All Law Enforcement, Defense & Security Articles
  • How will coronavirus affect the Chinese economy and international business?

    Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    China is a major U.S. trading partner and the world's fastest growing economy. How will the outbreak of the coronavirus that began in Wuhan affect that nation's economy and international business generally? Much is uncertain. That's a problem, because businesses prefer certainty as an underlying condition of future market demand and supply. We turn to Doug Barry, a spokesperson with the U.S.-China Business Council. "The shutdown of supply chains is having a ripple effect around the world, with shortages in some raw materials, parts and finished goods popping up," Barry said by email.

  • Amazon’s all-conquering education, labor visions come under fire

    Michelle R. Matisons Education

    Big Tech, including Amazon, has been asked to release acquisitions from the past decade. There's increasing pressure on the Seattle-based company, as it contests losing a Pentagon cloud contract to Microsoft while continuing its ubiquitous global reach. Amazon is also known for warehouse safety violations. Fifteen senators, including presidential contenders Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, have asked the company to publish serious worker injuries. Given the company's labor reputation, how qualified is Amazon to have a strong presence in U.S. classrooms?

  • Why you need to keep your finger off the trigger

    Mike Ox Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

    I'm part of a few instructor groups online and a question was recently posed about an agency whose policy is to scan for threats with the trigger finger on the trigger and the slack taken up. The response was pretty much universal…if your sights are on your intended target, the finger goes on the trigger. If your sights aren't on your intended target, your finger goes off the trigger. But why?

  • Why new crash response programs are important for law enforcement

    Bambi Majumdar Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

    In 2018, the NYPD rolled out its Staten Island pilot program for responding to crashes and drew mixed responses for it. Under this program, police officers in the area only responded to vehicle crashes that involve personal injuries and not property damage. Deeming it a successful pilot program, the department recently announced plans to expand it to the other four boroughs of New York City. Since the department stopped responding to all crash sites in Staten Island, officers can now opt to focus on priority jobs and tasks. As a result, officers' response times to serious crash sites have improved.

  • Proposed federal budget boosts nuclear production, ignores social costs

    Michelle R. Matisons Civil & Government

    The proposed Fiscal Year 2021 federal nuclear defense budget, unveiled on Feb. 10, includes new weapons manufacturing. This anticipates more growth while plans still ignore total costs, a concern for those immediately impacted in nuclear weapons laboratory towns like Los Alamos, New Mexico. The Trump administration’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) budget is $19.8 billion: a 20% increase from last year. But higher numbers than those should be expected as total operational, capital, and social costs loom outside current projected expenditures.

  • Is cryptocurrency payroll legal?

    Grace Ferguson Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    Paying employees in cryptocurrencies could be an emerging trend. But it’s not without controversy or implications. U.S. employers should tread carefully. A key area of consideration is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which says that employers must pay employees "prescribed wages, including overtime compensation, in cash or negotiable instrument payable at par." "Negotiable instrument payable at par" is interpreted to mean either cash or something that can be immediately converted into cash, such as direct deposit or paper check.

  • F-35’s problems continue with the gun that won’t shoot straight

    Rebecca Walker Donaldson Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

    It should not come as a surprise that the Lockheed Martin Corporation’s $428 billion F-35 aircraft, which has been fraught with problems for years, has a gun that won’t shoot straight. There are three F-35 models that are equipped with the 25 mm gun. While there seems to be no problems with the gun on the Navy and Marine Corps versions, the Air Force model has "unacceptable" accuracy when hitting ground targets. Recently, Bloomberg defense reporter Anthony Capaccio had an advance look at the Defense Department’s anticipated report on the progress of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

  • Why California needs a public utility option — but not prisoner futility

    Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & Environmental

    When universal values of dignified workplaces cautiously attending to dwindling resources are contemplated in the U.S., minds often wander to the Golden State. But not so fast. Northern California's International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) 1245 union opposes new legislation, Senate Bill 917, to turn bankrupt PG&E into a public utility — harkening back to yesteryear’s spotted owl vs. logger debates regarding old growth forests. The term "labor power" takes on new meaning to survive these divisive times; labor clashes with the environment again.

  • CBD trend for food, beverage shows no signs of slowing, despite legality…

    Bambi Majumdar Food & Beverage

    The cannabidiol (CBD) industry is witnessing phenomenal growth, and this is expected to continue through 2020 and beyond. CBD oil and other topical products, which are said to relieve pain and insomnia and reduce stress and anxiety, are growing in sales, though these claims are mostly unproven. In the food and beverage space, CBD-infused coffee, brownies, cookies, and other food items are rapidly expanding. However, the absence of clear federal guidance has raised consumer safety concerns.

  • Workplace fatalities are at their highest levels since 2008. What’s…

    Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    In December 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics released workplace injury data from 2018. There were 5,250 fatal workplace injuries, which represents a 2% increase over 2017. This is also the highest amount since 2008, and it should be noted that from 2009-15, workplace fatalities were in the 4,500 to 4,600 range. Two particular causes of workplace fatalities increased significantly. Deaths from unintentional overdoses as a result of nonmedical consumption of drugs or alcohol while at work increased 12%. Work-related suicides increased by 11%.