21July05

Administrative/Tactical?

Friend, Bob Willis, pointed this out to me yesterday: If you're a uniformed, police officer, your duty belt needs to be divided into =80 Tactical" and " Administrative" sections (we already classify firearms procedures th at way). Generally best to declare the front portion, the half in front of your hips , the "Tactical" area, and the back portion, the =80=9CAdmi nistrative" area.

The tactical part of your belt needs to hold all the stuff you need to protect your life and good health, ie: your weapons: pistol, spare magazines , OC, Taser, baton, backup pistol, blades, flashlight. Less important " administrative" items: handcuffs, radio transmitter, keys, pager, sp are batteries, cell phone, etc need to be in the less-accessible, rear portion of your duty bel t, the "administrative" area.

Organizing your duty belt correctly helps you organize your thinking correctly, which assists you in a coordinated and efficacious response to t hreats. Placing items on your duty belt haphazardly, with scant thought to their relative importance, is a foolish mistake, and one that is easily avoided w ith a little critical thought.

Good show, Bob!

/John