Category Archives: Articles Written by Scott Reitz

I recently had a long conversation with a fellow SWAT officer who retired some years ago. We discussed life after the LAPD and our retirements. Now there are retirements and there are retirements. Some individuals are immensely popular with their… Continue reading →

Years ago when I was still on LAPD, a hostage situation developed in a large metropolitan city. The suspect held the hostage in the typical configuration of a controlling arm about the neck of the victim while positioning himself behind… Continue reading →

Brett and I and two of our sons were in Europe this year combining training and vacation. During a break we spent two days in Normandy, France. It was a humbling experience. The day we visited Omaha Beach the sky… Continue reading →

A number of people have approached me concerning an LAPD pursuit, which took place last Friday. They heard me narrate (in real time on KCAL News) the pursuit, commenting on police policies and procedures. The following is an article I… Continue reading →

Daylight training and low level light training are two very different evolutions. Low-level light training brings to the table a much different set of problems to overcome than that of bright, ambient light training. The simple fact that targets and… Continue reading →

LAPD Circa 1976 Academy; Class on P.I.R. (Preliminary Investigation Report.) The absolute high art of Police writing… Third person narrative. Just the facts Ma’am! Dragnet, Sgt. Friday style. Police report writing demands a succinct, straight to the facts, narration style…. Continue reading →

We often get asked that question in the days leading up to a weekend that’s forecasted for a downpour. You know what, for those who don’t have much experience with firearms it’s actually a very fair question. Southern California… sand,… Continue reading →

This past month we’ve received numerous requests from major news outlets to comment on the LAPD Van Nuys Division hostage shooting. The shooting was captured on body cameras worn by the Officers. The suspect had taken a hostage in the… Continue reading →

We recently came across some old LAPD SWAT training photos circa 1984. Now these photos do not demonstrate the equipment utilized to effectuate actual SWAT call-ups or hostage rescue etc. We were simply having a blast in attempting to run… Continue reading →