Body Cameras, a necessary evil...

Technology can be our best friend or worst enemy. Public safety professions such as law enforcement, security, fire department, or paramedics often experience a love hate relationship with progressive technology. These professions are constantly under scrutiny due to cell phone cameras and cheap video editing software, often times pertinent information is left out to portray those who put their life on the line in the name of public safety in a negative light. 

As you football fans know, a good offense in a good defense. Because of this I want to briefly review my experience wearing a compact body camera. Now, market for body cameras has greatly increased since I began wearing one in 2013 with prices ranging from $25-$400. I feel this piece of equipment is equally as important as anything else on your duty belt so I would recommend purchasing the highest quality you can afford. I purchased the Veho VCC-003-MUVI-PRO MUVI Micro Digital Camcorder  for about $40 and $6 for an 8GB memory card, it included the camera, short USB cable, car charger, and body mount.  Up to this point the camera has been completely reliable and has saved myself and coworkers on multiple occasions during allegations of misconduct. Unfortunately it is one of the things you face in this industry and having a point of view camera showing exactly what happened without prejudice is invaluable in my opinion. 

With all good there is bad, and these cameras are no exception. My only complaints with this camera are the battery life and the mount system. I chose one of the smallest cameras available because I don't particularly enjoy all types of extra stuff dangling from my shirt, so I deal with the constant recharging rather then dealing with a camera the size of a cell phone. The mount does exactly what it is supposed to do, the only issues I have come across with the mount though is during a foot chase or hands on use of force I will often have to retrace my steps to find my body camera on the ground. I'm working on finding a way to secure the clip to my shirt a little better due to this. 

All in all I would recommend a body camera of some kind without a doubt, the amount of times myself and others have been cleared of false accusations with the reporting party not being aware of the video footage shutting them down promptly.

Safariland 6004-25 Drop Flex Adapter Gear Review

Safariland Model 6004-25 Single Strap Leg Shroud with Drop Flex Adapter Gear Review

Guys, if we have conversed (or worked together) you know I have almost literally put blood sweat and tears into this holster.....

So it all started when I discovered this holster 2 years ago, it was new on the market and there were almost no reviews out there. I took the plunge and bought the panel from amazon for about $55 Safariland 6004 DFA on Amazon once receiving it (keep in mind you will have to use your existing holster, you are just buying the leg plate) I immediately mounted it and fell in love. The adapter drops your handgun weapon draw approximately 3 inched from a standard Safariland mid rise holster which makes drawing while wearing an outer vest seamless and comfortable. 

Here comes the juice...all was going well, I loved the new setup and my coworkers were envious, then Sergeant Policy Enforcement sees me and states that "Only SWAT officers are permitted to wear drop holsters." I was bummed beyond belief and even looked at the possibility of a policy change as I believed in this product so strongly. Unfortunately my attempts gained no merit and I was forced to go back to my Safariland 6285 low ride holster. 

 This is how the holster will be received, its pretty self explanatory on how you set it up and the height is adjustable to three different levels on the back side. One of my greatest joys of this product was the single leg shroud. I'm not a huge fan on the typical drop leg holster which makes your entire leg feel like Robo-Cop, but the lightweight nature of this product makes it great. 

Other then mounting your weapon you also have the ability to mount 2 accessories to the sides (using the 2 outer holes, and as pictured above.)

I think you figured it out by now, I would absolutely recommend this product, of course, if your policy allows ;-)

The Gunners Return

Good evening all, after almost 2 years I have decided the feedback I received from this blog was great and it will be restarted and active again soon! Stay Tuned....