Category: Uncategorized

I thought I’d write an update to my previous review of the Surefire Warden since there is still not much information on it. The good news is that people are starting to get their Wardens from Surefire and their dealers.
So far, I haven’t seen many end users place the Warden onto a 7.62 rifle. I decided to replace the Surefire WarComp flash hider with the MB762 Muzzlebrake on my FN SCAR 17s to take away a lot of the recoil. The WarComp works as advertised; it eliminates the flash signature and has comp ports at the top to keep the barrel flat, the byproduct is a significant increase in recoil.

The MB762 is a highly effective two port brake that works opposite of the WarComp. It takes away a lot of recoil but gives a huge blast signature and flash, especially with a 7.62×51 cartridge. Enter the Warden. It attaches easily and snug on the brake and effectively directs all of the blast forward. Having the Warden attached does negate some of the brake’s effectiveness, with a very minimal added felt recoil. What does this mean? You can now shoot indoors and around your friends or partners in a tactical environment depending on what you use it for without sacrificing too much of the recoil reduction from the brake.

Top right: MB762
Bottom right: MB762 with Warden attached.

I take advantage of the “Multi caliber” feature of the Warden. I switch it over from my M6A2 and SCAR 17s therefore I definitely got my money’s worth!

Our Second Amendment, in my opinion is our most important Amendment in our Constitution because it gives us the right to defend ourselves from our own government and enemies, foreign and domestic. It gives our First Amendment and the rest some teeth and protection.
With everything going on in the world currently, it is more important than ever. It is a known fact that the percentage of actual Law Enforcement Officers per population in the United States is grossly out of balance. Just numbers alone, there isn’t enough Law Enforcement personnel available to be everywhere all at once.
Even agencies with the most highly trained, best equipped officers still have to wait for a call and then respond.
It is just mind boggling how anyone can blame an inanimate object and hold it responsible for the actions of evil people. It has always been a people problem. People don’t blame cars for DUI related deaths etc.
Gun ownership is not for everyone, besides those who aren’t allowed to own one; there are people who cannot and will not take another person’s life no matter the circumstance. There is nothing wrong with that, that is a choice each person has to make for themselves. For those who choose exercise their Second Amendment Right to own firearms, who has the right to tell them how they should do it? It says, “Shall not be Infringed.” So technically nobody really has the right to do so. Sure there needs to be laws to prevent those who shouldn’t have them and background checks.
There’s the argument that the forefathers never intended to allow the rights to be extended to semi-automatic AR-15’s. How would they know? All the other rights including the First Amendment are able to adapt with the advances of technology so why are we singling out the Second? Did the forefathers expect the invention of the internet and social media etc? Didn’t think so.
All of the most recent mass shootings should be a reminder why it is important to have the ability to defend ourselves from evil people, and not blame the weapons they choose; weapons that are usually banned for them to possess in the first place.
Criminals and terrorists do not obey any laws. Why would anyone expect them to obey the gun laws and gun free zones?
The Second Amendment does not give anyone the right to commit murder or crimes. It is against the law to murder and do criminal acts with firearms last time I checked.
I support every law abiding citizen who chooses to defend themselves and utilizes their Second Amendment Right.
For those who are against guns, I leave you with this question:
Would you rather have the ability to defend your own life when there is a person standing over you about to murder you or ask for mercy?
Also know that having a gun doesn’t guarantee safety and success. It however gives you a fighting chance at tipping the outcome in your favor.

Surefire doesn’t really need any introduction, it’s reputation as a high quality flashlight and tactical equipment is second to none in the industry.
I’ve used their lights and equipment for over a decade starting from my time as a young Explorer. I still use their products daily on my duty weapon, belt and off duty. Everything they make is made to sustain the harshest condition and be reliable. If you ever break any of their products or it just happens to stop working, they have a no hassle guarantee. I’ve broken lights and other tactical gear from hard use and their customer service technicians have always taken care of me by fixing the problem or replacing it.

The main complaint I hear is that they’re so expensive! That may be true but I always say that you get what you pay for. I have bought other brands and they all have failed me at some point. The difference is that I’d have to replace it out of my own pocket. Surefire stands behind their products and they will take care of you as they have on many occasions with me. You are paying for a dependable, durable and peace of mind.
The technology has drastically changed over the years. Ten years ago, incandescent lights were the brightest while LED lights were durable but not nearly as bright. That is not longer true, LED technology has surpassed incandescents with brightness, runtime and durability. It’s truly amazing how many lumens you can get out of a single battery these days and the tactical run time has been getting longer and longer.

I have so many Surefire lights over the years and on a daily basis, I used multiple Surefire products on duty and off.
On my car keys, I have a Titan Plus that runs on one single AAA battery that puts out 15/75/300 lumens. It is always with me ensuring that I always have a light whenever I need it. Depending on my attire, I have a EB2 flashlight that gives me a blinding 500 lumens, and 5 for jobs that need less light. When I’m on duty, I have a GX2 Tactical on my belt the puts out over 300 lumens and an X300 Ultra that is mounted to my duty weapon, the HK VP9.

For home defense, I have a Fore End shotgun light that replaced my original fore end.
For tactical equipment, I have Surefire EarPro that fits my ears easily compared to the annoying foam inserts that like to fall out. I run Surefire Muzzlebrakes on both my M6A2 and SCAR 17s to eliminate recoil. To make the rifles more useful in CQB and to limit flash signature when employing a muzzlebrake, I have the Surefire Warden Blast Regulator which directs all of the blast and concussion forward. (see my review on the Warden in my previous post).

Overall Surefire is at the forefront of tactical technology that is always innovating and creating the best tools for almost any job that requires lights or tactical equipment.

Domestic Violence cases are difficult to deal with from the start to the conclusion because nobody wins in the end.
They are some of the most dangerous calls for patrol officers and deputies due to the nature of these types of cases because it usually involves families or intimate relationships.
October is Domestic Violence  Awareness Month. The most common misdemeanor trials that go on in my courtroom are a close tie between Domestic Violence and Driving Under the Influence of alcohol or drugs. So I’ve seen a lot of these cases come through. There is absolutely no excuse for Domestic Violence. I know it sounds cliche since that’s been said over and over again and is on LAPD cruiser’s bumpers but it’s true: Domestic Violence is wrong and should never be tolerated.
The cases are usually hard for prosecutors because the witnesses and or victims to DV cases usually do not want to testify for a number of reasons: they are embarrassed at the circumstances, they are afraid of the defendant, they don’t want the defendant to get into more trouble, and so on. It’s not uncommon to hear stories changing on the witness stand, making it difficult for a jury to figure out what exactly happened in each case.
Families are utterly destroyed by these cases, and the people who suffer the most are children, especially if they witnessed the event and have to testify.
Victims sometimes blame themselves for what happened. The only fault in the majority of DV cases is that of the defendant, who lost control of themselves during the time of the incident. Each and every case is obviously different, but the common factor in all of them is that law enforcement got involved. Either a victim or witness calls 911 or neighbors and bystanders do.
It’s natural for families or couples to get into arguments, however when it gets out of control and the police have to get involved, it’s a law enforcement problem.
Sadly in some cases, it is a recurring DV case where the victims will stay with the defendant, who continues to not change their behavior. They call it batterers syndrome and I see it often. These victims are stuck in a very tough spot and have gotten used to a life of abuse and feel like that it is normal. It really takes a friend or family member to notice the clues and intervene to pull them out of that abusive relationship. It’s very difficult to convince someone who believes that what is happening is okay because they’ve been living that life for so long that they no longer know or believe that life could be any better.
Those that survive and escape these abusive relationships and move on are probably the strongest people out there.
If you’re in a position to help out a friend or family member, do it because sometimes it’s nearly impossible for them to do it alone.
This post is dedicated to each and every survivor (I do not like to use the word victim in this case) that have made the courageous steps to get out and move on with their lives.

There is not a lot of information out there on Surefire’s highly anticipated Warden. I know because I’ve been searching for any information on it since it was shown at the 2015 SHOT show.

What is the Warden? It is a blast regulator designed to attach to Surefire SOCOM Muzzlebrakes to take all of the concussion and side blast and channel it forward in front of the barrel. For those who don’t know what a muzzlebrake is or how it works; it isn’t pleasant to be near someone shooting one because you’ll be blasted with an obnoxious amount of concussion coming from it. The purpose of a muzzlebrake is to reduce and eliminate muzzle rise and recoil, allowing for better accuracy and quicker follow up shots. Some public ranges, especially indoor ranger, will not allow rifles equipped with a muzzlebrake.

There are many similar devices out there: Ferfrans CRD (Concussion Reduction Device) and Griffin Armament QD Blast Shield. Both of those devices work well according to friends who have them. Those devices are proprietary and will work with their specific muzzlebrakes.
The Warden is highly anticipated because a lot of people run Surefire’s muzzlebrake on their rifles. They showed one off at the 2015 SHOT show and since then there hasn’t been much information on it. I called Surefire and was able to preorder one back in early June and was told it would ship at the end of July. July, came and went then it was end of August, then it was the third week of September. I finally got mine last week. I was patient and with all new products, I understood that it takes time to get a new product out in the market.
I got my Warden in FDE to match most of my rifles’ furniture. The very nice feature of the Warden is that it is Multi- Caliber compatible so it works on both my AR and my SCAR 17. I have the Surefire Warcomp on my SCAR 17 and it attaches quickly, you just line it up with the notch on the muzzle device and then twist the ring until it ratchets on all the way.

I found out that my Surefire muzzlebrake on my LWRC M6A2 was a legacy brake (MB556K) and not a SOCOM brake since it didn’t have the notch. I was still able to attach it and once it was on, it was solid.

I was able to test it out at the range. I first shot the M6A2 with just the muzzlebrake. There was hardly any felt recoil at all and no muzzle rise. I then cleared the weapon and attached the Warden, checking to make sure it was aligned then shot a single round to make sure it stayed on and didn’t shift. I cleared it again to check on alignment. It was good so between me and my friends, we unleashed about a hundred rounds through it.

With the Warden attached, there was a slight increase in recoil, but there was no more side blast or concussion. It however did shoot a visible cone shaped flash in front of it, much like that of the Noveske Flaming Pig linear compensator. The flash was not visible to the shooter.

After a few magazine were empty, it was too hot to touch. I noticed that the Warden would rotate around the muzzle when I made quick checks to see if it was still secure. It was still aligned with the barrel and other than a rotating motion, it was still secured. We shot another set of magazines without any issue.
Since it was too hot touch, I wasn’t able to transfer it over to the SCAR 17. I don’t expect it to do anything to improve the performance on the SCAR because the Warcomp is mainly a flash hider with compensator ports at the top. It would probably negate the function of those ports. I will test fire it anyhow at the next time I’m at the range just to know for sure.

The Warden works as advertised and it is a great solution for everyone who runs a Surefire Muzzlebrake and cannot obtain a suppressor. It is not a suppressor and not an NFA regulated item. It makes all rifles equipped with a muzzlebrake much more practical to use for Law Enforcement, home defense and for anyone who wants to shoot it at a public range without irritating everyone around them.

Before I got into the profession of Law Enforcement, even as an Explorer, I thought that all LEO’s were experts with their pistols and knew all there was to know about firearms.
Now that I’ve been on for nearly a decade, what I thought as a teenager was far from reality. The fact is, the majority of LEO’s only have one weapon in their possession: their issued duty weapon. Most are very proficient with it after carrying it everyday. What I quickly learned early on in my career was that the large majority of my partners were not gun people like myself. You don’t need to be to do this job, it’s only one aspect of the job, albeit an important one. LEO’s come from different walks of life and have different interests and hobbies. Are there LEO’s that are firearms experts and enthusiasts? Yes, however that is a very small percentage.
I knew early on in my life what I wanted to do for my career. I was also a firearms enthusiast then and now. My interest in firearms grew as I was getting ready to join the ranks because I knew I’d be carrying one on my hip everyday and that’d proficiency with it would be critical in my survival and that of others. To me, firearms proficiency was one of the most important skills that I needed to have and it still is. I cannot say that my partners have my same set of priorities.
Firearms experts? That’s even more rare to find among LEO’s. I don’t expect everyone to be experts in this field. I spend a lot of my downtime reading about the latest technology and tactics involving firearms. It’s time consuming but I’m personally interested in this field of knowledge so for me, it’s time well spent.
There is nothing wrong with LEO’s who are not gun people. They all signed up to do a job and they do it well. They all have to qualify monthly or quarterly. They’re great officers and know how to operate their duty weapon well enough to take care of most threats. They work with their issued gear and equipment and it works just fine.
I however don’t want to just meet the minimal qualifications, I want to make myself better and prepared for the absolute worst case scenario. This way, I can easily handle any scenario knowing what I’d do without having to think about it when it’s too late.
I wouldn’t call myself an weapons expert. I would say that I’m very knowledgeable on many different weapons systems. It is important to me to have this knowledge about different weapons systems because if my weapon malfunctions or is out of ammunition, I will be able to pick up any weapon and know how to use it. I also know the capabilities of these weapons so if I come facing one, I know how to react to each of them because what you think is cover may not be the case depending on what kind of round is coming at you.
Since most LEO’s aren’t gun people, a lot of them don’t really care about the Second Amendment. A lot of them believe that only they as in LEO’s should have guns. Their beliefs come from the lack of knowledge of firearms and tactics. Please know that I’m not talking about ALL LEO’s, I’m just talking about a percentage. This is why you see a lot of Police Chiefs and Sheriffs stand for more gun control.
The reality is that Police Officers and Deputy Sheriff’s are not and can not be everywhere. They have a response time and they are now stretched thinner than ever due to budget cuts and nowadays lack of staff due to recruiting numbers at an all-time low. Everyone is truly their own first responder when Their lives are threatened that exact moment. Most people are not able to defend themselves and that’s why we have Peace Officers. For those who are able and choose to defend themselves, who is anyone to tell that person how and when they can defend themselves?
Forget the Second Amendment for a minute, every human life is precious and every human being has the natural right to live and defend that life period.
I respect those who choose to defend themselves that are law abiding and I will always be there to defend those who aren’t able to. I don’t see citizens with CCW’s a threat to my safety, I respect the fact that they made a decision to carry a firearm for their safety and went through all of the paperwork to get that permit.
Firearms are an important tool in Law Enforcement, it is rarely used, but it is the best tool available today that can deal with certain deadly force scenarios.
As always stay safe!

Jury Duty: two words that are dreaded by almost every citizen that gets a notice in mail with their name on it.
Yes, it’s inconvenient to be a juror. It is however, everyone’s civic duty and it is extremely important part of our justice system.
Some of you have been called in as jurors, even served as jurors. Most of you probably didn’t want to be there and had better things to do. Those who have actually served as jurors usually have a great experience after doing so. I wouldn’t know myself because Law Enforcement Officers are exempt from most jury service. I say most and not all because some of my partners have served in civil cases.
Ok, now imagine my point of view as Bailiff. Try dealing with a courtroom full of people who didn’t want to be there in the first place.
I’ve been a Bailiff for a few years now and have worked more jury trials than I can remember. You get good groups and every now and then, you get some bad groups.
Here’s some examples through my experiences:
Cell phones- never fails, after numerous warnings that I give to have them silenced, there is always at least one that goes off while we’re in session.
Tardiness- some jurors seem to lose track of time and will show up late from a break, holding up the trial because everyone needs to be present to continue. In some rare occasions, there are some that decide not to return and they get a nice arrest warrant with their name on it.
Luggage- you’d think that some of these jurors were going on vacation or camping with all of the bags, backpacks and sometimes suitcases that they take with them.
Destroying court documents- this happened once a few trials back; these jurors decided to rip apart a question form that they had, which was a clearly stamped court document! I had to dig the shreds out of the trash bin and the clerk had to tape the puzzle pieces back together.
Sleeping- I don’t blame any juror for falling asleep. Some testimony could be dry and just plain boring, especially when it comes to DUI trials with the crime lab tech testifying about BAC’s and so forth. I usually calmly wake them up and it’s usually not a problem after that.
Attitude- Everyone’s time is important to them but jury service is important too. How one goes about it will dictate their jury duty experience. A few have just terrible attitudes the moment they walk in until the time they’re dismissed.
There are really too many other behaviors that jurors exhibit.
What I’m here to say is that Jury Duty isn’t as bad as it seems.
Here are some facts:
A lot of jury trials actually resolve before they start. Jurors have to be ordered in advance and when there are actual jurors waiting in the assembly room, either the prosecution or defense will ultimately decide whether they have a good case or a strong enough defense and may decide to make a compromising agreement. The jurors are then dismissed before they ever walk into a courtroom and are free of jury service for a year.
The attorneys do not want a juror that doesn’t want to be there. They want someone that they believe will be fair, impartial and that will pay attention to the case. So there is a likelihood that most people won’t fit into that and will be dismissed by either side.
Jurors that get assigned to the case for the most part, have a good experience being jurors after the case is over with.
In my personal opinion, our justice system isn’t perfect, but it’s the best system out there and I believe that jurors get it right most of the time. They hear all of the evidence in the case and none are biased to either side. In criminal cases, they have to agree unanimously to either find someone guilty or not guilty. A few cases are hung and the prosecution has to then decide to retry the case or not. Our system is a fair as it can be and it doesn’t work without jurors.

It’s not everyday that I get to shoot a fully automatic submachine gun. Actually it’s extremely rare to do so, especially in California-even for Law Enforcement Officers.
The Heckler and Koch MP5 celebrated it’s 50 years since it was created in Oberndorf as a scaled down version of the G3 battle rifle.
Everyone knows what an MP5 is or at least have seen it in movies and TV shows ever since Die Hard.
It was a weapon system that has been on my bucket list to shoot. I was planning to do it on my next trip to Vegas whenever that would be.
I happen to be at my department range to do some practice with my duty and back up guns when I ran into my long time friend along with his partner (both EOD). They both were making a lot of noise honing their SMG handling skills with their issued HK MP5’s on full auto.
After catching up for a bit, my friend’s partner asked me if I’d ever shot an MP5 and I replied “No…” Then he asked if I’d like to try it out and I said “Hell yeah I would!”
He made sure I knew how to operate it, loaded a 30- round magazine and slapped the charging handle forward and I was good to go!
I decided to shoot a few short bursts before I dumped the entire mag. I was surprised with the first burst; there was a lot less recoil than I was expecting. I followed with two or three more bursts. After that, I pressed the trigger and held onto to it till the mag was empty, which didn’t take long.
After finally shooting the MP5 on full auto, I now know why it is (or was) the weapon of choice for the SAS, Special Operators the world over, SWAT teams.
It’s light, compact, accurate, reliable and extremely easy to shoot, even on full auto.
According to my friend and his partner, my bursts were right dead center and my full auto was a little spread but all on target.
Let’s just say, last Friday was a great day on the job!
If you’ve never shot a fully automatic weapon in your life, I highly recommend it and you can do so at many venues in Las Vegas. There’s the famous Gun Store and the newer Battlefield Las Vegas. In my opinion, I’d rather go shoot my money than gamble it away….at least you know what you’re getting and you’ll leave with a big smile on your face!

I recently acquired the Fabrique Nationale Herstal SCAR 17s. It was a rifle that I have wanted for many years, but it was always out of reach due to how much it costs.

In order to obtain the funds for the 17s, I had to sell several of my firearms. It was worth the sacrifice and I have no regrets.

SCAR stands for Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle. This rifle isn’t new and there are many reviews out there so I will just focus on my own experience with mine.
The SCAR 17s is based off of the SCAR H (Heavy), which is currently in service with US SOCOM. It is chambered in .308 Winchester or 7.62x51mm. The difference is that the 17s is semi-automatic only, whereas the Heavy is select-fire.
The 17s comes in matte black or FDE (Flat Dark Earth). I got mine in FDE and every single rifle in FDE comes with multiple different shades of FDE. The upper and lower receivers and stock all are different shades of FDE. This was expected and I don’t mind it as it naturally breaks up the rifles visual profile. My aluminum upper receiver came in bronze, the polymer lower is almost dark brown and the collapsible stock was Magpul FDE.

Before I continue, this rifle had to be California Neutered in order for it to be legal for me to possess. Most people don’t know all of the restrictions this state had on law abiding gun owners. Both of the magazine releases on the 17s have Raddlocks installed and the stock has a Raddlock stock block disallowing it to fold. Why? The state law requires a tool to release the magazine and the minimum length for a rifle in California is 30″. The 17s folded comes in at 28.5″.
I had some immediate upgrades that were installed before I took it out to the range. GG&G extended charging handles is a must have, it gives you the extra needed space to keep your fingers and knuckles to clear whatever optics you may have on top. I replaced the standard and cheap A2 grip with a Magpul MOE grip modified by Parker Mountain Machine. I also replaced both safety selectors with PMM ones, large on the left and small on the right. PMM’s BCD (Battery Control Device) was installed as well. All of these parts added a few more shades of FDE.

I replaced the PWS brake with Surefire’s new WarComp. The WarComp is mainly a flash hider with compensator ports on top to mitigate some recoil and keep the barrel flat during firing.

I placed an EoTech 552 HWS as a temporary optic for now. In the future I am looking at the XPS-2 with the G33 magnifier.
One advantage the 17s has over other .308 AR platforms is it’s weight. It is 8 lbs empty. It had a  short stroke gas piston operation, which will keep the bolt carrier group and chamber relatively clean.
I was able to squeeze in some range time last week at the local indoor range. I shot three rounds on the bench with a Harris Bipod attached. The EoTech 552 was set to the BUIS and after shooting it at 25 yards, I found that they were perfectly zeroed for 50 yards and no adjustment were required. Since I have the WarComp installed, the felt recoil was definitely noticeable but it works as advertised. There’s no flash signature and the barrel stayed level and flat leaving the recoil impulse going straight back. I have to admit my shoulder was a bit sore for a few days but you just have to suck it up, you’re shooting.308!
In my opinion, the 17s is the best semiautomatic .308 battle rifle for the price that you pay. It’s the lightest among its counterparts. As expensive as it is, it is actually in the middle when you compare the prices. There’s a reason that SOCOM chose it. It’s combat proven by our elite troops in the worst conditions. What this rifle can do is what sets it apart from all the others; you can maneuver it at close quarters, you can shoot long range, you can hunt with it. It pretty much does it all. Everyone of my friends and partners at work who have picked it up are truly amazed by how compact and light it is. When compared to my LWRC M6A2, the 17s is just a few inches longer and weighs just a hair more.

FN definitely succeeded in making the most technologically advanced battle rifle out there yet and I am happy to own one!

The moment you accept the oath, are sworn in and given a badge, your life changes. Unlike any other job or career, being a Peace Officer is a lifestyle that is 24/7. Whether an officer accepts it or not, it is a reality that they signed up for.
We carry weapons on our person and wear a bullet resistant vest because our job and sworn duty is to enforce the law and to protect and serve. These are merely tools that are necessary to effect an arrest and to keep the peace.
When most people leave their workplace, they leave their work behind. This isn’t necessarily true for officers. Some officers do choose to be truly off duty and want nothing to do with their jobs when they’re 10-7. You can’t blame them for choosing to do this, however I am not that type of officer.
When off duty, there is absolutely no legal obligation for us to act or respond to anything. I can’t speak for anyone else other than myself. I’ve already made my decision when it comes to how I will react to different situations when off-duty. My family’s safety comes first, then it is my own safety because my family needs me more than anyone else. All of my decisions come down to whether my involvement would help or make the situation worse. Most of the time, I’m a good witness while I’m on the phone with a dispatcher.
The current unfortunate trend of violence and murders of Peace Officers around the nation is simply heartbreaking. We’ve always had targets on our backs from the moment we first donned on our uniforms. These attacks are not new to our community; they are however, more frequent and increasing. An officer was murdered in his own home the other day. If this isn’t an all out war on law enforcement, I don’t know what is.
There is no job our there where there are people who hate you enough to kill you based solely on the fact that you wear a uniform and what you stand for.
There is an obvious division between law enforcement and the community. It is getting worse everyday. Our leaders need to step up and speak out against the murders of my fellow brothers and sisters.
It’s time for our leadership to do what is right, not what is easy. That being said, it isn’t hard to take a stand for what is right.
I’m not holding my breath. As always, we really only have ourselves to keep each other safe.