Trainer Talk — James Schramm

"As police offers, we regularly find ourselves in situations where we need the use of both hands while still keeping a light on something (and we don’t usually wear headlamps)."

"The modern handcuff was designed in 1912. It comprised two bracelets—connected by a chain—that closed around the wrists with a ratcheting, swing-through bow. This design remained largely unchanged for most of the 20^th century. Fortunately, a lot of innovation has taken place in the past few decades, giving officers and agencies better-performing restraints, and a wide variety of options."

The baton is an intermediate force option that bridges the critical gap between empty hand strikes and the use of a firearm. One of the benefits of expandable batons, in particular, is that they can be used whether extended (“open mode”) or retracted (“closed mode”).

I started my Law enforcement career in 1991. At that time, Academy classes were six months long and fairly challenging. Several of my friends went through the process and told me to be prepared for the hard work ahead.