Vendor Expo highlights innovation, education

The 2016 International Law Enforcement Educator and Trainers Association’s annual event landed in a new home this year near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

Judging by the crowded expo hall, attendees were eager to check out new technology and equipment innovations and educational opportunities on display during the two days at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont.

Here’s a sampling of some of the best gadgets, gear and other goodies featured during the ILEETA expo March 14-15:

Tactical Walls (tacticalwalls.com)

Tactical Walls debuted its line of furniture that doubles as quick-access concealable weapons storage about three years ago with a mirror and has grown its offerings to include a variety of cabinets, clocks, lamps and even a TV stand.

Appearing at its first ILEETA expo, the company emphasized the convenience and safety its product offers for having a weapon nearby without having to carry it around all the time, according to Tactical Walls’ Matt Custer. The pieces can be customized with different woods and stains, lock magnetically and, can hold weapons ranging in size from handguns to rifles.

Legacy Safety and Security (legacysafetyandsecurity.com)

Comfort and safety are the key features of Legacy’s new armored compression shirt that was featured prominently at the company’s ILEETA booth. The shirt offers ballistic and stab protection with a Level IIIA panel, while eliminating Velcro straps.

“It’s very, very lightweight,” Legacy Owner Jeremy Dewberry said. “It’s great for undercover … EMS is a big seller for us.”

Legacy also highlighted its ballistic shoulder protection sets and ballistic face mask.

“Everything we have is very different than other armor companies,” Dewberry said.

Crown Gym Mats (crowngymmats.com)

Crown Gym Mats might have had the most unique display on the expo floor. Attendees needed to look no further than the foam washer and dryer, or the foam police boat in the lobby, to understand why.

The Barrington-based family business has supplied athletic mats to schools for decades, but jumped into working with law enforcement after learning some organizations were using second-hand furniture or cardboard in their training exercises, according to owners Jon and Judy Eckert.

“Why don’t we come up with a line of foam furniture?” Jon recalled thinking.

Following a “Safety in Training” motto, Crown’s NOTTA line of furniture creates realistic and custom environments for police tactical work. They also offer training props that replicate weapons.

Lund Industries (lund-industries.com)

Lund Industries, located in Northbrook, displayed its latest storage products – a range bag vault and pistol box. The vault is capable of holding a standard size range bag, backpack or similar-type bags. It features a programmable lock and can be anchored into a vehicle’s trunk.

The pistol box is designed for convenience and has a broad appeal as those with a concealed carry license can easily store their firearm at locations where they cannot have it with them. The pistol box mounts in the rear passenger’s foot well.

Lund’s Michael Malec said the new products are durable and versatile.

Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates (w-z.com)

In the education category, Robert Brislan of Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates focused on the company’s flagship training courses offering non-confrontational interview techniques.

“It’s a more conversational approach. It treats your subject more like a peer,” Brislan said.

He added that there is demand for less accusatory interview styles, which is increasingly important as more interviews are recorded. The non-confrontational techniques are viewed as more jury friendly and easily adaptable by police officers of all experience levels.

“It’s all about the search for the truth,” Brislan added.

DS Arms (dsarms.com)

Showcasing its renowned DSA ZM-4 Patrol Carbine rifle and the new HKVP9 pistol, Lake Barrington firearms manufacturer DS Arms used the show as an opportunity for as many operators as possible to test weapons on display.

DS Arms made its products available to fire in the Tri County Tactical Mobile Shooting range set up in one of the Hyatt parking lots. Many of the attendees who came to ILEETA for training were able to try out the HKVP9 as a possible duty weapon. The Chicago Police Department recently approved its use for all officers as it has previously with the ZM-4 rifle.

“HK is a world-class firearm manufacturer, so it was a great opportunity to learn about it,” noted Lou Selvaggio, a sales and marketing consultant for DS Arms. “The whole expo was a great way for operators to demo weapons.”

TKK Electronics (tkkelectronics.com)

In a room full of tactical training-related products and services, TKK Electronics served up some of the latest and greatest technology innovations.

Officers and agencies were especially interested in the GETAC body-worn cameras and drones on display at the TKK exhibit. The drones drew persistent questioning about FAA regulations regarding use and the grant program available to agencies looking to deploy the devices.

“A lot of people wanted be educated about why they need this and what you can do with it,” explained TKK Senior Account Executive Stacey Naumczik.

Another technology solution of interest from TKK, which represents many rugged equipment lines, was the Cradlepoint Modem that can be set up in a command vehicle and provide Wi-Fi to several laptops in what could become an on-site command center.

“It was a great opportunity for us to build relationships with departments,” Naumczik added. “A lot of them have never heard of us, so we have a great chance to show what we offer.”

 

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By Dan Campana

Joe Gliniewicz duped us all.

He convincingly window-dressed the part of Fox Lake’s “G.I. Joe” in recent years to fool a community and, ultimately scores of people across the country. Including cops.

When his colleagues found him dead, the media descended amid an air of cop-killers on the loose, a national context of a war on police and the shock of a small-town police officer murdered as he neared retirement.

Reporters ran with the Gliniewicz narrative they gathered from family, friends, people on the street and police briefings. The majority did, anyway. A few wanted more official answers to nagging questions early on, but most – including the visual-driven TV news crews – chose the pomp and circumstance of a massive funeral to honor a man in a badge over unpopular story angles – such as a department turmoil or the possibility of suicide.

Investigators did their job, and it took time. The media did its job, but time isn’t a luxury with deadlines and newscasts looming.

As the head of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force George Filenko said in announcing Gliniewicz took his own life before his indiscretions caught up to him, “There are no winners here.”

Indeed.

The community lost because Gliniewicz betrayed their trust.

Police in Fox Lake and throughout Chicagoland, not to mention officers coast to coast, lost because Gliniewicz deepened the black eye law enforcement has worn in recent years. Sure, he’s a bad apple, but this one stings a bit differently given the circumstances.

Investigators lost only in the sense that, for doing a diligent and thorough job, they uncovered one of their own as a crooked cop and were criticized by some for not revealing it sooner to the public.

Frankly, as an outsider who understands the fundamentals of police work, this investigation unfolded the way it had to – perceptions notwithstanding.

Which brings me to the media. In general, reporters, editors and producers lost because they can’t undo their glowing coverage of Gliniewicz immediately following his Sept. 1 death. They can’t retract the countless times the word “hero” or his patriotic nickname were used, directly or through others, while covering the story. They can only go by what their reporting got them for the last two months. And, frankly, by the time some outlets considered the Gliniewicz’s story might not end neatly with an arrest or a trial, it was too late.

That’s the rub; this was a perfect storm. Investigators had to do their job the right way, which meant keeping public details to a minimum no matter how much speculation circled. The media reported what it did because of the hand it was dealt – the perfect suburban tragedy.

No TV station or newspaper was going to skip Gliniewicz’s funeral because of a lack of clarity about how he died. That’s what makes it disingenuous for a few self-righteous reporter-types to now loudly criticize investigators as contributing to the prolonged celebration of Gliniewicz that now has so many people feeling hurt and confused.

The media makes its own decisions on coverage based on competition and reader/viewer interest, so this isn’t about a cover up or cops trying to screw with the media. Local reporters only warmed to other angles – such as the clichéd “Why is it taking so long?” story – when investigators went mum while the complex probe slowly developed the details we now know.

This was a plain and simple mess with no right answers for reporters who now struggle to grasp the story Gliniewicz left behind. The hard lesson for all media with a stake in this case is accepting nothing is as it seems. It almost never is. The belief in a perfect story, tragic and otherwise, interferes with the journalistic process.

Could hard-charging reporters have filed Freedom of Information requests and scrutinized Fox Lake officials to see what might be lurking in Gliniewicz’s history? Sure. But, the squeaky-clean, good-guy image he projected likely would dissuade that approach. Reporters always have hindsight to open our eyes to see what more could have been done with a story. It shouldn’t be used as a tool to lay blame on others when second-guessing coverage decisions. Reporters generally did right by what they knew and what they believed to tell the story. Investigators did right by the law to reach the proper, yet hard-to-swallow, conclusion.

It’s Gliniewicz who did us all wrong.

Dan Campana is a Chicago-area freelance writer and communications consultant. Send questions and comments to dan@dancamcom.biz

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By Dan Campana 

The public hates you.

The media is out to scrutinize your every move, which makes you second-guess your training and instincts.

The ordinary and mundane parts of the job simply aren’t that anymore. There is no such thing as a basic traffic stop.

To suggest being a police officer in 2015 is a challenge would fall short of recognizing how deeply those perceptions of law enforcement mix with the today’s undeniable realities of what’s changed about the job in recent years. It also doesn’t take into account how officers themselves view their role in society and are assessing their work while battling the natural cynicism that comes with the territory of being a cop.

Add into the mix the strain brought on by department funding and staffing constraints and the stress factors impressing on police officers appear to approach a near critical level.

“I think the pressure is a lot greater now,” Illinois State Police Chaplain Friar JohnPaul Cafiero said, noting the inherent risks involved with the job have grown given the rash of “assassination” type shootings of police officer recently.

A page of Cafiero’s website is dedicated to the ultimate price many officers have paid amid this turbulent era for law enforcement. Photos of 11 officers who have died on the job, the most recent being Fox Lake Lieutenant Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, are scattered across the page. The state of law enforcement even has Cafiero, who drives a marked response SUV, occasionally pondering the worst that could occur while doing things as simple as stopping for gas.

“It’s in the back of your mind,” he said.

Cafiero hears and sees a lot from those he works with in his role with District Chicago, District 15 and the state’s Protective Services Unit based downtown, and among his other law enforcement connections. What he’s found in the wake of events such as Ferguson and Baltimore – among a string of high-profile police incidents magnified to an international level – is both weariness and resolve.

“They feel like they’re getting beat up on all sides,” Cafiero described. “They’re still dedicated. They’re still committed to making a difference. They’re still doing the best they can.”

But, sometimes, officers doing their best isn’t enough for some.

“Everybody is expecting the police to know everything and do everything,” Palatine Police Chief Alan Stoeckel, a 30-year veteran, said. “Last time I pulled my shirt off and checked, there is not a big ‘S’ on there for Superman.”

Police officers and those who work closely with law enforcement agree there is no one fundamental answer to the question of what it takes to be a cop in 2015, although certain themes emerge: Self-awareness for safety and procedure; thick skin; confidence in training and support within the department; and, perhaps most important, a balanced life that goes beyond the badge and into other parts of an officer’s personal world.

Conversation or confrontation

It usually starts with an officer’s actions in what might initially feel like a mundane interaction with a driver during a traffic stop or someone on the street. Words are exchanged, emotions grow tense. The officer reads the situation and reacts based on what has been taught.

Those moments don’t happen in a vacuum anymore. Dashboard and smartphone video have created a greater watchdog on the everyday world of police work. When something goes wrong, those videos are the first place department officials, lawyers, the media and other organizations go to see what happened.

“There’s an added level of stress. The patrol officers are more on guard and cognizant.” Streamwood Deputy Chief Ed Valente said of traffic stops. “It is part of the everyday conversation.”

Stoeckel added: “Everybody understands. No matter where you are, everything is being videotaped. That is a given. When you start – again, it’s not a law to have in-car cameras – when you start mandating these different things, it tells me as an officer … we’re getting away from trust. Society as a whole, everybody is looking to blame somebody.”

At the core, training is where everyone turns to figure out how and why officers do what they do. Don Milazzo, who spent 24 years in law enforcement and now works with police officers as a licensed counselor, believes training is “flawed” because it preaches engagement with no guidance about how to de-escalate situations.

“We’re taught to always stay in control,” Milazzo explained.

But, the definition of control has shifted.

“It’s about having the mental stability to handle the pressures of the job as far as how the public perceives you, how does your department perceive you and how your peers perceive you and how you do your job,” said Sean White, who works for a suburban Chicago police department. “It’s not just about chasing down bad guys anymore.”

Stoeckel suggests officers need to recognize not only how problems can begin, but also how to end them.

“We’ve always taught our young cops … you can have a conversation or you can have a confrontation. You determine how it’s going to start,” Stoeckel, Palatine’s chief for the last year and a half, said.

He encourages officers to give people their say and offer them the opportunity to speak with someone further up the chain.

“Let the supervisor handle it,” he continued. “Nothing will get settled out on the street when tempers are flaring.”

That statement aligns with White’s point about the growing need to maintain professionalism in heat of the moment, which isn’t easy because officers are supposed to act quickly and decisively. Cafiero and Milazzo agree that tentativeness is a growing concern.

In one recent example that made some headlines, an officer in Alabama acknowledged he held off on firing his weapon while under attack during a traffic stop because of how his actions might be construed after the fact. That decision left the officer battered and bloody.

“It’s the second-guessing that’s affecting these officers,” Cafiero said.

Valente, who has been with Streamwood for a quarter century, submits that reassurance from leadership can help give officers confidence.

“As long as they’re doing the right thing, we’ve got your back,” Valente said, noting the department has 58 officers.

Verifying whether an officer acted properly is part of the body camera movement, which was bolstered in Illinois with the passage of recent legislation that, in part, tacks $5 onto traffic and criminal convictions to help pay for the equipment.

However, video interpretation without context can be problematic. Stoeckel believes not enough attention is given to what a person does toward an officer before the officer decides to take some type of action, including using force.

“In the heat of a battle, things get complicated … and people don’t understand the pressures of being a police officer. They wonder why did you have to shoot that guy,” White explained. “They only see the end result. They don’t see everything that led up to the account.”

Building a community dialogue, through things such as a citizen’s police academy or training sessions for elected officials, can help break down some misconceptions, according to Stoeckel.

“I think that is a great idea. Go out and let people know why we do what we do,” he said.

The need to keep balance

Cafiero gets it more than most might assume because before he became a Franciscan priest, he spent five years as a New York City police officer. He left the job after the murder of his partner.

“It was one of those wake up moments,” he said, noting his new path involved earning multiple degrees in psychology and his entry into the priesthood.

At the urging of NYPD chaplain Mychal Judge, who later died in the 9-11 attack, Cafiero went on a retreat where he encountered Franciscan friars and decided on a change.

He joined the Illinois State Police 15 years ago as part of a first-response team. He offers support to troopers and their families, while also assisting with death notifications after fatal crashes.

All of that puts him on the front line of the daily stress and rigors police face, and that includes personal struggles. Departments dealing the staffing issues might need officers to pick up extra hours, or a cop might agree to do it to bring a little more money in for the family. Yet, the additional time at work can strain marriages or other personal relationships. This perfect storm puts additional strains on an officer’s ability to do the job properly.

“People who can be overworked or under stress” don’t perform at their best, Cafiero explained.

In Milazzo’s practice, he’s found an increase in cynicism and questions about the value of being a police officer at a time when the community, those who depend on your protection, can be the biggest critics.

“Right now, frustration is the main thing. What we’re seeing is empathy burnout,” he explained. “(Being a police officer) used to be a calling.”

Now, more than ever, cops have to have passion and thick skin to keep a constant focus on helping people, and that by doing so, you’re impacting your life and your family.

“Personally, as it goes in the direction it is going, I’d question why somebody would want to be a police officer,” Stoeckel added. “That right there is what scares me. A lot of this has happened in the past six years and I know we can turn this ship around.”

Although Stoeckel said new leadership and new laws can help lead that change, Cafiero believes improvement can come from the community and by officers having balance in their own lives. Mendota Police Chief Thomas Smith, who agrees that public perception is the biggest problem with police work these days, is happy to say the support of local residents comes from the fact that most officers live in town.

“(Officers) do interact with the community,” said Smith who has served as chief the past 18 years. “(Residents) know you as a person more than just a uniform.”

And, that’s Cafiero’s point – police officers have to be more than what they do.

“The key for me is that they need to have balance,” he shared. “It can’t just be about the job. (Officers) have to learn how to step out of it – you need it for your sanity.”

Cafiero suggests physical, emotional and spiritual health as important parts of self-preservation during a difficult time when a lot of police officers are “in defense mode” because of the constant bombardment of negativity toward the profession.

White said he’s altered his approach.

“I think this year and the last couple of years I’ve taken more vacations. Not just mini-vacations, but a week away from the job so I could come back refreshed and ready to do it,” he explained. “It’s very important as police officers to get away from the job so we’re not always in it. I still love the job (but) I have a different respect for the job. I’m no longer the rookie on the run-and-gun. I’m doing the job, going call to call and providing service to the individual.”

Maybe that’s what it takes to be a cop in 2015. Take it one call at a time. Serve and protect. Breathe in and breathe out. Call for back-up. And get home safe.

 

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