Letters From the Field

Featured here are letters sent to Torfino Enterprises Inc. from individuals or departments who have used the Metal-TEC 1400 and/or ICE Light products.

TSgt James R. Zelrick  - Military Police (Florida)

I would like to say what an incredible product you have in the METAL-TEC 1400!  We hosted the first Air Show after Sept. 11th and security was top priority.  The plan was to scan everyone for forbidden objects prior to being admitted to the Air Show.  This created quite a problem for us since we only had a few "transfriskers" on hand.  A civilian police officer showed me the METAL-TEC he carried and I immediately knew this is what we needed.

I purchased some units from a local vendor and combined those with the other equipment we had, as well as units I borrowed.  The difference was incredible!  After only a few minutes of training, everyone was comfortable and proficient with the detector.  By the end of the first day I was bombarded with requests from the guys in the field asking for more of the METAL-TECs.  The troops were doing everything they could the second day to get a METAL-TEC instead of the old noisy wands.  The Show went off without a hitch and we amassed a large collection of items ranging from pocket knives to nail files.  Needless to say before this years show I ordered more METAL-TECs.  This product is well made and a definite must for anyone with security concerns.
Thank you for creating such a great tool.

 
Sgt. R. L. McCoy  - Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office (North Carolina)

I would like to thank you for letting us sample the ICE Lights.  Three of
our motocycle units used the ICE Lights while performing funeral escorts. The Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office in Charlotte, NC provides funeral escort services for various funeral homes in the county.  While blocking intersections for processions to pass, the added visibility of the ICE Lights provides safer conditions for them to operate.  The deputies felt safer with the added visibility of the ICE Lights and were able to use them to direct traffic as well.

The deputies of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office thank you for a product which makes them feel safer while performing their duties for the citizens of our county.  And of course, this is only one example of the benefits the ICE Lights provide to us.

Dir. Richard Mears - University of Maine (Maine)

I am writing this letter to ASLET in order to endorse a product manufactured by Torfino Enterprises known as the "Metal-TEC 1400" to the law enforcement community. I first became acquainted with this hand-held metal detector when I attended the last ASLET conference this past Febuary in Florida.

The device caught my eye because it is small, somewhat inexpensive, and ideal for police use in the field. Its size makes it adaptable to the police officer's service belt and thus enables the officer to carry a readily usable device to check for weapons and other dangerous objects.

I brought the item back to the state of Maine and turned it over to some colleagues in my former department in Brunswick to field test. The response was very positive and I have since followed it up with a training program for the regional police on use of the 1400. (one of those field testing the device was my son-in-law) I am convinced that this tool will save lives!

Its sensitivity to metal objects is amazing and it provides the officer the ability to conduct an unobtrusive search of street suspects which should result in reduced incidences of complaints against police.

If I had the opportunity I would provide one of these devices to every officer and detective on the street as part of the standard issue of equipment.

I have never endorsed a product in my police career of twenty-five years but in this case I am making an exception. I want to thank ASLET for bringing this to my attention.


Lt . Peter Ebel - Lake Worth Police Dept. (Florida)

On Dec. 10, 2001, officers from the Lake Worth Police Department were engaged in an arrest sweep of street-level drug dealers from whom numerous undercover narcotics purchases had been made. I was with Officers Jozwick and Baer and we arrested two subjects wanted on those felony charges as they sat in the car of one Keith Williams, who has numerous felony arrests for narcotics and firearms. Williams, however, was not wanted on this day.

As we arrested the other two drug dealers, probable cause for a search of Williams' car was developed due to an odor of marijuana. As we removed Williams, who is a paraplegic, from the car and placed him into a wheelchair, Officer Jozwick noted a large bulge in Williams' groin area. With the knowledge that Williams had been arrested previously for carrying a concealed firearm and due to the size and shape of the bulge, we wanted to check Williams for weapons so that we could safely search his car.

We employed the Metal-TEC 1400 consistent with the training you provided us. The Metal-TEC alerted to a large metal mass in Williams' front groin area. Density discrimination worked well in this case, as the metal object in Williams' groin area caused the Metal-TEC to vibrate from 3-4 inches away from his groin. Officer Jozwick, based on Williams firearms arrest history, the bulge, his nervous actions and the Metal-TEC alert, searched Williams' pants after he confirmed the device's alert with a hand frisk.

A loaded Smith and Wesson model 59 was found inside Williams pants, along with a bonus: a pill bottle containing 95 individually packaged cocaine rocks. Williams was arrested on state charges and his car and cash were seized for forfeiture. Federal authorities decided to take this case and Williams was charged with possession with the intent to distribute at least five grams of crack cocaine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Nine months later, he pled guilty to both charges and was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.

The Metal-TEC's alert certainly bolstered the case, providing scientific and verifiable evidence to our observations of the bulge and Williams' nervousness.

This is not the first time officers from our Department have used the Metal-TEC successfully. In one case, we used it to locate a razor blade, concealed in a suspect's pocket, that was used in a robbery. The Metal-TEC certainly prevented our officer from being cut by the instrument had he been doing a hand search. Another time, the Metal-TEC alerted on two hypodermic needles in a subject's pocket. I know your manufacturer information says the Metal-TEC does not find hypodermic needles because they are not dense enough to trigger an alert, but there
must have been enough metal in the two items to alert the officer to their presence. I don't need to tell you what a nightmare it would have been had the officer searched and been stuck by those used needles.

You have my sincere thanks for creating a product that serves law enforcement professionals in two ways:

1. The Metal-TEC provides an extra margin of officer safety in a world where so many hazards exist
2. It also helps us build better cases, through the use of technology, something that is not always available to officers who work the street.

For pictures from this arrest click here


Michael Sharp - North Miami Beach Police Dept. (Florida)

Our traffic unit, which consists of four (4) motor officers, were issued your Blue Ice Light. This small and weightless safety light provides hours of safe and visible warning illumination.

My unit has used the ICE Light while working our motor shift during the late evenings. During traffic stops, directing traffic, or whenever visibility is needed, the ICE Light answers the call for safe visibility. When the ICE Light is used while wearing our Head Lites-Vis-Mat Reflective Traffic Vests, the ICE Light illuminates the silhouette of the reflective vest. Your product does everything it claims to do and more.

The ICE Light is built rugged and stands up to the normal wear and tear of normal duty use. Safety is number one in police work, and your ICE Light is another tool that helps keep us safe.


Tony Adducci - Maricopa County Sheriffs Office (Arizona)

I am a Qualified Armed Posseman with the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office. One evening my partner and I were dispatched to a desert region south east of Mesa Arizona to transport a prisoner to the Mesa jail. On arriving at the scene we found a deputy who had detained a van with 9 illegal aliens on board. The driver was arrested since he had no license or registration. INS was notified but would not respond. It then was necessary to search all nine illegals for contraband, release the passengers, and transport the driver to jail. This was the first time I had the opportunity to use my Metal-Tec and it really worked well. All eight passengers were carrying duffle bags which would have taken a good 45 min. to search by hand in the dark. Using the Metal-Tec I was able to complete the search in less than 15 minutes.


Sgt. Ron Hess - Miamisburg Police Dept. (Ohio)

Recently the Miamisburg Police Department began issuing each one of our marked cruisers a Metal-Tec 1400 silent metal detector for use by the patrol officers during suspect contact. On March 4, 2002, one of the officers after using the Metal-Tec 1400 placed it on the roof of his patrol unit and forgot about it. The next day, it was located by a citizen on a heavily traveled state route. To our surprise we found that after being in the roadway for more than 16 hours that the outer case was in remarkably good condition. Additionally, the unit was still in good working condition and except for abrasions on the outer case it works just as well as the other units we have in service.

Since using the Metal-Tec 1400's we have been very pleased with their capabilities and this latest incident showed us the durability of the units.


Cpt. G. Von Braun - America & Safety First (Florida)

I highly recomment the ICE Light to anyone in the field of public service. A short time ago we purchased a couple of the lights, just to see what we could do with them. Little did we know that a few days later we would get a chance to use them.

We came across a situation that had happened towards dark. It was an accident. We went and started to direct the flow of traffic and we used our red & white light. People saw us, it was pretty amazing. If you are going to be anywhere or anyplace that has problems of visibility, I highly recommend that you get the ICE Light for high safe visibility for your personnel.

Assoc. Professor Steve Cohen - Nova Southeastern University (Florida)
Reserve Law Enforcement Officer - Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission

I was first introduced to the Metal-Tec "compact" detector at the ASLET training session you sponsored in Orlando. Since then, I have had the opportunity to be involved with introducing the product to individual officers, using it on my own and demonstrating its capabilities. I wanted to take a moment to thank you and your staff for both a wonderful product and the excellent training and support you provide. As both an educator and law enforcement officer, I sincerely appreciate the innovation, technology and practicality built into this unit.

As the Metal-Tec has a silent vibration alert, the value cannot be overemphasized. Detection of hidden metal objects, particularly weapons, offers tactical advantage, without compromising officer safety and security. As you know, once a subject recognizes that an officer is cognizant of a hidden weapon, the more they are likely to attempt to use it, fight or flee. This alone places the value of the Metal-Tec far ahead of competitor products and search techniques. Other features that we recognize as valuable include it's simple operation, water resistance, long battery life, and detection technology (ability to located and qualify found objects by size and pinpoint location) are truly valuable to the field officer.

Thanks for your commitment to this quality product, training and officer safety.


Chief Roderic Russell - Donnellson Police Dept. (Iowa)

This is to inform you that our department has adopted the Metal-TEC 1400 for our use.

All officers with this department will be trained in its use.

I want to thank you for the training program as it is hard for small agencies like us to buy equipment of this nature due to our small budgets. Its good to see that big companies like you DO CARE about officer safety.


Chief Jay Andrews - Eddyville Police Dept. (Iowa)

I wanted to write you and thank you for your companies participation in the training program held recently in Ottumwa, Iowa. I participated in the training and was certified as a Metal-TEC 1400 trainer. As a result of this training, the Eddyville Police Department has adopted the Metal-TEC 1400 as our departments official Metal Detector for field use.

I also wanted to thank you for the demonstration Metal-TEC 1400 that you provided to our department. We will put it to good use. Undoubtedly, after using it and seeing how effective it is, other officers on my department may be looking to purchase these detectors as well.

I am impressed by the quality and durability of your product. Please keep up the good work.


Dir. Stephen McCoy - Iowa Crime Commission (Iowa)

The South Iowa Area Crime Commission was pleased to host the successful Metal-Tec training and certification session at Ottumwa, Iowa on August 15, 2001. Feedback from departments in attendance has been positive and our agency plans to incorporate the use of the Metal-Tec 1400 into the routine searching of prisoners prior to booking or transport.


Chief Kenneth Powers - Albia Police Dept. (Iowa)

We would like to thank you for the Metal-Tec 1400 that this department received on August 15, 2001 and for the opportunity to learn how this important device can be used.

This department will be using the Metal-Tec 1400 on all traffic stops that are conducted in order to check for weapons and other concealed objects that might be of a danger to an officers safety. The Metal-Tec 1400 will prevent any dangerous weapons escaping the officers notice thus elminating the possibility of an officer getting injured.

We believe that the Metal-Tec 1400 will be a valuable asset to this department and its personnel.
 

Chief of Police Jesse R. Whisler  - Mexia I.S.D. Police (Texas)

I would like to say congratulations on developing a remarkable product, the METAL-TEC 1400.  We have purchased the METAL-TEC for our school police department and have found the METAL-TEC to be most helpful at the football and basketball games.  Unlike other metal detectors that are big and cumbersome, these units are light and easy to use.  We have found the units to be helpful in the detection of other contraband that students are restricted to have in their possession.  The detection of weapons on campus is one of our concerns but cell phones also cause problems when used to make a prank 911 call from inside the school.

The METAL-TEC helps deter students from bringing cell phones, pagers, weapons and other contraband into the school.  I am waiting to see what other items your company will develop to help protect not only the Law Enforcement but the citizens as well.  Keep up the good work and keep me informed on future developments.