Defend University Newsletter March 2002

In this issue:

SecureCar Worldwide
Never Say Never
New Airport Security Increases Lost Laptops
N.C. deputy kills GI during Army exercise
Delta Airlines offers defense training for flight attendants
Riot at Olympics Alcohol Induced
SWAT Tools Not Safety Regulated
Criminologists Worry About Uncertain Rates After 9-11

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If you are an operator or security professional, finding a quality armored car for rent is impossible. With that in mind, famous security driving instructor Tony Scotti has founded SecureCar Worldwide. They offer the highest quality factory made armored special protection vehicles such as the Mercedes- Benz Guard S500. The vehicles are available for rent on an hourly, daily, short and long term basis.

Clients may purchase any of the ballistic resistant vehicle models that they use. Through their association with Mercedes Benz they can arrange the purchase of a Mercedes Benz Guard Car at a substantial savings to the client.

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DO NOT BECOME A VICTIM – JOIN THE WAR AGAINST CRIME!

We offer pepper spray, animal repellent, stun guns, advanced Air Taser guns and laser sight modules, PLUS hidden and surveillance cameras.

Wouldn’t you like to know what the babysitter is doing when you are not there?

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Never Say Never

There seems to be all sorts of "rules" that many of us learned on our way up through the ranks: never cross your feet; never kick to the head; never touch an opponent unless you are going to take him down, etc., etc.

The incredibly dynamic nature of personal combat means that anything can, and usually will, happen once the confrontation begins. That being said, you should train for any and all outcomes. I know martial artists who ALWAYS go to the ground and I know martial artists who vow they will NEVER be taken to the ground. I know cops who say they will NEVER lose their gun and I know cops who ALWAYS shoot from a Weaver stance.

If you want to know how fast things can change, find an experienced operator buy him/her a drink and prepare to hear of all the weird circumstances that they have encountered.

Be flexible and realistic in your training. Try and anticipate the unanticipated and train for it. That way you won’t freak out when your fight doesn’t happen like you thought it would.

Like Rorion Gracie says, "Fights are never what you think they will be, they just are."

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N.C. deputy kills GI during Army exercise

Speaking of weird, unanticipated circumstances. Listen to this one that happened last month.

A sheriff's deputy in Raleigh, N.C., shot two Fort Bragg soldiers who tried to disarm him because they thought he was taking part in their training exercise. One of the soldiers died.

The soldiers, dressed in civilian clothes, were taking part in a role-playing exercise that is part of the Army's Special Forces Qualification Course.

"One of the soldiers attempted to disarm the officer as the other was attempting to get a military weapon that the soldiers had in their possession," a statement from the Moore County Sheriff's Office said. "The deputy believed that the two individuals intended on killing him."

The Army said the Sheriff's Office was told a training exercise was under way, but the Sheriff’s Office said the deputy was "totally unaware" of the exercise.

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New Airport Security Increases Lost Laptops

Scores and scores of laptop computers are being either lost or left at security checkpoints around the nation due to the new screening procedures.

Because owners of laptops are routinely asked to take them out of their carrying case, the computers are being left behind when the passenger picks up the empty case or others mistakenly pick up the wrong computers.

The confusion is also increased when you are pulled out of line to be wanded or some guy with a rodeo belt buckle or metal insoles is repeatedly asked to walk through the metal detectors again and again delaying you in line as your luggage speeds through the x-ray machine.

One security consultant with Rand suggests putting highly visible stickers or tape on your laptop (as well as your luggage). Try to keep an eye on your bags as they go through the scanner.

And remember to take that tool kit (with the little itty bitty pointy screwdrivers) out of your computer case before you try and go through security.
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Delta will offer voluntary, paid personal defense training to its more than 19,000 flight attendants system wide. Delta signed an agreement with Illinois-based PPCT Management Systems. The program will begin initial rollout in March. Delta will partner with PPCT to provide a co-branded product to flight attendants.

The training is in full compliance with the Aviation and Transportation Security Act. PPCT has worked with law enforcement authorities, including the Federal Air Marshal Program and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, on defense training programs. "Delta's number one priority remains the safety and security of our employees and our passengers," said Sharon Wibben, sr. v.p., In-Flight Service. "This personal defense training is yet another way Delta is protecting both."

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Riot at Olympics Alcohol Induced

What’s the saying about if you want an instant jerk, just add alcohol? I wonder when the last "riot" was in Salt Lake City? Yet, when you add alcohol you get a mini-riot. In the only disturbance to mar otherwise peaceful Olympic Games, police had to fire foam-tipped bullets to disperse an unruly crowd angered by the early closure of a downtown beer garden.

Department of Justice studies say that 40% of crimes are committed by intoxicated people. My personal experience seems to indicate that about 75% of the people you have to fight are intoxicated, otherwise you probably wouldn’t be fighting. If you have to ask yourself, "what is this guy’s problem?" then chances are he’s drunk or high

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SWAT Tools Not Safety Regulated

A "gas ax" that blew up while being used by a SWAT team in Scottsdale, Ariz., does not have to conform to national safety regulations.

Larry Glick, executive director of the National Tactical Officers Association, said while many tools and weapons are checked and certified for safety, some specialty items such as the gas ax are not.

"Unfortunately, in this business there’s very little regulation on what I call specialty pieces of equipment," said Glick, whose group was created in 1983 to promote SWAT training and effectiveness.

The gas ax that blew up is a fairly new invention that has never been used in the field, and no one has asked the officers association to evaluate it, Glick said.

SWAT team tools are typically invented out of necessity, Glick said. For example, the gas ax is designed to enable officers to subdue suspects inside closed areas. It’s common for inventors to make the tools themselves or find a company to manufacture them.

"There are a lot of inventions that never make it to a full-fledged equipment manufacturer because they’re easily assembled using stuff bought at Radio Shack or Home Depot," he said.

Deaths and injuries in SWAT training exercises are increasing because police departments have to do more high-risk training, he said. Two-thirds of an average 150 officer deaths a year are accidental, Glick said.

"That’s an astounding number," Glick said. Additionally, recent increases in violent crime have forced police officers to reach what he called "a revolution in police training."

Officers "have to know how to make a traffic stop on a terrorist, how to approach an active bomb threat at a school. We’re asking police to do more now than they’ve ever had to do, and if we don’t get a grip on this, injuries and deaths are likely to rise," he said.

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Criminologists Worry About Uncertain Rates After 9-11

Violent crime rates have been falling the past few years, but last year, crime fell only marginally, and many criminologists forecast that rates would begin to rise again this year.

James A. Fox, a criminal-justice professor at Northeastern University In Boston, said the latest figures signal that "we shouldn't count on Crime dropping much more."

"Crime levels are flat," he said. "The great 1990s crime drop is over."

Alfred Blumstein, a criminologist at the Carnegie Mellon Institute, agreed that the decline in violent crimes should not be cause for elation because "the figures are basically flat."

Walter J. Dickey, a law professor and crime expert at the University of Wisconsin, said few Americans will be heartened by the marginal decrease in crime rates.

"People have sense of when they're safe or unsafe in their neighborhoods, and crime statistics have little to do with it," Dickey said. "For someone who shops at a nearby mall, a 10 percent drop in muggings from 30 to 27 doesn't make them feel safer. In fact, it's irrelevant."

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You only have one life, fight for it!

Brad Parker
Defend University