Shamnesty International recently issued their most recent report crying about the evil taser gun. The report is an impressive 130 pages of biased reporting and slanted figures. It is obvious that Amnesty International had a predetermined conclusion and made sure the study reflected that conclusion....

A robbery was broadcast across town. The responding officer sent out a radio broadcast about it. Two men in a small white Honda jumped out and robbed another man walking down the street. It was otherwise quiet out so I rolled around looking for a small, white Honda. It was about 0230 when I gave up...

What is it with mothers? They ask you if you’re okay, and when you say, “Yes” they go ahead and check you anyway. A process, I might add, that is exasperating enough in private, never mind in front of two soldiers and a ratel. “Nice badger, boys,” said Dad meditatively. “Boss,”...

It was my parents custom on Saturday mornings to have a late breakfast on the patio, while leisurely perusing a copy of the London Gazette or the London Daily Telegraph, whichever newspaper was less than two weeks old. They were usually joined by Dad’s Brit Buddy, Tom, and whoever had survived...

Oh, yes. Ratel. Pit. Brigadier-Captain. Now I remember. Ahem. I hate it when things don’t act the way they’re supposed to. For instance, an animal which has found itself at the bottom of an eight-foot pit is supposed to pace about, dig, fidget, maybe jump at the walls a bit. They’re...

Okay, we’ve got a ratel in a pit, me and my brother with a banana-tree-trunk, four innertubes, a chicken and a peanut sack; and Brigadier-Captain Azikiwe. Oh, and Azikiwe’s two bodyguards. Before I go any further, I want it noted for the record that Chris and I had nothing to do with Azikiwe...

Now, the ratel at the bottom of our pit wasn’t a fully-grown member of the species. Matter-of-fact, looking back, I’m pretty sure he was a bit more sullen than other ratels we had run across, and might have had a bit of a sneer, so he was most probably a teenage ratel. Anyhoo, Chris and...

This is the first part of the “Ratel Saga.” This is one of the funniest and best written stories in the blogosphere. There are 6 parts to the story and they will be posted each day this week. Enjoy! -Xiphos One year in Nigeria, Chris and I discovered the books of Gerald Durrell, and the...

Fear is something everyone experiences, even police officers. The difference though is that when everyone else is running away from a gun fight we have to run to it. When you have a job to do your training will kick in and you will power through the emotions that are trying to well up and control you....

I was going through my personnel file looking at some stuff and I came across the folder that holds all my commendations and awards. One of them caught my eye and brought back some memories. We were short that day, with not enough officers to really cover the call load for our area. Since most calls...