Stripes and Bars by Amaury Murgado

Stripes and Bars: Don’t Be An Idea Person

THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF IDEAS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. However, there is a shortage of people who will actually implement them. In today's world,...
Best Practices by Amaury Murgado

Best Practices: Effective Decision-Making Based on Defining the Problem

Effective decision-making involves starting out with the right mindset. Decision-making is a basic skill common to all law enforcement officers regardless of position or rank....
Best Practices by Amaury Murgado

Best Practices: Wargaming As Training

There is a school of thought that suggests good training is proportionate to the amount of money you spend; the more you spend the...
Best Practices by Amaury Murgado

Best Practices: Goal-Oriented Training

Many in law enforcement view training as something to try to get out of. Since it’s often seen as a necessary evil, it’s always...
Stripes and Bars by Amaury Murgado

Stripes and Bars: Maintaining Focus

IF YOU ARE A STAR WARS FAN, you might remember that in Episode I, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn tells young Anakin Skywalker, "Always remember,...
Best Practices by Amaury Murgado

Best Practices: Stress Management

Stress is an officer’s number one nemesis. During a call, it creates automatic psychological and physiological responses that reduce your effectiveness. Too much stress...
Best Practices by Amaury Murgado

Best Practices: Maximize Initial Response

This Best Practices article discusses the importance of investing in your first 10 minutes in order to maximize initial response. Borrowing a line from the...
Best Practices by Amaury Murgado

Best Practices: Leading By Example

Respect comes from leading by example. Anything I ever needed to know about leadership I learned serving in the U.S. Army prior to becoming a...
Best Practices by Amaury Murgado

Best Practices: Why the OODA Loop is Still Relevant

The OODA loop was created by Air Force colonel John Boyd in the late 1950s. He was a Korean War fighter pilot and a...
Best Practices by Amaury Murgado

Best Practices: Dealing With Citizens Complaints

Dealing with Citizen complaints is not always easy, but treating irate citizens with respect and patience can help you stop serious trouble before it...
Best Practices by Amaury Murgado

Best Practices: How To…Respond Instead of React

The Aug. 9, 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, triggered a chain of events that changed how the public perceived law enforcement....
Best Practices by Amaury Murgado

Best Practices: Maintain A Healthy Mind

It's not difficult to find information and inspiration about staying in shape and maintaining a healthy body. However, without maintaining a healthy mind, you...
Best Practices by Amaury Murgado

Best Practices: Critical Incident Delegation And Documentation

Critical incident delegation and documentation is as important as as the tactical side of an operation and Amaury Murgado explains how it will help...
Best Practices by Amaury Murgado

Best Practices: Developing Training Acronyms

Effective training acronyms and teaching terms can communicate larger concepts in a few letters. Law enforcement officers present a tough audience for trainers and educators....
Best Practices by Amaury Murgado

Best Practices: Teamwork Minus the B.S.

We live in an age of political correctness where saying the right things seems to have more value than doing the right things. People...
Best Practices by Amaury Murgado

Best Practices: Closing the Reactionary Gap

One of the most important things you can learn about dealing face to face with suspects is the concept of relative positioning. Relative positioning...