Texas deputy shot, killed by inmate

This is a sad story and it will be interesting to see where the gun came from.

Officials say an inmate shot and killed a sheriff's deputy while she was transferring prisoners outside a northeast Texas courthouse.

Bowie County officials say the deputy was shot about 2:30 p.m. Monday at the county courthouse in New Boston while moving inmates. They say their suspect is an inmate who then stole the sheriff's van and drove off. Authorities say the van was later found and the inmate captured in Ashdown, Ark.
There was no immediate word on the identities of the deputy and the suspect or how the suspect got a gun.
Bowie County is on the Texas-Arkansas border and includes Texarkana, Texas.

Wanna win a Pair of Vibram Five Fingers

You looking to get a pair of Vibram Five Fingers? Well the site named MyFiveFingers is giving a pair away each month, follow the steps and win! Click here

Busy Police Work week:

It's been a busy week at work a few good stories to come.

The other day was was in court for a file where only 1 suspect was identified, it was funny were were joking before hand saying " Wouldn't it be funny if the other ones showed up"

Would someone really make that mistake?

Well when the trial began guess who came for moral support? Yep the other unidentified suspect that we had a photo of, let's just say their day didn't go as planned...

You gotta love those ones ;)

Police Gear: Handcuffs

Well there's not much to say about handcuffs that most don't already know, but I felt a post was needed as they are a very important part of the job and a piece of gear all officers use.

Handcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individuals wrists close together. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge or in the case of rigid cuffs, a bar. Each half has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchett that prevents it from being opened once closed around a person's wrist. Without the key, the handcuffs cannot be removed and so the handcuffed person is unable to move his or her wrists more than a few centimetres/inches apart, making many tasks difficult or impossible. This is usually done to prevent suspected criminal from escaping police custody.

Hand positioning

In the past, police officers typically handcuffed an arrested person with his or her hands in front, but since approximately the mid-1960s behind-the-back handcuffing has been the standard. The vast majority of police academies in the United States today also teach their recruits to apply handcuffs so that the palms of the suspect's hands face outward after the handcuffs are applied.

The Jacksonville, Florida Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and others are notable exceptions, as they favor palms-together handcuffing. This helps prevent radial neuropathy or handcuff neuropathy during extended periods of restraint. Suspects are handcuffed with the keyholes facing up (away from the hands) to make it difficult to open them even with a key or improvised lock-pick.

Police Officer lower back pain

The last few months have been going great when it comes to fitness, I've been hitting the new gym and feeling great. Little did I know that because of bad habits at work I was a ticking time bomb for having lower back pain.

I was at the gym on Sunday and using the Seat Row machine and I twisted the wrong way and tweaked my back and then I was a cripple.

What surprised me was when I went into Massage and the Chiropractor they said "Oh your a police officer, enough said" They said you wouldn't believe how many officers come into the clinic with lower back pain.

The majors things that cause it is:
- the heavy duty belt around your waist.
- Sitting in the patrol car for long hours.
- and the worst, if you have a laptop in the car, twisting to the right in order to type reports.

Well after some treatment it's getting better and I have another appointment tonight, Know that I know I'm at risk because of the job I have to take steps to avoid it.. Here's some information I found.

POLICE LOWER BACK PAIN

Police officers spend long hours patrolling neighborhoods or streets. Patrolling can be on foot, horseback, motorcycle or car. An officer's duty belt can weigh more than 15 pounds with equipment wrapping around the waist while the officer patrols or runs, but all the gear can weigh up to 25lb. Not only does the weight and location of the duty belt add stress to an officer's back and neck, but the amount of time officers must sit in patrol vehicles increases spinal fatigue. Duty requirements impact the incident rate of back issues in police officers,

Duty requirements do not exclusively lead to chronic back pain in police officers. The posture officers use while carrying equipment and patrolling have an impact on resulting pain. Slouching in patrol cars for extended periods of time plays a role in the development. In addition, overweight officers might have a higher propensity for back pain after a complete shift is performed


Treatment
A small percentage of those who suffer from chronic back pain require surgery, according to the Mayo Clinic. Those who don't require surgery need to work the core muscles in the abdomen, legs and back to provide the proper support for the spine. Exercises range from flexing your ankles while lying on the ground to performing squats against a wall. Stretching should be done to release stress in the spine and mobilize the joints. Officers also should do non-jarring aerobic activities such as swimming and cycling to maintain cardiovascular fitness without adding to back pain.

Solutions
There are ways for officers to help reduce back pain. The first is to get out of patrol cars and walk around at least once an hour if appropriate. Reducing repetitive overtime also can help alleviate chronic back pain. Another solution being studied is the use of a suspender system to help support the officer's duty belt. There are suspender systems on the market that are virtually invisible under a uniform but help support the weight sitting around an officer's waist.

Hope this helps..