SEPT 2026. Blues Vol 42 No.9

FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sgt. Michael Barron 500 Issues in 42 Years! It's been one hell of a ride. Three months from now, something remarkable is going to happen. The BLUES will publish its 500th edition. Five hundred issues. Stop and think about that for a minute. Five hundred issues over more than four decades. In January, The BLUES will celebrate its 43rd year in publishing a law enforcement publication for First Responders across America. When I think about those numbers, I have to admit something: I'm a little amazed that we're still here. Back in December of 1984, when I helped put together that first issue of what was then called The County BLUES, I never imagined we would make it this far. There was no internet. No Facebook. No Instagram. No smartphones. No digital publishing. The personal computer was just getting started and we didn’t own one. We had pen and paper. A typewriter, layout sheets spread across layout tables Lt. King built. That first issue reached approximately 5,000 readers. Today, as we approach Issue 500, The BLUES will be read around the world by more than 6-million readers. Five hundred issues. More than 100,000 pages published over the years. Somewhere in those pages are an estimated 50 to 60 million words— stories about cops, written by cops, for cops. We've probably published thousands upon thousands of stories and features, along with tens of thousands of photographs. Think about that. If you took all those pages and put them together, you wouldn't just have a magazine, you'd have a library. A library of American law enforcement history. And that's what means the most to me. The BLUES has never been just about selling advertising or filling pages. From the beginning, I wanted this publication to be our publication. A place where cops could tell their stories. A place where we could remember our brothers and sisters who never made it home. A place where an officer could read about another cop's experience and realize, I'm not the only one who's been through this. Over 42 years, we've covered shootings, funerals, rescues, tragedies, triumphs, retirements and everything in between. We've told the stories of heroes whose names might otherwise have been forgotten. We've remembered fallen officers. We've celebrated those who put on the badge every morning and went to work knowing there was always a possibility they might not come home. And God knows, we've pissed a few people off along the way. I've received calls from people who loved what we wrote and there were lots of calls from people who absolutely hated it. And I've always figured that if nobody was calling, we weren't doing our job. Because The BLUES was never created to be politically correct. It was created to tell the truth as we saw it and to give law enforcement officers a voice. Over the years, a lot has changed. Law enforcement changed and America changed. Technology changed. And The BLUES changed with it. After decades as a printed newspaper, the final printed issue of The BLUES Police Newspaper rolled off the presses in August of 2018. The was the end of an era and The BLUES joined hundreds more just like it. When I discovered the BLUES was closed, I was upset that a true institution had faded into the sunset without notice and certainly no final goodbyes. It was just gone. But then Rex Evans and I decided that The BLUES should rise from the ashes as a Digital Magazine and on December 24th, 2019, some 35 years to the date from when it was first 8 The BLUES SEPTEMBER ‘26

printed, an all new and improved BLUES appeared once again. The little newspaper that started with 5,000 readers eventually became a publication reaching millions across the globe. And yet, despite all the growth, the mission hasn't changed. We still Tell the story. We Honor those that wear the badge and we Remember the Fallen. That's why Issue 500 means so much to us, It's not simply a number. It's a measurement of time. It's 42 years of getting up every morning and deciding that The BLUES is worth doing one more time. There were plenty of moments when I wondered if we would make it another month. There were financial problems. Technology problems. People who promised they would help and didn't. People who told me The BLUES would never make it. There were times when I wanted to throw the whole damn thing in the trash. But then an officer would send an email. A retired cop would call. A family member would tell us that something we published meant something to them. And I'd think, Okay. Let's do another issue. That's how you get to 500. Not because it's easy. Because you believe it matters. When Issue 500 arrives, I want to remember the people who made it possible. Our writers. Our editors. Our photographers. Our contributors. Our advertisers. And most importantly, our readers. Without you, there would be no 500th issue. There would be no 43rd year and there would be no BLUES. So as we prepare to celebrate 500 issues, I'm not looking backward with sadness. I'm looking backward with gratitude. And I'm looking forward with the same crazy enthusiasm I had back in 1984. Because here's what I've learned after 42 years: The story isn't over. We've got another issue to publish. Another officer to honor. Another story to tell. Another generation of cops to stand beside. Year 43 is just around the corner, and we're still here. Now that's something worth celebrating. AGENCIES PROMOTION ENDS 9/30/26 9/3/26 CALL FOR PRICING Tel: 800-367-5855 www.proforceonline.com Supplying Equipment and Accessories to Law Enforcement Agencies! SUPER DUTY MOD1 5.5608-395B CALIBER: 5.56 NATO CAPACITY: NO MAGAZINE STOCK: ADJUSTABLE BARREL LENGTH: 16” 5.56 LE6920-EPRII CALIBER: 5.56 NATO M4 CAPACITY: 30+1 ENHANCED STOCK: MAGPUL MOE BUTTSTOCK PATROL RIFLE II BARREL LENGTH:16.1” 12663 OPTIC READY M&P M2.0 9MM 12GA 50790 TUNGSTEN CERAKOTE 590A1 PROFESSIONAL SERIES CALIBER: 9MM CAPACITY: 17+1 SIGHTS: NIGHT SIGHTS BARREL LENGTH: 4.25” CALIBER: 12GA CAPACITY: 6+1 SIGHTS: GHOST RING BARREL LENGTH: 18.5” STOCK: SYNTHETIC 81001064 VP9A1 F CALL OR EMAIL US FOR PRICING ASK US ABOUT DEMOS OR TRADE-INS! 9MM W365XCA9BXRXZPS OPTIC READY CALIBER: 9MM P365 CAPACITY: 17+1 SIGHTS: SUPPRESSOR HEIGHT NIGHT XMACRO BARREL LENGTH: 3.7” 9MM CALIBER: 9MM CAPACITY: 17+1 20+1 SIGHTS: NIGHT SIGHTS BARREL LENGTH: 4.53” Support Center: 2625 Stearman Road, Prescott AZ, 86301 Tel: (800) 367-5855 e-mail: sales@proforceonline.com | www.proforceonline.com CHECK OUT THESE GREAT MANUFACTURERS AXON • AIMPOINT • BERETTA COLT • BIANCHI • TASER • BENELLI SMITH & WESSON • CZ USA DANIEL DEFENSE • HUXWRX • AGUILA SIG SAUER • SHADOW SYSTEMS DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY • HOLOSUN EOTECH • WALTHER • OTIS MOSSBERG • PROTECH • RUGER STREAMLIGHT • MAGPUL • H&K SAFARILAND • SPRINGFIELD BLACKHAWK • TRIJICON • SUREFIRE PEPPERBALL • US PEACEKEEPER L3 HARRIS • NIGHTSTICK GEISSELE • FNH AMERICA NOTE: TERRITORY RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY Scan the code or visit our website for information, pricing and products! The BLUES - SEPTEMBER ‘26 9