Protecting Oneself With Physical and Personal Security of Individuals

The concept of personal defense weapons (PDWs) originates with the military and is expanded with various public law enforcement agencies. The term came into vogue in the mid-1980s with the marketing of automatic weapons such as Heckler & Koch's MP5K PDW, a weapon used by U.S. military forces in Grenada. However, around 1996, the meaning of PDWs changed. Within NATO, there was a need for a compact defensive weapon to arm personnel, leading to the development of a new generation of such weapons and their proliferation throughout law enforcement and private sector security organizations (Personal defense weapons: Functional or hype, 2008).

At issue in this essay is a discussion of various concepts of physical and personal protection, including use of force issues and weaponry related to physical and personal security of individuals within the mainstream community. A major challenge in researching this report was identifying the kinds of weaponry used by private security personnel as opposed to public law enforcement or military actors. Much of the literature speaks to PDWs as used by these latter groups.

Haddox (2007), writing largely for individuals concerned with their personal safety, makes the case that weapons are inherently dangerous and that any individual who elects to purchase and potentially use guns, knives, or other technology-enhanced systems such as lasers or stun guns must be thoroughly trained in the use of these devices. Additionally, Haddox (2

Related Essays

Cyber Crime Auctions .... by many hackers to obtain personal information, they .... Get a seller's physical address and other identifying .... plays a key role in protecting oneself from Internet .... (8039 32 )

New directions in nursing home ethics .... daily life, ranging from dressing oneself, to eating .... Far from protecting patients from harm, restraints inflict it .... personal worth in spite of physical or mental .... (10004 40 )

Self-Mutilating Adolescents .... the need to feel good about oneself and worthy .... are trauma victims (or victims of physical, emotional or .... I am fearing will be prevented), protecting other people .... (8588 34 )

e weapons must be used for personal protection only. In both the military and law enforcement and the private sector, individuals authorized to carry a weapon for personal protection must complete annual weapons qualification and use of force training before being allowed to carry a firearm. In the security sector, this training must include a variety of different weapons ranging from handguns to assault weapons. Most such training programs are offered under the aegis of law enforcement agencies or groups such as the United States Secret Service or the FBI. Pincus (2004) described the Executive Security International (ESI) program designed to provide this kind of intensive training for private sector security staff. The Advanced Executive Protection Residency Training Program includes both classroom activities as well as hands-on training in such areas as . targeted observation of the environment . behavioral analysis of suspicious persons and actions . small weapons training . client management and threat assessments . counter-surveillance . attack deterrence and avoidance . use of communications systems . interface with law enforcement agencies (Pincus, 2004). This kind of comp

Category: Misc - P