Capt. Bryan Lee’s gadget, though basic, saved more than one life that scary night in the waters of Port Canaveral.
Overwhelmed by a violent boater charging at his patrol vessel, the solo state wildlife officer called for backup on his portable radio, summoning a response from the Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Coast Guard.
Together, they forced the heavily intoxicated attacker to surrender while rescuing his girlfriend, who jumped from the suspect’s boat in a desperate escape attempt that night in 2003.
“When we’re by ourselves working in these remote areas,” Lee said, “that’s the only way people know what’s going on and know to help you if things go bad like this did.”
That’s why the gear clipped to an officer’s gun belt — or within reach — matters in a life-or-death situation.
Law-enforcement officers routinely rely on an array of gadgets to protect themselves and the public, from such mainstays as portable radios and sidearms to an increasingly diverse collection of specialized weapons and high-tech gear.
Such devices will be on display at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference and Expo.
The event, which runs Saturday through Tuesday , is drawing officers from across the country to the Orange County Convention Center to discuss everything from the latest police-training techniques to law-enforcement equipment trends.
Body cams
One of those trends, video cameras on officers, is becoming increasingly popular in Central Florida.
Activated with the push of a button, the camera captures the officer’s point of view in anything from the simplest traffic stop to a shootout with a suspect.
“It’s not his word versus my word,” Volusia County Deputy Sheriff Randy Post said. “It’s his word versus the camera.”
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office is working to deploy the roughly $700-per unit Taser AXON Flex camera to its 200 or so deputies, joining other local agencies such as Daytona Beach, Sanford and Windermere with the similar devices.
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office also is planning on getting about 200 cameras.
Those devices are joining a collection of common police gadgets beyond guns, including these:
*Expandable batons: These weapons are about the size of flashlight when they are attached to an officer’s belt, but they expand to full size, about 16 to 21 inches, with a quick wrist flick. They extend officers’ reach, allowing them to strike and jab from a distance.
*Stun guns: These devices deliver powerful electrical blasts, impairing muscle movements of would-be attackers. Taser International is the largest maker of such devices, which come in a variety of designs. Some deploy electrified prongs. Others require physical contact.
*Pepper spray: The weapons unleash inflammatory chemicals into someone’s eyes, causing tears, pain and temporary blindness.
Specialized gear
Specialized police forces frequently require gear other cops don’t have.
Take the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, for example. Its officers patrol more than 8,000 miles of state waters for intoxicated boaters, illegal fishers and other violations.
The agency’s Brevard-based Sea Hawk, a 42-foot vessel operated by Capt. Bryan Lee, is equipped with everything from advanced navigation systems to powerful rifles.
Lee said the three-engine vessel’s Furuno NavNet 3D navigation is the boat’s most important tool.
The radar tracks targets at sea while the chart plotter shows the layout of ports and the boat’s position.
There’s also an identification system, which shows the size, type and destination of an oncoming boats.
“We’re very instrumentation-dependent during the night,” Lee said. “The glare from the windows [and] the lights get real deceiving, as far as what’s around you. I’m staring at that screen constantly.”
UCF’s first-aid kit
Other agencies have developed their own must-have gadgets based on their own expertise.
Officers with the University of Central Florida’s Police Department carry a unique, custom-made bag outfitted with tourniquets, seals for “sucking chest wounds,” and other medical aids originally given to soldiers to treat trauma patients on the battlefields.
UCF police worked with North American Rescue, a major U.S. military supplier, to create a police version of the military’s individual first-aid kit, also known as IFAK.
Officer Curt Myhre said the kit allows officers to start saving lives in active-shooter situations when firefighters and paramedics can’t get to the victims soon enough.
It’s been issued to all 64 officers, Myhre said. But no one has had to use it yet.
UCF police’s bag differs from the military version because it has a shoulder strap instead of a leg or arm strap, and a back pouch for extra ammunition.
“It’s self-care, buddy care,” Myhre said. “They can now turn and start helping the victims immediately instead of waiting.”
twalden@tribune.com or 407-420-5620
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article gave incorrect dates for the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference and Expo in Orlando.
