Face of Defense: 15th-Generation Rabbi Helps Airmen Keep Faith

By Air Force Senior Airman Tong Duong

Special to American Forces Press Service

 May 8, 2008 - The candle flame performed a slow, mesmerizing dance as it flickered from one side of the wick to the other. The light softly illuminated his face as his silhouette became a portion of the projection behind him — images of Holocaust victims. Soft-spoken yet with a stern demeanor, Chaplain (Capt.) Raphael Berdugo’s eyes glistened as he solemnly lead a prayer.  More than 30 servicemembers bowed their heads to pay their respects during the Holocaust Remembrance Vigil held at a base in Southwest Asia on May 2 to remember the more than 6 million lives lost in the Nazis’ genocide of Jews during World War Two.

 One of only nine rabbis in the Air Force and the only one in the U.S. Air Forces Central region, Berdugo’s area of responsibility extends far beyond the base.

 “I once received a call in the middle of the night from the wing chaplain of a different base, asking me what would be appropriate to do as a memorial service for a fallen Jewish servicemember,” said the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing chaplain from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J.

 A 15th-generation rabbi, he said one of his many tasks includes leading his people to a righteous path.

 “First and foremost, [being a rabbi] means being a positive role model for others and a visible reminder of what’s holy,” Berdugo said. “It also involves being a representative — almost like an ambassador — for the Jewish people and helping them with their religious needs.”

 One of those religious needs is keeping a strictly kosher diet, which has been easy thanks to the efforts of the 379th Expeditionary Services Squadron members, Berdugo said, noting that he received several requests for kosher versions of the military rations known as MREs: meals, ready to eat. With the help of the services squadron, he said, several cases of kosher MREs were sent to numerous locations in the area of operations.

 Berdugo said he brings a different perspective to the table and that others enjoy asking questions about his religion and learning about Judaism.

 “I am very often the first rabbi that most airmen have ever met,” he said.

 Some are curious about the significance of his camouflage-patterned yarmulke, the small, round cap he wears on top of his head. Its origination comes from a combination of two Hebrew words — “Yare” and “Malka” — meaning “fear of the king,” he said. “Basically, we wear it to remind ourselves to be submissive to the one above.”

 Any servicemember whose faith requires the head to be covered is authorized to wear an item such as a yarmulke in uniform, the rabbi pointed out.

 With a relatively small Jewish population here, Berdugo’s religious services are only a small portion of the work he does, allowing him to focus on visitation and other aspects of a chaplain’s ministry.

 “[I am] readily accessible to the airmen in all squadrons,” he said. “After all, I am a pastoral caregiver for people of all faiths.”

 Ordained 15 years ago, Berdugo said being a Jewish religious leader was something he felt he was born to do.

 “Becoming a rabbi was something I grew into,” the father of three boys and two girls said. “Even at the young age of 12, while my parents ministered to the adults, I would minister to the children.”

 Born a British citizen in Dublin, Ireland, to Moroccan parents, Berdugo said he always has felt that a higher power had intervened and guided his path to becoming an ordained minister and ultimately joining the U.S. Air Force.

 “My education led to my becoming an ordained rabbi,” he said. “After receiving my rabbinical ordination from Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, N.J., I applied for and received my green card. I started out as a middle school teacher, and for 10 years I taught the Torah and Judaic subjects at a private Jewish school.”

 Berdugo said he thought he would end his career as a school principal, but after becoming a naturalized American citizen in 1999, he was recruited for the Air Force chaplaincy.

 “Although I joined as a reservist, I knew that one day I would become active duty,” he said.

 Military service is not new to Berdugo’s family; his uncle is serving as a chaplain in the French army. Berdugo said he would like for his children to follow in his footsteps.

 “My wish is for at least one of my five children to carry on the family tradition,” he said.

 (Air Force Senior Airman Tong Duong serves in the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs Office.)

Face of Defense: Marine Becomes Jack of All Trades

By Marine Corps Cpl. Erik Villagran

Special to American Forces Press Service

 May 6, 2008 - Marine Corps Cpl. Nicholas L. Szczerba has become a jack of all trades for Headquarters and Services Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5. Szczerba, 22, a rifleman from Shingle Springs, Calif., has found himself filling multiple billets at Combat Outpost Haditha. He is the assistant camp commandant, police sergeant and a sergeant of the guard. He also helps with the supply drops and maintenance on the combat outpost.

 “This COP would not function without Corporal Szczerba,” said Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 2 Frank R. Pater, the Headquarters and Services Company’s executive officer and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear defense officer, from Ellsworth, Ohio. “People fail to realize the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes.”

 Szczerba is the person Marines go to when they need help making anything. If he doesn’t build what they need himself, he provides them with the tools they need to complete the job.

 Helping others with his knowledge in craftsmanship is nothing new to Szczerba. Before he joined the Marine Corps, he made mission trips with his church to other countries to build houses for the less fortunate.

 “We put down the foundation, four walls and a roof,” Szczerba said. “It wasn’t anything too fancy, but it was better than what they had.”

 Now, Szczerba is using his skills in construction around Combat Outpost Haditha. He has built walls and doors for a handful of living areas and installed air conditioning in berthing areas to improve the living conditions, all under the unforgiving sun of Iraq.

 “It is Iraq, so it gets pretty hot outside,” said Marine Corps Cpl. Jeremy M. Wright, 24, a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear defense specialist with Headquarters Company from Cartersville, Ga. “He’s out there in the heat and sun for the majority of the day.”

 He has a quiet humility about him and said he knows the feeling of accomplishment in knowing he is helping his fellow Marines. This is all Szczerba looks for from his work. He said he doesn’t look to garner praise for his labors.

 “The work I do helps raise morale,” Szczerba said. “I like doing what I can to help people; I always have.”  Despite Szczerba’s modesty and efforts to hide from the spotlight, Marines on the outpost have taken notice of his work and initiative.

 “The work he does is essential,” Wright said. “It improves the living conditions of every Marine on this COP. It’s work he does that helps keep this place running.”

 (Marine Corps Cpl. Erik Villagran serves with Regimental Combat Team 5.)

1000 Police Officers

May 4, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books.  The website welcomed its 1000^th police officer: Chief Arnold A. Gibbs.

 Chief Arnold Gibbs was born in the Bahamas and raised in Miami.  Chief Arnold Gibbs has a BA from Barry University as well as a Master’s in Management from St. Thomas University.  Chief Arnold Gibbs is a decorated US Army veteran, having served three years including a one-year tour in Vietnam.  At the age of 22, he joined the Miami Police Department.  During his law enforcement career with the Miami Police Department he earned the Miami Police Department Medal of Honor and rose to the rank of assistant chief.  In 1994, he retired from the Miami Police Department and became the Chief of Police for the Cape Coral Police Department (Florida).  He retired from the Cape Coral Police Department after ten years of service.  Chief Arnold Gibbs is the author of The Ties That Blind and Where Are the Champions: A Simple Approach to Effective Criminal Justice and Social Reform.

 According to the book description of The Ties That Blind, it “is quite appropriate to the time in consideration of the present growth of interest in religious and spiritual matters.  Additionally, much of the story’s prophetic content is extremely relevant to the events of September 11, 2001, although the book was completed prior to that date. The author skillfully depicts the realities of racial prejudice; much of the violence being recounted from his experience, while driving home the point that love always conquers hate.  It is a true inspiration to people of faith, criminal justice practitioners, and those who fight for racial equality and brotherly love.”

 According to a reader of The Ties That Blind, “Arnold’s portrayal of the pains of prejudice inflicted on the innocent broke my heart, but with each turn of the page he showed how love, honor and loyalty to one’s beliefs can overcome even the most deeply imbedded hatred. A truly inspiring story you won’t want to put down!”

 Another reader said, “This was one of the most interesting and saddening depictions of race and prejudice in America. Nowhere has the truth been portrayed in a more realistic and sobering fashion. Arnold Gibbs captures the essence of the era, and reveals the truth about the hurt and pain of injustice. I would highly recommend this to student of justice, and American History.”

 Police-Writers.com now hosts 1000 police officers (representing 419 police departments) and their  2112  police books in 32 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.

True Crime and Investigations

May 3, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books.  The website listed three police officers who have written on true crime and on how to investigate crime.

 Raymond Pingitore is a detective in the Johnston Police Department (Rhode Island) where he has served for twenty-five years.  In 1992, he earned his detective badge and currently works in the major crimes division. A graduate of Roger Williams University, Raymond Pingitore holds a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice.   He is the co-author of Thrill Killers: A True Story of Innocence and Murder Without Conscience.

 According to the book description of Thrill Killers: A True Story of Innocence and Murder Without Conscience, “This riveting tale of true crime and the perseverance of justice grips and enthralls the reader from start to finish. In 2000, in Providence, Rhode Island, two college students were approached by a group of men. Forced into the backseat and driven to a remote location, they were murdered when one of the perpetrators realized the students had seen his face.”

 W. Kenneth Katsaris began his law enforcement career in 1962 when he joined the St. Petersburg Police Department.  During the next two decades he would serve with the Tallahassee Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol before being elected as the Sheriff of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.  W. Kenneth Katsaris has been an academy instructor as well as a lecture.  He has a BA and MS in Criminology and is the author of Evidence and Procedure in the Administration of Justice.  W. Kenneth Katsaris is the author of Evidence and Procedure in the Administration of Justice.

 Michael Byrd joined the Miami-Dade County Police Department in 1985.  He began working in their Crime Scene Investigations Bureau in 1987.  Michael Byrd passed away in 2004.  Michael Byrd published over 30 articles on crime scene investigations and evidence handling.  He is the author of Crime Scene Evidence: A Guide to the Recovery and Collection of Physical Evidence.

 According to the book description of Crime Scene Evidence: A Guide to the Recovery and Collection of Physical Evidence, “The purpose of this book is to give the investigator a quick and easy reference guide to the collection, handling, and packaging of crime scene evidence. It is meant to assist everyone working in the field of evidence collection–from the first responding officer, to the newly assigned investigator, to the savvy veteran with many crime scene responses under his/her belt. The first responding officer may find himself/herself involved in a situation where he/she will need to collect a particular piece of evidence for whatever reason.

 Police-Writers.com now hosts 999 police officers (representing 418 police departments) and their  2110  police books in 35 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.

Turner, Robar and Kennedy

May 1, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added three law enforcement officials from the State of Florida.

 Allan Turner began his law enforcement career after he graduated high school and joined the Air Force becoming an Air Policeman.  After four years in the military he joined the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (Florida) where he spent the bulk of his career as a criminal investigator.  After resigning from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office he became a private investigator.  Allan Turner is the author of four books: The Christian & the State; The Christian & Idolatry; The Christian & Calvinism; and, The Christian & War.

 According to the book description of The Christian & War, “Since the Vietnam era, there has arisen, in America and the whole of Western society, a way of thinking that argues against all war. Consequently, a book discussing the question of a Christian’s participation in war and other related issues in light of this emerging consensus seems not just appropriate but necessary.”

 Neil Robar retired at the rank of lieutenant from the Hollywood Police Department (Florida), where he either commanded or worked in every division and unit. For five years he was the coordinator of the Institute of Police Technology and Management’s Traffic Crash Investigation and Reconstruction section. Neil Robar is now a private consultant in traffic crash investigation and reconstruction and he continues to teach at all levels in the area as an adjunct for the Institute of Police Technology and Management.  Neil Robar is the author of Inspection of Motorcycles after Impact; Motorcycle Helmet Inspection after Impact and the co-author of Advanced Traffic Accident Investigation and Advanced Traffic Crash Analysis.

 According to the book description of Advanced Traffic Crash Analysis, it is “filled with the latest technology, techniques and information in the field of traffic crash investigation.  The IPTM’s Advanced Traffic Crash Analysis is an expanded and updated version of its predecessor, our popular Advanced Traffic Crash Investigation manual.”

 Walter Kennedy served in the US Army from 1965 to 1968.  Shortly after his discharge he joined the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (Florida).  During his 17 year law enforcement career he has worked patrol, traffic and training.  In 1983, he was awarded a Medal of Merit for Bravery.  Between 1986 and 1992, he was a full-time instructor at the Institute of Police Technology and Management (Florida).  Walter Kennedy is the author Conservation of Linear Momentum Using Vector Sum Analysis and Impact Velocity from Conservation of Linear Momentum for the Traffic Accident Investigator and reconstructionist.

 Police-Writers.com now hosts 996 police officers (representing 417 police departments) and their  2107  police books in 32 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 Wife

May 1, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) The May 7, 2008, program of Conversations with Cops at The Watering Hole features a conversation with Renee Anderson, the author of Police Wife: My Life Married to the Badge.

 Program Date: May 7, 2008

Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific

Topic: A conversation with author Renee Anderson

Listen Live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement

 About the Guest

Renee Anderson was raised on a farm in Missouri and moved to Los Angeles in 1994. She worked in the newspaper industry, but now owns her own business and works as a virtual assistant in the business administration and marketing sectors.  Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, her dry cleaners arranged a “blind date” with her future husband, “Officer Jake.”  She and Jake were married in 1996.  Officer Jake has been a Los Angeles Police Officer for over 19 years.

 According to Renee Anderson, after five years of marriage she found “there was not much out there for the law enforcement wife.”  She realized there were only a handful of books, websites and social groups.  While she was thinking about writing a book, a friend introduced her to blogging.  After a little more than three years of blogging three times a week, she had a tremendous amount of content, as well as an impressive following.  Renee Anderson’s blog led to the book – Police Wife: My Life Married to the Badge.

 About the Watering Hole

The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life.  Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.

 About the Host

Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years.  He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant.  He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University.  He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, technology and leadership.  Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One.  He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in law enforcement.

Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement

 Program Contact Information

Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA

editor@police-writers.com

909.599.7530

 

 

Face of Defense: Air Force Reserve Pilot Breaks Own Aviation Record

By Air Force 1st Lt. Lisa Spilinek

Special to American Forces Press Service

 May 2, 2008 - An Air Force Reserve pilot deployed here broke his own world record for hours spent flying the F-16 Fighting Falcon when he surpassed the 6,000-hour milestone today. Lt. Col. Michael Brill, a pilot assigned to 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, has been breaking world aviation records since 1993, when he surpassed the world’s first pilot to fly 3,000 hours in the F-16. In August 1998, he became the first pilot to fly 4,000 hours and, in November 2002, he was the first pilot to attain 5,000 hours.

 ”The sustained effort required to spend 6,000 hours flying the F-16 is phenomenal,” said Brig. Gen. Burton M. Field, commander of 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, of which the 421st EFS is a part. “Six thousand hours equates to 250 days in the cockpit — not counting all the time in ground ops before and after the flight. That is an incredible amount of time in a high-G [force], high-speed, high-stress arena.

 ”Flying fighters is mentally and physically challenging. The environment, threat, systems, weapons and the mission set are constantly changing and require a disciplined program of study and practice to remain on the cutting edge,” said the general, who graduated with the colonel in 1979 from the Air Force Academy. The two attended F-16 training together at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, in 1980.

 Despite the challenges of flying the F-16 almost constantly since 1980, Brill said he wouldn’t have it any other way.

 ”I love to fly. I don’t remember ever wanting to do anything else. There is a communication between me and the machine. Flying an airplane is like being on a roller coaster that you can steer,” said the colonel, who grew up on various Marine Corps bases, but calls Virginia home.

 Brill, who is deployed from Hill Air Force Base, likened the evolution of the missions F-16 pilots fly and the development of precision-guided weaponry to the strides that have been made with computer technology over recent decades.

 ”It’s been a constant challenge — nothing has stayed the same,” he said. “The development of the aircraft and missions requires constant emphasis and effort to go to the books. In aviation, the precision weapons that we use now compared to those in the past are more of a revolution rather than an evolution.”

 Brill has personally experienced these changes while flying nearly 225 combat hours and more than 65 combat sorties. His combat experience includes three tours in support of Operation Northern Watch, two in support of Operation Southern Watch, two in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and one in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

 In addition, he led the first F-16 strike into Afghanistan following Sept. 11, 2001, a 10-hour mission he described as an “eye-opening experience.”

 The more recent combat missions he has flown since arriving in Iraq in March have been a lot “quieter,” because fewer munitions have needed to be dropped — an indication that the global war on terrorism is being won, the colonel said.

 Many of the missions flown by pilots in Iraq are reconnaissance missions, in which information is gathered using high-tech cameras to identify potential ground threats.

 ”Our primary mission [as flyers providing close-air support for ground units] is to make noise,” he explained. “We are up there to let the bad guys know what we’re capable of and to keep them hunkered down. This allows the [ground personnel] to work to establish good relationships with the people who are helping us. The impact of the air power is knowing that the airplane overhead gives people on the ground an umbrella of safety that is basically irreplaceable.”

 Brill’s active-duty assignments have taken him to Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.; Hill Air Force Base;, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; and Kunsan Air Base, South Korea.

 In 1990, Brill became an air reserve technician, which basically is a full-time reservist position. He has been assigned to 419th Fighter Wing at Hill since then and is chief of the safety Office.

 His status as a deployed reservist is an example of the Air Force’s integration of personnel from all military branches — active duty, Reserve and Air National Guard.

 ”The Air Force has been over here in Southwest Asia for 17 years,” Field said. “To accomplish our mission, we have needed the Guard and Reserve every single day of those 17 years. They bring experience, judgment and maturity to the fight in a variety of different mission sets and you can’t tell them apart from the active-duty [airmen] by their appearance, dedication, pride or job performance.”

 Reserve airmen do not move to new locations at the same three to four-year frequency that active-duty airmen move; their long-term presence at a base is another way reservists positively affect Air Force operations, Brill said.

 ”We give continuity to active-duty personnel because of our longevity in a location,” he explained. “We help facilitate programs and provide cradle-to-grave support. We bring a stabilizing influence to a rapidly changing world; it’s the very nature of total force integration. We are seamlessly integrated with our active-duty counterparts.”

 Along with program support, Brill said, he enjoys supporting another, even more precious Air Force asset: the service’s newest flyers.

 ”The opportunity to pass along my ideas and philosophy is profound. The energy new pilots have fires me up too. It’s very synergistic,” he said.

 Brill’s record gives new flyers a goal and shows what long-term commitment can accomplish, Field noted.

 ”These kinds of accomplishments, achieved by sustained effort over time, give our next-generation airmen a goal to shoot for and an example to emulate,” the general said. “There is opportunity in the Air Force to pursue your dreams, whether to fly fighters for 6,000 hours or to excel in the myriad of other career fields required by the Air Force to provide the air power for America.”

 Pilots alone cannot accomplish the Air Force’s mission, Brill said.

 ”The fact that I’ve flown 6,000 hours of incident-free flying is a testament to an amazing machine and our dedicated maintenance support airmen,” the colonel said.

 Field agreed.

 ”Everything we do in the Air Force is a team effort,” he said. “‘Brillo’ has been working with a great team for years — first while on active duty, then in the reserves, including the crew chiefs, back shops, pilots, [petroleum, oil and lubricants specialists], and the rest of the airmen we need to generate sorties and execute our mission. He shares this accomplishment with all those airmen who have been a part of every mission he has flown.”

 Though Brill is the only person to surpass the 6,000-flying-hour mark in an F-16, he’s already looking to the future. With five years left until his retirement, he said, he doubts he’ll be able to hit 7,000 flying hours, but he’s willing to give it a try.

 ”If they want to throw that many sorties at me, I’ll take them,” he said. “I never say no when they ask me to fly. I love it.”

 (Air Force 1st Lt. Lisa Spilinek serves in the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs Office.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Cop War Stories

April 30, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Conversations with Cops at the Watering Hole is having a special two-hour program on May 17, 2008 – All Cop War Stories.  The program will feature special guest and co-host for the evening former Chicago Police Officer Jerry Ardolino.

 Featuring cops calling in from around the nation, the show promises to be a wild ride into the dark, funny and intense world of street cops.

 Program Date: May 17, 2008

Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific

Topic: All Cop War Stories

Listen Live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement

 About the Co-Host

Jerry Ardolino is the author of Extreme Cop: Chicago PD and The Shang Pirate Legacy.    According to his book description, Extreme Cop, it “is the true story of Jerry Ardolino, the wildest, most violent cop in the history of the Chicago Police Department and that would mean: in the history of the world. It is the first true, full-length on-going story about the Chicago Police written by an insider.”

 According to the book description of The Shang Pirate Legacy, it is “the first novel ever written about the real Chinese Pirate ship Ning Po and her Triad Pirate crew whose descendents are 21st Century, Asian Triad Gangsters. If you love Pirates; High-Tech Suspense; Realistic Action and a Complex, Thrilling Plot along with subplots, twists and turns - you’ll love The Shang Pirate Legacy.”

 About the Watering Hole

The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life.  Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.

 About the Host

Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years.  He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant.  He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University.  He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, technology and leadership.  Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One.  He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in law enforcement.

 Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement

 Program Contact Information

Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA

editor@police-writers.com

909.599.7530

2100 Cop Books

April 23, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books.  With the addition of three books by Florida law enforcement professionals, the website now lists 2100 books written by 993 state and local law enforcement officials.

 David Waksman has toiled 32 years in the criminal courts of Miami, Florida, after working the mean streets of The South Bronx for six years as a police officer and rising to the rank of sergeant in the New York Police Department.  He may have tried more first-degree murder cases than any other American prosecutor.

 David Waksman’s trial experience spans well over 180 jury trials, primarily for such crimes as homicide, rape, child abuse, armed robbery, home invasion robbery, and public corruption. Since 1988 he has taught a monthly seminar on homicide investigation for the Southern Police Institute in various locations  across the country.  He also teaches new detectives, crime scene technicians, medical examiners and forensic investigators at the nationally renowned Dade County Medical Examiner’s Police-Medical Investigation of Death seminar. Local police departments continually call upon David Waksman to teach refresher courses and in-service training to their investigators.  David Waksman is the author of The Search and Seizure Handbook.

 According to the book description of The Search and Seizure Handbook, “In a meaningful, substantive and easy-to-use way, The Search & Seizure Handbook helps readers understand key cases and issues of the Fourth Amendment that are needed to perform the important role of applying and enforcing state and federal laws.  The Search & Seizure Handbook fills a long-needed void among the available materials used for training and guidance of law enforcement officers at every level of government.”

 Art Adkins has been in law enforcement for the last twenty-seven years and has worked as a police officer on the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department and as a sergeant on the LAPD. He is currently a sergeant with the Gainesville Police Department. Art Adkins has a BA in Liberal Studies and is the author of The Oasis Project.

 According to the book description, Art Adkins’ “knowledge of police procedure is vast, and he has woven these details into The Oasis Project.”  The book description continues, “Why were they murdered? Shirley Waterbury does not believe her family’s death was accidental. Shirley knows her father was too meticulous and too cautious and knew the sea too well to attempt to sail during an approaching hurricane.”

 Dr. James Sewell served as the first director of the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute.  He began his law enforcement career with the Florida State University Department of Public Safety, leaving at the rank of Lieutenant, and supervisor of the Support Services Section, which included the Crime Prevention Unit.

 James Sewell joined the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in 1980, leaving in December 1982 to go to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles where he served as the Director of the Office of Management and Planning Services until March, 1986 when he was appointed Chief of Police in the City of Gulfport. Dr. James Sewell returned to FDLE as the Director of the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute on September 1, 1990.  James Sewell retired as the Assistant Commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Support Services division in 2005.

 Director James Sewell holds a BS, MS, and Ph.D., all in Criminology from The Florida State University.  James Sewell is the co-author of Stress Management in Law Enforcement and Controversial Issues in Policing.

 According to the book description of Stress Management in Law Enforcement, “The newly revised second edition of Stress Management in Law Enforcement by Dr. Leonard Territo and Dr. James Sewell is once again a carefully selected collection of the leading articles on stress and its consequences for police personnel.”

 Police-Writers.com now hosts 993 police officers (representing 416 police departments) and their 2100 police books in 35 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.

Rawls, Barlow and Bartlett

April 23, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books.  The website added three law enforcement officials from Florida.

 Neal Rawls was a sergeant with the Delray Police Department (Florida).  Neal Rawls received 14 commendations, led a tactical unit for in-progress crimes, was civil defense liaison for his department, and Public Information Officer.  Additionally, Neal Rawls was an instructor at the Palm Beach County Police Academy and Palm Beach Community College, teaching firearms; pursuit and defensive driving; surveillance; arrest, search and seizure; and the use of personal defensive weapons.

 Neal Rawls holds a BA in criminology and a Master’s Criminal Justice.  In 1981, Neal Rawls went into private industry as a personal bodyguard for a corporate executive.  He was promoted to director of security for the corporation, charged with designing and developing security protocols for company offices worldwide.  Neal Rawls is the author of Be Alert, Be Aware, Have a Plan: The Complete Guide to Personal Security. 

 David Barlow began his criminal justice career as a correctional officer in South Carolina.  In 1981, he became a deputy sheriff for the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (South Carolina).  In 1983, he joined the Florida State University Police Department as a