High-Power Compact Microwave Source for Vehicle Immobilization, Final Report

Abstract

Eureka Aerospace has developed a compact single frequency high-power electromagnetic system (HPEMS) for remotely immobilizing vehicles using microwave energy to disable/damage vehicle’s electronic control module/microprocessor which controls engine’s vital functions. The HPEMS consist of rapid charging power supply, capable of delivering of up to 100 pulses per second to the 16-stage Marx generator having erected voltage of 640 kV, whose output consist of 100 Joule, 50 ns long DC pulses. The Marx generator “feeds” the microwave oscillator, consisting of two-transmission line flat-plate Blumlein architecture converting DC pulses into RF-modulated waveform at 350 MHz, using a multiple spark-gap switch configuration. The extension of Blumlein and ground plates into flare horn geometry offers a unique oscillator-high-gain antenna configuration yielding focusing of microwave energy along the focal axis of the antenna. The measured electric field strength at the 30 ft range is approximately 60 kV/m, which corresponds to the power density of 477 W/cm . The limited laboratory test successfully demonstrated the system’s capability of “killing” of the...

Read More!

Reaction Time Lethal Force Encounter Shooting Scene Considerations

“The essential elements to be considered are the inherent danger reasonably perceived at the time and the physical realities that apply at the time. These physical realities include the factors of action versus reaction times, the abilities of the involved parties, the limited time available to recognize, react, initiate and implement a response, the sensory distortions that will occur in any high stress lifethreatening incident and the limited means available to compel a timely halt to the threatening activity. These elements must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer within the incident and not with the application of 20/20 hindsight.” [Ref. 15 Patrick & Hall] The justified use of force elements hold true whether Officer or Citizen. Officer or Citizen need to be viewed from the perspective of the incident and not with 20/20 hindsight. To understand the timing of a lethal force encounter we need to discuss reaction time, both the mental process and the physical process.

Read More!

Law Enforcement Infrastructure Challenges

Law enforcement in the United States in neither centrally directed nor homogenous. As such, it does not readily fit the definition of infrastructure set out in the report of the Critical Infrastructure Working Group. Local, State and Federal law enforcement agencies have their own (and sometimes unique) geographic and statutory jurisdictions, as well as operating procedures that may or may not overlap or coincide. The Attorney General is the chief Federal law enforcement officer and has authority to oversee the activities of Federal law enforcement agencies and Federal efforts to provide assistance to local law enforcement authorities. However, no Federal authority exists to oversee the activities of non-Federal law enforcement agencies. Because of the diversity and redundancy of the U.S. law enforcement structure, there appears to be almost no realistic vulnerability or group of vulnerabilities that could debilitate the entire law enforcement system through physical attack. This said, there are four areas examined in this paper which may prove to be

Read More!

Determining Distance Between Shooter And Victim Using Blood And Back Spatter

ABSTRACT

This project was developed in hopes of being able to answer questions about a crime scene that have not yet been answered. Blood pattern analysis is a crucial part of crime scene reconstruction. Analyzing the blood spatter left behind at most crime scenes allows for investigators to determine where the victim and the assaulting weapon came into contact with each other, also known as the point of convergence. They can also tell what type of weapon the assailant used to commit the crime with by analyzing the velocity of the spatter. However, a phenomenon known as back spatter analysis or as blow back analysis may also be left behind and studied by the investigator. The intention of this research is analyzing back spatter of objects shot with three different weapons at varying distance. Different ammunition will also be used. The weapons will be a Walther P22, 9mm Walther PPS, and a .380 Smith & Wesson Bodyguard using Critical Defense

Read More!

Corruption in Law Enforcement: A Paradigm of Occupational Stress and Deviancy

In the closed society of a law enforcement agency, factors such as the conspiracy of silence, authoritarian supervision, and police discretion contribute to corruption. This article describes various types of corrupt behavior by police officers, reports the incidence of corruption in law enforcement agencies, discusses psychiatric conditions that may arise from corruption and also contribute to further corruption, and reviews proposed remedies for corruption. It also suggests that an understanding of corruption in law enforcement might be helpful in understanding, correcting, and preventing corruption in other professions, including medicine

Police officers are both respected and suspected, hated and loved, feared and courted for favor, maligned and praised. They wield tremendous power and are capable of depriving others of their freedom, their reputations, and their lives.' Most of us assume, in our dealings with police officers, that they are all competent, honest, professional, and psychologically stable. This is true of the majority of officers, but there are also officers who are dishonest,

Read More!

Guide to Equitable Sharing for State and Local Law Enforcement

I. What Is the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Program?

The Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Program (the Program) is a nationwide law enforcement initiative that removes the tools of crime from criminal organizations, deprives wrongdoers of the proceeds of their crimes, recovers property that may be used to compensate victims, and deters crime. The most important objective of the Program is law enforcement. Equitable sharing further enhances this law enforcement objective by fostering cooperation among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Federal law authorizes the Attorney General to share federally forfeited property with participating state and local law enforcement agencies. The exercise of this authority is discretionary and limited by statute. The Attorney General is not required to share property in any case. The Controlled Substances Act most fully states the intent of Congress in the sharing of forfeited property. Section 881(e)(3) of Title 21, United States Code, provides that: The Attorney General shall assure that any property transferred to a State or local law enforcement agency…

Read More!

Police Work and Its Effects on the Family

INTRODUCTION

Police work and how it effects the family is an extremely complex subject. The role of a police officer is ambiguous and requires one to use discretion to perform their duties. While researching this paper it was found that there is minim to no education for officers during their training to guide them in the use of discretion or how to handle stress. Nor is there education offered after assuming their professional role as a police officer on effective techniques to use discretion or handle stress. This in turn causes stress to the officer. The stress that officers incur in their profession can be transferred to or shared by his/her family. Stress can be thought of as a state of extreme difficulty, pressure or strain. To be more precise, stress can be a mentally or emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and can be capable of affecting physical health (Merriam and Webster, 1980).

Read More!

Understanding how Police Officers Think About Mental | Emotional Disturbance Calls

Abstract

Police officers frequently respond to calls involving persons with mental illnesses and in doing so, they are key gatekeepers of access to mental health treatment as well as entry into the criminal justice system. Programs such as Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) are being implemented across the United States and elsewhere to train officers to respond more effectively and facilitate access to mental health services when appropriate. These programs would benefit from a thorough understanding of these encounters from the perspective of police officers. We take as a premise that officers develop frames of reference or “schema” for understanding and responding to these encounters that are shaped by socialization, training, and their experience as police officers. In this study, we examine police officer schema of mental/emotional disturbance (M/EDP) calls. Qualitative interviews provided the foundation to develop the Needs on the Street Interview (NOSI) to tap officer schema of four types of M/EDP scenarios. The NOSI was administered to 147 officers in Chicago and Philadelphia.

Read More!

Measuring the Performance of Law Enforcement Agencies – Part 1 of a 2-Part article

I. INTRODUCTION

This is the first segment of a two-part article on measuring the performance of law enforcement agencies. It is written for a policing audience, and draws in part on my discussions with members of CALEA’s Performance Measurement Subcommittee and those who have attended my training workshops at the last two CALEA Conferences. In this first segment, I introduce the general concepts, terminology, and history of comparative performance measurement in policing. The second segment, which will appear in the next edition of the CALEA Update, will show you how to develop, pilot-test, and implement comparative performance measurement in your agency. This article is one small part of a larger effort by CALEA to explore the feasibility and utility of agency-level performance measurement in policing. That journey is just beginning, and will proceed slowly, but it is expected to be a worthwhile one...

Read More!

Shootings: What EMS Providers Need to Know

  Firearm-related injuries continue to be a significant public health problem, accounting for almost 20% of injury-related deaths in the United States.

   From January 1993 to December 1998, an estimated 115,000 firearm-related injuries occurred annually in the U.S. Males were seven times more likely to die or be treated in emergency departments for gunshot wounds than females. In 2006 more than 30,000 persons died from firearm injuries in the United States.

   Gunshot wounds to the head are the most lethal of all firearm injuries. It is estimated they have a fatality rate greater than 90%. Those to the myocardium have fatality rates reaching 80%. Intra-abdominal injuries from gunshot wounds tend to involve the small bowel (50%), colon (40%), liver (30%) and abdominal vascular structures (25%).

PENETRATING MOI

   Gunshot wounds involve the transfer of energy to a target. The damage that occurs is directly related to the amount of energy exchanged between the penetrating...

Read More!