Leadership in Film

A number of courses and seminars use film, movies and television to express leadership concepts. The co-author of Leadership: Texas Hold ‘em Style, Raymond E. Foster, is collecting practitioner, student and academic input on leadership in film. Have you used film, movies or television to teach leadership? Have you viewed something in a leadership course? Or, have you viewed something that expressed a leadership lesson that you would like to share? Share your thoughts on Leadership in Film.

http://www.pokerleadership.com/leadership-in-film/

POLICE RESPONSE TO THE MENTALLY ILL

More than One-quarter of all Americans met the criteria for having a mental illness problem within the past year, and fully over a quarter of those had a "serious" disorder that significantly disrupted their ability to function day to day, according to the largest and most detailed survey of the nation's mental health, published in 2007. Mental illness is a growing problem throughout the world. Numerous law enforcement agencies are often called to check out a report on somebody with a possible psychosis or other symptoms of mental behavior.


READ ON
http://www.police-writers.com/police_response_mentally_ill.html

NLECTC-West Automated Forms Project

In early 2007 the Lawrence Police Department contacted National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center-West for assistance with a problem faced by their School Resource Officers (SROs). The SROs are currently required to fill out numerous paper forms such as their Field Interrogation/Observation Forms (FIOs). In order to save time and effort by eliminating the paper forms and easily retrieve records later, the Department asked NLECTC-West for help in finding an affordable solution for automating these forms. The SROs will access these automated forms via handheld personal data assistants (PDAs) and the information will be stored in a database with search capabilities.

As of September 2007, NLECTC-West has assisted the Department with the purchase of the hardware and in obtaining a custom software solution. The Department has completed a field test of the PDA unit and provided feedback to NLECTC-West. The Center anticipates that they will incorporate improvements for the next version of the system by early 2008. For more information on the automated forms system, please contact NLECTC-West, 888-548-1618 or nlectc@law-west.org

Drive-By Shooting

Laughing, joking, just standing around,
A few seconds later bodies on the ground.
Shots rang out, there were many,
Another drive-by shooting reason there isn’t any.

READ ON
http://www.police-writers.com/drive_by_shooting.html

The Police Officer’s Oath

When any police officer is hired or completes their police academy they are required to take an oath. Too often as time wears on the police officer has forgotten their oath but do continue doing the best job they can for the department they serve. Police officers in the past took their oath to heart and worked hard and long hours serving their community. They didn’t ask for raises or promotions or a pat on the back, they did their job until the day arrived they were eligible for one position or another. The police stuck together as family back then as they do today.

READ ON
http://www.police-writers.com/police_officers_oath.html

Police Officers from California

November 19, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists over 800 state and local police officers who have written books. The website added four police officers from California.

Captain Jim Barrett (ret.) is an expert in the world of police horses. During his 30 year career in law enforcement he was a trainer, supervisor and the manager of one of the most successful mounted units in Southern California. During his tenure with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department Mounted Enforcement Unit he has seen the unit grow from three original riders, increasing to 25 riders who work several hundred details each year.

Jim is one of the founding board members of the California Mounted Officers Association (CMOA); a statewide organization dedicated to the betterment of the mounted officer. Jim Barrett is the author of two books Steady Your Spooky Horse and A Manual for the Mounted Police.

According to the book description of Steady Your Spooky Horse, “Here are the stimulus training methods used by mounted police officers to teach their horses to face any situation. When this training is competently done, it works, and that is proven every day of the week by the thousands of police horses successfully working the streets throughout the world.”

Dr. A.C. Germann, Professor Emeritus, Department of Criminal Justice, California State University, Long Beach was a Los Angeles Police Department police officer before pursuing an academic career. He is responsible for founding the Police Science program at California State University, Long Beach and is the author of three books: Introduction to Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice; Police Personnel Management; and, Police Executive development.

Arthur W. Sjoquist and Thomas G. Hays are retired Captains from the Los Angeles Police Department as well as members of the Los Angeles Police Department Historical Society Board. They are co-authors of a pictorial look at the Los Angeles Police Department.

According to the book description of Images of America: Los Angeles Police Department, “No police force in history has gained as much fame and notoriety as the Los Angeles Police Department. The acronym LAPD is practically synonymous with the idea of professional law enforcement. The men in blue who patrol Hollywood and the sprawling metropolis of L.A. have been investigated by screenwriters more times than vice versa. With more than 9,300 sworn officers today, the LAPD endures seemingly endless controversies and media circuses. But then there’s the other side of L.A.’s protective shield—the story of the force’s evolution alongside the spectacular growth of its unique melting-pot city. This book’s rare and often never-before-published photographs focus on that side: the excitement, danger, tragedy, and comedy of everyday beat cops and workaday detectives—with concessions to their limelight representations, including Jack Webb’s Dragnet and Adam-12.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 805 police officers (representing 363 police departments) and their 1714 law enforcement 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.

Leadership: Texas Hold em Style

Using poker as analogy for leadership, Captain Andrew Harvey, CPD (ret.), Ed.D. and Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA found the right mix of practical experience and academic credentials to write a definitive book for leaders. Working together, Harvey and Foster have written Leadership: Texas Hold em Style. Most often leaders find they are given a set of resources people, equipment, funds, experience and a mission. As Foster noted, You are dealt a certain hand. How you play that hand as a leader determines your success

More than a book: A fun and entertaining journey through leadership that includes an interactive website to supplement knowledge gained from the book.
Proven and Tested: Not an academic approach to leadership, but rather a road-tested guide that has been developed through 50-years of author experience.
High Impact: Through the use of perspective, reflection, and knowledge, provides information that turns leadership potential into leadership practice.
Ease of Application: Theory is reinforced with real-life experience, which results in accessible and practical tools leaders can put to use immediately.
High Road Approach: Personal character and ethical beliefs are woven into each leadership approach, so leaders do the right thing for the right reasons.
Uses Game of Poker: Rather than a dry approach that is all fact and no flavor, the game of poker is used as a lens through which to view leadership concepts.

Order your Copy Today!

Strategic Planning Reference and Resource Book

The Strategic Planning Reference and Resource Book was created by the elements of the United States Army and designed to familiarize you and help you through the strategic planning process in a step-by-step approach. It provides an outline for you to plan, organize and conduct your conference, document and execute your plan, and to monitor and adjust your strategic plan, as needed. While we recommend specific steps, we also provide options and alternatives that allow you to tailor your conference and strategic plan to your unique local conditions.

Download the Book
http://www.pokerleadership.com/strategic_planning_reference_resource_book.html

Baghwan Shree Rajneesh, Indian Guru

Bajneesh, was the Indian guru who attracted thousands of followers at his Oregon commune in the early 1980's before being deported from the United States. The guru, who moved to India permanently in 1986, was deported from the United States in 1985 after pleading guilty to violations of the immigration law. Previously, numerous charges of wrongdoing had been made against him and his leading disciples.

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http://www.police-writers.com/indian_guru.html

Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology News Summary

Per NIJ 11/15/07

ShotSpotter Project NLECTC-Southeast
NLECTC-Southeast is currently providing technical assistance to Birmingham (Alabama) Police Department as that department installs the ShotSpotter gunshot location system. As of August 2007, 86 sensor sites have been selected and the department has received signed permission to install sensors at 80 of these locations. In addition, Southeast Center staff are assisting Richland County (South Carolina) Sheriff's Department with the installation and testing of a new hybrid system developed by ShotSpotter. The hybrid system employs sensors based on both wired telephone lines and wireless cellular data modems. For more information on gunshot location systems and evaluations of the ShotSpotter technology, contact NLECTC-Southeast at 800-292-4385 or nlectc-se@nlectc-se.org.

Emergency Management System Pilot Project NLECTC-West
From August 14–16, 2007, staff from NLECTC-West facilitated the installation of a software system at Claremont (California) High School as part of an NIJ technical pilot program to test an emergency management system. The system is based on requirements developed in response to the Columbine High School shooting and subsequent changes in response to active shooter scenarios. Staff also participated in a 2-day active shooter training drill. For more information about this project, contact NLECTC-West, 888-548-1618 or nlectc@law-west.org.

Paterson, NJ, Improves Public Safety With Addition of Gunshot Location System
Government Technology (09/25/07), News Report

In an effort to better public safety, the City of Paterson, NJ, is using the ShotSpotter Gunshot Detection and Location System in conjunction with its wireless surveillance network. In order to complement the existing, as well as expanding, video surveillance system, the ShotSpotter GLS sensors will be placed throughout areas of Patterson. The complete integration of these two systems is scheduled for the end of 2007, and this integration will allow the cameras to focus in on sources of gunfire.
http://www.govtech.com/gt/148999?topic=117693

Byrd Announces Grant Funding for Marshall Forensic Science Center
HuntingtonNews.net (09/25/07), Marshall University Communications

West Virginia senator Robert Byrd has announced that the Marshall University Forensic Science Center (MUFSC) is set to receive more that $2 million in Federal funding from the U.S. Department of Justice to support the sustained growth of MUFSC as a working model forensic laboratory and a resource for the national forensic community. The additional funding for this project will help MUFSC provide training to laboratory specialists, as well as other members of the criminal justice community, in the area of DNA testing. It will also allow MUFSC to conduct tests of DNA samples gathered from convicted felons throughout the country.
http://www.huntingtonnews.net/marshall/070925-staff-marshallgrantfunding.html

Oregon Prison Guards Get Tasers
Seattlepi.com (09/30/07), Associated Press

In an effort to help control an inmate population that has reached 13,500, Oregon state correctional officers will be issued Tasers® equipped with digital cameras. Nearly 100 of the State's correctional officers are receiving training on how and when to use the less-lethal weapons, which are aimed at preventing injuries to both staff and inmates. Under department policy, approval for use would have to come from the supervising officer in charge and the prison superintendent, and then use of the weapon would be left to the judgment of the trained officers and command staff.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/333806_prisontasers01.html

Increase Your Knowledge of Less-Lethal Devices

Law enforcement and corrections officers often use different labels for the same less-lethal device. To promote a better understanding of less-lethal devices—including operation, tactics, and terminology—NIJ is seeking volunteers to take a detailed, Web-based pilot course taught through the Penn State Fayette's Center for Community and Public Safety.

More Information
http://www.criminaljustice-online.com/forum11/989.html

Microclimate Cooling Systems Survey for Law Enforcement

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has asked the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC), a component of the Department of Defense (DoD), to evaluate microclimate cooling systems technology for law enforcement personnel.

Microclimate cooling systems are devices that provide a cooling capability to personnel wearing personal protective clothing and equipment. To maximize the efficiency of these systems, cooling garments are worn under protective clothing, typically against the skin. Many types of microclimate cooling systems are available on the commercial market today including ice or phase change material vests, ambient air blowers, ice systems used with a cooling garment, refrigeration systems, compressed air systems, etc. Since the size, weight, cooling performance, integration and logistical requirements vary significantly among these systems, your input will help NSRDEC to define the critical parameters that will form the basis for a microclimate cooling system standard for law enforcement personnel.

Please visit www.mcsurvey.org/ to take the survey online. By participating in this short 10-15 minute survey, you will be providing valuable input to on-going operational and standards research serving the first responder community.

Popularity and Expansion of Online Criminal Justice Programs and Degrees

Let’s not fool ourselves here. Earning an online college degree is quite an achievement in itself. It is an acknowledgement by the student, that at some point in their work career, they made a choice to rise to the sound of their inner voice and seek a greater purpose.

For those who have chosen the path of public service, that inner voice could not be greater. Literally, that vocation can take shape in many forms. In recent years, the world of online education has seen a surge of interest in the field of Criminal Justice. There are many factors involved in this increase. On one end of the spectrum, the political state of the United States civil policies has helped to increase the hiring needs of this field. On the other end, television media and the public fascination with dramas set in and around the fields of Law, Criminal Justice, Forensics and crime in general can also be a significant catalyst.

Online criminal justice degrees are now available to online students in every state and these online degree programs are accredited by their regional accrediting boards. These online degrees are afforded the same respect by police and sheriff departments and correctional facilities. Many police departments encourage their employees in the field, to pursue advanced degrees in criminal justice, thus increasing their potential for advancement as well as their income.

Student at the beginning of their work career may see an online criminal justice degree as the beginning step to a secure career in law enforcement, at a correctional facility or as the first step in a journey to obtaining a masters in criminal justice. Some online programs are so highly regarded at providing such quality education in the field that these institutions have sought and gained the honor of granting a doctorate in criminal justice.

Yes, it is possible in this day and age to progress from bachelors, to masters, to a doctorate degree in criminal justice all in an online learning environment. The fields of study available to the online learner are increasing day by day as online colleges see new areas of growth and develop curriculum to meet these needs.

For more information about earning your degree online, visit eLearners.com

Counterterrorism Technologies

The previous article determined that terrorists around the globe target police officers. Indeed, preliminary figures from 2005 may indicate a continuing and perhaps growing trend in the violence against law enforcement. According to the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT), Terrorism Knowledge Base (TKB), as of August 14, 2005, world-wide, there have been 554 terrorist attacks targeting police officers. These attacks resulted in 2,546 injuries and 1,327 fatalities.

Preliminary information should be viewed with caution because the data includes all persons wounded or killed as a result of the incident. It is very likely that when just police officer casualties are considered the number significantly decrease. Also, most of the increase in attacks is taking place in Iraqi. While the violence in Iraqi is instructive it may be causing an anomaly in the overall trend in incidents against police officers. The most definitive deduction from the latest data simply reinforces the idea that terrorists target law enforcement officials and that this trend may be increasing.

READ ON
http://www.hitechcj.com/homelandsecurity/police_technology.html

Guide to Understanding and Surviving Terrorism

On September 18, 2001, shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9-11, the United States Marine Corps published “The Individual’s Guide for Understanding and Surviving Terrorism.” This 138 page document outlines terrorism and terrorist incidents. It provides the reader with information on detecting terrorists, including practical tactics for detecting surveillance and general information on protection through awareness.

The guide also provides information on what to expect if taken hostage and offers advice on how a hostage should conduct themselves during hostage taking, imprisonment and rescue
DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE
http://www.hitechcj.com/homelandsecurity/usmc_terrorism.html

CIA Primer on CBRN

According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Al-Qa‘ida and associated extremist groups have a wide variety of potential agents and delivery means to choose from for chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) attacks. Al-Qa‘ida’s end goal is the use of CBRN to cause mass casualties; however, most attacks by the group—and especially by associated extremists—probably will be small scale, incorporating relatively crude delivery means and easily produced or obtained chemicals, toxins, or radiological substances.

The success of any al-Qa‘ida attack and the number of ensuing casualties would depend on many factors, including the technical expertise of those involved, but most scenarios could cause panic and disruption. The CIA has published a brief primer on Terrorist Materials and Effects.
Download the CIA Primer
http://www.hitechcj.com/homelandsecurity/terrorism_cbrn.html

Call for Presenters

2008 Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections Conference
Is your agency involved in a technology project that is worthy of attention? Would you like to be a part of the 2008 Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections Conference agenda? NLECTC is pleased to issue a call for presenters for the 2008 conference.

Presentations should relate to the implementation of technology to solve an operational problem and/or management issues related to technology. Conference workshops are 90 minutes in length and are generally organized in four tracks:

Electronic Monitoring
Drug and Alcohol Testing
Information Technology
Management Issues (e.g. Training, Officer Safety, Communications, etc.)

Submission Guidelines
Persons interested in submitting a proposal for consideration should forward the following:

Workshop title
A clear, concise, accurate, description of the workshop
Complete contact information for each speaker
Brief biography of each of the speakers
Audio/Visual requirements for the presentation
Primary contact person for the workshop

Presentation summaries may be mailed, faxed or e-mailed, no later than December 15, 2007 to:

Joe Russo, Assistant Director
National Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology Center
2050 East Iliff Avenue
Denver, CO 80208
Phone: (800) 416-8086
Fax: (303) 871-2500
E-mail: jrusso@du.edu

NLECTC will provide for the expenses for all speakers (up to two per workshop) selected to present a workshop at the 2008 conference to include airfare, one night’s lodging, ground transportation and per diem. In addition, conference registration fees will be waived. NLECTC will not cover expenses for presenters representing vendors.

TERRY NICHOLS

Terry Lynn Nichols (born April 1, 1955) was a U.S. Army veteran who was convicted of being an accomplice to Timothy McVeigh, the man convicted of murder in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S, April 19, 1995), which claimed 168 lives. Nichols was convicted of eight counts of manslaughter in a United States District Court and was sentenced to life imprisonment in ADX Florence, a super max prison in Florence, Colorado. The state of Oklahoma then charged him with capital murder. The McAlester, Oklahoma trial started March 1, 2004. The jury selection and the testimony phase began on March 22 and he was convicted on August 9, of 161 counts of first-degree murder. As in the Federal trial, the jury spared him the death penalty and he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Nichols since then has alleged that a high-ranking FBI official was directing Timothy McVeigh in the plot to blow up a government building and that plans may have changed the original target of the attack, according to a new affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Utah on February 9, 2007.

Somewhere around 27 October 2000, while working as a Lieutenant Jail Commander for the Oklahoma County Jail facility, I was temporarily re-assigned to guard Terry Nichols. My duties were to insure that he did not escape, would eat three meals a day, receive his one-hour exercise period three times a week, did not communicate with any unauthorized person, that he received his proper cleaning supplies daily to clean his cell, to monitor anything or anyone having access to his living quarters area.

READ ON
http://www.police-writers.com/heitmeyer_terry_nichols.html

When Your Child is Missing: A Family Survival Guide

What do to if your Child is Missing provides parents with the most current information on, and helpful insights into, what families should do when a child is missing. The first edition of this Guide was written in 1998 by parents and family members who have experienced the disappearance of a child. It contains their combined advice concerning what to expect when a child is missing, what needs to be done, and where to go for help. It explains the role that various agencies and organizations play in the search for a missing child and discusses some of the important issues that need to be considered. The Guide is divided into seven chapters, each of which is structured to allow information to be found quickly and easily. Each chapter explains both the short- and long-term issues and contains a checklist and chapter summary for later reference. A list of recommended readings and a list of public and private resources appear at the back of the Guide. This third edition of the Guide was published in 2004.

DOWNLOAD THE MANUAL
http://www.hitechcj.com/missing_child.html

Military Legal Resources

The U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Legal Center & School Library in Charlottesville, VA, holds extensive collections of primary source materials and publications in the field of military law. Selections from these collections are now being made accessible in full text PDF versions via the Library of Congress Federal Research Division (FRD) Web site. As more materials are converted to digital formats, they will be added to this page. Samples of the currently available, downloadable, documents are: Operational Law Handbook, 2007; Geneva Conventions; The Army Lawyer (1971-2007); War Crimes Trials Materials; Army JAG Corps Historical Monographs; Military Law Review (1958-2007); Manuals for Courts-Martial; UCMJ Legislative History; U.S. Army TJAGLCS: Selected Theses; U.S. Army Field Manuals; Ethics Handbook for Army Leaders; Army Regulations; and, Military Law Historical Monographs, Studies, Texts and Treatises.

You can access this material at:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/Military_Law/military-legal-resources-home.html

Over 1700 Cop Books

November 1, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists nearly 800 state and local police officers who have written books. The addition of three police officers, the website now lists 1703 books, from 795 state or local police officers who represent 358 agencies, nationwide.

Frank Root is a retired captain from Arizona Department of Public Safety. Most of his law enforcement career with the Arizona Department of Public Safety was spent in the Intelligence Division. Currently, he is a senior investigator with the California Department Consumer Affairs, Division of Investigation. Frank Root is the author of Law Enforcement Intelligence Critical Functions.

According to the book description, “Law Enforcement Intelligence Critical Functions was developed to serve three different, yet related functions: Assist the law enforcement operational units to identify and understand the guidance they must provide to the intelligence unit supporting their operation or investigation; Assist the law enforcement intelligence unit to understand the types and forms of intelligence operational and investigative units require to perform their various law enforcement functions; and, Assist the law enforcement mission managers in understand the functions of both enforcement and intelligence units, and how those units interact to provide a successfully law enforcement outcome.”

Sergeant Gregory Allen Doyle of the Upland Police Department (California) served in the United States Army from 1976 through 1979. He has been in law enforcement for over 20 years, of which more than seven have been as a first line supervisor. He is the author of The Sting of the Gadfly and God is not an Option.

According to the book description of The Sting Of The Gadfly it “is a collection of poems, thoughts, songs, and short stories, the majority of which are about God's interaction with Mankind, the necessity of faith, and the wellspring of hope that occurs with a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The publishing of the book was a gift from his wife, Linda, for their 25th wedding anniversary. The book assembles a number of unique poetic writing styles and the author's personal perspectives as a father, a husband, a police officer, a Christian, and a child of God. There are few satirical bumps in the road to make the drive more enjoyable as well. It is hoped each reader will appreciate the great lengths God has gone to gain his or her attention in eternity.”

Sergeant De Lacy Davis graduated from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He completed his Masters of Administrative Science degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University with a 4.0 grade point average in 2002. He joined the East Orange Police Department (New Jersey) in 1986. He is an instructor at the Essex County Police Academy and a New Jersey State-Certified firearms instructor. He has served as the Vice President of the Police Benevolent Association, Local #16, and the executive director of the East Orange Police Athletic League. Sergeant De Lacy Davis is the author of “Black Cops Against Police Brutality: A Crisis Action Plan.”

According to the book description of Black Cops Against Police Brutality: A Crisis Action Plan, “Sergeant De Lacy Davis gives a powerful presentation to audiences of all ages about police violence, misconduct and abuse. His direct in your face, keeping it real style demands that the audience stop, look, listen and learn how to respond to brutal police officers.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 795 police officers (representing 358 police departments) and their 1703 law enforcement 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.