Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. reserVes PERRY W. HORNBARGER dEdICATION ANd PROfEssIONALIsM THAT GOEs BEYONd PAY. eing a reserve means having the same obligations as any fulltime cop. Your equipment, your ancillary gear and your thinking needs to be up to speed — the equal of your full-time partner’s. Keeping this in mind, don’t scrimp on equipment. Like they say, “Anything worth doing is worth doing well,” and the fact most of us do this for free shouldn’t matter. B Flashlight genes ur department just finished a tactical shooting qualification using flashlights during low light encounters. One of the terms our range master used during the training was, “two is one, one is none.” I’m told it’s a military term but frankly, I’d never heard it before. What he was saying was if you’re in a situation when your primary flashlight fails, without a backup, you might be screwed. I carry a smaller, less powerful flashlight on my belt (read John Russo’s Officer Survival column in this issue for some other ideas about this concept) and it’s proven handy too many times to count. Recently my second call of the evening was to check an open window in an abandoned building. It was around dusk and when I reached for my issued rechargeable flashlight — it wasn’t there. Like an idiot, I’d failed to pack it before going on duty. Fortunately I had my small, backup flashlight on my belt. It was adequate for what I needed to do, but I wouldn’t want to depend on it as a primary light. When I was done with the call I immediately snuck back by my house and got my issued flashback flashlight. I came to realize the “two is one, one light. is none” concept made sense. My intent is to drive home the importance My of having a second, or backup light when you of need it, not to tout certain brands, as there are need experts out there with far more knowledge than me on that topic. You already know there than are many brands and styles of flashlights availare available for a patrol officer to carry. Some may be a personal choice, while others department-mandated. But whatever you do, carry a back-up light — really. 28 o 2 We may still be putting our lives — and the lives of our partners — on the line at times. So we need to think and work smart. You either have the flashlight “gene” or not. If you do, you probably already have more flashlights than you need, and that’s a good thing. If you don’t have the gene, you may only invest in the minimum needed, maybe only one light — and that’s not enough. If most of your duty time is at night, you already know one of your best friends is your flashlight. But what about daylight hours? Is your flashlight any less important? There are many situations during day shift when your flashlight can come in handy. We’ve all been in situations where we’ve had to go into a dark basement or windowless room, look in that attic or into the black hole of a closet. Whether your department issued you a decent flashlight or whether you decided to buy one on your own doesn’t really matter. The bottom line is there will be times where you’ll need a flashlight other than at night. nUmber tWo A nother area worth applying T.O.O.N. would be with your patrol car keys. Have you ever had the unfortunate experience of getting locked out of your own patrol car? Each police car I drive has at least two keys available for use. If you have two keys when you go out, make sure you take the time to separate them and keep one in your pocket. If you don’t have that second key available, get a copy made and keep it with you. It’s such a simple idea and good insurance against embarrassment — not to mention being an important officer safety issue. Take a few minutes and look at your own habits, are you T.O.O.N.ed in? CAR KEy CAPERs * Perry W. Hornbarger is the Unit Commander of the Chesterfield, VA Auxiliary Police Unit. He can be reached at hornbargerp@yahoo.com. WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2009