Customer Reviews

Advanced Patrol Tactics: Skills for Today's Street Cop

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The book is written in a clear, easy-to-read style with many drawings and photographs to add to the clarity. Reading this book is a pleasure, so it is disappointing that the contents are not up to par.

The book contains a variery of topics, some of which you can hardly call "advanced patrol tactics", like the chapter on contact & cover (which, in my opinion, is a very basic tactic). On the other hand, Rayburn seems a bit too enthusiastic about such topics as shooting through the windshield glass, which is a bit marginal in my opinion. Additionally, Rayburn uses about 1/3 of the book on point shooting. That's fine by me, and the section is excellent. Rayburn gives very good justification about using point shooting, and gives detailed information on how to practice it. The problem is, this book should be about tactics, not shooting...

I bought this book a couple of years ago. I am a FTO with my Dept. I found the book very useful both for myself and for my trainees. It helped me in areas that have gotten a little rusty over the years from non use. I just bought this book again this Christmas for one of my officers on shift. Have used several chapters in the book for the shift for training. If you are serious about tactics, then you need to read this book. Place it in your library upstairs.

Advanced Patrol Tactics: Skills for Today's Street Cop by Michael T. Rayburn was a mixed bag for me as it had some sections with solid information and other areas that were lacking. Also, while the book is called "Advanced Patrol Tactics" the contents in reality are very basic. Much of what is covered in this book would be covered as part of the curriculum in a basic law enforcement academy.

The first three chapters include topics on:

- Contact and Cover
- The Windshield Glass Barrier
- Vehicle Pursuits

These chapters consisted of rudimentary information that is beneficial for officers. When discussing the Windshield Glass Barrier it is important for officers to know that the windshield does have an impact on the trajectory of the bullet so this information is useful for officers to know and understand.

The next six chapters cover different aspects of shooting to include:

- Point Shooting vs. Aimed Shooting
- Point Shooting: How To
- Point Shooting: On the Move
- Point Shooting: One Handed
- Instinctive Low Light Shooting
- Close Quarters Shooting

A good portion of the book deals with point shooting. A lot of good information is provided but at the end of the day no one is really going to effectively learn to point shoot from a book. It would be wise to seek out a qualified instructor to supplement the information that is provided in the book. Having attended numerous law enforcement shooting classes I will say that some places teach point shooting and others rely on aimed shooting with emphasis on the front sight. In some respect I think Rayburn would have been better to keep this book limited to being a "Point Shooting" book as opposed to the more diverse topic he ended up with.

I thought the chapter on Instinctive Low Light Shooting was poorly written and severely deficient with only 8 pages devoted to this extremely important and relevant topic. For low light shooting I would highly suggest reading The Strategies of Low Light Engagements by Ken Good which is the best resource on the topic.

Chapters 11 and 12 discuss Building Clearing/Searches. These chapters really fail to capture proper techniques and tactics to cover this very dangerous and common aspect of law enforcement. There are so many nuances to building clearing/searches that one really has to practice these techniques over and over in a variety of situations to include daylight, low light, single threat, multiple threats, single story home, two story house, apartment complexes, offices, restaurants, multi story buildings, etc. Then there are situations that truly are advanced like hostage situations, barricaded suspects with or without hostages, active shooter, potential booby traps, etc.

Overall, you have to take the bad with the good with Advanced Patrol Tactics: Skills for Today's Street Cop. You will definitely get some useful and relevant information but you will need to also discard some of the less useful information as well.

As current police officer i found this book is very very good.
It highlights all the important issues that are so easy to forget.
It helps you to really realise that you can never stop training and also dismisses all the false ideas about patrolling on the street.

It also incorporates a lot of psychological aspects about criminals and will definately help you to think on your feet should the situation arise.

Only thing i would have like to have seen more of is graphical illustrations.

Excellent book otherwise

I recently retired after 25 years in the U.S. Marshals Service. Although I was never a patrol officer per se, I am intimately familiar with police officer survival. Mr. Rayburn has written a very good book, with excellent practical information, on this overall topic.

Excellent book, gives you the facts and percentages in a readible style! Highly recommend this!

It's a decent book. Nothing flashy or trendy, just basic good patrol practices that should not be forgotten. The natural point shooting section is right on the money and will save lives.

It's a great experience that I cannot find anywhere on the open market. The author is definitely a great law enforcement trainer. The only concern that I have is the security for my other brothers and sisters which chosen the warrior path.