Since 2005, Law Officer (then a magazine) has placed editorial control in the hands of a law enforcement officer. That began with Carlsbad (CA) Captain Dale Stockton and continued with Fountain Valley (CA) Lt. Jim McNeff and beyond. It is this pedigree that Law Officer has always been more than news, but a true advocate for the profession with a focus on training and leadership, issues that can truly make the profession better.
You’ve witnessed much of this through the years. We launched Below 100 in 2010 and routinely discuss vital training opportunities available for our readers.
In recent years, it has become apparent that we must do more. While we have seen a decrease in line-of-duty deaths, we continue to see attacks on law enforcement increasing, including ambushes and officer assaults.
We aren’t being sensational.
Since 2019, officer assaults have increased every year, culminating in a record in 2025. With an 80% increase in officer assaults in the last decade, this trend has never been seen, and the time to act is now.
Training Inside News
While this is the first of many steps, adding relevant training reminders at the end of our articles provides daily value not found elsewhere in this industry. Obviously, how that training is portrayed is important, so we reached out to Travis Yates.
If you’ve been to his training, then you know we were talking to the right person. We sent Jim McNeff to see Yates’ Training in 2022, and the experience was elite. Yates is a 30-year veteran and has spent 26 years in leadership roles, with the last decade as a Major. It’s not the typical resume of a high-level trainer, but Yates is not typical. He was previously awarded the ILEETA Trainer of the Year; he holds a doctorate and has been training cops worldwide for 25 years.
His development and work with Below 100, Vest for Life, Driver Training, and now with FOCUS Training have brought massive changes to law enforcement safety.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Lt. Randy Sutton called Yates “one of the most progressive leaders the profession has seen in a generation,” and we tend to agree.
While he’s been in the leadership space for some time, Yates has developed a safety system for law enforcement called FOCUS (Field Observable Cues For Unknown Situations), and the research behind it is unlike anything we’ve seen. Here is just one testimonial of an officer who credits the training for saving his life.
This week, we began adding a new feature at the bottom of our articles. Authored by Travis Yates, they provide our readers with a general discussion of training reminders related to the article. It’s our hope that news becomes more than words on a page, but also a means of remaining prepared for the demands of the job.
It will remain a work in progress, and we hope to roll out additional features in the coming months. Law Officer has always been more than a media company, and today, we want to continue the tradition set long ago by the shoulders we stand on.
We’ve been here for 20 years, and that is only because of you. On behalf of the team here at Law Officer, we thank you, and we are grateful for the opportunity to serve this fine profession.
All archives of Travis Yates’ Field Lessons are located here.
