APB American Police Beat

When emergency preparedness is discussed at the national level, the conversation often centers on large metropolitan jurisdictions, agencies with full-time emergency managers, expansive budgets and specialized response units. But disaster […]

The quiet tour with no complaints, no unnecessary force and no viral video may not be luck. It may be the direct result of supervisors leading early enough that a […]

Three numbers show up regularly in police performance discussions: arrests, response times and clearance rates. When arrests increase, agencies point to proactive policing. When response times improve, it signals operational […]

There’s no replacing the value of a great teacher. A good instructor can help you improve your shooting skills. A great instructor will push your skills to a higher level […]

Count me among those many people who, for years, insisted that the key person in most law enforcement organizations is the sergeant. I now believe that I was mistaken: the […]

During my years as a Detroit police officer, I had a recurring dream. What surprised me most was what happened when I began talking about it. Other police officers told […]

Policymakers across the nation have shown a keen interest in improving law enforcement responses to individuals experiencing mental health crises through numerous hearings and more robust legislation. A joint report […]

There is something about 3 a.m. that every police officer eventually learns.  The radio gets quieter. The streets empty. The businesses close. The supervisors on day shift are home, and […]

What gets you through a tough shift? If the answer is more caffeine, fewer calls, a good partner or leadership staying off your back, you may not be wrong, but […]

There was a period in my career when I woke up every morning trying to solve a problem I could not solve. Before my feet touched the floor, my mind […]

Every sports fan has watched a game where the same thing keeps going wrong. The defense cannot stop the run. The quarterback keeps getting pressured from the same side. The […]

On October 1, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) announced that members of the Atlanta, Georgia, Police Department’s Fugitive Unit and an FBI special agent were selected as […]

The scene is secure. The reports are complete. Nobody violated policy. The supervisor says the officers did good work. Yet one of them keeps replaying what happened long after everyone […]

The domestic call is over. Nobody went to jail. Nobody was seriously hurt. But the screaming, the child in the doorway and the party who kept baiting you are still […]

I used to sit facing the door. Every restaurant, every waiting room, every family dinner. I still do, some days. I scanned rooms without deciding to. Any noise at night […]

There’s a version of a police officer the public sees: steady, composed, in control. It’s the uniform, the posture, the voice on the radio that doesn’t shake. It’s the expectation […]

It’s not unusual for kids to attend band camps in the summer, but campers aren’t usually cops, too. For eight weeks this summer, officers from the University Circle Police Department […]

Remembering how important high school dances can be to teenagers, a squad from the Mesa Police Department in Arizona made sure this year’s homecoming was extra memorable for one student. […]

The National Law Enforcement Museum announced on September 23 that it has been selected as a recipient of the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ (IMLS) 2026 Museums for America […]

From city to city, police departments are battling street racing and takeovers that create dangerous scenarios for drivers, pedestrians and law enforcement. Last year, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety […]