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We’ve talked about the loss of what we call institutional knowledge — that deep-rooted, core cop sense, and skills the “old timers” often have. When they retire, that knowledge is gone forever unless they’ve taught it to the younger cops. And what I’m finding out is many of the younger generations aren’t really interested in learning how to do it the old-school way. We now have, literally, a few generations of cops who’ve grown up with the digital age and haven’t been trained by guys who used to hit the streets with a straight stick, a revolver and no portable radio, much less a computer in their beat car. Others who also grew up in the digital age have trained today’s street cops, and the old-timers didn’t train them either; it goes back 15 or even 20 years now. But, do today’s cops really need to know how to do police work using old methods?

Yes, as a matter of fact, they do. And here’s why.

It’s about basics. Advanced skills are simply basics applied in new or innovative ways. If you don’t have basics, then the “advanced” stuff you’re doing is often just a smoke and mirror setup, and you might be fooling yourself and setting yourself up for failure. As long as the electrons flow, you’re fine. But when the switch is turned off (laptop crashes, systems go down, batteries die, the tornado hits and destroys cell and radio service…) many cops today would scramble to find their feet. Let’s take it to the most basic.

You’re talking to a potential suspect. You run him and find he has a warrant, so you arrest and book him. Now, same situation but no warrant system. Do you have the skills to find out who this moron might be, and what he’s doing on your beat? Do you have the street skills and cop sense to talk it out of him? To badger, cajole, trick, twist and otherwise beat him at his own game? Could you figure out he’s a crook, and why and what he’s up to, in spite of the system being down? Generations of cops before you could — and did.

It’s fine to use modern conveniences to enhance and expand your own knowledge of something. Are you suspicious of someone or something? Great, now double-check using your resources. If they don’t agree with your suspicions, but you’re still convinced, that’s fine. Dig deeper. Get a backhoe if you need to, but don’t let the bad guy go until you — personally — based on your own Spidey sense, are comfortable with the fact it’s safe to let him go.

If you don’t have the street sense you wish you did, find some old cop, even a retired one — and get some. Trust me, they love to help. It’s honestly amazing what you can learn from some of them. And they did it using pay phones, a pencil, note pad, no air conditioning and a revolver on their hip. Imagine that.
By Roy Huntington

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GUNS

HOLSTERS

SOFT SKILLS

OFFICER SURVIVAL

WEAPONS TRAINING

EXPERTS

TAC-MED

KNIVES

STREET TACTICS

LESS LETHAL

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