As discussed in our previous blog article, Body Cameras – Part 1: Weighing the Pros and Cons, there are arguments that can be made for and against the use of police body cameras. Further, to reduce the negatives surrounding the use of body cameras, agencies often now adopt policies and procedures regarding body cameras, train…
Are body cameras a solution for reducing incidents caused by interactions between police and the communities they serve? At best, in reviewing current and ongoing incidents involving police actions in communities, it’s evident that the environment for law enforcement officers throughout the U.S. is both tumultuous and difficult. Without consideration for fairness, a handful of…
In Part 3 in our series on inmate gamesmanship, we’ll explain how inmates may first nurture the inmate-staff relationship to earn a staff member’s trust, before using that trust for their own purposes. Once the inmate has carefully observed the staff member and has engaged in some positive give-and-take conversation, the manipulation begins. Inmates are…
Expert testimony and lay testimony can both be beneficial to have on your side during litigation in court, but what’s the difference between the two types of testimony? Expert Testimony vs. Lay Testimony The biggest difference between expert testimony and lay testimony is that expert testimony can include types of information not permitted in lay…
An ever-growing topic facing police and other law enforcement administrators is the use of no-knock search warrants and whether using these warrants are worth using if they put their agencies at a higher risk for use of force claims. What Are No-Knock Warrants? A no-knock search warrant is defined as “of, relating to, or being…
by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D. ABPP | Fri, 5 Oct 2018 This column has been known to cause some stir for the politics being read into it, but mostly the column is apolitical. However, I am very nervous and followed the senate confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh closely. It started for me after the allegations…
By Michael Tavolacci, PhD at Peak Performance Biofeedback, Inc. | Fri, 5 Jan 2018 Consider: In 2011 65 police officers were shot and killed! (Violanti, 2012) In 2011 147 police officers committed suicide! (Violanti, 2012) Ironically, the sad reality is police officers commit suicide more frequently than the civilian population. Admittedly, there are a myriad…
By OSS Law Enforcement Advisors Staff | Thu, 4 Feb 2016 On January 11, 2016, the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion in the case of Armstrong v. Village of Pinehurst which dramatically changes the legal landscape governing TASER use by officers. TASER use as a pain compliance tool against a resisting…
By Jim Smith, OSS Expert Witness | Mon, 9 Jun 2014 Since 1969, law enforcement officers have been guided in search coincidental to arrest by Chimel v. California, in that case the Supreme Court ruled that if police arrest an individual, they may, without a search warrant, search the body of the person and “the…
