The Sisyphus Comments

Download Free Classic Books For MP3 Player

The other day, I was in Lowe’s to pick up some fertilizer (my last attempt to coax my lawn back to life next year). As usual, I had my iPod Shuffle with me and the young lady at the checkout register ask what kind of music I had on my iPod. I explained that I normally didn’t put music on my Shuffle. I have a third generation iPod that I carry when I take a trip or want to listen to music. Normally, I load my Shuffle with podcasts or audio books. The podcasts are free when you download and install iTunes on your computer (Mac or Windows versions are available). However, the audio books are somewhat expensive (check out Audible.com).

Fortunately, there is a free option available for classic books. When I say “Classic Books”, I mean books like Tom Sawyer, White Fang or War of The Worlds, some of which you were probably “forced” to read in English class. The funny thing is when you revisit these same books, they are a lot more entertaining when you are reading them because you choose to do so. It’s even better when someone else is doing the reading for you.

The books are available in MP3 format so they work on any player but they also have the an AAC version for the iPod. If you don’t have an MP3 play, just download the books an books and burn them to a CD so you can listen to them in your car.

CLICK HERE:

Visit Free Classic Books

Posted in Useful Websites | No Comments »

Flashlights and Leisure Suits

Working the night shift can be dangerous to your health! No, I’m not talking about the recent report in the medical journal, The Lance, that links working the night shift to an increase in cancer incidents. Although I admit cancer is a little scary, I think the challenges of just doing police work in the dark is an even bigger concern. That’s why it’s critical that we train officers to properly deploy their flashlights and service weapons in a functional and tactical effective manner.

I remember standing on the firing line in the 70’s trying to coordinate holding my flashlight at arms length away from my body while firing my weapon with one hand. If I remember correctly, the idea behind this technique was that the movement of the flashlight would draw the subject’s attention away from the officer’s body. Of course, by the time I coordinated moving the flashlight to the side, turning it on and aiming my weapon, I would have been dead meat anyway. Although this technique may have worked on an open shooting range, it wasn’t really practical in close quarters. Of course, I won’t even go into the weapon retention issues or the problems with one-handed shooting. Suffice it to say, there are some things from the 70’s that are best forgotten, sort like those powder blue leisure suits.

Fortunately, an astute trainer named Mike Harries, developed a flashlight deployment technique that carries his moniker. With the Harries technique, the officer holds the flashlight in one hand while the other holds the handgun with the hands locked together, back to back. The great thing about this technique is that it can be easily used in conjunction with our big, multi-cell flashlights. I have also seen a variation of this technique where the officer hold the flashlight and his weapon in closed fists with the palms placed together. However, just like with Coca-Cola, I still prefer the original for its function – plus it looks really cool.

There is another technique that gained popularity with the introduction of the Mini-Mag flashlight. Here the officer holds his weapon in the normal two-hand manner but he puts his mini flashlight between the ring and middle finger of his weak hand. I know it sounds a little squirrelly but it works if you practice it.

In fact, practice is the key to using any of these flashlight deployment methods. Unfortunately, in the academy environment there just isn’t enough time to give this critical skill enough practice. In many academies, the deployment of the flashlight is usually limited to one or two stations during a mandated firearms course.

Let’s face it though, depending on the time of year, cops spend about 2/3 of their patrol time working in low light or dark conditions so they need to perfect the skills that help them function effectively under these conditions. These tactical flashlight deployment techniques improve weapons retention while enabling the officer to use his weak hand for support. In addition, they permit the officer to shine his flashlight and weapon where he is looking. However, if the officer has to fumble around with his flashlight while he tries to remember the technique, he might well just go stand under a street light and make it really easy on the bad guy. So take a few minutes each day to practice this critical survival skill either at home or on the range until the movement becomes instinctive. Practice as if your life depends on it – some night it may!

Posted in Entry Level, In-service, Training | 1 Comment »

Microsoft Helps Out With Free Christmas Templates

The Thanksgiving leftovers should be finished by now so it’s time to start gearing up for Christmas. After you get the lights up, it will be time to start sending out the Christmas card and Microsoft has you covered. Check out their assortment of free on-line holiday templates. The have greeting cards, place cards, and mailing labels for Word, invitations for Outlook, a snowflake background for PowerPoint and whole bunch more. Check it out.

Free Christmas Templates From Microsoft

Posted in Useful Websites | No Comments »

Stop Your Heating Costs From Going Through The Roof

Are your energy costs going through the roof – literally? If you don’t have enough insulation in your attic, you may throwing away a bunch of your hard earned dollars. Fortunately, adding insulation in your attic is easy and it can help reduce your heating and cooling cost for years to come. If that doesn’t motivate you to undertake this simple home improvement task, how about if the government pays part of your cost. If you purchase qualifying insulation products before December 31, 2007, you may be eligible for a federal tax credit.

First, make a trip to your attic and take a look around. If the wood beams of your attic floor are visible, it’s a pretty safe bet that you don’t have enough insulation. But even if you can’t see the beams, you may not have enough insulation. If it’s less than 15.5 inches deep, your attic is probably under-insulated. Although the amount of insulation needed varies depending on the region of the county you live in, the U.S. Department of Energy recommends most attics be insulated to R 49.

R values represent thermal resistance to heat flow and achieving R 49 (the recommended value for the Roanoke, Virginia area) in your attic requires 15.5 inches of fiberglass blanket insulation or about 18 inches of blown insulation. You can check the recommended R-values for your region and calculate the amount of insulation you’ll need to purchase using the calculator at www.InsulateYourAtticNow.com.

If you intend to apply for the federal tax credit, make sure you purchase a product that qualifies under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. To find products that meet the requirements of the Energy Policy Act, visit www.owenscorning.com/insulationfedtaxcredit. If you use qualified insulation and meet the other requirements, you’re entitled to a tax credit worth 10 percent of the purchase price, up to $500.

Portions of this article are courtesy of ARAcontent

Posted in General Interest | No Comments »

A Steady Diet Of Roll Call Training

Years ago when I was a fairly new officer, one of my sergeants had a great idea – he wanted to start doing roll call training. Actually, he was really only responsible for resurrecting the idea. The practice of conducting mini-training sessions during roll call had come and gone in our agency on several occasions, as I am sure it has in many others. Although I think most road supervisors understand the value of imparting these little “nuggets” of knowledge on their charges, it does require some pre-planning and sometimes the job can even get in the way. When the calls are backed up on Friday or Saturday night, it can be really difficult to hold the power shift people in the squad room for an additional ten minute training session.

These may be some of the reasons that roll call training tends to happen in fits and starts in most agencies. I think some supervisors treat roll call training like a crash diet. Have you ever noticed that people that are on a diet do really well for a while, but if they have one bad day, they tend to just give up and stop dieting altogether. It never occurs to them that one moment of weakness will not trash weeks of dieting. The same is true for roll call training. Supervisor must accept the fact that the job will occasionally interfere with your roll call training program but tomorrow is another day. Don’t just give up on the program, simply begin anew tomorrow.

Although there may be some challenges associated with an ongoing roll call training program, I think most of us will agree that the benefits far outweigh the inconveniences. So lets take a look at some strategies for starting an maintaining a long term roll call training program.

Do It First

If you are the shift supervisor in charge of conducting roll call, you probably devote some time each day to organizing the information that you plan to present during roll call to make sure you don’t leave out anything. Get in the habit of preparing an outline of your presentation agenda. Don’t get real sexy, just use Word’s outline function to prepare your agenda each day. Make sure that the first item on your agenda is roll call training. When you start roll call with your training program, you have the officers’ undivided attention. As you get closer to the end of roll call, the officers tend to get distracted by the tasks associated with the start of the shift. Even if you don’t place roll call training at the top of your agenda, make sure that it is “scheduled.” If you only do roll call training “if there is time”, your program is destined for failure.

Prepare A Lesson Plan

Anytime that you conduct a training program, there should be a written record of the material that was covered. It doesn’t have to be as in-depth as the format that is used at the academy but it should include an outline of the key points. The outline will be helpful for accreditation purposes, personnel issues or even in court so make sure you save a copy of your lesson plan along with your daily roll call agenda.

What Topics Should Be Covered

If you are having trouble deciding what topics to cover during roll call training, a good place to go for ideas is your annual performance evaluation form. What criteria is used to evaluate the officers’ performance each year? What topics would help them to improve their performance is the rated areas?

You should also keep abreast of current events in the news and use them as a springboard for training sessions. For instance, recently there have been several stories in the media about the use of stun equipment. This might be a good time to review your agency’s policy governing this issue. Even if your agency doesn’t issue stun equipment, take the opportunity to review your policy on the use of other intermediate weapons such as OC spray, expandable batons or less than lethal impact munitions.

Call In Some Markers

Tap into the expertise of your local criminal justice community for training topics. For instance, you may have someone in your agency that has a reputation for effective enforcement of DUI or narcotics violations. Ask them to do a training session or a series of sessions for your officers. Most of these folks are proud of their expertise and they will be flattered that you asked them to share their knowledge.

My sergeant brought in a state trooper to discuss vehicle registration offenses. That night, I stopped a vehicle for an expired temporary license plate and I ended up charging the lady with three other vehicle registration offenses as a direct result of the knowledge I had gained during the trooper’s 15 minute presentation.

Many social services agencies or special interest groups like MADD or SADD will jump at the chance to talk with officers about their programs. All you have to do is make the request and schedule the time. Remember to ask them to provide you with a written overview of their presentation so that you can file it with your agenda.

Teaching Is Learning

According to Glasser’s Leaning Scale, we learn 70% of what we discuss with others and 95% of what we teach to others. With this in mind, you may want to try a round robin approach to role call training with your officers.

Assign each officer a date to conduct a roll call training course of his choice. This practice will involve the officers in their training, give the supervisor a break from his course development responsibilities and increase the learning level of the instructing officer. The supervisor should have a back up lesson available so that he can cover the training session in the event that an officer is absent on his assigned date due to illness or some other issue.

Fix Agency Problems

A good place to get fodder for roll call training is your policy manual. However, unless you want incite to a mass revolt, don’t just sit and read the policy. Hopefully, your officers are capable of reading the policy on their own. Instead, ask someone from your agency who has a thorough knowledge of the policy to explain its history and the reasons for the policy then discuss the it with the officers. Discussions of this type help officers to understand the “why” of the policy instead of just the “what.” A focus group discussion of this nature can also benefit the policy developers since a thorough review of the policy will often identify outdated points that are in need of revision.  A thorough review of existing policies may also preclude the need for new policies. When officers understand the “why” of a policy, they are better able to apply the spirit of the policy to wider range of situation thus eliminating the need for additional written guidance.

Don’t try to cram an entire policy into one session. If you are reviewing an extensive or critical topic like your agency’s use of force policy, do a series of sessions over several shifts.

Personal Benefit For Officers

Consider conducting training on issues that will personally benefit the officers and their families. Review agency benefit programs such deferred compensation, health care, retirement and employee assistance. A class on line of duty death benefits, accompanied by a resource handout for their spouses, would be a comfort to the officers and an invaluable resource for their families.

There Will Be A Quiz

That’s right – it’s a good practice to test your officers’ understanding of the material that you covered during roll call training for a couple of reasons. First, the officers tend to pay a little closer attention when they know they are going to be tested on the material. Second, the purpose of taking the time and effort to conduct roll call training is to impart knowledge to the officers. How will you know if you were successful if you don’t conduct some type of assessment.

I am not talking about administering an annual 100 question comprehensive exam. All you need to do is administer a 10 to 20 question multiple choice quiz that covers the high points of the training from the past month. In addition to testing the officers’ understanding and retention of material that was covered, it reenforces the important training criteria.

Of course testing carries an obligation to conduct remedial instruction for officers that haven’t grasp the important points of the training but that can take the form of a short verbal refresher coupled with a notation on the quiz sheet.

Use Your Imagination

Don’t be afraid to experiment with roll call training topics. You should understand that you are not going to hit a home run with every training course and some officers are going to complain about any additional training requirement. However, if you believe that your job as a supervisor is to empower your officers to do their job – there is no better tool that you can provide than knowledge.

Speak Up!

If you found the information in this article useful (or not), click on the “Comment” link below and share your opinion.

Posted in In-service, Supervision, Training | 4 Comments »

On-line Coupon Codes Revisited

Its the holiday season and most reports indicate that more gifts will be purchased on-line this year than ever before. A while back, I wrote an article about using of coupon codes when you make on-line purchases. If you have made many on-line purchases, you have probably noticed a box on the checkout screen where you can enter a coupon code. Basically, on-line merchants send these discount codes to their preferred customers but they know the codes will end up being shared on the internet – in fact they probably count on it.

There are several websites that collate these codes and make them available to anyone. Of course, there is not guarantee that they will will have a discount code for your item but it is worth a minute to check especially for electronic items. Oftentimes, the code is good for 10% or more off the purchase price or free shipping. Here is a list of my favorite discount coupon sites.

• NaughtyCodes
• Coupon Craze
• Keycode
• Current Codes
• Coupon Cabin
• CoolSavings

One other option is to just type the name of the product you want to buy and “coupon code” into Google and see what comes up. Oftentimes, Google will return a valid code for your purchase. You have nothing to lose but a moment or two.

Posted in Useful Websites | No Comments »

Get The 411 From Google

You never know what is going to percolate out of the labs at Google but it is usually something useful and free. When I was growing up, if you needed a telephone number, you just dialed 411 and an operator provided the number, for free. Somewhere along the way, that changed and you can get hit with a pretty hefty fee if you dial 411 for a telephone number now.

Thanks to the latest tool from Google, you can again get the business telephone numbers you need . . . for free. Even better, you don’t need a computer or internet connection – just your telephone or mobile device. Simply dial (1-800) GOOG-411 to access the voice-activated service from your phone. Once you are connected, say where and what you’re looking for and GOOG-411 will hook you up with the business you choose.

That’s not all. If you are calling from a mobile device, simply say “Text message” or “Map it” and GOOG-411 will shoot you a text message with more info and a map. Is this a great country or what? Check it out!

CLICK HERE:

Google411

Posted in Computer Advice | No Comments »

Get More From Your Christmas Cards By Giving

Around this time of year, most criminal justice agencies send out Christmas cards. We used to always order our cards on-line but now there is an on-line vendor that lets you double the pleasure of sending out cards.

CardsThatGive.org is a non-profit site that makes it simple to select greeting cards sold by charities. The premise is if it were easy for people to buy their greeting cards from non-profit organizations, card sales could generate millions of dollars for worthy causes.

CardsThatGive.org directs you to dozens of effective non-profit organizations that sell greeting cards to help fund their charitable work. This is a painless way for you to help out people in need if you are getting ready to purchase your holiday cards for this year. Check it out.

CLICK HERE:

http://www.cardsthatgive.org/

Posted in Useful Websites | No Comments »

Short Walk Down Aisle Turns Into 25 Year Journey

Getting old definitely has its pitfalls. There are days that I can barely remember what I walked upstairs to get by the time I get there. Fortunately, I still recall most of the important things. For instance, I still clearly remember watching a beautiful woman walk down the aisle of a chapel on Saturday, November 20, 1982. The woman was my bride and today we have reached a major life milestone – our 25th wedding anniversary.

Of course, after that things get a little fuzzy until May 12, 1984 when my son was born. I remember watching the Star Trek marathon during all those long hours that my wife was in labor. Actually I would have probably forgotten that part but she takes every opportunity to remind me that I spent more time watching television than comforting her. (Note to future fathers – don’t even turn the television on when your wife is in labor – it just isn’t worth it) Then came the next big life event that is permanently burned into my memory, holding my new son just moments after he was born.  I also recall that my bride was still beautiful – even after just giving birth.

The remainder of the 25 years have been a blur with some bad times sprinkled in with a bunch of good times. That little baby that fit in the palm of my hand is now a man. Yes sir, things have sure changed over the last quarter of a century. The one constant – the anchor in this sea of change – has been my bride who is still there for me, for better or for worse. That is why, in my eyes, she is even more beautiful today than she was when she walked down that aisle 25 years ago. Happy anniversary, Wanda.

Posted in General Interest | 1 Comment »

Word Quick Tip: Changing Table Column Widths

Working with tables in Word can sometime be a real pain. However, there are some included features that can help you smooth out the wrinkles if you know where to look.

If you set up a table and then decide that you would like to have the columns fit evenly across the page, you don’t have to change the widths on the individual columns. Just select the columns, choose Table/AutoFit, then choose AutoFit to Window. Presto! Your table column will be evenly changed to fit the width of you window.

I hope Word Quick Tip will save you some time and frustration in the future.

Posted in Computer Advice | No Comments »

Track Your Auto Service History On-line

They say that time flies and I think it does when you’re talking about oil changes. It seems like three months or three thousand miles goes by before I know it. To be honest, four or five thousand miles usually passes before I notice. Now, thanks to ServiceBeacon, I have a free and easy personal assistant to keep track of what service is due.

ServiceBeacon is designed for people like me. I want to take care of my car but I really don’t keep up with what sort of service should be done or when to do it. That’s why ServiceBeacon is so great. Once you setup your car at ServiceBeacon, they send you an e-mail notice when service is due.

ServiceBeacon also keeps track of your car’s official maintenance schedule, you know the one in your glove compartment that you never look at. They will even send you an e-mail if a recall is issued on your car.

If you really want to go high-tech, you can book service with your car dealer online. You can create a service order and have ServiceBeacon email it to your dealer or mechanic. Once a service is performed, your car’s service history is stored online so you always have a record of your service. Service Beacon will even keep track of as multiple cars. Check it out!

CLICK HERE:

ServiceBeacon

Posted in Useful Websites | No Comments »

Excel Quick Tip: Changing Column Width

This time of year, many people are beginning to develop their budgets so I thought an Excel Quick Tip might be useful. Getting your spreadsheet to “look right” and also print correctly is often the most difficult part of using Excel. Here is a tip to help you setup your column widths.

If you want to change the widths of several columns, start by selecting the columns you want to change. If you want to change the widths of adjacent columns, just select the first column that you would like to include, hold down the shift key, and click on the last column.. If you want to change the widths of non-adjacent columns, hold down the control key instead of the shift key and click on each column. After all your columns are selected, just drag the width of any of the selected columns and all of the highlighted columns will change to the same width.

I hope Excel Quick Tip will save you time and effort in the future.

Posted in Computer Advice | No Comments »

Learn To Type With Free RapidTyping Software

In September of last year, I recommended using a Firefox add-on, Addictive Typing Lessons, to help you learn to “touch type” or to build up you typing skills. You can check out my previous blog article, “Time To Learn To Type“, for several free on-line typing tutorials.

The only problem with my previous recommendations is you have to be connected to the internet in order to use them. Now I have a solution that eliminates the need to be connected to internet so you can practice anywhere. That’s right, you can get a free copy of the RapidTyping Typing Tutorial (free as in beer).

Your training will take place in a virtual picturesque underwater world and the variety of underwater fauna will make training loads of fun. The more you improve your typing level, the more underwater creatures you will experience. There are a variety of pre-designed training exercises or you can create your own. Track your progress using statistics that can be shown both in tables and diagrams. Everyone can join in on the fun since RapidTyping supports multiple users.

If you don’t want to install it on your computer, there’s even a portable version. It also supports multi-language interfaces including English, German, Italian, Russian, Ukrainian. Unfortunately it only works on the Windows platform (2000/XP/Vista) so Mac and Linux users will have to find another option. Check it out!

CLICK HERE:

RapidTyping Typing Tutorial

Posted in Computer Advice | No Comments »

Brothers Backpacking The Appalachian Trail – Part II

Day two of the First Annual Brothers Backpacking Adventure started off with a hot bowl of oatmeal, instant coffee for me and some type of powdered drink for little bro. It was cool enough to start the hike wearing a sweatshirt but by the time we were half way to McAfee’s Knob, I had stripped down to a t-shirt. The view from the Knob was beautiful (as always) but the wind was blowing hard and cold from the West so we didn’t linger too long. Unfortunately, both of us forgot to bring a camera so our memory is all we have to preserve the view.

We crossed paths with a south-bound AT thru-hiker that went by the trail name of Snack Time. He had left Maine in June and was heading to Georgia. I had to explain the trail name custom to my brother and then we spent the next few miles trying to come up with an appropriate trail name for him. I finally combined his most visible asset with his most memorable action (his fall on the first night) and christened him “Belly Flob.” I think the name will stick since, after reading this article, I am almost certain the folks up in PA will spread the word.

We made a brief snack stop at the Campbell Shelter and talked with a young couple who had spent the night there. They were trying to figure out how to get back to their other vehicle since they had failed to bring along the key to the vehicle that they had parked on this end of their trip. I knew they weren’t married because they were laughing about their situation. Had they been married, they probably wouldn’t have even been speaking to each other.

The second leg of our journey was supposed to be 8.8 or 8.9 miles depending on which source you checked. You can never really be sure of the distances on the AT since it is not uncommon for the signs, maps and data books to all show a different milage for the same route. Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that it really doesn’t matter. All I do is walk until I get to my destination – however long it takes. There was one killer hill that caused my Pennsylvania partner to take a couple of rest breaks. Apparently, the guy who understood the importance of using switchbacks was off sick on the day that they laid out this section of the trail since it went straight up over the hill.

We arrived at the Lambert Meadow shelter at around 1600 hrs. so we beat the rush. I cooked up a pot of gourmet instant noodles, tuna and tortillas. I used to bring bagels on my backpacking trips but a few years ago I changed over to tortillas since they are lighter and pack easier. For dessert, we both ate two chocolate pudding cups. Life just doesn’t get any better than that. Out shelter mates for the night included six guys from Northern Virginia and four from Virginia Tech. Fortunately several elected to sleep in tents so there were only five of us that called the shelter home for the night.

By about 1715 hrs., we had the dishes cleaned up and everything packed away. By 1730 hrs., little bro was in his sleeping bag and out like a light. At least three of the five occupants of the shelter (all over 40 years old) snored for most of the night. Of course, I was one of the three. Like I said, it is hell getting old.

We were the first ones out of the sack in the morning. After another oatmeal breakfast, we were on the trail by 0700 hrs. It was great hiking along the ridge that surrounds Carvins Cove. My brother was suitably impressed with himself when he looked back across the Cove to where we had started that morning. We covered over eight miles and were out of the woods before lunch.

Einstein said that time is relative and this backpacking trip confirmed his theory. It is amazing how quickly time flies when you are doing something you love to do with someone you love to be with. The good news is I spoke to my brother on the telephone today and, not only is he planning to come back next year, but he may even bring along a buddy from work. It sounds like a plan to me.

Posted in Backpacking | No Comments »