BORELLI CONSULTING: Tactical Equipment Reviews

Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Expo
Courtesy of Officer Steve Forgues

This last week I had the opportunity to attend the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Expo in Harrisburg. Prior to attending the Expo, I had browsed through the Expo website (www.lawenforcementsecurityexpo.com) to see what companies would be represented. To my delight, there was also going to be several Keynote Speakers over the two day event. Needless to say, there was going to be plenty to drool over.

To start things off was Keynote Speaker, John Giduck. If you’re not familiar with Mr. Giduck, he is the author of Terror at Beslan: A Russian Tragedy With Lessons for America’s Schools. I was really looking forward to hearing him speak, and I was not disappointed. If you haven’t already heard him speak, I would recommend to everyone, to do your best and find an event near you where he will be speaking. He will open your eyes to what is happening and will happen when it comes to terrorist activity, whether it is domestic or foreign. I also had the opportunity to purchase his book and have him sign it. Although, I haven’t read it yet, I will have to say that based off his presentation, this should be a must read for all law enforcement and military professionals.

There were several other Keynote Speakers the first day, such as Sean T. Welby, Esquire, who talked about the Rights and Responsibilities in Officer Involved Shootings, and Tim McFadden who spoke about Automatic License Plate Recognition. Due to losing track of time and drooling over equipment, I did not see their presentations. I did hear that they were good presentations though.

Following Mr. Giduck’s awesome presentation, I hit the aisles full of exhibitors. Although I knew that this Expo wouldn’t even compare in size to SHOT Show, I was expecting more than what it was. I don’t regret going, and I will most likely attend again next year, but like I said, I expected more. I took my time hitting all the booths, trying to talk to as many of them as possible that were of interest anyway. Those that were jammed with other attendees, I went back to later. I made my first run through the Expo in about an hour and a half. I made quite a few contacts and collected about 15 pounds of literature. Several of the manufacturers seemed very interested in having Borelli Consulting test and evaluate there equipment. I am certainly eager to get my hands on some of the stuff and put it through some rigorous testing.

There are a couple of products that I checked out that I would like to point out now. The first is the Ticket Board™ (evaluation by Borelli Consulting already underway). The Ticket Board™ gives you a place to put up to three ID’s or Driver’s Licenses with illumination and magnification for one. It has a display for current date and time and court date display for those who have to put a court date on the citation. The Ticket Board™ also has a sturdy work surface that is illuminated for writing out your citations. The illumination is sufficient for reading the identification and writing out the citation, but not so much to kill your night vision, and it keeps you from having to turn on the dome light letting everyone see what your doing. Check them out at www.policeticketboard.com.

Ibis Tek had some pretty cool products also. They offer a lightweight front protective bumper that is available for pretty much every vehicle that is used for police use. This bumber gives full protection around the front bumper area, allowing you to push disabled vehicles or eliminating damage when performing a PIT (precision immobilization technique) maneuver. This bumper is lightweight at about 70 pounds and can be painted any color to match your departments color scheme. They also offer a ballistic ticket board and emergency rescue devices for vehicle extrication. You can visit them at www.ibistek.com.

Digital Ally produces a very compact digital in-car video system that is integrated into a rear view mirror. Standard features include a 3.5” monitor, covert rear seat camera, GPS, 900 Mhz Audio Transceiver, Internal Microphone and speaker. With a 4GB (GigaByte) Compact Flash Card, it provides up to 16 hours of recording at 30 fps (frames per second). Digital Ally also offers a system that is incorporated into a flashlight. The flashlight is a little larger than a 3-D cell Flashlight, so it is a little big for my liking, but what it offers outweighs the size. It is a great addition to the rear view mirror system. Just think about conducting a vehicle search with this and being able to record the search, including exactly where you find evidence. For more information, visit them at www.digitalallyinc.com.

The last product I would like to mention is the Recon Scout™ from Recon Robotics. “The Recon Scout™ is a miniature mobile robot that provides real-time video reconnaissance of hostile or dangerous environments,” as described by Recon Robotics. The little bit that I was able to play with it, I would have to say it is rugged and a life saver. You can throw it through a window and then maneuver it into the hostile area to get critical video in real-time. At a speed of 1 foot per second, it doesn’t move very fast, but this allows for easier maneuvering without running into things and making unnecessary noise. It also has a very good low light sensitivity, that makes it ideal for night time operations or when you have disabled power to the building. Check them out at www.reconrobotics.com.

As I mentioned above, it took me about an hour and a half to walk through everything. I then went back to a few that were previously busy. If it hadn’t been for a couple of Keynote Speakers the second day that I wanted to go see, I wouldn’t have gone the second day.

For day two, there were three more Keynote Speakers. Law Enforcement Mindset: Combating High Risk Operations was presented by Jason Winkle Ph.D. I attended this presentation and thoroughly enjoyed it. Winkle was full of energy and a very good speaker. Although I have had some training on having a warrior mindset, and the effects that law enforcement activities can have on you, he opened your eyes to a wide array of things that happen to you when stress is induced, and how to adapt and overcome these effects. I would highly recommend everyone to go hear him speak if you have the opportunity.

The second presentation was Strategic and Tactical Methamphetamine Operations, presented by Detective Greg Ferency. I wasn’t able to attend this presentation, but again heard from officers that it was very informative.

The third presentation was Law Enforcement Officers Flying Armed, presented by Daniel J. Benny. If you’re a police officer that may need to fly on a commercial aircraft armed for official duties, this is the course that you need. I attended this presentation, and although I knew majority of what was talked about, it was informative and gave me the certificate that I need for flying armed if the need ever arises. I would encourage all officers to attend this course. Even if you never have to carry armed in flight, conduct on the plane is discussed in regards to when you can assist in dealing with an unruly passenger or other incident, and assisting an air marshal.

April 4th and 5th, is the New York Law Enforcement Expo at Pier 92 in New York City. If you missed the Pennsylvania Expo, and have an opportunity to attend the Expo in New York, I would encourage you to attend. John Giduck will be a Keynote Speaker at this Expo. For further information, visit www.lawenforcementsecurityexpo.com.

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Don't forget to check out our OTHER Tactical Equipment Review of some new products available for the law enforcement and military communities.

This week's Training Article, discussing games kids play and how those games can help them grow into fantastic adults.

For a listing of all reviews in chronological order, GO HERE.

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