Featured podcasts - Author Interviews

Richard J. Keyworth provides detailed accounts of 14 fires he investigated as both a municipal and private investigator in "Fires: Accidental or Arson." Keyworth shares investigative tips for officers when responding to a fire that will bolster the case, and he explains what patrol officers should look for when first arriving at a scene.

Sgt. John "Rick" Baker takes readers to the front lines of the urban war against violent crime fought by the men and women of the Compton (Calif.) Police Department in his memoir, "Vice: One Cop's Story of Patrolling America's Most Dangerous City." The men and women of the department, which was disbanded in 2000 for budgetary reasons, had a force of no more than 130 officers to deal with 10,000 criminals.

Performance trainer Will Brink provides functional ideas for establishing a physical training program for tactical officers with, "Practical Applied Stress Training (P.A.S.T.) for Tactical Law Enforcement." In the interview, Brink gives suggestions for getting equipment with little or no budget, explains training concepts and provides single-operator and two-man stage drills.

Retired Baltimore officer Dick Ellwood tells his best stories from 25 years as a beat cop, vice detective, homicide unit supervisor and arson/bomb squad leader with the Baltimore Police Department. In "Cop Stories: The Few, The Proud, The Ugly," Ellwood chronicles his arrest of boyhood hero Mickey Mantle as a first-year officer, a vice arrest of a body part and his most memorable (and still unsolved) homicide case with an NFL player as the prime suspect.

Joseph Wambaugh's "Hollywood Hills" is the former LAPD copper's fourth novel following the fictional officers of Hollywood Station that also provides "spot-on character sketches of Hollywood's finest parade of low lives in high places and motley violators of every ilk," according to the publicity material. Wambaugh discusses his book, sources of inspiration and his own favorite books and police TV shows. He spoke with POLICE Magazine following mid-November publication and days before he began work on a new (non-Hollywood) novel.

As an officer and trainer with the Portland Police Bureau, Loren Christensen taught defensive tactics for 25 years, after which he wrote "Defensive Tactics: Modern Arrest & Control Techniques for Today's Police Warrior." Christensen discusses concepts from the book, which covers topics such as retaining balance during a fight, how to avoid groundfighting, a subject's most vulnerable area during a baton strike, and the biggest failing in police DT training.

Don Mann, a U.S. Navy Seal and firearms trainer of federal law enforcement agents with the FBI, ATF and CIA, published "The Modern Day Gunslinger" as the "ultimate training manual" for law enforcement, competitive shooters, personal defense and those who looking to master handguns. In the interview, Mann discusses officer reaction curves during vehicle stops, one-handed reloads and tells us his favorite gun.

What does it mean to be a good warrior? Courage? Justice? Wisdom? Benevolence? Psychology professor Charles Hackney answers these questions and others with "Martial Virtues," which includes lessons from the "world's greatest warriors." The book also explores the role of martial arts in character development.

Veteran law enforcement trainer Dave Smith has always had a love of performing. So in 1980 he approached his commanders at the Arizona Department of Public Safety and asked them if he could make a series of funny training videos. His alter-ego J.D. "Buck" Savage was born. Buck is the most incompetent cop to ever wear an Arizona DPS uniform, and Dave Smith is one of the funniest. Today, Dave is retired and serving as the lead instructor for Calibre Press's "Street Survival" seminar series. In between his training sessions, Dave writes a back page column titled "In My Sights" for POLICE. Dave compiled some of his favorite columns into an "In My Sights" book. POLICE Editor David Griffith recently caught up with him by phone.

Experienced officers share their life lessons for a successful law enforcement career in "If I Knew Then: Life Lessons From Cops on the Street." In the book, which is edited by Brian Willis, 30 writers contribute 37 essays. "If I Knew Then" is available exclusively at Willis' website. Also, read a review of the book by Recruit blogger Chief William Harvey.