JULY 2022. Blues Vol 38 No. 7

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK
Another Milestone
The BLUES expands Nationally
This month marks yet another
milestone in the 38th year history
of The BLUES as we move towards
becoming a true national
publication. Now anyone who’s
been paying attention for the
past 2 years would say, Barron
you became a world-wide publication
the second you published
a magazine on the internet. This
is true. Our monthly stat reports
from our host provider shows IP
addresses from around the world
that have visited our site nearly
every month.
But The BLUES has always
been a homegrown publication
dedicated to serving law enforcement
here in Houston and
eventually branching out to the
rest of Texas. And we are proud
of what we’ve accomplished all
these many years. But like everything
in life, things change,
we mature, we evolve, and we
adapt. In today’s world, it’s called
survival.
The decision to relaunch The
BLUES as a digital magazine was
all those things and more. It’s allowed
us to continue a tradition
that has survived for decades
without the financial burden of
having enough sales to cover the
cost of printing. Now we simply
add as many pages as necessary
to cover the stories you want to
read.
Of course, this great decision
came at the same time COVID
became a thing and our path to
success was an uphill battle. But
nevertheless, we endured, we
pressed forward, and today we
move on to the next chapter of
The BLUES.
But please don’t think for minute,
this magazine will change
what made it special in the first
place. All your favorite columnists
and writers will still be
here with all new and exciting
takes on Warstories, Aftermaths
and Light Bulb Awards. Our news
stories will continue to cover
law enforcement across the
country, and we will pay tribute
to every officer that loses his life
in the line of duty.
In this month’s issue, we take
you to new heights in the Diamond
DA62 aircraft that’s debuting
at the upcoming APSCON
conference in Reno. As a pilot
and member of ALEA, flying this
aircraft and attending another
APSCON convention is an opportunity
I’m looking forward to and
I hope you enjoy the ride as we
take on new adventures in the
sky.
Less than two days after AP-
SCON, we travel to San Antonio
for the Sheriff’s Association of
Texas Annual Training Conference
in Fort Worth. With COVID
hopefully in the rear view mirror,
this should be an exciting show
with lots of exhibitors showing
off new products and services.
MICHAEL BARRON
And speaking of new products,
we are excited to bring
you another new addition to the
magazine – The BLUES BUYERS
GUIDE, sponsored by Datalink.
Each month, we’ll introduce you
to new and innovative products
from companies and manufactures
from around the globe. We
invite you to visit this new addition
and click on the sponsors
links to learn more about their
products and services.
If you own or represent a law
enforcement oriented business
or offer discounts on your products
or services to law enforcement
officers or departments,
we welcome you to become
a part of this unique BUYERS
GUIDE.
With an expanded circulation
base, your products will be seen
by the heads of law enforcement
agencies across the nation.
So go enjoy the start of something
new – The soon to be
Internationally known BLUES. the
largest police magazine in the
United States of America.
Be sure and check out our new
BUYERS GUIDE on Page 142.
Sponsored by Datalink.
6 The BLUES The BLUES 7