Upcoming Seminars

4/22/24-4/26/24	TPR/Use of Force Instructor Cert
Allegheny County Police Academy
5/6/24-5/8/24	Ground Control Instructor Cert
Allegheny County Police Academy
5/13/24-5/17/24	TPR/Use of Force Instructor Cert
Bucks County Academy
6/24/24-6/26/24	SHARP Instructor Cert
Allegheny County Academy
8/5/24-8/7/24	TPR/Use of Force Instructor Re-Cert
Mansfield Academy
8/12/24-8/14/24	TPR/Use of Force Instructor Re-Cert
PGH Technical College, Oakdale, PA
9/3/24-9/5/24	TPR/Use of Force Instructor Re-Cert
Allegheny County Academy
9/9/24-9/11/24	Edged Weapon Countermeasures Instructor Cert
Allegheny County Police Academy
9/11/24-9/13/24	TPR/Use of Force Instructor Re-Cert
IUP Police Academy, Indiana, PA
10/7/24-10/9/24	TPR/Use of Force Instructor Re-Cert
Allegheny County Academy
10/21/24-10/23/24	TPR/Use of Force Instructor Re-Cert
Bucks County Academy
12/16/24-12/18/24	TPR/Use of Force Instructor Re-Cert
Mansfield Academy

These photos show a knife that also functions as a firearm utilizing .22 long ammunition.

These photos show a knife that also functions as a firearm utilizing .22 long ammunition. The weapon was found during the search of an ex-convict. Thanks to the Crook County Sheriff’s Department in Pineville Oregon for the original information. The material was forwarded to me by Bruce K. Siddle, and it was brought to his attention by an employee of Homeland Security Corporation. Obviously any officer would be on his/her guard when confronted by any type of edged weapon. However, the ballistic capability of this particular knife raises questions about minimum safe distance and the need for cover for the officer.

After seeing the original article and pictures on the web site, Manchester (NH) Police Officer Thomas Gallagher wrote to say that their department had seized a similar weapon a couple of years ago. A year after the trial an officer was going through the evidence locker to destroy outdated evidence. When he went to take the knife out of the locker, he shot himself in the hand. Apparently the weapon was loaded when it was taken from the subject, and stayed that way throughout its storage; nobody noticed that it was more than an edged weapon. As officer Gallagher noted, anyone handling that particular piece of evidence was a potential victim.

Fortunately the officer involved made a full recovery and is now back on duty. It certainly could have been a lot worse, and both examples should reinforce the importance of properly searching individuals and of ensuring that we know exactly what we have when we remove objects from subjects.