknob.
“You don’t want to hit the center of a door with it,†Lopez warns. “Some guys did that despite being trained not…that puts the torque on the hinges. They wound up with the door right on top of them when it came off.â€
Note: if the target door is more than moderately fortified (like if it’s strongly lagged), the Punch & Pull probably won’t work. “It’s popped some lagged doors before,†Lopez says, “however they were lightly lagged. That’s why proper surveillance and intel gathering is essential prior to ever making the approach. If it’s lagged heavily in the door frame or the floor using welded bolts, you’re going to need to do a vehicle pull.â€
The Punch & Pull is in use by a number of different agencies and units, including the LAPD, Ventura County SO, DEA, FBI and several municipal departments. Rick, who is a former grunt turned ANGLICO Marine, has also provided several to units at Camp Pendleton and taught them how to best employ it.
