Is rape a crime? Recently this simple question has taken on complex overtones. If there really is such a thing as “forcible” rape (the language used three years ago in a proposed Congressional bill), then obviously there are also “consensual” rapes. And if rape can sometimes be called “legitimate” (the term used by a senator in a recent TV interview) then there must also be a category called “illegitimate rape.”

Or maybe not. “Forcible rape” as a legal term has long been used to distinguish violent sexual assaults from other sexual crimes. Statutory rape is an example; so are sexual acts when consent is compromised by a mind-altering substance, a disability, or an imbalance of power—such as when a woman has sex with an official who has the power to arrest or deport her.

The issue of power in sexual relationships is a complex one that deserves a closer look. In the last 50 years, we’ve become accustomed to hearing demands from women who feel compromised in workplace situations that used to be taken for granted. “Girly” calendars, off-color jokes, affectionate touching—even compliments about a woman’s appearance can lead to legal problems.

In the same way, businesses and other institutions are starting to recognize that power issues may be lurking in relationships that used to be labeled consensual. A doctor sleeps with a patient, a minister has sex with a parishioner, a politician has an affair an intern, a director seduces a novice actor: Is power a factor in these relationships?

Often the answer is “yes.” Even when a woman seems to be playing the role of seducer—for example, sleeping with her boss in hopes of getting a promotion—legal experts and psychologists increasingly look for a hidden imbalance of power. (Men can be also victimized this way when a woman holds a position of authority, and the same dynamics sometimes appear in same-sex relationships.)

Police departments rarely have to intervene in these situations, which are more likely to be resolved by a director of personnel, an EA/EO officer, an attorney, or a government agency. But law enforcement needs to recognize how power dynamics operate and why relationships founded on power are so damaging.

Without this understanding, it becomes difficult to understand why, for example, an adult should be prosecuted for having sex with a younger man or woman who seemed to initiate the relationship with adoring letters, gifts, and provocative behavior. Similarly, many of us struggle to understand why a wife with low earning power would refuse to prosecute an abusive husband with a professional career.

The simple fact is that the opposite of love is not—as we often assume—hate: It is power, according to experts in human dynamics. Relationships based on one-up/one-down roles always compromise consent in some way. To put it differently: It’s not love if one partner has the power to withhold something the other partner depends on (money, a place to live, a job, a reputation).

Power-based relationships can be hard to understand and even harder to detect because they so often look like true romances. The giggling intern revels in attention from her handsome boss; the shy churchgoer soars to new spiritual heights through a secret relationship with his minister; the young actress on the casting couch takes a fast track to a starring role in a movie.

Make no mistake, however: Power lurks nearby—and if the one-down participant takes a misstep, the boss/director/minister/politician will likely end the relationship and emerge unscathed to repeat the pattern with an unsuspecting new victim.

Our politicians want us to believe that there’s a “war on women” this election season (waged, of course, by the opposite party). While the arguments rage on, we should take this opportunity to broaden our awareness of social changes that may create—often sooner than we expect—new attitudes, behaviors, and issues for law enforcement.

Jean Reynolds, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus of English at Polk State College, where she taught report writing and communication skills in the criminal justice program. She is the author of seven books, including Police Talk (Pearson), co-written with the late Mary Mariani. Visit her website at www.YourPoliceWrite.com for free report writing resources. Go to www.Amazon.com for a free preview of her book The Criminal Justice Report Writing Guide for Officers. Dr. Reynolds is the police report writing expert for Law Enforcement Today.

Recent headline articles:

A couple from Colorado on their way to a baby shower for the soon to be new mother was involved in a crash caused by an illegal alien with four DUI convictions, who was again, drunk.  The expectant mother was injured and doctors performed an emergency C section to try to save the baby who lived for only one minute before succumbing to his injuries.  This illegal alien was convicted of two other DUI’s in 2000.

MF Global will not face charges for diverting customer funds to cover risky investments.  Customers, many in the agricultural industry, lost over one billion dollars as a result. Jon Corzine, former New Jersey Governor and former top executive for both MF Global and Goldman Sachs, says he doesn’t know where the money went.

The Department of Justice ended an investigation of Goldman Sachs’ role in the subprime mortgage crisis stating that they could not provide sufficient evidence of wrongdoing under current law.

An unidentified ICE agent could face disciplinary measures for arresting an illegal alien for as many as 10 traffic violations, in Newark, Delaware. He was ordered to release the individual because the circumstances didn’t fit the President’s priorities for deportation.  He was then threatened with a three day suspension when he balked.

A spokesperson for the local police department stated that the same circumstances involving an American citizen would have resulted in that person being put in jail.  Senator Jeff Sessions is demanding answers, stating that the message sent to ICE agents is that they will be punished for performing their duties to uphold the law.

These news stories do not begin to cover the erosion of the Rule of Law our country is facing.  It crosses partisan lines, as well as class distinctions to the detriment of the American citizen and the country as a whole.  Our society cannot function without the expectation that wrongdoers will be dealt with consistently.  For example, imagine trying to enter into a contract with someone without the assurance that the contract will be enforced.

The fundamental pillar of any prosperous economy is an expectation of clear, consistent rules being equally enforced.  When unequal consequences for unsavory conduct in the financial industry exist, the results are predictably the increase in cheating and the erosion of legitimate business practices in an effort to survive.  The end result is that the only businesses that survive are the ones politically connected, rather than offering the best services or products.

Scientists from many different disciplines speculate and study the causes of crime, the levels of violence, as well as what to do about it.  In my home state of New Mexico, it is not an unusual headline to read of people being arrested for DUI having 10 or more convictions and never spending time in jail, especially if they are illegal immigrants.  Depending on the judge, some pedophiles classified as sexual predators with multiple offenses are given minimal sentences with minimal supervision, while others are sent to prison for the maximum sentence.

Even worse, criminals found to have lower IQ’s or mental problems are released without prosecution through being found incompetent to stand trial, yet not ordered into treatment for their mental issues so they continue reoffending.  From my perspective as an LEO, it is the inconsistency in consequences that influence criminals to bet that the reward of criminal behavior exceeds the risk of consequences.  This adds to the burden of both law enforcement officers, as well as law abiding citizens.

By far the most corrosive to our society as a whole is the impunity with which some political figures engage in conduct that would result in prison time for other people engaging in the same activity.  One example of this is the headlines, as well as the book “Throw Them All Out” by Peter Schweizer, exposing insider trading by politicians.  There was such public outrage that the STOCK Act was passed and signed into law in a remarkably short period of time.  The caveat is an exclusive by CNN exposing that there are loopholes in the law allowing family members to profit from insider information.  The failures in government oversight agencies, such as the Securities Exchange Commission over the financial industries, the State Department over refugee vetting and so many others has led to ordinarily non- political and silent professionals begin to speak out.

Two union leaders representing ICE and Border Patrol officers have both issued statements condemning the current policies of the Obama administration regarding immigration enforcement and deportation of illegals.  Votes of no confidence against ICE Director John Morton were given on August 5, 2010.  The situation has deteriorated to the point that the union representing ICE is distributing a petition signed by ICE agents and encouraging the public to participate in signing it.

As a result of continued national security leaks by politicians which would have resulted in criminal charges for military and intelligence personnel, former and retired Navy SEALS, Delta Force, CIA, and other special operators have joined forces to form a political action committee called OPSEC. OPSEC was founded to stop the release of national security secrets for political gain regardless of political affiliation of those involved.  In addition, the PAC has produced a short movie “Dishonorable Disclosure” to educate the public on the impact of these leaks for America.

Some pundits have condemned OPSEC’s activity saying that this activity does not belong in the political sphere.  Rather than condemning these unprecedented actions, the need for such a group should be taken as a call of alarm.  The necessity for setting up OPSEC, a PAC designed to stop dangerous leaks of classified information by our own government, is a strong indicator of a major problem in America.  Professionals used to working within their own spheres tend to silently adjust to changing political winds,.  However, when seeing rising chaos and danger to the country they have sworn an oath and devoted their lives to protect, they risk their professional reputations, their lives, and even their families to speak out.

Fast and Furious was just the tip of the iceberg.  The ICE union’s was made particularly stark by stating unequivocally that they were being given unlawful orders.  That is something that none of us in the law enforcement field can ignore without peril to ourselves, our families, and our future.

Learn more about this article here:

http://judiciary.house.gov/news/07312012.html (report on crimes committed by un-deported illegal aliens)

http://iceunion.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9s4eGUIbHk&feature=player_embedded  (Border Patrol Union statement on Fast and Furious operations)

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/senator-ice-agent-facing-punishment-for-arresting-illegal.html

http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/08/02/news/alleged-dwi-claims-tiny-life.html

http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/jon-corzine-other-mf-global-executives-unlikely-to-face-criminal-charges/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/10/investigation-goldman-sachs_n_1765368.html

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/19/politics/stock-act-loophole/

http://www.dishonorabledisclosure.com/index.html

Juli Adcock began her career in law enforcement with the Escambia County Florida Sheriff’s Office as a patrol deputy until she was injured in a riot situation. She transferred to Judicial Security and retired in 1998. Juli pursued career advancement training with an emphasis on officer survival, interviews and interrogation. She worked with a local Rape Crisis Center and in victim’s advocacy, complementing her college course work in psychology. She currently resides in New Mexico and is an instructor with The Appleseed Project (www.appleseedinfo.org). The Appleseed Project is a rifle marksmanship clinic teaching the fundamentals of firing an accurate round downrange every 3 to 4 seconds, out to 500 yards, as well as American history. She has trained military personnel at White Sands Missile Range who are certifying as Squad Designated Marksmen. Juli instructs basic handgun skills to new gun owners in preparation for responsible personal gun ownership and the Concealed Carry class for the State of New Mexico. She can be reached at juliadcock222@msn.com or through Law Enforcement Today.

I attended a seminar last week.  A lot of officers from various agencies attended.  We were introduced to a group of officers from one agency considered to be the best rural police department in the state.  Their tactical team was considered well trained and the dispatchers were trained above the state standards and so on.  By all accounts, they seemed to be a good unit.

I asked the chief of this elite squad a question. When was the last time you had to deploy your team?   He answered me in a way that almost had me choking on my cup of coffee. He stated that “I never deployed my team” I asked him if he meant he never had the opportunity as of yet to use his team.  He replied that he has had many chances to call his team out, but his policy was never to deploy them under any circumstances.

Another officer asked him what was the point of having a trained group of people who can resolve certain situations not to be utilized? The chief stated that he could not by law stop an officer from attending any training.  This included SWAT operations, hostage negotiations, active shooter training, etc.

However, he stated that he can decide if those trained in those disciplines can be used.  So what he has is a group of well trained officers who are better at nothing.  That is because as long as they work for this chief, they will never use those skills that they have.

In James 2:26 it states: As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead! In this case, you have a chief in charge of a group of officers who are the body, but he has no faith in their abilities to do the job they’ve trained for.  Therefore they are dead!

How many times have we walked the same path as those officers? How many of us bear witness to an agency, officer, supervisor etc. who simply brags about what they can do but they have no faith when it comes to someone else in the department? What about the department that has officers who want the training to better themselves and the department, only to be told that they should not even try?

The worst thing I’ve seen is officers who have received or can give training only to find out that they cannot use it.  It’s like learning martial arts; at some point you are going to have to use it. Nothing upsets me more than to have officers who are not being used as God called them to be, because eventually these same officers will seek greener pastures.  Then the citizens of that town will suffer because of the decision this person has made.

I tell every officer that I come into contact with that they have a duty and a obligation not only to themselves but to the communities that they serve  that they become better protectors of God’s people. Don’t just wait for someone to tell you when to train, but seek training yourself.

I always use the verse from 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to show thyself approved, a workman need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth! In other words get training, study tactics, learn the updated laws, firearms etc.  Never be ashamed to ask for training.  Trust me, someone will gladly teach you.  Never sacrifice the truth to preserve an image.

If the chief is not doing the right thing then he or she will pay for it! You stand for what you need even if you must stand alone.  God is with you, this I know.

I am blessed to have asked for help and received it. I have used my experiences to help new officers who have faced the same dilemma as the ones that were in that class. I tell them be all that God has them to be, have faith and work at being a well trained officer.  But most importantly don’t be better at…nothing!

Retirement! The glory days we all work for and long for. This is the culmination of our life’s work which reaps us our life’s reward.  We wish our friend’s well and we send them off with a party and perhaps the proverbial gold watch.  But what if our retiring friend is a K9?  What do they receive or perceive?

I’ve often wondered at this.  During a K9’s career, the dog is with their handler during the shift, training and interacting throughout the day. They begin and end each day together.  When a handler breaks out the uniform, the dog knows it is work day, and typically gets excited to be leaving for another adventure with the handler. This K9 team works together for several years, cementing this incredibly close bond between the two.

Now the K9 is up for retirement due to advancing age or due to a work injury necessitating a no work status.  The K9 gets a sendoff bone and is usually retired to the handler to live his/her life out in peace. What now?

In my experience, a new K9 is then brought home. The handler needs to begin to bond with the new K9 requiring time and interaction.  The old K9 usually will not immediately accept the new K9 into the house or environment thus requiring separation of the two, resulting in less time with the handler.  The new K9 leaves to go to work with the handler and leaving the retired K9 at home for several hours.  Even if the retired K9 has beloved family members home with him/her, it is not the same. The K9 is fiercely loyal and feels his/her place is with the handler.

How do you make this transition easier for the retired K9? Can you make it easier?

My first K9, Cliff, being the true warrior that he was, passed away a mere few months after retirement. My second K9, Turk was injured in the line of duty resulting in his retirement after just three and a half short but explosive years on the street at the age of 6. He required medical care due to those injuries and was in a lot of pain.

K9 Turk’s career consisted of numerous felony apprehensions as well several high yield narcotic finds.  K9 Turk had many violent encounters, one where he was sliced with a box cutter above his eye during a burglary apprehension.  Another on a felony track into a wooded swampy area, where K9 Turk engaged the suspect in a body of water, and the suspect attempted to drown Turk, repeatedly holding the K9 submerged under water. K9 Turk never released and the suspect was successfully taken into custody.

The final night of work, K9 Turk was on a felony track, and as he negotiated a 6 foot fence, two of his vertebrae collapsed into each other.  After Turk recovered from this injury an undetermined auto-immune disease set in.  He was retired due to this.  His grand reward for his brave service and resulting retirement was…. K9 Dagger.

K9 Dagger invaded K9 Turk’s home, his family, his patrol car, and required his mom’s attention.  K9 Turk, always the gentleman, gave K9 Dagger everything but what he valued the most, his handler, his mom, me.  K9 Turk at times could barely stand, yet his eyes followed me everywhere and devoured me. I would return home, leaving K9 Dagger in the car so I could give K9 Turk his one on one time each day.

I would lay with Turk for hours, trying to comfort him with my touch.  I would lift him on the couch or bed so he could be next to me.  I would assist him outside for potty breaks as he was the utmost proper about such things. I would give him medication injections myself under the care of our beloved veterinarian and hold him as his body rejected food at times. That was the easy stuff.

But how do you explain to a dog that he could NEVER be replaced in your heart?  How do you convey to a dog his importance and his WORTH even in his sickness? How do you thank a dog for his unwavering loyalty and reassure him that his HOME will be with you ALWAYS?

I surely do not know.  I do know that K9 Turk is adored by all who come into my home. His generous loving spirit radiates from his gorgeous brown eyes and his courage is seen daily as he trots around the yard or playfully bites at me for attention. I believe that Turk has accepted his new role as guardian and peace maker of the house.  I hope that his dignity is intact each time he sees me leave with K9 Dagger.

I will at times when K9 Turk is feeling spritely, in full uniform, call him to me and take him to the patrol car, help into the unit and take him for a quick ride. His joy is clearly evidenced as he bounces out and back into the house with a huge grin on his face.

Retirement is what a lot of humans work for and strive for.  Retirement for K9 dog warriors I fear, is a completely different matter.  The handler, dad or mom, is the key in making the transition more tolerable and manageable. Making time for our older or injured partners while forging bonds with the new K9s is challenging, but knowing the fierce love between the handler and the K9, I have every confidence that a successful and happy transition will be negotiated.

Master Deputy Charlotte Raschke has worked in law enforcement since 1988.  She started her career in Detention Services and worked all phases of patrol, street crimes, crime prevention, property detective and the K9 unit. She has been in K9 for 13 years as a handler, working three patrol utility/narcotic dogs and a single purpose EOD dog. Master Deputy Raschke is currently a K9 trainer for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Tampa, FL.  She was twice awarded the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, the Deputy of the Quarter, and four lifesaving awards.  She is an adjunct Instructor for St. Petersburg College’s Multi-Jurisdictional Counter Drug Task Force.  Master Deputy Raschke serves as Law Enforcement Today’s K-9 expert

Reality television has brought millions to the television screen. For those who try to avoid these shows, they can find it on magazines and newspapers all around them. Although these reality shows claim to be truth about those they follow or cast, many must wonder about how much is fact and how much is provoked by those who direct it.

So what does reality television have to do with law enforcement? I recently saw a casting call for wives of law enforcement officers. While many thought this to be a great idea and show America just what our LEO’S go through and how many spouses across the nation handle their call to duty, others saw a different side. This different side showed the dangers of such a show.

Reality television is not actual reality. After reviewing this casting call, I noticed it stated they wanted women who would “Tell it like it is.” Although telling it like it is can be good in order to get to the truth out about how it really is as a law enforcement spouse, I wondered how much of it would be twisted around and changed up a bit for dramatic purposes and for ratings.

Other dangers posed in this idea for such a show all came down to exposing who are spouses and officers are and how many people out there could cause harm. There is also danger when we begin to reveal who our children are, where our home is, and the time our spouse is on duty.

This whole idea of reality television and law enforcement spouses was a bad idea to begin with but an idea that would not only bring possible danger, but could bring much heartache to so many of us. The heartache I speak of is our group of spouses being portrayed in a way that is far from the truth. As our officers serve and protect our city, we as spouses need to help in protecting our homes and not allowing this world and its views to come in and destroy for purpose of ratings.

Many of these networks are great at cutting scenes, changing words, and what it all revolves around is creating drama and unnecessary pain. Can anyone name a reality show with good clean truth? About 82% of our population believe and know that these reality shows are distorted and made up. The cast of many of these shows are picked by personality type and are made to be something they are not.

As law enforcement spouses, our reality is what we face each time our officers walk out the door. With all the prejudice and negativity, we need not to show or prove to America what sacrifice and honor is in this law enforcement life. We hold honor to our positions and if anyone deserves for the truth to be known, it is our officers. They are the ones who put their lives on the line.

Our law enforcement spouses face a reality many viewers could not bear. These spouses are the ones who wait up at night or wait for a phone call just to hear the voice of their spouse, who have a fear of seeing a patrol car and chaplain outside their home, who’s heart breaks after hearing about a fallen officer, and wait to exhale when their officer returns home.

The reality of our reality is far greater than any television program could portray. For those seeking the reality of a law enforcement spouse, you may touch the surface but will never get the depth of this call. As wives of law enforcement officers we need to take a stand and say “NO” to such a proposed idea. Let’s continue to walk the blue line with our officers, not looking to our left or to our right but looking ahead and continuing to be real.

Allison P. Uribe is an auxiliary chaplain with the San Antonio Police Department. Allison’s husband is a San Antonio police officer. She is also a chaplain with Serve and Protect, serving the spiritual and emotional needs of law enforcement, fire/ rescue, and corrections; www.serveprotect.org or 625-373-8000. Allison is the founder of Wives on Duty Ministries designed to support and encourage wives of law enforcement and other emergency services through the word of God. Allison will launch Kids on Duty – To Play and Pray in Summer 2013. For more information visit www.wivesonduty.com or email Allison at wivesonduty@att.net. She is also the lead community chaplain and student with Global University Berean School of the Bible and speaks at many Law Enforcement events. Allison wrote “Because I’m Suitable-The Journey of A Wife on Duty”, geared toward wives of law enforcement; http://www.amazon.com/Because-Im-Suitable-Journey-Wife/dp/1449740839

Friday, July 20^th was intended to be an evening of excitement and entertainment.  The first showing of the last of the Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale was scheduled to run shortly after midnight.  Instead of excitement and entertainment, movie-goers were subjected to terror and bloodshed.  The Aurora community was wounded and traumatized; an entire nation was shocked and sickened.  Like fingers closing around a smashed thumb, Americans throughout the country closed ranks to support and comfort a victimized Colorado community.

However, many responded with a knee-jerk reaction and pre-packaged panaceas.  Predictably, cries to remove the evil of firearms from the citizenry sprang up like an old, worn jack-in-the-box.  This time, the fact that the suspect had a large ammunition drum feeding his AR-15 revived cries to ban high-capacity magazines.  Heated arguments broke out well before the first of the murder victims had been removed from the theater.

One of the first to call for banning “assault weapons” and expanded magazines was Senator Dianne Feinstein (D) of California.  Senator Feinstein is credited with crafting the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (popularly known as the Assault Weapons Ban).  Provisions of this law included strict restrictions on the number of rounds that a weapon magazine could hold.  Feinstein argued that had her legislation been renewed in 2004 rather than allowed to expire, that this massacre could have been averted.

Studies from the National Institute of Justice contradict the Senator’s claims.  According to a 1999 report on the effectiveness of the legislation…

“The ban has failed to reduce the average number of victims per gun murder incident or multiple gunshot wound victims.”

Conversely, I would argue the following:

-       The presence of a 100-round drum for the AR-15 most likely SAVED LIVES.  Oversized, third-party magazines are notorious for their poor construction and performance.  The shooter in this case was unable to clear a jam on his primary weapon.

-       Had the shooter used a 20 or 30-round MIL-SPEC magazine, the rifle most likely would not have jammed.  Changing magazines is a very simple affair and dropping an empty instead of retaining it would have cut the time to reload in half.

-       The real target for the AR-15 was not the movie-goers.  It was law enforcement, whose ballistic vests would have failed to stop the high-powered .223 Remington projectile.  That is why the shooter meekly gave up when approached by an officer.

Others from the gun-rights lobby have argued that had there been one lawfully armed citizen, the gunman would have been neutralized in short order.  In most cases, I agree.  In this case, I could not disagree more.  The suspect was wearing substantial body armor, designed to stop handgun ammunition.  A CCW holder could have difficulty recognizing the capabilities of his or her opponent and accurately hitting a small area of vulnerability.

The one person on TV who made sense was a former Navy Seal who said that had one person had a tactical flashlight, 3 – 5 seconds could have been purchased by blinding the suspect.  Ruger sells a 500 lumen tactical light that lists for $59.95.  At $15 per second of “get out of Dodge” time, I think I’ll get one.

So, what is the real solution? I used to tell my sailors that properly defining the problem provides at least 50% of the solution.  We need to better define the problem if we are going to address it.  This is what I think…

-       Both this shooter and Jerrod Laughner in Arizona displayed symptoms of a mental disorder.

-       Schizophrenia most often strikes men in their early 20’s, the same age group as the Aurora and Arizona suspects.

-       The number of beds for in-patient care of psychiatric patients has dwindled to a fraction of what it was before Geraldo Rivera’s 1972 expose` on Willowbrook in Staten Island, NY.

-       It is much more difficult to commit a person to a mental hospital since legislation addressing the abuse, neglect, and human rights of mental health patients.

The pendulum has swung far away from Willowbrook.  There must be a mid-point between 1972 and where we are now.  In other words, the country needs to fix health care, including mental health, in both the medical and legislative arenas.  Parents of adult children must not be forced to wring their hands and pray for the best while a ticking time bomb is walking the streets.  At the same time, abuse of civil commitment must not be allowed.

Others have written about the 5 Stages of the Active Shooter.  That’s great.  It reminds me of the Kübler-Ross model of the 5 Stages of Grief.  The difference is that Kübler-Ross provides insight of what should be done for the grieving party and by whom.  To my knowledge, the 5 Stages of the Active shooter model confines itself to one discipline – law enforcement.  This is the hole in the fence… who does what to support law enforcement interdiction and how.

For one thing, we need mental health professionals working on Active Shooter studies willing to integrate their work with law enforcement, institutions of higher learning, and legislators.  Establish a peer-reviewed model.  Develop methodologies of intervention.  Work with law enforcement at the beginning and not as an afterthought.  Finally, educate the public; Joe Citizen is a well-known force-multiplier.

What constitutes an assault rifle and whether or not they are/can be used for hunting or applied to legitimate, lawful activity can be discussed in a separate venue.  In the meantime, let’s work together to corral the crazies in a way that works and respects the rights of citizens and thereby preventing another Aurora or Columbine.

Bruce Bremer, MBA is LET’s technology contributor. Bruce retired from the Submarine Service after 21 years of in-depth experience with complex electronic technology. Since then, he has been involved in fleet modernization and military research analysis. He teaches electronics and alternative energy at a Virginia college. Besides his MBA, Bruce earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer networking. He has been volunteering in public safety for many years.

Learn more about this article here:

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1751965191001/how-to-survive-a-shooting

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/173405.pdf

http://www.ekrfoundation.org/

http://www.school-training.com/newsletter/articles/submitted/active-shooter.shtml

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article criticizing the existence of citizen review panels and their role in supervising law enforcement agencies. The danger, I wrote, was that groups of untrained civilians would judge the actions of professional LEOs and try to influence the way the law enforcement agency conducts business. That concern has yet again been realized in Los Angeles with a recent report by the Inspector General of the Los Angeles Police Commission.

The report, issued on June 27, 2012, takes issue with the use of force statistics and reporting by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) regarding officer involved shootings. The report presents such a bizarre twisting of the facts and statistical analysis which defy logic. Predictably, the media reports are even more strained in their attempts to interpret the results. So, risking the folly of an attempt to reduce the morass to a position of clarity, at least for a moment, I will do my best to explain the report.

The LAPD reports statistics on OIS based upon the number of LEOs who fire shots at a suspect. For instance, one officer shoots one suspect? This is reported as one OIS. When looking at an increase in OIS, police officials offered the explanation that assaults on LEOs rose in the same time period. However, the Inspector General took issue with this theory. Why, you ask? Because he determined that when one suspect assaults more than one LEO, for example by pointing a weapon at a group of LEOs, this is reported as an assault on multiple LEOs. This created, for the Inspector General, a statistic that does not reflect the “reality” on the street. More importantly, as I predicted a few weeks ago, this created a new reason to question the number of OIS. Stated simply, “If assaults on LEOs were not truly up, then why was there an increase in the number of OIS?”

In response to this report, the earth-shattering suggestion is that OIS should be evaluated as to whether or not the use of force was within policy. The corollary to this suggestion, which should have been the norm at all times, is that whether or not OIS were within policy was not the end of the analysis because the statistics played a role in the evaluation of the OIS! My first problem with this, and I have several, is that no LEO has faced down an armed assailant and thought for a moment about the incidence of assaults on other LEOs! In that instant, they think about the law regarding the use of force and whether or not they will go home to their family! In every sense, if the use of force is within the law, it should be within policy.

Think for a moment about the ramifications of the use of such statistics. Each OIS is explained and justified based upon the law not whether or not the LEO works in a high crime area, has used deadly force in the past 12 months or has been assaulted in the past! I doubt any citizen ever called 911 because they believed the incidence of assaults in their area was up. They call because someone is threatening them or attempting to force entry into their home.

The true folly of the report is that the calculation of the number of victims is a matter of standardized reporting requirements of crime statistics and the basic tenets of criminal law! As every LEO knows, when a suspect threatens 5 LEOs with a tire iron, he has committed an assault on every LEO on the scene!

The same is true when a robber waives a gun in a bank full of customers. The bad guy is charged with one count of aggravated assault, or the state equivalent, for each customer. So why should LEOs be any different? Once again, we see people stating, at the heart of this controversy, that being assaulted is “just part of the job” for a LEO. Forgive me if I am not amused.

So, what is the answer? I predict the politicians and bureaucrats in Los Angeles will continue to debate the issue and never consider the ramifications of their efforts in the real world. Meanwhile, the LEOs in the LAPD will keep responding to calls, facing armed threats and protecting themselves, each other and public. Perhaps the officers of the LAPD should respond to the home of one of these commission members following a 911 call and leave their weapons in their vehicles. “Why don’t you have your gun?” they will ask. “So sorry sir, but we have not been assaulted enough this month to justify using deadly force should the need arise.” You just cannot make this stuff up.

Lance LoRusso is an attorney, former LEO and founder of LoRusso Law Firm, PC in Marietta, Georgia.  He is the General Counsel for the Georgia Fraternal Order of Police and author of a blog, www.bluelinelawyer.com.  He speaks at many conferences for law enforcement on use of force, responses to critical incident, and other topics of interest to law enforcement. He will soon release a book for LEOs on critical incidents.

Law enforcement officers and their departments train and incorporate new training when situations arise that completely change the paradigm of normalcy.  The North Hollywood Bank shootout is one of those incidents.  Those of us in law enforcement, both active and retired are facing a paradigm shift, one that many Americans working in the private sector have learned the hard way.  We who work in the public sector are going to learn that the only things that are guaranteed in life are death and taxes.  Retirement, even medical retirement, though supposedly guaranteed and foolproof, aren’t.  Governments, no matter what form they are, do not keep their promises when the rubber meets the road.

Prichard, Alabama is a case in point.  In the 1980s and 1990s, crime rose, much of the middle class  and 2 major employers left, costing both workers and revenue, Prichard was left devastated.  The city declared bankruptcy for the first time in 1999.  Struggling along, Prichard hired an actuary in 2004 to analyze and summarize their pension plan.  The report concluded that the pension funds would be depleted as of 2009.  True to the report, the fund was empty in 2009.

The city of Prichard tried to file under Chapter 9 bankruptcy, but failed to qualify as they had no bonds, one of the qualifications for that type of bankruptcy.  While the case was being litigated, pensioners of the city, firefighters, police officers and other city retirees did not receive their pensions for almost 2 years.  The case was finally settled out of court with pensioners receiving one third of what they were promised.

Recently in the news is the city of Stockton, California.  It is currently in mediation with creditors to determine whether to go into bankruptcy.  Stockton is not the only city, or state, that is in financial trouble.  Central Falls, Rhode Island declared bankruptcy in 2011 when the pension fund of firefighters and police officers nearly ran out of money.  The state refused to assist and the city was forced to negotiate like Prichard did with pensioners receiving sharp cuts in their pensions.

More ominous is, according to The Pew Center, 34 states have underfunded pensions.  Although many of these states are already addressing the issue, four states, Illinois, Kentucky, Connecticut and Rhode Island are less than 55 percent funded, 25 percent under the 80 percent recommended for a healthy pension fund.  Illinois made their situation worse, diverting funds from their pension fund to cover budget shortfalls.  In 2005 and 2006 alone, more than $2.3 billion was diverted by the state legislature.  They are currently funded at 45 percent and continuing to fail to deal with the spending issues the state faces.

As one can imagine, there is a whole lot of finger pointing going on.  Public sector unions, George Bush, Obama, the recession, the rich, Wall Street and a few more culprits are on the list.  I would place it squarely on the shoulders of most of our politicians, as well as the voting public.  It resides with politicians that are more concerned with passing out favors to ensure re-election, lining their pockets along the way and voters for not holding politicians accountable for financial responsibilities or failing to understand that there is no such thing as “free money”.  Most disgusting is the blatantly dishonest accounting and budget maneuvers that have been done to hide from the public the full scope of the $3.9 trillion, yes trillion, hole in pension funding.  This must be dealt with through the political process for the rest of our lives, but it doesn’t deal with the situation at hand.

If responsible political choices are made, there is a likelihood that this situation will resolve more favorably than that of Prichard or Central Falls.  Some in unions will push the issue, demand their “rights” and strike, have “Blue Flu” and the like, but the old saying goes “you can’t get blood out of a turnip”.

It’s worthwhile to remember that many Americans working for private companies have lost all pensions as well, not to mention, a crushing tax burden on top of that.  Many who tried to build their own retirements through saving lost almost half of their value.  We cannot rely on the federal government to provide a bailout of either states or individually.  Those who have been disabled or medically retired on Social Security Disability face that program to run out of funds in 2016.  Medicare is not far behind.

Understanding the situation we face, a saying my grandparents, who faced the Great Depression, comes to mind.  “No sense in crying over spilt milk.”  The damage has been done, the question to ask is what can be done to mitigate the impact to us in our daily lives and then to deal with the fallout on the next generation.  Rethinking our lifestyles, financial decisions and future plans is the beginning of lessening the impact from the painful choices that will either be well planned by responsible representatives or forced without mercy by a financial collapse if there are no adults in the room.

Having a plan for the worst case scenario is a skill we are taught thoroughly throughout our careers as law enforcement officers.  Utilizing it in our personal lives is a practical, pragmatic and effective response to the situation, rather than ignoring storm clouds on the horizon or engaging in self or socially destructive knee jerk reactions.

Understandably, potential threats to pensions we have worked for makes for strong emotional reactions and should potential become actual threats, outrage is not unreasonable.  At the same time, what makes this country so exceptional is the American spirit of overcoming every adversity no matter the odds.

From the Revolutionary War soldiers enduring the Valley Forge winter with little food, little warmth and great suffering, to immigrants of all nationalities enduring discrimination, poverty to, at last, make their way.  We have the Greatest Generation who survived the Great Depression, achieving through that suffering the strength of character to endure battles like D Day and the Battle of the Bulge and win.  Learning their lessons of sacrificing, enduring, helping each other, thinking out of the box and refusing to give up, we can positively influence the trajectory the nation is facing.

Just as there were a few faithful soldiers during our first war who endured throughout the war, even without pay, because they were needed, should things go sideways, we will be needed.  Let’s be prepared.

For more information on this article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/business/untouchable-pensions-in-california-may-be-put-to-the-test.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/morgan_big_secret_DSB0O9VFZwDih1ZrjkeaAN

http://mdjonline.com/view/full_story/19032198/article-Study–States-diverted–757B-from-employees%E2%80%99-pension-funds?instance=secondary_story_left_column

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prichard,_Alabama

http://www.senategop.state.il.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=156&Itemid=67

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/social-security-disability-trust-fund-projected-to-run-out-of-cash-by-2016/2012/05/30/gJQA3AfH1U_story.html

Juli Adcock began her career in law enforcement with the Escambia County Florida Sheriff’s Office as a patrol deputy until she was injured in a riot situation. She transferred to Judicial Security and retired in 1998. Juli pursued career advancement training with an emphasis on officer survival, interviews and interrogation. She worked with a local Rape Crisis Center and in victim’s advocacy, complementing her college course work in psychology. She currently resides in New Mexico and is an instructor with The Appleseed Project (www.appleseedinfo.org). The Appleseed Project is a rifle marksmanship clinic teaching the fundamentals of firing an accurate round downrange every 3 to 4 seconds, out to 500 yards, as well as American history. She has trained military personnel at White Sands Missile Range who are certifying as Squad Designated Marksmen. Juli instructs basic handgun skills to new gun owners in preparation for responsible personal gun ownership and the Concealed Carry class for the State of New Mexico. She can be reached at juliadcock222@msn.com or through Law Enforcement Today.

At the midnight opening of Batman, The Dark Knight Rises at a theatre in Aurora, Colorado the Joker appeared! The audience lost all interest in the movie. Initially, the moviegoers were seated in anticipation of the role to be taken by the Caped Crusader to thwart evil. The excitement of the moment was replaced by fear. The desire to be in attendance was replaced by a wanton need to escape. An “Active Shooter” emerged, in the role of the Joker!   Later, police learned that the shooter wore his red hair in tribute to the Joker, an arch rival of Batman.

In the end, the shooter slaughtered people needlessly much like the Joker himself in the “Black Night” graphic novel.  I have given a great deal of thought about this Active Shooter Incident (ASI). What could be more hideous than the Joker, dressed in dark tactical gear emerging to greet the audience with death as the audience awaits the arrival of Batman to thwart all evil?

The shooting was not the beginning of things to come.   In actuality, the shooting was the very end of a series of actions.  Experts have identified five phases of the Active Shooter. The final stage is when the killing begins. This incident set a new precedent. In the past, it was Columbine, which gave birth to the concept of the First Responder program. Since that day, officers have been trained to take immediate action to overcome the report of an ASI.

On Friday, an active shooter acting out for his own delight with the mindset of the Joker initiated a plan far more involved than a traditional ASI. In Aurora, the Joker created a sophisticated setup of bombs, accelerants, and trip wires within his apartment. The shooter took these steps to lure emergency services personnel to an explosion from his apartment. Why did he do this? He simply was buying time to kill. If your intent is to massacre people, is it not best to ensure all emergency services is slowed down or misdirected? It is a horrible thought, but it fits the mindset of the Joker!

The Joker coordinated the stereo system in his apartment to play loud deafening techno music preceding the Joker showing himself within the theatre. The Joker could not take action. He had to wait for the police to be drawn to his apartment on a noise complaint. The Joker created a scenario which he believed would guarantee a law enforcement response at residence.

Reportedly, the bombs in place were intricate and ready to be activated with the opening of the Joker’s apartment door. The Joker, in his twisted thoughts was not primarily focused on killing his fellow residents. Yet, he treated them as sacrificial lambs. The Joker awaited the police to arrive at his residence. Once his apartment was entered, there would be an immense explosion. The Joker hoped to create a scenario in which it was highly likely emergency services would be at his address due to a massive explosion. As this occurred, he would begin killing at the theatre without interference.

The explosion, had it occurred would have been extensive. Bomb personnel worked until Saturday to address and defeat a very intricate and complex system in place. Not only was the building evacuated; the police established a four-block perimeter to protect the public.

The Third Phase of the Active Shooter is Preparation. The Joker long worked at his plan. As of this writing all the accelerants and bombs within his apartment are yet to be identified. The Joker dedicated a good amount of time gathering needed items and material to set off an explosion at his residence as well as ensuring he was armed and ready to complete the task of shooting people at the theatre.

The Joker made his move when he rigged his apartment to explode and then played the loud music to draw a response from the police. The Dark Knight Rises opened at midnight The Joker waited 30 minutes from the start of the movie to take action.  He chose to wait thirty minutes from the opening of the movie for the police to arrive at his apartment to set off the bombs awaiting them.

Thankfully, the shooter’s timing didn’t work out as planned. The Aurora Police Department received calls of an ASI prior to the noise complaints. The first responders were en route to the theatre, not a preconceived explosion.

If the police responded initially to the noise complaint, it is quite likely that the Joker would have achieved his preliminary goal, which provided him more time to kill as many people as possible. If this plan worked, can you hear the Joker’s sickening laughter in satisfaction of outsmarting and overcoming law enforcement? I certainly can.

Although there are Five Phases of the Active Shooter, successful intervention is most likely to be possible in the first three phases. During these phases, the Active Shooter is progressing to his goal, but is not prepared to initiate his plan. However, the fourth and fifth phases are the opposite. These are extremely dangerous phases as demonstrated by the Joker. The Fourth Phase is the approach phase. Everything was in place prior to the Joker arriving at the theatre.

The Joker approached the theatre after he rigged his apartment with bombs.  He legally possessed a shotgun, assault rifle, two firearms, ammunition, and tactical gear and a gas mask. Most likely, the two tear gas type grenades utilized by the Joker were products he invented for the demise of others in the theatre. At 12:30 AM, the Joker was ready to kill those in the theatre.

He used an exit door of the theatre to retrieve his arsenal. This was his moment. He passed through the approach phase. He was ready to take action. He entered the Implementation Phase. It was time to kill.

At this point, the Joker first emerged wearing a gas mask as he activated two tear gas type devices. The result was the death of 12 people and the wounding of 59.  Reportedly, individuals helped those shot. These individuals were subject to serious physical injury or death. Unfortunately, it was also reported three men heroically lost their lives protecting their girlfriends. Alex Teves, Matt McQuinn, and Navy veteran Jon Blunk each died taking steps to shield a loved one from being killed.

Police apprehended The Joker in the parking lot of the theatre after police arrived.   He did not resist. He simply identified himself as the Joker when asked his name.  He advised that there was a bomb at his apartment.

Why did he make this information known? In my mind, he did so because his deed was done. He shot down and killed an audience in much the same manner the Joker did in the “Dark Knight” novel. There no longer was a need to cause an explosion elsewhere. The Joker never did that in the “Dark Knight” novel thus, the people in and about the shooter’s apartment, complex no longer were needed as prey.

This ASI is much like a twisted form of Swatting. Create a true emergency elsewhere and once emergency services are preoccupied, then initiate an ASI elsewhere. This is a troubling outgrowth of an Active Shooter to a new level of evil, violence and diversionary techniques to create two scenes.   Law enforcement experts in ASI’s must monitor this new trend.

The Planning Stage is the second level of the Active Shooter. The Active shooter is beginning to take action.  The shooter is making decisions about targets, as well as the when, where, and hows of the incident. An individual planning an Active Shooter Incident (ASI) may research topics on a computer or even write about the justification of such action.

The first stage of an active shooter is Fantasy.   This stage is considered harmless because it is comprised of thoughts about things, which are imaginary and unreal. In this particular incident, it appears the shooter’s imagination was to create a scenario permitting him to act out much like the Joker.

The question at this time is. How did this begin? It appears the Joker was of sound mind when he graduated from high school in San Diego, CA. Upon graduation, he attended the neuroscience program at the University of California. He graduated at the top of his class in 2010 as an honors student.

The Joker then attended the University of Colorado. For reasons, we do not yet understand, the Joker was withdrawing from the school. We have a highly educated, well-motivated, intelligent, and successful young man considered to be among the top of his class now actively withdrawing.  This time frame is of high concern because there is a distinct change in his life.

I mentioned the Five Phases of the Active Shooter as they occurred in this incident. Family members, educators, friends, and acquaintances are best able to possible notice a person at the earlier stages. The Five Stages of an Active Shooter as introduced by Lt. Dan Marcou are:

Fantasy

Planning

Preparation

Approach

Implementation

I did not name the shooter in this article. The law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over this matter have already done so as is required. The community was reassured by law enforcement officials the carnage is over. There is no further need to identify the shooter by name. He will be identified by his role. The shooter does not deserve the honor of being named or recognized.

Jim Gaffney, MPA is LET’s risk management /police administration contributor.  He has served with a metro-New York police department for over 25 years in varying capacities including patrol officer, sergeant, lieutenant, and executive officer. He is an ILEETA, ICAP, and IACSP member. Jim mentors the next generation of LEO’s by teaching university-level criminal justice courses as an adjunct professor in the New York City area.

Learn more about this article here:

http://www.wpix.com/news/ktla-colorado-theater-shooting,0,6399853.story

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/20/2904145/is-there-a-link-between-the-film.html

http://lawenforcementtoday.com/2012/04/07/defeat-school-shooters-before-the-first-shot/

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/alleged_theater_shooter_james_holmes.php

Georgia has joined almost two dozen state legislatures in either passing or considering testing welfare recipients for drug use.  Florida passed legislation, however the ACLU filed to overturn the law stating that it violates the 4^th Amendment provisions of unreasonable search and seizure.  They were able to attain a temporary injunction until the case has been decided.  Previously, Michigan had passed similar laws in the 1990’s that ended up being overturned as unconstitutional.  The question becomes if this round of legislation is blocked, what can be done to solve the problems associated with overwhelming costs besieging federal, state and local budgets?

The media and advocacy groups on each side of this issue are no help.  The pro-welfare groups present heart-wrenching pictures of children starving and people dying in the streets.  The anti-welfare groups paint a picture of most welfare recipients gaming the system, food stamps being sold for booze and drugs, multigenerational welfare families and illegal immigrants parasitizing tax payers for billions of dollars.

The truth of the matter is not easily found, especially within the government.  There are so many different programs administered by different branches both at the federal and state level.  Even think tanks studying this issue do not use the same measures or definitions of “welfare” or even poverty to allow informed conclusions to be drawn.

An excellent example of this are studies by The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank and The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, or CBPP, a progressive think tank.  Both conducted studies on welfare and work.  The Cato Institute included 7 benefits programs, including Medicaid, while CBPP only considered AFDC and food stamps.

As it stands now, there are 77 different welfare programs that are available at the federal level.  Neither group included state and local welfare programs in their studies.  Given the number of programs excluded from the studies, The Cato Institute’s position that current welfare programs encourage government dependency by providing benefits exceeding that of the government’s defined poverty level, therefore making it less cost effective for recipients to work, is a reasonable conclusion.

Senator Tom Coburn, from Oklahoma, gives further weight to Cato’s conclusion in his efforts to disclose duplication and overlap in Federal government programs.  Although his investigative efforts are not complete, he found over 160 duplicative programs costing $170 billion a year in housing assistance programs.  He found 45 different programs costing at least $13.3 billion a year for early learning and child care programs.  He also found that of 50 programs for employing the disabled, 22 of the programs did not track or monitor any outcome measures.

Put simply, these programs did not measure whether the efforts, time and money being spent were actually helping the individuals they served.  It would be interesting to see what groups that monitor charity organizations for administrative costs vs. actual expenditures for charity recipients receive would find in government run welfare programs.

Looking back at the original question of whether drug testing welfare recipients is an effective means of dealing with welfare costs and fraud, the answer is not that simple.  Herman Cain, former Presidential candidate, made the comment “applying the right solutions to the right problem,” in several campaign speeches addressing the country’s economic problems. He makes an excellent point.

The political and ideological atmosphere is impeding the reasoned, methodical unwinding of who should be helped, how they should be helped and how long they should be helped, then whether what was done actually helped.  The economic situation the country finds itself in may take the reins out of the hands of those with a vested interest in continuing the status quo in spite of the emotionally manipulative tactics used by those invested in “income redistribution” and “social justice”.  The question at the top of the priority list is whether it will be before or after the financial cliff a growing number of economists and policy makers are predicting.

Since the Supreme Court ruling on the “Affordable Health Care Act”, a rather ironic misnomer, more federal programs and agencies have been added with little oversight or control over what was already in place.  Rather than putting a tiny finger in one of thousands of cracks in our system, a long hard look needs to be taken at the system itself.

Rational adults with ethical and political fortitude, as well as a vision for the future, are needed to look at every government program, whether federal, state or local, to actually determine which programs are effective at their stated purpose and eliminate those that aren’t.  In spite of the fears of those on various government programs instilled by political agendas, those individuals legitimately needing help would find that streamlining programs and government agencies would lead to more effective and timely help than our current system provides.  Another upside of this is that legislation to drug test welfare recipients would potentially become a moot point.

The issue of welfare is an emotionally and politically charged issue that must first be resolved by deciding whether we as a nation will become more like France and Spain or do the work necessary to restore a Constitutional Republic that is limited in scope and answerable to its citizens, the owners and foundation of its authority.

Until that question is decisively resolved by the people in the selection of their representatives, the questions over welfare spending are effectively unanswerable.  This decision will fall to those most committed, persistent and passionate over the future of the country and the legacy that is left for future generations to inherit.  In making this decision, we as a country cannot indulge in the luxury of considering just our own circumstances like many politicians do to win their next election.

The time has come to take a longer view to deal with the situation we face as a nation.  At this point, failing to decide or failing to engage is in effect a decision that will have an impact far beyond our own years.

For more information on this article:

http://www.times-herald.com/Local/20120704NewLawsInEffect-MOS

http://www.cato.org/pubs/briefs/bp-027.html

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/rightnow?ContentRecord_id=a67daab3-c1ca-4f67-ad6e-8c13f97b91bd

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/05/local/la-me-illegal-welfare-20100906

http://www.utexas.edu/depts/ic2/et/learner/general.html                                                       (general characteristics of welfare recipients)

http://www.concordcoalition.org/issue-briefs/2012/0227/structural-deficit-what-it-why-do-we-have-one-and-why-should-we-worry-about-i

Juli Adcock began her career in law enforcement with the Escambia County Florida Sheriff’s Office as a patrol deputy until she was injured in a riot situation. She transferred to Judicial Security and retired in 1998. Juli pursued career advancement training with an emphasis on officer survival, interviews and interrogation. She worked with a local Rape Crisis Center and in victim’s advocacy, complementing her college course work in psychology. She currently resides in New Mexico and is an instructor with The Appleseed Project (www.appleseedinfo.org). The Appleseed Project is a rifle marksmanship clinic teaching the fundamentals of firing an accurate round downrange every 3 to 4 seconds, out to 500 yards, as well as American history. She has trained military personnel at White Sands Missile Range who are certifying as Squad Designated Marksmen. Juli instructs basic handgun skills to new gun owners in preparation for responsible personal gun ownership and the Concealed Carry class for the State of New Mexico. She can be reached at juliadcock222@msn.com or through Law Enforcement Today.