Police Books from California Police Officers

Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. Police-Writers.com added three police officers from California who have written books.

Dr. Douglas W. Perez is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the State University of New York, Plattsburg. From 1970 to 1975, Douglas Perez was a deputy sheriff for the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office (California). Currently, Dr. Douglas Perez teaches courses in the criminal justice field and has significant experience also in the sociological theory area. His classroom foci include the study of the police, law and society, the drug war, and introductory level courses. Dr. Douglas Perez is the author of The Paradoxes of Police Work and Common Sense about Police Review. His is also the co-author of Police Ethics: A Matter of Character.

According to the book description of Police Ethics: A Matter of Character, “Police officers make thousands of important, life-changing decisions everyday. In order to promote and ensure justice, these decisions must be fair and even-handed. Police officers cannot think or act as if they are free to define what is legal and what is illegal or to decide who is inherently good and who is inherently bad. They must act in an ethical manner. Yet, police officers are given a limited amount of training in police ethics.”

At the age of 14, Jim Wagner began to his life long pursuit of self-defense by beginning his study of the marital arts. Four years later he joined the United States Army. In 1991 Jim Wagner, sponsored by the Costa Mesa Police Department, entered the police academy (Orange County Sheriff’s Department Training Academy Class 104). Like his military training before, Jim Wagner was deeply influenced by the police academy’s realistic conflict scenarios.

During his career with the Costa Mesa Police Department, Jim Wagner earned a place on the SWAT team. It was through this conduit that Jim learned about logistics, command post operations, hostage negotiations, entry team tactics, and sniping. On the job training included courses with LAPD SWAT, the U.S. Army Special Forces, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Tactical Training Center, and from U.S. Marines Division Schools Camp Pendleton (Advanced Sniper Course, Military Operations Urban Terrain, Helicopter Rope Suspension Training, and Range Safety Officer).

While conducting a myriad of courses at Camp Pendleton, both military units and other law enforcement agencies using the base for their own training discovered Jim Wagner’s unique approach to training and his seamless blending of defensive tactics with edged weapons and firearms skills. Before long he was getting offers from the United States Marine Corps, U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group, Department of Defense Police, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections, San Diego Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Probation Department, U.S. Border Patrol, Immigration & Naturalization Service, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines Provost Marshal Office, Drug Enforcement Administration. By 1996 Jim found himself being invited by foreign unit to train in their own countries: GermanGSG9, Brazilian G.A.T.E., Argentinean G.O.E., Royal Canadian Mounted Police, London Metropolitan Police, Helsinki Police Department, and various units in Spain, Mexico, and Israel.

The demand on Jim Wagner’s time was overwhelming and in 1999 he decided to resign from the Costa Mesa Police Department and started teaching full time. Not wanting to fully give up his law enforcement career Jim applied as a Reserve Deputy at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Jim Wagner is the author of Reality Based Personal Protection.

Designed as a companion book to Jim Wagner’s best-selling instructional DVD series, Reality-Based Personal Protection provides eight detailed chapters. According to the book description, “Reality-Based Personal Protection system covers the complete tactical spectrum of pre-conflict, conflict and post-conflict techniques and training methods for a wide variety of worst-case scenarios. Mastering these tactics will educate you on the dangers of the modern world and how to survive them.”

David A. Hansen was a captain with the Daly City Police Department (California). He is the author of Police Ethics, An Analysis of Police Concepts and Programs, The Police Training Officer, Closed Circuit Television for Police and The Police Leader: A Handbook.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 732 police officers (representing 339 police departments) and their 1568 police books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.

Criminal Justice Management Degree

The Union Institute and University, in partnership with the Brea Police Department (California), is offering a Bachelor’s Degree program in Criminal Justice Management. The next session begins on October 22, 2007 and will be held at the Brea Police Department facility.

Featuring:
8-week sessions on Monday nights from 6:30-10:30pm
• Physical attendance required for only (5) of the (8) nights
• Fully accredited, and taught by experienced professionals


Police Officers:
• Receive 32-college units for their Basic POST Certificate
• Receive up to 30-college units for advanced POST training
• Financial Aid available for those who qualify.
• With their Basic POST, and a significant amount of lower level transfer units, can finish
their degree in about 8-months

Program Briefings:
• Friday, September 14, 2007 0900 hours
• Monday, September 17, 2007 1500 hours
(Both in Community Room A, Brea Civic Center)

More Information:
Criminal Justice Degree

Contact Information:
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA at 909.599.7530 or raymond@hitechcj.com.

Law Enforcement Technology

NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary
Thursday, September 6, 2007

"City Looks at $40M Police Headquarters"
Waukegan News Sun (IL) (09/04/07); Peterson, Craig

The Waukegan, Ill., City Council is considering design plans for a new headquarters for its police. A five-floor building with communications, training, investigations, records, evidence processing, and office space is thought to cost around $40 million. A police headquarters outfitted with the modern crime-fighting devices is the most sophisticated and costly facility any municipal government will construct, architects have informed aldermen. While initially, plans had called for redoing the previous city hall facility or constructing on an adjacent location, Police Chief Bill Biang explained that seven architectural companies studied refurbishing the present facility and all said it was not a good idea. Biang added there is no room to expand horizontally, and the building cannot support adding floors to it. He also stated that acquiring land would counter the savings of redoing the facility. The council may use a referendum to pay for the new police headquarters. http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/
news/540363,5_1_WA04_WAUKEGANCOPS_S1.article

"A High-Tech Helping Hand for Soldiers"
Philadelphia Inquirer (09/04/07); Holcomb, Henry J.

The Wearable Intelligent Reporting Environment (WIRE), developed by Lockheed Martin, is designed to help soldiers in the field by recording their activity and turning speech it records into documents so soldiers do not have to write reports after a hard day on patrol. If approved, soldiers would wear a headset with an earphone and microphone designed to separate voices from gunfire and other noise. The headset is connected to a rugged but lightweight computer tucked into the soldier's combat vest. The system allows soldiers to dictate a report while in the field, all without taking their hands off their weapons or their eyes off of the action. The computer asks for responses that fill out forms designed for different situations and asks about words or situations it does not understand. The computer automatically creates a report and sends it to commanders, along with data from the soldier's GPS receiver. Data from multiple patrols can be analyzed immediately to fine-tune strategy and tactics. WIRE is designed to work with headsets and batteries already used by the military, and because the device does not have a video screen a single charge lasts as long as most patrols. WIRE also has significant potential for law enforcement applications. Crime analysis expert Robert Cheetham says fresh digital reports from the field would be extremely valuable to police commanders and could allow them to detect patterns and prevent future crimes. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/20070904_
A_high-tech_helping_hand_for_soldiers.html

"GPS Technology Helps to Locate Police Dogs"
Cherry Hill Courier-Post (NJ) (09/04/07); Strupczewski, Leo

The Camden County, N.J., Sheriff's Department is one of the initial law enforcement agencies in the nation to obtain GPS technology that can help an officer locate his dog. The dog's collar contains the GPS device, and the dog's officer carries a hand-held device not much larger than a BlackBerry, to track the animal. If a dog gets lost, department members can locate him by finding a pawprint on the handler's screen and proceeding towards it. The Minnesota firm White Bear Technologies manufactures the Roam-EO technology, and contributed four units to the Camden Sheriff's Department's four canine divisions. Roam-EO offers the department real-time information, which is sent to an officer's hand-held unit. Each device is priced at $499, and there is an insurance fee for dogs of $4,500 to $6,000, although that price can increase if training is included. United States Police Canine Association executive director Russ Hess thinks the technology will become more popular as the systems become more advanced.
http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20070904/NEWS01/709040362/1006

"Police to Unveil New Communication Gear"
WTNH.com--Channel 8 (Conn.) (09/05/07); Latina, Jodi

First responders in Connecticut will have new technology in the near future to assist them in emergency events. On Wednesday, they are set to receive a communication system that helps links departments throughout Connecticut. It will be the initial state in the country to have the radio common channel erected. The system is intended to maintain open communication lines during an emergency. Currently, if a police officer in Enfield, for example, wishes to speak with an officer in Madison, they would have to use the phone. With a common radio frequency, the link could be immediate. The new system will also keep portable radios in sync. The technology, which is known as band, is priced at $1 million, and connects to current radio systems.
http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=7027349&nav=3YeX

"Groves Police Get Anti-Gang Grant"
Mid County Chronicle (TX) (09/05/07); Kutac, Dennis

Authorities with the Groves, Texas, Police Department claim superior technology equipment is what they want to buy after getting a federal granted intended to help target gang violence and associated crimes. Sen. John Cornyn ( R) claims the $350,350 grant was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice's Anti-Gang Initiative and was dispensed by the Texas Office of the Attorney General. Groves Police Department Det. Steven Hinton noted the proposal the department actually presented for the Project Safe Neighborhoods grant totaled $84,489, which it requested earlier this year and from which it obtained around $80,000. Hinton explained the equipment the department wants to acquire includes thermal-imaging devices, binoculars, recorders, and transmitters. "Our department will be buying technology extremely advanced mainly for undercover work and surveillance," he stated. Groves City Marshal Jeff Wilmore pointed out that the grant will also enable the Groves Police Department to bring its Safe Streets Crime Unit and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force together to deal with gang-associated and personal crimes. Cornyn stated the Anti-Gang Initiative offers money to support new or enlarged anti-gang and enforcement plans under the current Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative.
http://www.midcountychronicle.com/news/2007/0905/Front_Page/001.html

"Sandy Springs, GA Police Department Selects SunGard's OSSI Public Safety Software"
WebWire (09/03/07)

SunGard HTE, a leading international provider of government information technologies, reports that the Sandy Springs, Ga., Police Department has signed a contract to implement the company's OSSI Public Safety Suite of software. The suite provides a fully integrated system that affords each agency real-time access to shared information, helping to improve response times, reduce costs, and increase officer safety. The Sandy Springs Police Department will implement the Records Management System and Mobile Computing components of the OSSI Public Safety Suite. Records Management System provides a comprehensive system to collect, store, and access information gathered by law enforcement personnel during daily activities. Mobile Computing Technology is a wireless application that provides access to information for officers in the field. Together, these components will help officers to stay connected with real-time data while in the field. http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=46613

"Lawmen on Target with CVTC Technology"
Calhoun Times (GA) (08/31/07); West, E.K.

The Northwest Georgia Enforcement Executives Association convened in August at Coosa Valley Technical College (CVTC) for the introduction of the new Computer LaserShot Technology in the Criminal Justice program. The innovative technology was given to the officers by CVTC Criminal Justice coordinator and instructor Tom Bojo. "This is an outstanding piece of equipment that can be used not only for laser shot simulation classroom purposes but law enforcement departments can reserve the simulator for training," he stated. LaserShot is a computer-simulation program that employs a simulated handgun and a laser-action screen. Numerous drills and situations--including vehicle chases and hostage scenarios--take place onscreen with various endings. LaserShot instruction is only done at CVTC's Gordon County campus as part of the Criminal Justice program. In addition, the program provides classrooms, crime-scene rooms, computer research facilities, and rescue maze capability. "Our technology capabilities give students hands on experience allowing them to use what they learn in the field," notes Bojo, which keeps officers interested and offers them ongoing feedback.
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&
pnpID=722&NewsID=834262&CategoryID=3388&on=1

"Area Police Forces Add High-Tech Gear"
Valley News Dispatch (08/26/07); Biedka, Chuck

Harrison Township, Pa., law enforcement will soon begin utilizing a video enhancement system, while police in O'Hara will discover how to utilize a high-tech surveillance system that can be employed to investigate a variety of crimes, including drug trafficking. The video enhancement system can be utilized with the majority of video systems to upgrade the quality of images, such as those found on a firm's surveillance tapes. Meanwhile, the video surveillance system is small, easy to hide, and employs a camera that is motion activated. The system, which also records sounds, can be utilized inside or outdoors. O'Hara's surveillance system is the third advanced technological tool that the police department has acquired from the U.S. government. The department is also employing a thermal imaging camera. Harrison Police Chief Mike Klein noted his department will pursue a grant in 2008 to purchase the same surveillance system O'Hara is using. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_524172.html

"Oil City Police Go to Nab Speeders"
Oil City Derrick (PA) (08/30/07); Clark, Karen

The Oil City, Pa., Police Department has been employing the Electronic Non-Radar Device (ENRADD) since January, permitting officers to more aggressively pursue speeders. In addition, ENRADD makes it a lot harder for violators to figure out where police are probably waiting and watching. ENRADD--a wireless speed-detection device--enables police to operate a speed check almost anyplace, including on leading thoroughfares, bridges, and back streets. ENRADD has a pair of tripods that each have sensor units. Officers put the three-foot tripods on either side of the road. As cars drive between the sensors, their speed is determined and sent through a wireless radio connection to a display head situated in a patrol vehicle. Experts contend that ENRADD can save a police department $3,000 to $5,000 a car annually on gas and maintenance because police do not have to chase vehicles that are going too fast. http://www.thederrick.com/stories/08312007-5008.shtml

"Video Billboards Coming This Way"
Philadelphia Inquirer (08/21/07) P. E1; Slobodzian, Joseph A.

The Philadelphia region will soon erect digital billboards, which are being lauded by police for promoting public safety. ClearChannel Outdoor stated it would have eight 14-by-48 video billboards with advertising images or messages that would change every eight seconds on leading highways by the end of this year from Bucks County to Philadelphia and into Delaware County. The company attempted to install a couple of billboards on Aug. 20, only to be stopped by continuous rain. ClearChannel claims the billboards recently informed drivers in Minneapolis and St. Paul about the demise of the Interstate 35W bridge and offered optional routes. Separately, a missing girl from Minneapolis was located one day after digital billboards were utilized in an Amber Alert. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson supports the digital billboards, noting they are in the "community's best interests because they have the capability to deliver important emergency information, such as Amber Alerts or disaster-preparedness bulletins." Driver-safety organizations and environmentalists, however, contend that the billboards will endanger motorists and are an eyesore.
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20070821_
Video_billboards_coming_this_way.html

"Asotin County Sheriff Upgrades Tasers"
Lewiston Morning Tribune (ID) (08/21/07) P. 1D; Cole, David

Deputies in Asotin County, Idaho, are now carrying Tasers with newer technology, which are better at controlling dangerous suspects and are safer, authorities claim. In June, Asotin County Sheriff Ken Bancroft began carrying the new Taser X26 model, replacing the older Taser M26. The Taser X26 discharges a pair of small probes, which look like fish hooks that have been straightened. The probes can fly as far as 25 feet, penetrating the clothing of a suspect and going into the body, Bancroft explained. The Taser X26 costs $200 more than the M26, at $800 apiece. The sheriff's office bought 14 of the X26s, one for every field deputy and two for joint use by Asotin County Jail correctional deputies. The Taser X26 is shaped like a firearm, weighs less than the older Tasers, and documents the length of activation time. http://www.lmtribune.com

"Strategy Game Trains Cops and Firefighters"
PC World (08/23/07); McMillan, Robert

Graduate students from the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering are collaborating with Sandia National Laboratories on a real-time strategy game that allows police officers, fire fighters, and other first responders to practice emergency scenarios. The game, Ground Truth, is realistic because events in the game occur in real time, putting added pressure on first responders to act swiftly. Jim Pointer, the medical director of Alameda County's Emergency Medical Services Agency, recently completed an intense session of Ground Truth that called for him to oversee a city's response to a toxic chemical spill. During the scenario, he was responsible for managing traffic barriers, putting hazmat teams and police cars in position to respond to the spill, and managing medical collection points while keeping an eye out for toxic plumes. Pointer says the game is fun, educational, and has great promise. Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft III game provided inspiration for Ground Truth, which could eventually receive funding from private industry or even the Homeland Security Department. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136306-c,games/article.html

"Dallas PD Fights Crime With Video Surveillance"
Security Technology & Design (07/07) Vol. 17, No. 7, P. 52; Levin, Gregg

In early 2005, the Dallas Police Department launched a pilot project involving the installation of video surveillance cameras in the busy Deep Ellum area of the city. After just four months of operation, the project was credited with significantly reducing the number of crimes in the area, prompting the Police Department to consider expansion. With funding from the Meadows Foundation, bids were sought to install a wireless video surveillance system in Dallas' central business district with a goal of reducing crime in hot spots by 30 percent. In January, the new system was deployed, covering about 30 percent of the downtown area with round-the-clock monitoring and allowing operators to change the direction of the camera lenses remotely as well as allowing officers to redeploy cameras as needed to increase monitoring capabilities at special events or other downtown locations. The Police Department now plans to increase the number of cameras deployed around the city by threefold.
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/print/Security-Technology-
and-Design/Video-Surveillance/Dallas-PD-Fights-Crime-With-Video-Surveillance
/11804SIW2

"Riot Act"
Police Magazine (08/07) Vol. 31, No. 8, P. 34; Griffith, David

Since it was closed in 1996, the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville has hosted the annual Mock Prison Riot, which is one of the premier corrections and law enforcement training events in the world. The Mock Prison Riot, which is held each May, is planned and executed by the staff of the Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization (OLTEC) and the National Corrections and Law Enforcement Training and Technology Center (NCLETTC). Personnel from the two organizations act as leaders of the "rioters," who are mostly students from local colleges and high schools. In addition, OLTEC develops scenarios that allow law enforcement agencies that are participating in the Mock Prison Riot to practice putting down prison disturbances. Although the scenarios are choreographed to some extent, there are some surprises for the responders. In some of the scenarios, the prisoners give up quickly, while in others they put up a fight. Along with developing the riot scenarios, OLETC and NCLETTC work with the participating law enforcement agencies and the makers of the products that are on display at the Mock Prison Riot's Technology Showcase to provide training opportunities that involve new or improved products. Since it is held in an abandoned prison, the event offers a one-of-a-kind training opportunity for law enforcement agencies such as the Gwinnett County (Ga.) Sheriff's Office's Rapid Response Team. "We really can't train very well in our jail because it is occupied," said Major Carl Sims of the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office. "And that's a problem because a cell offers a unique environment that's difficult to duplicate outside of a corrections facility." http://www.policemag.com/Articles/2007/08/Riot-Act.aspx

Fellowship of the Badge

The brotherhood of police is a true, strong, fine and very real bond. Some fall into the hype and myth of police work. Some fall under the spell of equipment and toys. Some follow the path of duty and service. Some appreciate a job that provides challenges, excitement and decent pay. Regardless of the reasons, most law enforcement personnel do believe in the concept of helping a fellow police officer.
READ ON

Defense Department Responds to Cyber Threats, Official Says

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

Sept. 4, 2007 - The Defense Department receives many attempted cyber attacks each day and has measures in place to aggressively respond to and deter these attacks, a department spokesman said today. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman addressed media reports that a computer system in the Office of the Secretary of Defense was hacked into by the Chinese military earlier this year. Whitman confirmed that an attack did occur in June but declined to identify the origin of the threat. It is often difficult to pinpoint the true origin of an intrusion into computer systems and even more difficult to tie the intrusion to a specific nation or government, he noted.

"Cyber or non-kinetic type threats to military computer networks are viewed as just as real and just as significant as physical or kinetic threats," Whitman said. "The department aggressively responds to deter all intrusions to defend what is known as the GIG, the global information grid."

When the intrusion occurred in June, elements of an unclassified e-mail system in the Office of the Secretary of Defense were taken off-line briefly, Whitman said. However, the department has redundant systems in place, so ongoing operations were not disrupted, he said. The system was restored to full service within two or three weeks.

There are hundreds of attempted intrusions into the Defense Department computer network each day, the majority of which are detected and stopped, Whitman said. The nature of the threat is large and diverse and includes recreational hackers, self-styled cyber vigilantes, various groups with nationalistic or ideological agendas, transnational actors, and nation states. When appropriate, the department turns cases over to law enforcement officials for investigation, he said.

"We continue to aggressively monitor our networks for intrusions," Whitman said. "We have appropriate procedures to address events of this nature."

Since the incident in June, Whitman said, he knows of no successful intrusions into the Defense Department computer system.

Law Enforcement Technology

NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary
Thursday, August 30, 2007

"Fingerprint Bank Gives Names to the Nameless"
Sacramento Bee (CA) (08/26/07) P. B1; Enkoji, M.S.

The FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division is the site of the nationwide fingerprint database, with 53 million sets in its criminal files. It also has civilian prints on file. The Clarksburg, W.Va., division will conduct 24 million checks annually, which will take around 10 minutes each. While the inclusion of old prints provides hope for people who continue to wait for information on a missing individual, new technology will make identifying someone faster and more complete, claims the bureau's Stephen Fischer. The expansion of the system also means that long-deceased individuals who were found guilty of misdemeanor crimes now stand a better chance of being identified. Due to more efficient identification and filing, certain police agencies are transmitting every set of fingerprints they obtain to the FBI database, including those guilty of misdemeanor charges. Eventually, the FBI will employ biometric identification that will enable investigators to match voices, palm prints, and people's irises. http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/345178.html

"Dallas Inmates Expected to Be Arraigned Via Video"
Dallas Morning News (08/21/07); Krause, Kevin

The jails in Dallas County will soon be equipped with video cameras so prisoners do not have to be transported to courtrooms to be arraigned before a judge. Judges will instead talk with defendants and their attorneys via video monitors, and documents will be faxed. In late August, county consumers are set to sanction spending $47,583 in reserve funds on the video arraignment system, which AT&T will provide. A pilot initiative that started in July in the George Allen jail has operated well with no reported problems. The county's other prisons and Parkland Memorial Hospital will also eventually be equipped with video communications systems. Employing video communication will enable inmates to be arraigned right away, without having to wait until the following day. This will lessen crowding in holding areas, county authorities point out. Dallas County Sheriff's Department Assistant Chief Deputy Mona Birdwell reports that her department currently transfers around 50 prisoners per day to the main courtroom at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center for arraignment on new or revamped charges. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/
082207dnmetjail.58431853.html

"Sheriff's Patrol Cars to Get New Camera System"
Jackson Citizen Patriot (MI) (08/23/07) P. A5; Quisenberry, Danielle

The Jackson County, Mich., Sheriff's Office and the Blackman Township public safety departments are replacing their current analog in-car video camera systems with digital systems. The digital system's cameras--which will be mounted near the rear-view mirror in patrol cars--will send video from the car to a server via a wireless connection so that the video cannot be altered or manipulated, according to Blackman Township Public Safety Director Mike Jester. He noted that this will help prevent defense attorneys from arguing in court that the tapes have been tapered with. In addition, officers will no longer have to worry about switching tapes, Jester said. The digital system will also allow law enforcement officials to more easily access incidents, and will deliver a picture that is far clearer than the video from the old analog system, said Jackson County Sheriff Dan Heyns. http://www.mlive.com/jackson/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-22/118787827240300.xml&coll=3

"GPS Tracking Like a Stakeout"
Telegram & Gazette (08/24/07) P. A1; Nugent, Karen

GPS technology has assisted in the arrest of arson suspects Michael P. Dreslinksi and John D. Rousseau. Rousseau was formerly charged with alleged involvement in five Clinton County fires last year, but the charges were dropped. In July, suspicions that the men were involved with criminal activity, along with their 15-year history with police, led law enforcement to obtain a "Blood warrant" for placing a GPS tracking device on Dreslinski's truck; the truck was then tracked to an abandoned paper mill shortly before a fire at the mill was reported. In Sterling and Holden, the men were also the prime suspects. Former president Ronald Reagan first authorized the use of GPS for civilians following military investigations of the technology in 1983. A Superior Court judge must issue a mandate to law enforcement for placing GPS devices on vehicles due to the expanse of area involved in the monitoring; the device can be used as legal evidence until it enters a private home. In the 1980s, courts ruled that law enforcement must have reasonable suspicion or probable cause in order to employ GPS technology in a case. Attorney Edward P. Ryan Jr. says obtaining a warrant circumvents the potential for the case being overturned by citing Article 14 of the Massachusetts Constitution, noting that citizens are immune to unreasonable searches and seizures. Dreslinksi and Rousseau have been arrested for burglary, impersonation, and breaking into police and railroad radio frequencies. http://www.telegram.com/article/20070824/NEWS/708240729/1116

"McLean Co. Uses Map Program to Test Sex Offenders' Compliance"
Pantagraph (08/25/07); Cima, Greg

In McLean County, Ill., geographic information system (GIS) technology has supplanted tape measures as law enforcement's method of tracking sex offenders' residency compliance. County attorney Bill Yoder says that while technology has assisted predators, "Technology has also given law enforcement a tool to fight back." A demonstration of the GIS exhibited a map of McLean with green dots designating the homes of sex offenders; the 500-foot distance offenders must keep between their homes and schools, parks, and other locations marked on the map is highlighted by semitransparent orange circles. Sheriff Mike Emery says the system's accuracy is "within an inch;" the map is available only to the sheriff's office and the McLean County Information Services. Violation of the residency compliance law for sex offenders is a felony with a five year sentence, and repeat offenders can receive up to seven years of jail time. http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/08/25/news/
doc46cf898d654dd371224839.txt

"Authorities Use GPS to Fight Graffiti"
Whittier Daily News (CA) (08/26/07); Scruby, Airan

Pico Rivera, Calif., police are employing the Graffiti Tracker to document and compare graffiti incidents that typically would be caught up in a sea of paperwork. The device uses cameras outfitted with GPS technology. Graffiti pictures are taken by cleanup crews and can be downloaded to a Web site, where they are studied and organized for reference. Pico Rivera public safety manager Steve Gutierrez stated that Graffiti Tracker has been beneficial since it was installed in September 2006. At that time, the city witnessed 828 vandalism incidents, while this past June, Pico Rivera had 324 "tags." Gutierrez pointed out that the city has had more than 60 arrests that have been directly linked to Graffiti Tracker. The system--which usually costs cities between $24,000 and $30,000 annually--categorizes graffiti by moniker, or the name a tagger utilizes, which enables individual taggers to be monitored via every vandalism act they perform. This permits police to concentrate efforts on the most active vandals, employing resources to catch the most harmful taggers first and rapidly lowering the amount of incidents in Pico Rivera. http://www.whittierdailynews.com/ci_6722437?source=most_viewed

"Eagle Firm Says Tracking Devices Will Hold Their Signals, Regardless of Location"
Idaho Statesman (08/25/07); Dey, Ken

Sky Detective's tracking technology will prevent suspected stalkers from approaching victims without notifying Garden City law enforcement. The Offender Ankle Device, an ankle bracelet, and the SD20 Cargo/Package Tracker, monitoring movement by being placed in a car or other vehicle, use GPS and cellular signals to monitor suspects. The ankle bracelet enables the court to instate zones around the victim so that the suspect is detected upon entering those zones and Garden City police are notified either by pager or cell phone. Through Sky Detective software, which works with Google Earth to produce satellite pictures, police can track the exact location of the suspect. Additionally, the victim could wear a device that monitors stalkers that are nearby in the case of a stalker venturing out of their zone. "It has a great potential to protect victims of crime while saving a lot of manpower and a lot of money for the department," says Capt. Cory Stambaugh. He adds that without the technology, victims' only defense is a court appointed no-contact order that can only be enforced if someone observes the suspect in violation of the order. Sky Detective also notifies law enforcement when the suspect is a certain distance from an exclusion zone, so they receive enough warning to remove the victim and wait for the suspect's arrival. Sky Detective founder and president Jerry Thompson says the technology is a solution to mitigate overcrowding prisons and to reduce costs for incurring inmates; the device costs less than $15 daily to run and can be paid for by the offender. http://www.idahostatesman.com/business/story/142052.html

"Proposal: Track Sex Offenders With GPS"
Daily Journal (N.J.) (08/24/07) P. 1A; Jackson, Miles

New Jersey lawmakers are pushing for a bill that would require convicted sex offenders to wear GPS devices upon their release from prison. For predators that lure children via the Internet, Assemblymen Nelson Albano (D-1) and Jeff Van Drew (D-1) said the technology would help law enforcement monitor such offenders and that the offenders should pay for the technology. The Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office has successfully caught predators that attempt to meet with underage children by using law enforcement agents posing as minors online. Van Drew says although many of those arrested have never sexually assaulted the minor, their intentions are clear. Albano and Van Drew also sponsored legislation that would increase sentences for repeat sex offenders and people who protect them, in addition to a bill restricting convicted offenders from using the Internet. http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070824/NEWS01/708240311/1002

"Missouri May List Online IDs of Sex Offenders"
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (08/22/07) P. D9; Bock, Jessica

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt announced Aug. 21 that he would support legislation that would add the email addresses and other electronic names used by sex offenders on the Internet to the state's registry of convicted sex offenders. The email addresses and screen names would also be made available to Internet service providers, instant messaging companies, and social networking sites. In addition, the legislation would restrict sex offenders' use of online identifiers to one screen name provided to law enforcement. Meanwhile, other states are also working to link email addresses to sex offender registries. In Illinois, for example, lawmakers passed legislation that forbids paroled sex offenders from communicating with children online. Another bill prohibits adults from engaging in sexual conversations online with minors with the intent of committing sexual abuse. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stcharles/story/
40C02A59B100C4F48625733F0011B7E4?OpenDocument

"Hempfield Township's Dispatch Center Lacking Action"
Greensburg Tribune-Review (PA) (08/26/07); Peirce, Paul

A brand-new, 15,000-square-foot state police dispatch facility in Hempfield Township, Pa., has still not hired its staff, making it a $2.1 million burden for the Pennsylvania law-enforcement institution. Harrisburg state police spokeswoman Linette Quinn stresses that the facility has not opened due to a "lack of funding." While area legislators stated they were not aware of the situation, they vowed to look into why the center is still empty. The center was among five regional consolidated dispatch facilities that state police initially intended to open by last year. The Hempfield Township facility, known as the Greensburg Consolidated Dispatch Center, was to facilitate calls for troops A and B, which includes 10 state police stations and eight southwestern counties. It was scheduled to employ around 60 individuals, primarily dispatchers who were already serving at different barracks across southwestern Pennsylvania. The facility was to have multiple state-of-the-art console stations with improved computer technology that would allow dispatchers to track the position of state police vehicles while they drove across the area. Pennsylvania Sen. Robert Regola (R) thinks the financing problem is the result of a continual power dispute between the state Legislature and state police administration. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_524164.html

"Eye in the Sky: Police Use Drone to Spy on V Festival"
Guardian Weekly (UK) (08/21/07) P. 6; Randerson, James

Several emergency services agencies in Great Britain--including the Staffordshire Police Department, the Merseyside Police Department, and the West Midlands fire service--have begun using or are planning to use remote-controlled unmanned spy drones in their operations. The Staffordshire Police Department used its drone to keep tabs on people at the recent V Festival. The department's drone is 70 cm wide and is equipped with high-resolution still and color video cameras, as well as infrared night vision capability. The drone cannot be heard from the ground once the device is 50 meters in the air, thanks to its four ultra-quiet carbon-fiber rotors, and it cannot be seen with the naked eye once it is 100 meters in the air. The vehicle takes off vertically and can be flown when it is out of sight, since it transmits images back to video goggles worn by the operator. The Merseyside Police Department has also been using drones to monitor disorderly situations and prevent antisocial behavior. Meanwhile, the West Midlands fire service has drawn up plans to use drones to get a close-up view of burning buildings. The increased use of drones worries some in Great Britain, including Noel Sharkey, an expert in robotics at Sheffield University, who says the use of the devices represents an unwarranted intrusion of privacy. http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,2153077,00.html

"Scientists Drug-Test Whole Cities"
Associated Press (08/21/07); Borenstein, Seth

Researchers at Oregon State University unveiled the results of drug testing on untreated wastewater samples from 10 unnamed American cities at the American Chemical Society in Boston in August. The tests, while unable to pinpoint individual users, can give a glimpse of drug trends in a particular location. In the study, traces of 15 different drugs were tested for in a source as little as one teaspoon of untreated sewage water. The science behind the study is that nearly every drug, legal and illegal, ends up passing from the human body to toilets to wastewater treatment plants. Among the findings of the study was that methamphetamine use in one urban area with a gambling industry was five times as rampant than in other cities and was nearly nonexistent in some smaller Midwestern locations. The drug found to be most excreted was caffeine. U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy chief scientist David Murray says the idea of drug testing wastewater samples interests his agency. The EPA is now testing federal wastewater samples to check to see if its a good way to monitor drug use. Another application would be to determine the potential harm caused to rivers and lakes from legal pharmaceuticals. http://www.abcnews.go.com/print?id=3507402

"Are Tasers Really Non-Lethal?"
Police (07/07) Vol. 31, No. 7, P. 32; Ho, Jeffrey D.

Ever since TASERs and other conducted electrical weapon (CEW) devices were introduced 30 years ago, there have been questions about whether the non-lethal weapons are safe to be used to control unruly suspects. However, several studies have found that CEWs are one of the safest weapons in a police officer's arsenal. For instance, a 2005 study entitled "Cardiac Safety of Neuromuscular Incapacitating Defensive Devices" found that the electrical output of a TASER would have to be increased to at least 42 times the standard level in order to induce cardiac arrest in a 258-pound animal. CEWs made by TASER International are not capable of producing this level of output. The study's findings mean that a TASER's safety threshold is higher than that of acetaminophen, which has a safety margin for lethality of approximately 10-to-one. Testing on humans also showed that CEWs are safe. In a study entitled "Cardiovascular and Physiologic Effects of Conducted Electrical Weapon Discharge in Resting Adults," 67 volunteers were subjected to a five-second, deployed probe application of a TASER X26. The study found that there were no changes in the subjects' electrocardiogram readings and markers for blood acid, kidney impairment, or cardiac muscle damage. Skeletal muscle break-down levels were elevated, though these markers were only elevated to the levels commonly seen after a workout. http://www.policemag.com/Articles/2007/07/Are-TASERs-Really-Non-Lethal.aspx

Police Books from Alaska to California

Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added one police officer from Alaska and two from California.

According to the Southern Oregon University Retirees Association Newsletter (Spring 2007 edition) Dr. Victor H. Sims “died on April 27, 2007. Victor Sims joined the University’s Department of Criminology in 1994 and retired in 2006. He had extensive experience in service and leadership positions, serving as a Company Commander in the U. S. Army Military Police Corps, a police officer in Berkeley, Phoenix, and Anchorage. In Nome, Alaska he served as chief of police of the Nome Police Department.

He received his PhD from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1982 and taught
at Stephen F. Austin State University, at the University of Southern Mississippi, and Lamar State University before going to SOU as Associate Professor of Criminology. Vic’s scholarship included research on rural and small town policing. He helped the department connect with regional law enforcement agencies and brought a chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma (the Criminal Justice Honor Society) to SOU. He received an Elmo award for his leadership in motivating students to come to the University. During his life he was also a commercial pilot, a marathon runner and triathlete.” Victor Sims was also the author of Small Town and Rural Police.

Prior to his law enforcement career, James T. Born was a member of the United States Navy. In 1967, James Born was deployed to Vietnam as a Boatswain’s Mate Third Class. He received a Bronze Star “while serving as Assistant Boat Captain with Mobile Support Team II, on a Heavy SEAL Support Craft (HSSC), operating in the MeKong Delta.”

James T. Born graduated from the Los Angeles Police Department academy in 1969. During his ten year career in law enforcement he served as a Los Angeles Police Officer and a Deputy Sheriff. The highest rank he attained in law enforcement was as a Sheriff’s Captain, Chief of the Detective Bureau. In 1978, James Born was licensed as a private investigator in California. And, in 1989, he was licensed as a private investigator in Nevada.

James Born is a District Court Certified Forensic and Fingerprint Expert and has taught Crime Scene Technology and Investigation to law enforcement officers in eleven states. Jim born is a recipient of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution “Law Enforcement Commendation Medal” the highest civilian law enforcement medal in the United States. He is a graduate of Los Angeles Pierce College and has further attended fours years of University instruction in his field of Criminal Justice Administration. James Born has graduated from 82 law enforcement training schools. He is also the author of Coping with Marital Infidelity: How to Catch your Spouse Cheating.

According to the description of Coping with Marital Infidelity, “If you are a victim or know someone who is a victim of marital infidelity (cheating mates), this unique "How to" book will grab held of your life in a way you could never dream of and give you the tools needed that will help you to cope with this problem. The author has investigated thousands of such cases and has consulted with many thousands of other victims having the same problem, who couldn't afford to hire an investigator and needed advice.”

Dr. John P. Kenney began his career in criminal justice and law enforcement career as a patrol officer for the Berkeley Police Department. A recognized leader in the improvement of policing, Dr. John Kenney has been a director at the California Department of Justice; the president of the Los Angeles Police Commission; a management consultant (which included the Denver City Council retaining him in 1957 when a Denver Police Department scandal received national publicity for numerous police officers taking contracts to burglarize businesses); and, he worked extensively with the Agency for International Development identifying police consultants to work overseas, and personally conducted an international conference on democratic policing in Thailand.

Dr. John Kenney was a founder of the International Association of Police Professors which became the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and was a President of the American Society of Criminology. His work as a criminal justice educator included the graduate schools for police administration at the University of Southern California and California State University at Long Beach. He is the author of Police Operations: Policies and Procedures: Four Hundred Field Situations with Solutions; Principles of Investigation and Study Guide to Accompany Principles of Investigation (2 Books); The Police Executive Handbook; and, Police Work with Juveniles and the Administration of Juvenile Justice.

According to the book description of Principles of Investigation, “Covering topics from a conceptual viewpoint, this text brings the ethical and legal obligations of investigation into perspective. It uses tabulated lists and checklists along with Features (examples) to cover the techniques of investigation.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 724 police officers (representing 333 police departments) and their 1547 police books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.

Police Books List Grows

Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. With addition of Kevin Hughes, Douglas Vaughn and Clarence Lee, Police-Writers.com has grown to 718 police officers and their 1536 books.

Kevin Hughes has over 27 years of law enforcement experience. Kevin Hughes joined the Shorewood Hills Police Department in 1974. In 1978, he joined the Dane County Sheriff’s Office (Wisconsin). In 1984, he was promoted to detective and is considered a senior detective for the Dane County Sheriff’s Office. Writing under the pen name of “Charles Porter,” he is the author of Just Another Shade of Blue. According to the book description, “When Detective Conrad Garrity is called to the scene of a body discovered in a remote park, he knows it will be a tough case: the victim is a 13 year old girl who has been missing for several weeks. Internal conflict within his own agency creates instant heartburn and fueling the frenzy is a prolific small market television reporter.”

According to one reader of Just Another Shade of Blue, “I found this book to have all the elements needed to make reading a pleasant experience. The characters take on a life all their own. It is very apparent that Charles Porter has worked in the detective field for many years, as the plot is believable and is interesting until the very end. This is a book that rates right up there with some of the best I've ever read and I recommend it to anyone that takes pleasure in reading. One word of caution, make sure you don't have any up and coming plans, the book is difficult to put down”

Douglas J. Vaughn graduated with honors from the New York Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Criminal Justice. He is a former United States Marine and Vietnam veteran, having served as a forward observer for artillery, naval gunfire and air strikes. He spent most of his thirteen-month tour in Vietnam just below the Demilitarized Zone near the Cua Viet River with the 1st Amphibious Tractor Battalion where he served with Ron Kovic, the author of “Born on the Fourth of July.

Douglas Vaughn is also a veteran of the New York Police Department. While assigned to the 48th Precinct in the South Bronx, he gave technical advice to Paul Newman during the filming of “Fort Apache The Bronx.” He also worked in the 20th Precinct on Manhattan’s upper West Side and in the Highway Patrol Unit. Douglas Vaughn He spent his final years with the Police Department planning escorts for dignitaries and was forced to retire in his twentieth year due to an injury incurred while escorting former President George H.W. Bush. He is also one of the 200, or so, officers who has been awarded the Police Combat Cross since its inception in 1934. This second highest Department award is given for “exemplification of extraordinary bravery in armed combat.”

Douglas Vaughn is the author of From the Heights. According to the book description of From the Heights, it “begins in the New York City of the 1930’s and takes the reader to the war in the Pacific and the secret workings of the OSS in Italy and Switzerland during World War II. It is a story of the privileged that summer in South Hampton and the poor who swim in the Harlem River. It is a story of social climbing and empire building. It follows the lives and loves of two generations and delves into the inner workings of the New York Police Department and battles fought by United States Marines in Vietnam.”

According to James Allan Matte, Ph.D, in Forensic Psychophysiology using the Polygraph, “in 1938, Captain Clarence D. Lee of the Berkeley Police Department (California) designed the Berkeley Psychograph.” In 1953, Captain Clarence Lee published The Instrumental Detection of Deception: The Lie Test.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 718 police officers (representing 331 police departments) and their 1536 police books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.

Failure Equals Death, and other stuff

Police-Writers.com is a website that lists over 700 state and local police officers who have written books. The website added three police officer authors: John Hefley; William Butler; and Ric Robinson.

Since 1999, John C. Hefley has been the Chief of Police of the Village of Big Bend Police Department (Wisconsin). John Hefley is also the author of Failure Equals Death. According to the book description of Failure Equals Death, “Young girls are being murdered. The members of the Special Investigations Unit are responsible for identifying the killer and stopping the deaths. They find nothing that links the victims. Worse than that, no physical evidence is found at the crime scenes and there is no sign of forced entry or burglary. This is the most challenging investigation this elite unit has ever encountered. There is only one certainty: they cannot fail because failure equals death.”

Ric Robinson, a 21 year veteran of law enforcement, was a state trooper with the West Virginia State Police. During his law enforcement career, he “investigated virtually every heinous crime.” During his law enforcement career with the West Virginia State Police was the director of Media Relations. In that assignment, Ric Robinson became an integral part of thousands of interviews, not only throughout the State, but for Dateline, 60 Minutes, Nightline, Larry King Live, COPS, and many more. After early retirement, Ric Robinson “took his unique talents to legendary radio giant WLW. As a daily host, his life experience, knowledge and aggressive style made Ric a popular entertainer, covering all of today's hottest topics.” Ric Robinson is the author of Cop: The Truth Behind the Badge.

According to the book description of Cop: The Truth Behind the Badge, it “knocks the politically correct crowd back on its heels with the truth about racial profiling, serial snipers, illegal immigrants, guns, drugs, and more. Nationally recognized police expert, talk radio host and teacher, Ric Robinson, delivers a powerful reality check with real cop stories about "scum-sucking slopeheads and their lying, thieving lawyers. Ric sets the record straight regarding homeland insecurity, misuse of power and justice denied.”

William Butler was a police officer for the Gilmer Police Department (Texas). In addition to his law enforcement career, William Butler is a former member of the United States Army. During his more than seven years as a soldier he attained the rank of sergeant (E5) and his duty stations included: Fort Sam Houston (Texas); White Sands Missile Range (New Mexico); and, two overseas tours. One of his military assignments overseas was as a patrol officer assigned to the Allied Checkpoints Bravo and Charlie in Berlin, Germany.

William Butler is the author of I Remember Tomorrow. According to the book description, “In an attempt to rebuild her life, Jeanette relocates to a quiet little town, after spending ten years in the military and suffering a failed marriage. But Jeanette is a precognitive; able to see the future. It scares her and causes her to question her sanity. Matters are complicated further when she meets the man of her dreams and what follows is a series of events that threaten to push her over the edge. Now she must deal with new challenges in her career, struggle with ever increasing psychic abilities, and come to grips with her feelings for a man she wants to love but fears she cannot.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 715 police officers (representing 330 police departments) and their 1533 police books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.

Counter-Terrorism/Medical Disaster Preparedness: A Pro-Active Approach

Saturday, SEPTEMBER 29, 2007
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Campus Center

The mission of this symposium is to educate the public on counter-terrorist prevention strategies and disaster response; this symposium will have a particular emphasis on response resources, looking at real scenarios run in a major medical center environment.
The latest in a series of seminars hosted by the NJ Marine Corps Reserve Association/ Military Order of the Purple Heart focusing on different aspects of terrorist prevention and disaster response.

More Information
http://www.criminaljustice-online.com/forum1/852.html

Simulated Flu Outbreak Teaches Real Lessons

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 16, 2007 - About 1,000 Pentagon employees participated in a two-day pandemic influenza exercise that concluded yesterday to prepare portions of the Defense Department for a possible mass outbreak of deadly flu virus. Personnel deemed "infected" worked from home, and "healthy" participants in the building wore masks over their faces and maintained six-foot barriers from coworkers while working through a script of challenging tasks.

The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon made officials realize that "we would have to be prepared to carry on our mission, perform our day-to-day functions in situations and circumstances we didn't really anticipate," said Michael L. Dominguez, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

"That was reinforced for us with Hurricane Katrina, and that whole set of activities -- where accounting for people and being able to conduct your operations when you've lost some people -- was also very critical," he said.

Pandemic flu is a fast-spreading infectious disease that causes a global outbreak, or pandemic, of serious illness that could sicken or kill hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of people, according to the U.S. government's pandemic flu Web site. For example, the 1918 flu epidemic killed more than a half million Americans. Furthermore, it could take six to eight months to develop a vaccine for pandemic flu after it strikes.

At the exercise command center here, organizers followed the adage, "plan for the worst, and hope for the best," displaying the faces of department directors killed or incapacitated by the simulated flu outbreak. Charts detailed personnel strength of each department, with Defense Human Resources suffering 16 employees killed within the flu's first hours.

A doomsday scenario forced personnel to adapt quickly to achieve a scripted series of tasks:

-- Reorganize each department according to orders of succession;

-- Use a phone tree to call employees;

-- Strive for 100-percent accountability despite BlackBerry devices being rendered useless due to a network crash;

-- Compile status reports of personnel and family members killed; and

-- Send letters of condolence where necessary.

Exercise manager Kathleen Ott, director of talent, acquisition and management for the Office of the Undersecretary for Personnel and Readiness, said the exercise has prepared the department to carry out essential functions in the event of a pandemic.

Ott said the department identified various weaknesses as early as April, when the planning phase began.

"We got a working group of action officers from each of the directorates together, and we started with the very basics. Did we have a recall roster? Did we have current organization charts? Did we have a list of our mission-essential functions?" she said. "We found that as we were developing those documents that we didn't really have everything that we needed to have in place."

As a result, Personnel and Readiness developed a recall roster listing current phone numbers for all employees and up-to-date organization charts indicating orders of succession and delegations of authority should current directors become incapacitated. The department also documented mission-essential functions.

Officials at the Defense Department and other federal agencies that are conducting similar exercises will share lessons learned from their respective demonstrations, Ott said.

"We thought there would be value in doing an exercise within (Personnel and Readiness) so that we could capture lessons learned to help us better frame policies we would be sending out to the field," she said.

John Winkler, acting principal deputy of Reserve Affairs, coordinated the exercise on behalf of Reserve Affairs.

Winkler said practicing "social distancing" -- maintaining 6 feet of space from coworkers -- and wearing the required face mask for the duration of the work day was an adjustment. As he spoke, his breath escaped through gaps near the top of his mask, and condensation began to form on his spectacles.

"We started off by testing our phone trees last night and we learned, for example, that despite all of our careful preparation we still have old phone numbers in (electronic) contact lists," he said. "That's exactly the kind of thing we want to find out. Even though we thought we had figured it all out, what did we miss? That's part of the education."

The exercise's interactive nature makes it a more effective means of teaching than distributing dry, text-based guidelines, he said.

"This exercise has certainly caused people to think harder about what it might really be like," said Winkler, his eyeglass lenses now completely opaque. "When you walk around with masks and have to remind yourself to stay 6 feet away from everybody else, it adds another layer of reality to it all."

Both Washingtons

Police-Writers.com is a website that lists over 700 state and local police officers who have written books. The website added police officers from both the State of Washington and Washington, DC.

George D. Shuman is a twenty year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department (Washington, DC). During his law enforcement career, he has served as an undercover narcotics detective, sergeant in the Internal Affairs Division, an operations commander of the police academy and as a lieutenant commander in the Public Integrity Branch, Internal Affairs Division. George Shuman is the author of two novels: 18 Seconds: A Sherry Moore Novel and Last Breath: A Sherry Moore Novel.

Publisher’s Weekly said of Last Breath, “In Shuman's mesmerizing second suspense novel to feature blind Philadelphia psychic Sherry Moore (after 2006's 18 Seconds), the Maryland attorney general asks Sherry, who can relive a murder victim's last moments by touching the body, to do her thing on three women discovered gruesomely murdered in an abandoned Maryland meat processing plant. Soon Sherry is plagued by eerie nightmares. After another woman is found strangled in an upscale suburban Pittsburgh home, the Pennsylvania state police get involved, but territorial wrangling between state and federal law enforcement agencies hampers the search for the serial killer. Shuman, who has worked for more than 20 years with the Washington, D.C., metropolitan police, brings a chilling realism to his depiction of crime scenes and has a real gift for conveying fear.”

Calvin Rowley was a police officer for the Seattle Police Department and served on the Seattle Vice Squad for many years. He is dedicated to the battle against prostitution and often did undercover work. In addition to his law enforcement career, Calvin Rowley has designed and built several homes, as well as operating a private detective agency. Cal Rowley is the author The Eyes of a Leaf.

Wayne Meyer is a police officer for the Kennewick Police Department (Washington). He began his law enforcement career as a cadet for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office (Washington). After his 21st birthday, he was hired by the Spokane Sheriff’s Office as a deputy sheriff. Later, he went to work as a police officer for the Wenatchee Police Department. After six years with that police department he again transferred, this time to the Kennewick Police Department where he as worked as a police officer since 1992. Wayne Meyer is the author of Code 4 Crucial.

Jeffrey V. Robinson is a former police officer from the Metropolitan Police Department (Washington, DC). He is the author of The Right To Remain Silent: A Real Life Account Of One Man's Shocking Experiences As A Police Officer, A Husband, A Father, & A Victim.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 709 police officers (representing 326 police departments) and their 1527 police books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.

Vampires, Hell Raisers and Homeland Security

August 13, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists over 700 state and local police officers who have written books. The website added three additional police officers who have authored books: Frank Borelli, James Lardner and Willard M. Oliver.

Lieutenant Frank Borelli is the Training Commander for the Fairmount Heights Police Department (Maryland) and has been a law enforcement instructor since 1989. Using his six-year military background and twenty-year police background, Frank Borelli regularly writes equipment evaluations and incorporates new technology into his police training programs. Currently Lieutenant Frank Borelli teaches use of force programs at all levels of law enforcement and corrections.

In addition to his police and military service, Frank Borelli began a writing career in 1999. With several dozen articles published internationally, he has become a recognized expert on police training techniques and technologies. Frank Borelli is currently a weekly columnist for the Blackwater Tactical Weekly as well as Officer.com, and Editor of the Borelli Consulting Forum News & Intel page. Frank Borelli s also the Editor In Chief for New American Truth magazine, a monthly publication launched in January 2007; and, a contributing editor for American Cop magazine, published bi-monthly. He is also the author of A Cop's Nightmare: Cloning the Ancients, A Cop's Nightmare 2: Vampires in the Old West (the first two installments of a planned 12 series) and American Thinking.

According to the book description of A Cop’s Nightmare 2, it “pits Morgan Blackwell and his best friend, Chuck Bendetti, against a conspiracy to recreate the state of Colorado as a “pure” vampire region. Traveling back to the 1860s, Morgan and Chuck find themselves pitted against a full team of vamp-clones, sent back to further the success of the conspiracy. As Morgan and Chuck battle vamp-clones and Indians in the old west, Karl and Don keep the modern-day vampire mayoral candidate from successfully completing the plan of a pure vampire colony started one hundred and thirty years before!”

James Lardner is a senior fellow at Demos was a police officer for the Metropolitan Police Department (Washington, DC) for two and half years during the early 1970s. Today, he is a well-regard researcher and writer. As a journalist, he has written for the New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and The Nation, among other publications. He is the author of Crusader: The Hell-Raising Police Career of Detective David Durk; and, the co-author of NYPD: A City and Its Police and the editor of Inequality Matters: The Growing Economic Divide in America and Its Poisonous Consequences.

According to the book description of Crusader: The Hell-Raising Police Career of Detective David Durk, “When David Durk joined the New York Police Department in 1963, he found an organization with its own set of rules, where bribery and payoffs were routine and no one wanted to be disturbed. Durk set out to fix the whole mess. For 22 years, until he was forced to retire at age 51, he was a thorn in the side of mayors, police commissioners, commanders, sergeants, and beat cops alike. His crusading led to an investigation into police corruption in the 1970s by the Knapp Commission (credit for which usually goes to Frank Serpico) and more recently, the Mollen Commission.”

Willard M. Oliver began his law enforcement career as a summer police officer for the Wildwood Police Department (New Jersey). In 1989, he enlisted in the U.S. Army reserves and served as a military police officer in Desert Storm. From 1991 to 1994 Willard Oliver was a police officer for the Arlington County Police Department (Virginia). In 1994, Willard Oliver embarked on his academic career by becoming an assistance professor of criminal justice at Glenville State College (West Virginia). Today, Dr. Willard M. Oliver, Ph.D.,is an Associate Professor at the College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University (Texas). Willard Oliver is also a Major in the United States Army Reserves, Military Police Corps.

Dr. Willard Oliver is the author of Community-Oriented Policing: A Systemic Approach to Policing, Homeland Security for Policing, The Law & Order Presidency, and Community Policing: Classical Readings. He is the co-author of A History of Crime and Criminal Justice in America and The Public Policy of Crime and Criminal.

According to the book description of Homeland Security for Policing, is “unique in focus, Homeland Security for Policing presents a framework for understanding the role police play in today’s era of Homeland Security. The only book of its kind, it examines the events that led up to this new policing era, the relationship between national, state and local agencies, and specific strategies, operations and tactics that can be used to prevent and protect against future threats. Special emphasis is placed on understanding 9-11, the entire framework of Homeland Security in the U.S. and the unique issues faced by local law enforcement.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 705 police officers (representing 325 police departments) and their 1521 police books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.