Six Rescued, Seven Arrested Locally in Multi-Agency Operation Targeting Child Prostitution

HAYWARD, CA—The FBI and its local and state law enforcement partners announced the recovery of six children, who were being victimized through prostitution, and the arrest of seven individuals, commonly referred to as pimps, who exploited them throughout the Bay Area on state and local charges as a part of Operation Cross Country.

The operation is a three-day national enforcement action that is coordinated through the Innocence Lost National Initiative, which is a partnership between the FBI, local law enforcement partners, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that targets child prostitution.

The San Francisco Division of the FBI and multiple local and state law enforcement participated in the operation from June 20 through June 23 in several cities in the Bay Area.

Nationwide, 79 children were rescued and 104 pimps were arrested for various state and local charges. The efforts in the Bay Area account for 7.6 percent of the rescued children and 6.7 percent of the total number of pimps arrested throughout 57 participating cities.

The origins of this nationwide effort started in northern California over seven years ago when the Bay Area Innocence Lost Working Group sought to target the growing problem of child prostitution by conducting a joint, multi-day operation to rescue children and to arrest those who exploited them.

The following agencies were a part of the operation: Alameda County Probation Department, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, Alameda County Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Task Force, Alameda County Vice Enforcement Task Force (ACVET), California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Division of Adult Parole Operations, Concord Police Department, Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, Petaluma Police Department, Richmond Police Department, San Francisco Police Department, San Jose Police Department, San Rafael Police Department, Oakland Housing Authority Police Department, Oakland Police Department, and the Oakland Unified School District Police Department.

ACVET consists of the following agencies: Albany Police Department, California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, California Highway Patrol, Emeryville Police Department, Fremont Police Department, Hayward Police Department, Livermore Police Department, Newark Police Department, and the University of California Berkeley Police Department.

Members of the media should call FBI Public Affairs Specialist Julianne Sohn or Peter Lee at 415-553-7450.

FBI and State and Local Law Enforcement Recover Six Juveniles During Child Sex Trafficking Operation

SACRAMENTO—The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Crimes Against Children Unit and its state and local law enforcement partners are pleased to announce the recovery of six children who were being victimized as prostitutes in the Chico, Redding, Sacramento, and Vallejo areas. The number of minors recovered locally is one of the highest in the nation, making this local achievement one of Operation Cross Country VI’s top success stories.

The Sacramento Division of the FBI and multiple local and state law enforcement participated in the operation from June 19 through June 23, 2012. In addition to six juveniles recovered in Sacramento, multi-agency teams also arrested six pimps during the three-day operation. The local efforts account for nearly eight percent of the children rescued during Operation Cross Country VI.

In addition to the FBI Sacramento Division, the following agencies participated in last week’s local operation:

■Butte County District Attorney

■California Highway Patrol

■California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control

■Chico Police Department

■Redding Police Department

■Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department

■Sacramento Police Department

■Vallejo Police Department

Operation Cross Country is a multi-day, national enforcement action targeting the domestic sex trafficking of children. The operation is coordinated by the Innocence Lost initiative and is a partnership between the FBI, state and local law enforcement partners, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Since the first Operation Cross County in June 2008, multi-agency teams in the Sacramento Division’s area of responsibility have recovered 23 children and arrested 18 pimps.

Nationwide, 226 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in 57 cities participated in Operation Cross County VI, resulting in the rescue of 79 children and arrests of 104 pimps. There are 47 task forces and working groups throughout the country addressing the issue of child sex trafficking.

Additional information about Operation Coast to Coast and video that depicts local activities can be found on www.fbi.gov at the conclusion of the national press conference.

U.S. Marshals Service Participates in Multi-Agency Operation

During the week of November 4-10, 2011, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) in Northern California, the USMS Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force (PSWRFTF), U.S. Marshals Sex Offender Investigations Branch (SOIB), the USMS Tactical Operations Group (TOG) Air Branch, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), USMS Special Operations Group (SOG), the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Oakland Police Department (OPD) partnered with the California Department of Corrections, California Highway Patrol, ATF, DEA/HIDTA, Secret Service, and OIG/HUD to conduct a multi-stage warrant sweep and “hot-spot” saturation operation.

As of October 16, 2011, the city of Oakland has reported a 36% increase in homicides, 27% increase in ADW (firearms), and a 5% increase in robberies. Weapons related arrests are down 16% year to date. As a result, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Northern California, Melinda Haag, and the U.S. Marshal for Northern California, Donald O’Keefe, began planning the multi-agency operation in conjunction with the Chief of OPD, Howard Jordan, over two months ago.

During the mission several multi-agency teams of law enforcement officers safely located and arrested subjects for which state arrest warrants have been issued. Teams also conducted saturation patrols in identified violent crime hot-spots in an effort to prevent acts of violent crimes as well as apprehending warrant suspects. Teams conducted probation, parole and sex offender compliance checks, as well as executing searches at residences associated with known criminal activity and or acts of violence. In addition, the Oakland Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit gathered intelligence information related to violent crime.

Over the course of the week, 138 arrests were made as well as the seizure of 13 firearms. Also confiscated during the operation were two ballistic vests, 6 lbs of marijuana, 11 oz. of methamphetamine, 2 oz. of heroin, 25 grams of cocaine, various other narcotics, and 15 stolen vehicles.

The mission concluded with a joint press conference held at the Oakland Police Headquarters on Thursday, November 10, 2011. All participating agencies were represented. Also present was the Mayor of Oakland, Jean Quan, and the Oakland City Administrator, Deanna Santana.

Canadian murder suspect featured on 'America's Most Wanted' captured in Los Angeles area

LOS ANGELES - Close collaboration between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and homicide detectives with the Vancouver Police Department in British Columbia has led to the capture of an elusive fugitive sought for a murder in Canada more than 12 years ago that was once featured on "America's Most Wanted."

Ninderjit Singh, 33, an Indian national and legal resident of Canada, was taken into custody Friday afternoon following a traffic stop traffic stop near his San Jacinto, Calif., home. Officers with the California Highway Patrol (CHP), and the police departments in Santa Monica, Calif., and El Monte, Calif., assisted Los Angeles HSI agents with the enforcement actions leading to Singh's arrest. Local HSI agents also received substantial support with the case from ICE's attache office in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Singh, who works as a long-haul truck driver, is currently being detained on a provisional arrest warrant, the first step toward extraditing a fugitive. Singh's capture marks the culmination of a manhunt that began in 1999 with the shooting death of his 18-year-old ex-girlfriend, Poonam Randhawa, in Vancouver, British Columbia. According to investigators with the Vancouver Police Department, Randhawa was last seen in a vehicle with Singh near her school. Her body was found a short time later on a nearby street.

The break in the long-running search came within the last two weeks after local HSI agents received information from the Vancouver Police Department indicating Singh might be in the Los Angeles area. Using the new leads provided by the Canadian authorities, HSI agents quickly located Singh, who had been making a delivery out of state, and began tracking his movements. At approximately 11:30 a.m. Friday, CHP officers, working in concert with HSI, pulled Singh's big rig over in Irvine, Calif., and issued him a ticket. Thumbprints taken during the traffic stop verified Singh was the murder suspect. After confirming Singh's identity with the Vancouver Police Department, HSI agents and local officers moved in to make the arrest.

"After more than a decade, this fugitive likely believed he was in the clear, but he underestimated the determination of Canadian and U.S. law enforcement," said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for ICE HSI in Los Angeles. "As this case shows, our borders will never be a barrier to bringing international fugitives to justice. Our goal is not only to ensure that violent criminals are held accountable for their actions, but to protect law-abiding citizens here and around the world."

"In a world where everyone wants instant gratification it is all too easy to abandon cases that aren't solved quickly," said Vancouver Police Deputy Chief Warren Lemcke. "We wouldn't let that happen to Miss Randhawa and her family, or any victim of a crime. We are grateful to our partners in the United States who helped us catch this man."

Singh's case was featured on "America's Most Wanted" in July 2000. According to Vancouver detectives, the program generated a number of leads, but the fugitive had continued to elude capture until last week.

U.S. Marshals Central Valley Joint Fugitive Task Force (CVJFTF) Arrests Charles Hattabaugh and Darren Hamilton

Bakersfield, CA – U.S. Marshal Albert Najera, of the Eastern District of California, announced today that the U.S. Marshals Central Valley Joint Fugitive Task Force (CVJFTF) arrested Charles Hattabaugh and Darren Hamilton.

On July 05, 2011, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Parole Agents, long time participants of the U.S. Marshals CVJFTF, assisted the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Kern County Auto Theft Taskforce (KERN-CATT) in serving a search warrant at a location in Bakersfield, CA. The search warrant was the result of an auto theft investigation.

On June 05, 2011, the teams traveled to N. Street in the city of Bakersfield to execute the search warrant. Upon arrival at the location, officers immediately contacted two white males who were later identified as 45 year old Charles Hattabaugh, a Discharged Parolee, and 45 year old Darren Hamilton. Both subjects were detained pending a search of the premises. Officers first located a clear plastic baggie containing suspected methamphetamine weighing approximately 1/8 of an ounce in Hattabaugh’s pocket. Officers then discovered a loaded .40 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun and a box of .40 caliber ammunition in a file cabinet. In the same room, the team located an open pack of cigarettes on a table that contained another small plastic baggie containing suspected methamphetamine. The teams then turned their attention to a white Dodge Challenger with Arizona license plates parked in front of the shop. A search of the vehicle’s trunk revealed approximately one pound of methamphetamine and a black zippered bag that contained approximately $7,000 in cash. All items were seized and taken into custody.

The teams also located a black GMC pickup and conducted records checks of the vehicle’s VIN number. The information indicated that the truck had been reported stolen. Both Hattabaugh and Hamilton were arrested and transported to the Kern County Jail where they were booked on numerous charges to include Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Possession of a Controlled Substance for Sale, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

The Central Valley Joint Fugitive Task Force is a U.S. Marshals-sponsored partnership comprised of investigators from federal, state, and local agencies. The main objective of the task force is to seek out and arrest fugitives charged with violent crimes, drug crimes, sex offenders, and other felonies. More fugitives are arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service than all other federal agencies combined. In 2009 investigations carried out by the U.S. Marshals Service resulted in the apprehension of over 36, 000 federal fugitives and more than 90,000 state and local fugitives on felony charges.

Parolee Wrecks Stolen Car in Attempted Escape

Sacramento, CA – U.S. Marshal Albert Najera of the Eastern District of California announced today that the U.S. Marshals Service arrested 32 year old Anatoliy Rudan, a parolee in Cotati, California.

On May 12th 2011 Rudan was driving a stolen Audi S5 near the intersection of Elkhorn Blvd. and Watt Ave. when the California Highway Patrol (CHP) attempted to stop Rudan he fled running red lights at speeds of over 100 mph. CHP lost the suspect vehicle. On May 23rd Rudan led Twin Rivers P.D. in another high speed pursuit before getting away, and again later that night led CHP on a pursuit with reckless abandonment and endangering innocent motorists during his escape.

Due to the extreme recklessness of Rudan’s driving the CHP contacted the U.S. Marshals Service to assist in arresting Rudan. In the early morning hours of May 31, 2011 a lead was developed that Rudan had been staying in a hotel outside of Sacramento trying to hide from authorities. Deputy U.S. Marshals from Sacramento along with CHP and the CDCR, Fugitive Apprehension Team surrounded Rudan and his girlfriend in the stolen vehicle in a parking lot in Cotati. Again with disregard for public safety Rudan attempted escape by ramming a CHP marked unit before hopping a curb and attempting to run over an Officer who was on foot. While violently maneuvering, Rudan rammed the Audi into a tree resulting in major damage to the vehicle. He physically resisted officers who placed him into custody.

A search of the vehicle produced stolen security uniforms and badges as well as a simulated firearm. It was estimated that Rudan had $90,000 worth of stolen property in the vehicle most of which came from vehicle burglaries in North Sacramento and the Bay area. Rudan was booked into the Sonoma County Jail for Parole Violation and has additional charges pending.

Border Patrol Rescues 17 Near Jacumba Mountains

El Centro, Calif. – On Monday morning, U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued 17 illegal aliens who were stranded in the mountains approximately 29 miles west of the Calexico Port of Entry.

The incident occurred at approximately 3:20 a.m. when radio dispatchers received a call from the California Highway Patrol stating that a female along with 16 other individuals were stranded in the mountains near Jacumba.

One of the stranded persons used a cellular telephone which allowed the CHP to generate GPS coordinates of the group’s location.

Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue team agents conducted a thorough search of the area. At the conclusion of a three-hour search, agents located the 17 individuals. BORSTAR agents provided the group with water, assessed their health and provided medical assistance to one individual.

BORSTAR is one facet of the U.S. Border Patrol Border Security Initiative, which was implemented as a proactive, bi-national strategy to reduce injuries, prevent fatalities, and ultimately make the border region safer.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Bakersfield Man Charged with Lasering Sheriff Helicopter

FRESNO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment today charging Jeffrey Lee Gentry, 33, of Bakersfield, with interfering with the safe operation of a Kern County Sheriff’s Department helicopter by shining a hand-held laser into the cockpit.

The case is the product of a joint investigation conducted by the FBI, the Bakersfield Police Department, and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, as part of the Bakersfield Laser Strike Working Group (LSWG). The LSWG investigates laser strike cases and includes the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), California Highway Patrol, Kern County District Attorney’s Office, Kern County Airport Police, Kern County Sheriff’s Office, Kern County Fire Department, Bakersfield Police Department, and Bakersfield Fire Department. It was created in early 2010 in response to numerous incidents in Bakersfield involving lasers aimed at aircraft cockpits. Assistant United States Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Court documents and hearings in this case indicate that on November 6, 2010, a powerful green laser beam tracked a Kern County Sheriff’s Department helicopter during a routine patrol in Bakersfield. The beam struck the cockpit four times while the aircraft was flying 500 feet above the ground and temporarily blinded and disoriented the pilot and spotter, causing the aircraft to veer off course. The pilot and spotter were able to pinpoint the origin of the laser beam to Gentry’s residence, where Bakersfield Police officers found Gentry, who retrieved the laser from within his residence and handed it over to the officers.

Lasers, an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, pose a safety hazard to flight operations. The focused beams of a laser light remain powerful at extended viewing distances and can expose pilots to radiation levels above those considered to be flight safe. Brief exposure to even a relatively low-powered laser beam can cause discomfort and temporary visual impairments, such as glare, flash blind, and afterimages. The effect is amplified when the viewer is wearing goggles or eyeglasses. Both the pilot and spotter were wearing night vision goggles at the time of this incident. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), incidents involving laser illumination of aircraft occur daily and occur with significantly higher frequency in the Western Pacific Region.

U.S. Attorney Wagner stated, “The lasering of an aircraft is a serious offense, which compromises the safety of flight crews and passengers and can cause significant damage to their vision.”

Gentry is scheduled to appear for arraignment on the indictment before a United States Magistrate Judge in Fresno on Friday, March 4, 2011. He is in custody.

If convicted, Gentry faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

The charge is only an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Anyone with information regarding the lasering of an aircraft should contact the FBI. The number for the Bakersfield Office of the FBI is (661) 323- 9665.

Badge of Life

On February 13, 2009, Conversations with Heroes at the Watering Hole will feature a discussion Sergeant Andy O’Hara, California Highway Patrol (ret.), Executive Director of The Badge of Life.

Program Date: February 13, 2009
Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific
Topic: The Badge of Life
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/02/14/The-Badge-of-Life

About the Badge of Life
According to The Badge of Life, they “are a group of active and retired police officers from the United States and Canada who are victims of trauma-related injuries from our law enforcement service. We have suffered the worst that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) brings—the hopelessness, the despair, the flashbacks, the attempts at suicide, the nightmares and insomnia, the panicky hypervigilence, anxiety and terror. Among us are victims of both critical incident and cumulative PTSD.

Our personal experiences are varied and representative of what occurs in police work—shootings, violent attacks, the loss of fellow officers, near-death experiences, helplessly watching the death of a child, and more. We were drawn together out of a determination to help others avoid our fate. With the help of experts in the field like John Violanti, PhD (author of Police Suicide, Epidemic in Blue and Under the Blue Shadow), Dr. Janak Mehtani, an expert on PTSD and Catherine Leon, LCSW, who has worked extensively with PTSD and law enforcement, we began to set a path.

We found that many departments still lack adequate suicide prevention programs. We found many departments have excellent programs—but limit themselves to suicide awareness and prevention. Our program came after long discussion and research--and the realization that, in the search for complex answers, we were all missing the simple solutions! Thus came about the Badge of Life program--a common sense approach to law enforcement stress and trauma that stunned even us by its utter simplicity.

About the Guest
Sergeant Andy O'Hara, California Highway Patrol (ret.) is a military veteran and the Executive Director of The Badge of Life. According to Sergeant O’Hara, he “spent his last day of law enforcement sitting on the bedroom floor with his gun, trying to decide whether to shoot himself in the mouth or side of the head. Hospitalized twice with the effects of his post traumatic stress, he has written on this topic and spoken to numerous groups about the importance of this new program. Through those presentations, he has realized how well received and effective the message truly is. He is a member of the California Peer Support Association, the International Police Association and works as a peer volunteer with the West Coast Post-Trauma Retreat.

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 Criminal Justice Department chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, law enforcement 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/2009/02/14/The-Badge-of-Life

Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530

Three Police Officers Added

Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Police-Writers.com added Alan Caddell, Ralph Landre and Francis Connelly.

Alan Caddell is a Commander with the Santa Ana Police Department. He holds a Master of Arts in Education from Pepperdine University and is a graduate of the POST Master Instructor Development Program. A trainer for over 15 years, Alan has extensive experience and expertise in the area of instruction design and technology. Alan has taught advanced PowerPoint and on-line training for POST and other law enforcement presenters and is currently teaching a variety of programs.

Alan Caddell is the Co-author of Crime Scene Investigation. According to the book description, “Focusing on the basics of crime scene investigation as it should be done by professionals, this book shows how to do a perfect job; its emphasis is on proven evidence, collection, and analysis. It provides a high level of relevant and realistic information needed to process crime scenes in today's environment. Generously illustrated with photographs, the book clearly demonstrates techniques used by field and lab personnel to preserve, process, and analyze a wide variety of evidence. Career profiles of working professionals in the field and actual case histories document how crime scene investigation is successfully used to solve crimes. For professionals in a variety of forensic science fields, including firearms examiners, fingerprint examiners, serologists, toxicologists, photographers, journalists, crime scene investigators, and others in the field of law and law enforcement.”

According to one reader/reviewer, “As a former police reserve officer, I spent years requesting CSI with little understanding of just what they do. This book goes well beyond lifting fingerprints and other routine tasks that police officers are typically limited to. I now have a better awareness of the capabilities of CSI and considerations about how to protect a scene and how CSI can be used to investigate certain crimes. I also have a greater appreciation for CSI personnel and the difficult job they have. I liked the book and believe it would be helpful to anyone in law enforcement.”

Ralph W. Landre, Jr., has published several articles in The California Highway Patrolman magazine, including: “The Day Fresno Burned,” “Motorcycle Theft Rings,” “Training Pays Off.” The U.S. Army has published his police training bulletins at training centers in Santa Cruz, San Jose and during Annual Active Duty training with the Military Police at Camp Roberts and Fort Ord, California. The bulletins focused on preservation of evidence at crime scenes and interrogations and interviews of suspects and witnesses. He served as temporary Chief of Police for the new city of Capitola and at the same time was deputized by the Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office due to the police district the newly formed city was geographically located in. He then served as patrolman for the Santa Cruz PD before serving on the California Highway Patrol for over 29 years, retiring as a sergeant.

Ralph Landre is the author of The Broken Center-Line. Ralph Landre’s book is a memoir of the “incidents occurring to a California Highway Patrol officer during approximately 30 years of traffic law enforcement while following The Broken Center-line around and over highways and freeways in different parts of our great state of California. This is somewhat like following the yellow brick road through the Land of OZ.”

In 1955, after serving in Korea with the U.S. Army, Francis J Connelly joined the New York Police Department. He worked a variety of assignment on NYPD and retired in 1975 as a lieutenant. He is the author of two books: By Reason of Childhood; and, the sequel, Beyond By Reason of Childhood.

According to the book description, “Beyond by Reason of Childhood begins with Connelly en route to the U.S. Army induction center on Whitehall Street. From there, it’s merely a series of hops, skips, and jumps to Fort Dix, New Jersey, for basic training; Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, for Morse Code Intercept Operator training; and on to the mountains, valleys, and rice paddies of South Korea. Fourteen months later, after an honorable discharge from the military, Frank meets Anne Marie Fleming. The couple marries, and, as time slips away, they find themselves being compared to a five-and-dime (for their five children and ten grandchildren).

Along the way, Francis Connelly works at various jobs: hauling cable for Western Electric, growing hair for Wybrandt Hair and Scalp Specialists, and spending twenty years on the New York Police Department. Near the end of his career in law enforcement, mental and physical difficulties and the debilitating effects of hypoglycemia take their toll on Connelly. Will his story have a happy ending?”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 539 police officers (representing 220 police departments) and their 1147 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.

Over 800 Cop Books

Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books surpassed 800 books written by police officers with the addition of Joseph C. Hoffman, John Manca, William (Bill) H. Lippert, John Anderson and Alan Burton.

Joseph Hoffman was New York City’s First Deputy Police Commissioner in the first administration of Mayor Edward I. Koch. He served in all ranks, from patrol officer to deputy chief during his 29 year career with the New York Police Department. Post NYPD, Mayor Koch asked him to serve as President of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation. He has written to police procedurals, Acts and Omissions, and The Last Mayor.

According to the Acts and Omissions book description, “The investigation of the killings takes some strange turns and hits some unexpected detours, creating serious personal and political implications for McCabe and Russo. The Chief Medical Examiner will raise some forensic questions, the Bronx chapter of the Genovese mob will get some unwelcome scrutiny; and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York will eagerly jump into the investigation when some surprising, almost inconceivable conspiracies emerge.”

According to Publisher’s Weekly, Tin for Sale “rather than glamorizing Mafia figures, lays to rest the myths of the quintessential loving, cohesive and protective Italian-American family on the fringes of New York City organized crime. John Manca grew up in a home presided over by a brutal grandfather--one of Lucky Luciano's boys--who beat him regularly while his parents sat by, not daring to interfere. In due course John Manca became a police officer and within a few weeks began using his badge as a way to steal, cheat and extort, which he portrays as standard practice in the New York Police Department of 1954-1963. Dismissed from the force, he worked all sorts of scams as "half a wiseguy," allied with but not a member of the Cosa Nostra. Eventually he was imprisoned, then put in the Federal Witness Protection Program.”

William Lippert retired as police detective from the Salinas Police Department (California) after 35 years of public service. Bill specialized in latent fingerprint identifications while working major crime investigations. Through his studies, training and experience Bill became an expert as a latent fingerprint examiner and has testified as an expert witness in various cities in California. He also possesses a lifetime teaching credential in the field of police science and has taught College, police academy and in service law enforcement training classes. He is also an accredited member of the American Federation of Police.

His book, Forensic Justice, is a series true case files in the form of short stories. According to the book description, “Shocking revelations are reflected in this book describing abuse of victims by their attackers. The purpose of these descriptions are not meant to be entertaining but rather a wake-up call so we may become aware of the dangers that face our society. Awareness hopefully will motivate us to take precautions against becoming victims of such heinous crimes.”

John Anderson retired as a chief with the California Highway Patrol. His book, The Newhall Incident: America’s Worst Uniformed Cop Massacre, recounts the shooting deaths on April 5, 1970, of four California Highway Patrol Officers. This incident is probably used as a field tactics training exercise or lecture in every American police academy. According to the back cover of the book, “Shortly after the tragedy, Anderson interviewed the victims’ families and the on surviving killer and conducted extensive research on both killers’ backgrounds. He wrote this frighteningly true, Capote-esque account but held off publishing it for over two decades to give the children of slain officers time to grow to adulthood.”

Alan Burton's first book was published while he was a student at the FBI National Academy.. He served 25 years in the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office (California). He retired as a captain. According to one biography he has published 18 books. However, we have located nine books, seven of which are academic works centered on police department communications. As an example, he wrote Police Communications Guide: For Managers in 1984.

Alan Burton has published as least two novels Terrorist and Duty!: A Cop’s Story. Duty follows the career of a fictional officer from his first day to running for election as County Sheriff. According to one reviewer, “I have been a law enforcement professional for nearly 10 years and this novel is full of stories that could have only been written by a cop. The story follows a young deputy through out his career and into the stresses of the job. Many pages in this book had me laughing (out loud) and shaking my head when I recalled similar incidents.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 364 police officers (representing 152 police departments) and their 807 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.