Deputy Sheriff Authors

March 29, 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 deputy sheriffs who have written books. 

Danni Hartmann Eldridge joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in February of 1967.  She was deputy sheriff for more than 20 years, retiring in September of 1987.  Prior to becoming a sworn employee of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, she was a civilian employee for the Los Angeles Police Department.  Danni Eldridge was the first female to lift in the California Police Olympics. Even though her opposition was of the male, she placed 4th. In 1982, Danni Eldridge won the Athlete of the Year Award for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. She was inducted into the California Power-lifting Hall of Fame in March, 2004. Danni Hartmann Eldridge is the author of two books: Valley Investigations: No Common Sense and And the Beat Goes on: Valley Investigations. 

Stephen J. Hemenway is a deputy sheriff for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.  In addition to having an associate degree in Administration of Justice, he is a member of BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.), the International Police Association and the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs.  In 1993, Steve began writing “The Slouch in the Couch” series of children’s learning books.  People loved it and huge success followed.  He formed a band and Incorporated, “The Slouch & Friends, Inc.”  Stephen Hemenway is the author of The Slouch in the Couch, Never Jump on a Grump and The Stinkells in Stankwell. 

According to the book description of Never Jump on a Grump, “This book is Book #2 in the continuing series of The Slouch In The Couch learning books. In the World of the Magical Couch, Elroy Slouchinski becomes bored and decides to take a walk into the forbidden hills which lie behind Slouchville. In the hills, he encounters the Grumps and pays no attention to the one rule they have –  Never ever, never ever, never ever do you jump, never never never never do you jump on a Grump. This series of books have been written as the “next step” after Dr. Seuss. As your Childs reading progresses, they begin to read “The Slouch In The Couch” stories, which retain the rhyme of Dr. Seuss, but are a little more advanced in reading difficulty. Each story has a moral within itself. Words from the text are taken and placed in the back of the book, called “words of interest” and are defined in simplistic terms to enhance the Childs vocabulary.” 

Melquiades “Mike” Ortiz joined the Marine Corps in May of 1962.  He received an honorable discharge after over four years of service which included a tour in Vietnam from August 1965 to April 1966. Melquiades “Mike” Ortiz’s retired in 1997 after law enforcement career with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department that spanned more than 28 years. Melquiades “Mike” Ortiz is the author of Nightmares and Thoughts of a Vietnam Vet. 

Police-Writers.com now hosts 906 police officers (representing 389 police departments) and their 1911  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.

Over 1900 Law Enforcement Books

March 29, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website now lists over 900 police officers and over 1900 books written by law enforcement officials. 

Michael Simonsen is a former police officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. In 1977, as a means to teach children safety Michael Simonsen, developed an entertaining visual presentation through the use of a Macaw.  The bird, known as Officer Byrd, No. 007, was the genesis of the book The Adventures of Officer Byrd – Get Help! 

According to the book description of The Adventures of Officer Byrd – Get Help!, it “is based on a true-story. It’s about a real police bird who helps children and adults. The story is about Officer Byrd helping young people not to keep bad secrets and to get help. The children’s book is for ages five to 12 plus.”  

Captain Jim Di Giovanna retired as commander of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Aero Bureau on March 30, 2006, having been assigned to the aviation unit since January 1989. His 34-year law enforcement career also included assignments as a patrol deputy, patrol and operations sergeant and patrol lieutenant watch commander, along with assignments at the Sheriff’s Information Bureau, Field Operations Headquarters and Custody Division.  

Captain Jim Di Giovanna is a commercial pilot, helicopter- and instrument-rated, with over 5,800 flight hours. As unit commander of the Aero Bureau, he was responsible for managing aviation operations for the largest sheriff’s department in the United States. While supervising 72 sworn and civilian sheriff’s department personnel, Captain Jim Di Giovanna had responsibility for directing and overseeing the operation and maintenance of the department’s 15 rotary-wing and three fixed-wing aircraft.  He is also a retired colonel from the United States Army Reserve Jim Di Giovanna is the co-author of Tactical Helicopter Missions: How to Fly Safe, Effective Airborne Law Enforcement Missions. 

Howard Earle is a retired Assistant Sheriff from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.  He is the author of Police Community Relations: Crisis in Our Times.  According to the book description, “this book continues to present comprehensive, authoritative information on all phases of this complex topic. The text has been expanded and updated, however, to maintain currency with concepts and practices. It begins by reviewing general problems of police community relations (PCR), including the police image and crisis areas.”  

Police-Writers.com now hosts 903 police officers (representing 389 police departments) and their 1905  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.

900 Police Officers

March 29, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added the 900^th police officer who has written a book, Tony Newsom of the Los Angeles Police Department. Tony Newsom joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1989. 

In 1992, he was assigned to the West Valley Division, working with juveniles in the Jeopardy Program.  He briefly left the Los Angeles Police Department to form his own personal protection company.  Tony Newsom rejoined the Los Angeles Police Department in 2003 and works in the area of community relations.  Tony Newsom is the author of Top 10 Crimes – Don’t Be the Next Victim, Student Safety Tips: 45 That Every 3rd – 5th Grader Must Know, Middle School Student Safety Tips, High School Student Safety Tips, College Student Safety Tips, Student Safety Tips: 40 That Every 1st – 2nd Grader Must Know and The Parent’s Guide For Raising Safer K-12 Students. 

According to the book description of Top 10 Crimes, Don’t Be the Next Victim “will help you: Learn how to prevent date rape; Teach your children (and yourself) how to avoid predators; Discover how to avoid dangerous ATM robberies; Find out how to recognize scams and cons before it is too late.”  

Other police officers who were added include: 

Dr. Michael H. Corcoran has been in the law enforcement field since 1968 and the threat assessment field since 1970 when he entered the United States Secret Service. While in the Protective Intelligence Squad, he assessed the dangerousness of those threatening the President and Vice President of the United States. From 1979 to 2002, he served with the Huntington Beach Police Department (California) as a police officer, sergeant, station commander and chief hostage negotiator. Michael Corcoran is the co-author of Violence Assessment and Intervention: The Practitioner’s Handbook. 

After ten years with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, Rick Van Horne began teaching in for the Kern High School District.  As a third-generation Bakersfield High School alumnus who became a Friday Night Hero, as did his father and son as championship players for the BHS Drillers. Rick Van Horne began his coaching career at BHS in 1984. He later served as head coach at East High and Liberty High (where he guided his team to a Valley Championship in 2001). In 1998, Rick Van Horne was selected All-Area Coach of the Year for football. Rick Van Horne is the author of Friday Night Heroes: 100 Years of Driller Football. 

Benny Mares is a retired Los Angeles Police Department police officer and former international bodyguard.  Today, he is a child safety consultant and speaker throughout the Pacific Northwest.  Benny Mares is the author of Executive Protection: A Professional’s Guide To Bodyguarding and Child Safety 101. According to the description of Child Safety 101, “Is your child a potential victim? Child safety is every parent’s first priority. Retired LAPD officer Benny Mares relates 101+ straightforward safety tips to assist parents in protecting against child molesters, abductors, and pedophiles. A must-read for parents.” 

Police-Writers.com now hosts 900 police officers (representing 389 police departments) and their 1903  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.

Face of Defense: Woman Pilots Add to U-2’s History

By Senior Airman Ross M. Tweten, USAF

Special to American Forces Press Service  

March 28, 2008 – In its 50 years of flight, only six women have flown the U-2 Dragon Lady.  Three of those six are currently in the Air Force, and two of those three are currently fighting in operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom with the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing’s 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, the only U-2 squadron in U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.  

Air Force Maj. Merryl Tengesdal and Capt. Heather Fox, both U-2 pilots with 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron deployed from Beale Air Force Base, Calif., continue to add to history while fighting the global war on terror 70,000 feet in the air.  From these altitudes, Tengesdal and Fox along with their wingmen, provide other warfighters with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance of the battle space.

Since its introduction in 1957, the U-2 and the men and women who support it have provided the United States with an unmatched upper hand on the enemy by providing high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to commanders.  “After we’ve completed a mission and landed the aircraft, it’s rewarding to know that we’ve helped the forces on the ground and kept them safe,” Fox said. “Even after 50 years, the U-2 has a significant impact on the mission.”  

Air Force Lt. Col. Thomas Engle, 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron commander, described the U-2 as an unforgiving aircraft that requires exceptional airmanship to fly, and he said it arguably is the most difficult aircraft in the world to land. Pilots are carefully screened before being accepted for training, a process that includes a three-sortie interview profile to determine the applicant’s aptitude for flying the “Deuce.”  

Fewer than half of candidates invited to interview eventually qualify to fly combat reconnaissance missions in the aircraft. Missions of nine or more hours wearing a full pressure suit while flying at extreme altitudes are very fatiguing and require a high degree of professional commitment, Engle said.  “Major Tengesdal and Captain Fox are both experienced U-2 instructor pilots, bringing a high level of maturity and skill to the 99th ERS,” he said. “I place a high degree of trust in these officers, as they face tough decisions every day to keep our pilots and aircraft safe while executing the mission, and they do it admirably.”  

Only about 850 airmen have flown the U-2 since its introduction. Fox said the small number of women whose names are on that list is just another number.  “To be perfectly honest, I really don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” she said. “The aircraft flies the same for women as it does for men. I’m just glad I’m a part of an aircraft with such a great mission.”  

Tengesdal said every contribution in the military is important to winning the global war on terror.  “As a pilot, all that matters is the mission, no matter if you’re male or female,” she said. “We get it done out here, and I’m happy to be a contributing member of this team. It’s an honor to be a part of the U-2 heritage.”  

(Air Force Senior Airman Ross M. Tweten serves in the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs Office.)

Books by California Cops

March 28, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books.  The website added books by three police officers from California.

 In addition to being a former Costa Mesa Police Department police officer, William Sanders is a United Methodist Pastor.  He has earned a BA and MS, as well as a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry degree.  Chaplain William Sanders is a member of the International Conference of Police Chaplains, the Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists, and the International Critical Stress Foundation.  William Sanders is a Certified Master Chaplain by the International Conference of Police Chaplains, a Certified Traumatic Responder by the Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists; and, is trained in Critical Incident Stress Management.  William Sanders is the author of Law Enforcement Funeral Manual: A Practical Guide for Law Enforcement Agencies When Faced With the Death of a Member of Their Department. 

Steve Tarani is a police officer for the Del Rey Oaks Police Department (California) where he serves as a senior defensive tactics and a firearms instructor. An internationally respected contact weapons and personal safety expert, Steve Tarani is a defensive tactics instructor and author who provide high-profile operational skills consultation and training for various law enforcement and military agencies worldwide. His training courses have been accepted as standard curriculum for a number of federal and state-accredited programs within the criminal justice training community. Steve Tarani is the author of four books: Bringing a Gun to a Knife Fight; Folding Knives: Carry and Deployment; The Naked Edge: The Complete Guide to Edged Weapons Defense; and, Karambit: Exotic Weapon of the Indonesian Archipelago. 

According to Lawrence Kane, the author of Surviving Armed Assaults, “Steve Tarani is a Filipino Escrima and Indonesian Silat practitioner as well as a world renowned edged weapons combat instructor. In that capacity he has passed his skills along to thousands of law enforcement professionals and civilian practitioners. He is certainly knows his stuff and communicates it pretty effectively in this book.” Dr. Richard H. Walton has over thirty-five years of law enforcement experience. 

Richard Walton served with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (California) for sixteen years during which time he earned his Master’s Degree in Education. In 1987 he was promoted to District Attorney Investigator with the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office where he gained extensive experience and expertise in homicide, arson, white-collar crime, elder abuse, and fraud investigations.  Richard Walton is the author of Cold Case Homicides: Practical Investigative Techniques. 

According to the book description of Cold Case Homicides: Practical Investigative Techniques, it “provides effective and accessible information to those responsible for investigating and resolving previously examined – but still unsolved – cold case homicides. The book merges theory with practice through the use of case histories, photographs, illustrations, and checklists that convey essential, fundamental concepts while providing a strong, practical basis for the investigative process. It combines proven techniques from forensics, psychology, and criminal investigation, and focuses on technologies that may not have been available at the time of the crime.” 

Police-Writers.com now hosts 896 police officers (representing 389 police departments) and their 1891  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 Tactics

March 27, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) The April 2, 2008 program of Conversations with Cops at The Watering Hole features a conversation on police tactics with special guest Michael Rayburn. 

Program Date: April 2, 2008

Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific

Topic: Police Tactics

Guests:  Michael Rayburn

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

About the Guest

Michael Rayburn has over 26 years of experience in the Law Enforcement and Security field and is currently a 17 year veteran of the Saratoga Springs Police Department (New York). He is also an Adjunct Instructor for Smith & Wesson at the Smith & Wesson Academy in Springfield Massachusetts; where he teaches Instinctive Point Shooting, Vehicle Stops, Rapid Shotgun Deployment and Instinctive Point Shooting Instructor Certification.  Michael Rayburn has written a number of articles for various police magazines including Law & Order, The Police Marksman and Police magazine. He is the author of three books: Advanced Vehicle Stop Tactics; Advanced Patrol Tactics; and, Basic Gunfighting 101.  Michael Rayburn’s video, Instinctive Point Shooting with Mike Rayburn is a top seller in the Law Enforcement and Combat Shooting communities.

According to former Calibre Press, Inc. Street Survival Seminar Senior Instructor Dave Grossi, Michael Rayburn “is a gifted writer, an experienced trainer with a wealth of real-world knowledge and experience to dispense.” 

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: Firefighter Trades New York for Iraq

By Staff Sgt. J.B. Jaso III, USA

Special to American Forces Press Service  

March 27, 2008 – On Sept. 11, 2001, Nicholas Pata was a volunteer firefighter in Rockland County, N.Y., who assisted rescue efforts after terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in Manhattan.  Pata, 25, no longer fights fires; he now is an Army private first class and fights terrorism as a Multinational Division Baghdad radio-telephone operator assigned to the 25th Infantry Division’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment “Wolfhounds,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.  

“After 9/11, seeing and losing friends that were firefighters, I felt I owed it to them to jump into the fight,” Pata said. “The time I spent at ground zero made up my mind.”  Pata joined the Army in January 2007. He completed basic combat training at Fort Benning, Ga., and then was assigned to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He joined the Wolfhounds in June.  

Less than two months later, Pata left Hawaii with his unit to conduct training at the National Training Center, in Fort Irwin, Calif. There, he used his medical skills gained as a fireman and emergency medical technician to save the life of a fellow soldier who was suffering from a severe heat injury. As a result of his actions and performance during the training rotation, he was awarded the Army Achievement Medal.  

After completing training in California, Pata took pre-deployment leave to relax before a 15-month deployment to Iraq. His leave was not all relaxation. He suited up and went back to work as a firefighter. Pata answered the last alarm minutes before he had to return from leave.  Greg Tobin, a fellow Rockland County volunteer firefighter, said Pata told his fellow firefighters to keep his bunk warm and to leave his gear alone until he returned.

“Ever since he has been gone, his gear is exactly like he left it,” Tobin said. “No one (has) dared to touch it — not out of fear, but rather out of respect for the man who wore it.”  When Pata left in October, he had to say goodbye not only to his biological family, but also to his other family, his fellow firefighters, Tobin said.  “His passion as a firefighter to help his community is what Nick lives for,” he added. “He is a unique person that has risen to the position of captain in the fire department. He feared no fire; he was always the first into a fire and the last one out, and always making sure he watched over the men he led. He is a brave man, very respected, and very missed by us at home. The community will be safer again when he comes home.”  

While in Iraq, Pata assists his unit and the Iraqi security forces keep Taji safe. His experience under fire has helped him be a calm presence here.  “Pata always maintains his composure under pressure, regardless of the situation,” said Army Maj. Patrick Aspland, a Fort Ann, N.Y., native who is the executive officer for 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment.  

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, recognized Pata on March 12 for his exemplary performance in Iraq.  “Your great work is bringing new hope for the Iraqi people,” Petraeus said during the award ceremony. “Keep up the terrific work.”  

Army Master Sgt. Timothy Jackson, a native of Dryden, N.Y., who serves as the operations sergeant major for 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, said Pata is one of the best radio-telephone operators he’s ever known. “Pata is a great asset to the (battalion),” he said.  Pata has about a year left in Iraq before going back to fight a different kind of fire. Pata said he looks forward to going back to Hawaii and eventually returning to New York to continue to serve the people there.  

(Army Staff Sgt. J.B. Jaso III serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 25th Infantry Division’s 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.)

Face of Defense: Army Nurse Strives to Make a Difference

By Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti, USA

Special to American Forces Press Service  

March 26, 2008 – Capt. Jody Brown’s barely 5-foot-tall stature easily is dwarfed by the sea of infantrymen. The Army nurse’s body armor and helmet make her look almost childlike, and her M4 rifle is more than half her size.  “Come here. I want a picture,” said Brown, a native of Kingston, N.H. Her fellow medic reluctantly posed with her for a picture March 17 before they loaded into Stryker vehicles on their way to Batta village, northwest of Baghdad, en route to a combined medical mission.  

“She’s never been outside the wire,” a soldier said under his breath with a snicker.  He was wrong.  Brown, a registered nurse, supports the 25th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s units with immunizations and travels to wherever the soldiers are — even outside the wire.

She is assigned to 2nd SBCT’s Company C, 225th Brigade Support Battalion, as part of Multinational Division Baghdad.  But on this day, she was not wielding syringes or tracking down soldiers who need shots; she was joining her fellow doctors, physician assistants and medics from 225th Brigade Support Battalion and 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, to provide medical aid for the people of Batta village.  “I’m so excited,” she said.

The mission marked Brown’s first combined medical effort, and she said it is a great way to help the Iraqi people and build positive relationships with them.  “This is a great thing, and I hope we can help as many people as possible,” she said.  Brown said she didn’t always want to be a nurse, but she knew it was a great way to help people, which is something she’s always wanted to do.

She joined the Army 10 years ago as a transportation officer, and she credited “great leadership” with her ultimate transfer into the medical corps. Shortly after making the decision to transfer, she graduated from the University of New Hampshire’s nursing school.  “Being a nurse is great,” she said. “There are not many people who are nurses, and even less can say they serve in the Army.”  Brown said she sometimes finds her experiences to be unfathomable.  “I mean, here I am, this petite woman,” she said. “I know I can’t be infantry, and I know I will never be able to lift what those guys lift, or do what those guys do, but this is just as amazing. I am here, and I can do a lot as a nurse.”  

The line at the medical exercise seemed endless, as patient after patient shoved into the overcrowded room. As in so many places in Iraq, villagers don’t get many opportunities to be seen by a medical professional. Brown worked easily with the patients, breaking the barriers of culture and language with her actions and tone of voice. Only when she was satisfied with the level of care she provided to the patient did she move on to the next.  

“She’s a great nurse,” said Capt. Drew Webb, a native of Monterey, Calif., who serves as a physician assistant with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. “She’s very caring, and we are happy to have her here.”  Brown said she is happy to be in Iraq. She volunteered, against the wishes of her husband, Capt. Steve Brown, to deploy by his side.  

“Quite frankly, he was mad,” she said, of her husband who is the commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, based at Camp Liberty. “He couldn’t think of his wife in a combat zone.”  Brown said the deployment has made her stronger, and she and her husband talk whenever they can.

Working side by side with Iraqi army medics and the town doctor as they combine their efforts to help the people of Batta village is a satisfying opportunity, Brown said.  “I know I can’t help everyone,” she said, “but just helping these people is a start in the right direction.”  

(Army Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti serves with the 25th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)

Smith, Leonard and Wansley

March 26, 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 police officers Brian Smith, V. A. Leonard and Larry Wansley. 

Brian Smith joined the United States Marine Corps after graduating from high school.  In 1984, he joined the California Highway Patrol, rising to the rank of captain. Brian Smith is the author of We Were 17 Again. According to the book description, “There are numerous books, songs, shows and movies that deal with going back to the past, whether it’s a time machine, dream, boy or girlfriend story, or class reunion.  Many of them are enjoyable because the reader gets to visit the past.  Life always seemed easier in our childhood days and many long to return to those days.  In “We Were 17 Again”, not only do you get the chance to return to 17 years old again, you get to return to high school with your entire school.” 

According to Academic Politics and the History of Criminal Justice Education, “between 1925 and 1932, V.A. Leonard was a part-time student at the University of California and a full-time police officer in the Berkeley Police Department.  V.A. Leonard founded Alpha Phi Sigma, the criminal justice honor’s society, in 1942. He received his Ph.D. in Criminology and Public Administration.  The V.A. Leonard Scholarship was established in 1982 in honor and recognition of Dr. Leonard’s leadership and hard work in the field of Criminal Justice.  V. A. Leonard is the author or co-author of 16 books: Police Organization and Management; Police of the Twentieth Century; Police Science for the Young American; Police Organization and Management; Police Personnel Administration; Police Traffic Control; The Police Communications System; Police pre-disaster Preparation; Survey of the Seattle Police Department; The Police Enterprise: It’s Organization and Management; Memories of August Vollmer; Academy Lectures on Lie Detection; Police Detective Function; The General Administration of Criminal Justice; Police Crime Prevention; and, The Police, the Judiciary, and the Criminal. 

According to the description of Police Organization and Management, “This work describes the basic tenets of organization theory and applies them to the police setting. It describes the problems of integrating the individual into the organization, responding to change through community policing, motivation, leadership, and productivity.” 

Larry Wansley began his law enforcement career with the Compton Police Department.  He then went on to a10 year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation where he spent eight years in various uncover roles.  In 1986, Larry Wansley left the Federal Bureau of Investigation to become the Director of Security and Counseling Services for the Dallas Cowboys Football team.  Larry Wansley went on to become the Managing Director for Corporate Services with American Airlines.  After his retirement from American Airlines in 2004, he assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer for Infinite Security.  Larry Wansley is the author of FBI Undercover: The True Story of Special Agent Mandrake. 

According to the FBI, “On TV and in the movies, FBI undercover agents are a dime a dozen. But in reality, only an elite handful have the unique combination of wit, instinct and daring to work these highly dangerous scams. For 10 years, Larry Wansley was one of them.” 

Police-Writers.com now hosts 893 police officers (representing 388 police departments) and their 1885  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.

Face of Defense: Woman Soldier Receives Silver Star

By Spc. Micah E. Clare, USA

Special to American Forces Press Service  

March 24, 2008 – Heroes are made, not born. And a hero like Army Spc. Monica Brown, 19, is no different. Brown, recognized for her gallant actions during combat in Afghanistan in 2007, is the second woman soldier since World War II to be awarded a Silver Star. She received the medal from Vice President Richard B. Cheney during a ceremony here March 20.  

It was dusk on April 25, 2007, when Brown, a medic from the 82nd Airborne Division’s 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, was on a routine security patrol along the rolling, rocky plains of the isolated Jani Khail district in Afghanistan’s Paktika province when insurgents attacked her convoy.  “We’d been out on the mission for a couple of days,” said Brown, who at the time was attached to the brigade’s 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment’s Troop C.

“We had just turned into a wadi (empty river bed) when our gunner yelled at us that the vehicle behind us had hit an (improvised explosive device).”  The soldiers looked out of their windows in time to see one of the struck vehicle’s tires flying through the field next to them. Brown had just opened her door to see what was going on when the attack began.  

“I only saw the smoke from the vehicle when suddenly we started taking small-arms fire from all around us,” she said. “Our gunner starting firing back, and my platoon sergeant yelled, ‘Doc! Let’s go.'”  Brown and her platoon sergeant, Staff Sgt. Jose Santos, exited their vehicle, and while under fire, ran the few hundred meters to the site of the downed Humvee.  “Everyone was already out of the burning vehicle,” she said. “But even before I got there, I could tell that two of them were injured very seriously.”  

In fact, all five of the passengers who had stumbled out were burned and cut. Two soldiers, Spcs. Stanson Smith and Larry Spray, suffered life-threatening injuries.  With help from two less-injured vehicle crewmen, Sgt. Zachary Tellier and Spc. Jack Bodani, Brown moved the immobile soldiers to a relatively safe distance from the burning Humvee.  “There was pretty heavy incoming fire at this point,” she said.  “Rounds were literally missing her by inches,” said Bodani, who provided suppressive fire as Brown aided the casualties while injured. “We needed to get away from there.”  

Attempting to provide proper medical care under the heavy fire became impossible, especially when the attackers stepped up efforts to kill the soldiers.  “Another vehicle had just maneuvered to our position to shield us from the rounds now exploding in the fire from the Humvee behind us,” Brown said. “Somewhere in the mix, we started taking mortar rounds. It became a huge commotion, but all I could let myself think about were my patients.”  

With the other vehicles spread out in a crescent formation, Brown and her casualties were stuck with nowhere to go. Suddenly, Santos arrived with one of the unit’s vehicles and backed it up to their position, and Brown began loading the wounded soldiers inside.  “We took off to a more secure location several hundred meters away, where we were able to call in the (medical evacuation mission),” Brown said.  She then directed other combat-life-saver-qualified soldiers to help by holding intravenous bags and assisting her in preparing the casualties for evacuation.  

After what seemed like an eternity, Brown said, the attackers finally began retreating, and she was able to perform more thorough aid procedures before the helicopter finally arrived to transport the casualties to safety.  Two hours after the initial attack, everything was over.  In the darkness, Brown recalled standing in a field, knee-deep in grass, her only source of light coming from her red head-light, trying to piece together the events that had just taken place.  “Looking back, it was just a blur of noise and movement,” the Lake Jackson, Texas, native said. “What just happened? Did I do everything right? It was a hard thing to think about.”  

Before joining the Army at the age of 17, the bright-eyed young woman said she never pictured herself being in a situation like this. Originally wanting to be an X-ray technician, she changed her mind when she realized that by becoming a medic, she’d be in the best place to help people.  “At first, I didn’t think I could do it,” she said. “I was actually afraid of blood. When I saw my first airway-opening operation, I threw up.”  

She quickly adjusted to her job and received additional training both before and during her deployment to Afghanistan.  “I realized that everything I had done during the attack was just rote memory,” she said. “Kudos to my chain of command for that. I know with training, like I was given, any medic would have done the same in my position.”  “To say she handled herself well would be an understatement,” said Bodani, who quickly recovered from his injuries and immediately returned to work. “It was amazing to see her keep completely calm and take care of our guys with all that going on around her. Of all the medics we’ve had with us throughout the year, she was the one I trusted the most.”  

Earning trust with a combat unit is not something easily earned, said Army Capt. Todd Book, Troop C’s commander at the time of the attack, but it was something Brown had taken upon herself to prove long before the Jani Khail ambush.  “Our regular medic was on leave at the time,” Book said. “We had other medics to choose from, but Brown had shown us that she was more technically proficient than any of her peers.”  Having people call her “Doc” means a lot to Brown because of the trust it engenders.  “When people I’ve treated come back to me later and tell me the difference I was able to make in their life is the best part of this job,” she said.  

During her rest and recuperation leave in May, Brown visited Spray in the hospital and met his mother.  “I almost cried,” Brown said. “Spray’s mother was so thankful, and she hugged me. That was the moment that made me feel the best about what I did.”  Even though she felt proud when she was informed that she was going to receive a Silver Star, she considers her actions to be the result of effort put into her by everyone she’s worked for.  “While I’m not scared to get my hands dirty, I have to say that I never fully became a medic until I came over here and did it first-hand,” she said. “I just reacted when the time came.”  Due to her quick and selfless actions, both Smith and Spray survived their injuries.  

(Army Spc. Micah E. Clare serves with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)