Police Books from Wisconsin and California

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

During his over twenty-eight year law enforcement career, Detective Joseph L. Butts, worked for the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (Wisconsin). Joseph Butts worked assignments in the courts, uniformed patrol, the bicycle detail and the detective bureau. He was the first African American Sheriff’s Deputy to be assigned regular patrol duties in several south suburban communities of Milwaukee county; and, the first African American deputy sheriff to be assigned undercover drug assignments in Milwaukee County suburban communities. Moreover, during his career, Joseph L. Butts worked Internal Investigation, the Organized Crime Unit and investigated crimes throughout Milwaukee county. Detective Joseph L. Butts wrote a book about his experiences, Crime and Other Critical Social Ills: As Seen from Behind the Badge.

According to one reader of Crime and Other Critical Social Ills: As Seen from Behind the Badge, “This book shows how things can happen at a moments notice and how individuals react or don't react. This book could pertain to any Law Enforcement Department in the country. Being a member of the same department that Det. (retired) Butts was in, and reading his book, makes me understand crime, justice and the department better. I just wish I knew him personally.”

Larry Ragle is the retired Director of Forensic Sciences in Orange County, California. During his career he has investigated countless high-profile homicides, including lending his expertise to the defense team in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Larry Ragle was a criminalistics major at UC Berkeley where he received a Bachelors of Science degree in 1959. This program focused on laboratory examination of all types of physical evidence and on crime scene investigation techniques. Larry Ragle began his law enforcement career with the Berkeley Police Department in 1956. He was a police officer for the Berkeley Police Department until 1960. Larry Ragle is the author of Crime Scene.

According to the book description of Crime Scene, “Each week, millions of Americans tune in to watch CSI and CSI-Miami. Featuring the latest forensic fads and tools, these shows take a seemingly unsolvable mystery and unravel it in a primetime hour based on minute pieces of evidence to solve the crime. Just how do Forensic Teams and Labs accomplish these amazing feats? How do they turn a stray piece of hair into the key clue that leads police to the criminal? In Crime Scene, Larry Ragle offers the benefit of his 43+ years of experience and walks us through real-life crime cases to explain how different forensic methods are used and applied.”

A former police officer with the Berkeley Police Department (California), James N. Gilbert joined the University of Nebraska (Kearney) as the Criminal Justice department as Chair in 1988. Dr. James N. Gilbert received his BC from California State University, Long Beach; his MS from Eastern Kentucky University; and, his Ph.D., from the University of Southern Mississippi. He is the author of Criminal Investigation and Criminal Investigation: Essays and Cases.

According to the book description of Criminal Investigation, “With interest in criminal investigation at an all time high, the newest edition of this popular text is particularly useful. One of the most comprehensive reviews of the investigative process available, it covers the fascinating history and future implications of field. A thorough discussion of cutting-edge investigative methods and technology employed to combat emerging crimes prepares readers to enter the next generation of criminal investigation. Using detailed crime scene examples, it links specific investigative techniques and laboratory techniques that are most effective for each particular crime.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 721 police officers (representing 332 police departments) and their 1540 police books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.