Below are the 5 Tenets from Below 100, an organization formed to permanently eliminate preventable line of duty deaths and injuries through innovative training and awareness.
Wear Your Belt
It might sound simple to you, even unnecessary, but the truth is too many agencies don’t mandate belt wear. And even among those that do, many officers ignore policy because the culture doesn’t value it. The truth: Seatbelts save lives.
Wear Your Vest
We know vests save lives. We know that bullets can fly when we least expect it. Add to that the fact that body armor can improve your…
Even as the FSRMF continues to partner with Sheriff’s Offices to reduce the frequency of vehicle accidents, it remains an unfortunate fact of life that every Sheriff’s Office in the state of Florida will continue to deal with automotive accidents involving agency personnel. This article will discuss the basic steps that should be taken when a deputy or other employee is involved in a vehicle accident.
After taking all necessary life-saving measures to protect the injured or vulnerable, the first thing a deputy involved in an accident should do is notify dispatch or a supervisor of the location and nature…
According to the nonprofit Washington-based National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, the number of law enforcement officers shot to death in the line of duty rose 78% between January and July of 2016, from the same time the previous year. The leading method of those shootings was ambush-style attack.
In June of 2014 a man and a woman ambushed and killed two Las Vegas police officers while they were eating lunch at a restaurant. In December of 2014, two New York City police officers were ambushed and shot to death while sitting in their marked patrol car, without warning by…
The need for accountability and transparency in our use-of-force reporting is evident. Events occurring around the country have made that fact even more apparent, and the required reporting of use-of-force events is coming. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has recently said, “The new national database aims to gather all types of police interactions, including non-lethal confrontations like traffic stops, allowing federal law enforcers to monitor trends and any regional discrepancies.”
Having the ability to accurately record and report your agency’s activities concerning use-of-force events is critical to our ability to identify training issues as well as provide an early warning…
You hear or read about it all the time: Start saving, or start saving more for your retirement. For many, the reality is that it is far easier said than done. However, there is also the reality that a significant number of people, upon reaching their retirement, say, “I should have saved more.”
It can be a very tough thing to find where adjustments can be made in order to start contributing or contributing more to your retirement. It may be:
trying to save on dining out
buying less at the supermarket, department stores or other retail stores
On December 4, 2014, the Florida Supreme Court issued its opinion in Morales v. Zenith Ins. Co. Before we discuss the decision, let’s run through a brief summary of the case and how it ended up before the Florida Supreme Court.
While employed by Lawns Nursery, Santana Morales, Jr. was crushed to death by a palm tree. Morales’ widow settled the workers’ compensation claim with Lawns Nursery and its workers’ compensation/ employer’s liability carrier, Zenith. The settlement included a release specifically choosing workers’ compensation as the sole remedy under Zenith’s workers’ compensation/employer’s liability policy.
Morales’ estate had a separate wrongful…
The following tips are ways to avoid backing accidents:
Plan ahead or back in to avoid backing wherever possible selecting easy exit parking locations where backing will not be necessary. If backing is necessary back in when you arrive, rather than when you are ready to leave, at which time you may be distracted in route to another call.
Roll down your window so you can clearly hear any warning or noises.
Back slowly (at idle speed) and cover the brake and sound your horn as a warning when appropriate.
Walk around the back of your vehicle before backing looking
Keeping up with changes in the law is crucial to a law enforcement officer’s ability to honor his oath to uphold the Constitution, to make sure the criminals the officer arrests are not released because of technicalities and to protect himself from a civil lawsuit. This article will discuss the case of Bailey v. United States, 133 S.Ct. 1031 (2013), decided last year, and offer some takeaways as to how to apply this case in the field.
In Bailey, the United States Supreme Court revisited the question of when law enforcement officers may detain persons present during the…
Insurance industry experts are often asked about ways to reduce workers’ compensation indemnity costs. One of the most common responses to this question is to implement and maintain an aggressive Return to Work (RTW) program. Employers are sometimes hesitant to embrace the concept of early RTW, perhaps because they do not fully understand the benefits of an aggressive RTW program. In this article, we will look at three of the many benefits of implementing and maintaining an aggressive RTW.
First, an RTW program establishes a sense of trust between the employer and the injured worker. Oftentimes, injured workers feel abandoned…
Following heavy rains and localized flooding in Florida, the Sheriffs Automobile Risk Program, (SHARP), has experienced a rash of engine damage claims from our members caused by driving vehicles through standing water. The water coming into engine intakes is hydro-locking the engines thereby destroying the engines’ internal components.
So far the Dodge Charger is the leading vehicle for such damage claims, however the problem exists for other manufactures as well. In fact, this is a long standing issue with most manufacturers having spent a considerable amount of time and effort conducting studies only to conclude that usually the problem occurs…
