Chief Jeff Chudwin of the Olympia Fields (Ill.) Police Department, who also serves as President of the Illinois Tactical Officers Association, recommends a simple piece of equipment — the drag strap — to be included in every officer’s gear. A drag strap can be easily rolled up and placed into an officer’s pocket and used to remove a downed officer or an injured civilian from the field of fire.
Using a drag strap for downed officer extraction
Police1 member Chief Jeff Chudwin of Olympia Fields (IL) PD has been dispatched as part of a team of Illinois-based first responders to the epicenter of Hurricane Katrina. Their mission is to aid in rescue, recovery and clean-up efforts. Jeff shares first-hand accounts of his team’s monumental challenges and poignant experiences in frequent reports from the field, all of which are found here.