D.O.P.E. Spotlight Interview – Civil Rights Attorney Lorenzo Banks
A Mathematician Turned Lawyer How does a mathematics major with a low opinion of lawyers become a criminal defense attorney? It starts when he gets sued over a dispute with a credit card company. “I was not trying to be a lawyer,” Lorenzo says. “I knew nothing about lawyers, but I knew I couldn’t afford…
Read MoreHelping Autistic Teens and Police Officers Avoid Negative Encounters
Autism is not a life-threatening diagnosis, but when law enforcement officers unknowingly encounter a person with autism, they can confuse the behaviors associated with autism with non-compliance, and the results can be tragically fatal. In 2016, mental health therapist Charles Kinsey was shot in the leg by a police officer after trying to intervene during…
Read MoreThe Importance of Providing Proper Context in 9-1-1 Calls
When someone calls 9-1-1 to report “a suspicious person,” they are setting into motion an encounter between law enforcement officers and a citizen. The information that the caller conveys to the 9-1-1 operator, and the information that the dispatcher provides to the responding police officers establishes the context for the inevitable encounter. If the information…
Read MoreThe Elijah McClain Tragedy
The Elijah McClain Case Officer patrol encounters with someone who is “different” A tragic encounter between a citizen and police officers began at 10:40p.m. on August 24, 2019 after a 9-1-1 caller reported an individual who“looked sketchy” and was wearing a ski mask and waving his arms while walking through an apartment community in Aurora, Colorado.…
Read MoreD.O.P.E. Spotlight Interview – Ret. Sgt. Rob High
Spotlight on Rob High A Law Enforcement Legacy Rob High’s great, great grandfather served as a US Deputy Marshall for Oklahoma Territory — long before the Sooners won their statehood. Two generations later, Rob’s great grandfather served as Sheriff’s Deputy of Shelby County, Tennessee where he enjoyed a 41-year career in law enforcement. With this…
Read MoreD.O.P.E. Spotlight Interview – Stan Campbell
Spotlight On Stan Campbell, Lead Instructor D.O.P.E. Making a Difference Behind the Badge It sounds a little strange to hear a man who carried a badge for 21 years say he didn’t like police growing up. “Living in Newark, New Jersey, we had a rollercoaster ride reference to the relationship between police and citizens.” Stan…
Read MoreTraffic Stop Safety – Part II
After setting up a safe traffic stop you must then prepare to interact with the officer and practice your own calming techniques. You have already done everything in your power to ease the anxiety the officer feels in approaching your car. And about the stop and hopefully helped to kickstart his or her calming process.…
Read MoreTraffic Stop Safety – Part I
Although police officers are killed more in other encounters each year “Traffic stops” are found to be the one thing officers do each day that scares them the most. Not many officers are willing to admit to the fears associated with traffic stops but they are real. It doesn’t matter if it is during the…
Read MoreExercising Extreme Control in a Violent Encounter
An example of exercising extreme control in a violent encounter takes me back to January 2001. I was an active police officer and the lead instructor for Oklahoma City Police department. I already had over 5 years experience training police officers and civilians in self defense. I was preparing to fly out of town the…
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