Being a civilian in the law enforcement universe for more than a decade now, I've learned that—in addition to talking directly with cops, doing ridealongs, and attending police training—there is enormous value in reading a wide variety of law enforcement books and training materials.
We may think we can control our grief, our terror, or our shame by remaining silent, but naming offers the possibility of a different kind of control.
I know a lot of crime fighters who begin to wax philosophical after their fifth beer and one of the common axioms I hear is: "I would rather be lucky than good."
The ATF agent who blew the whistle on the agency's failed Fast and Furious gun tracking operation told Fox News he'll publish a book about his experiences over the agency's objections.
Every time law enforcement thought that they had knocked out or retired the Eme organization, they found that the Eme came back again. The Mexican Mafia absorbed the blows and grew stronger.
One of the things that never fails to amaze me is how often some precious belief I have turns out to just be a myth. Well, myth is a tough word because some of the meanings of "myth" are important, like: A legend or story that explains or demonstrates a virtue or message.
Everyone is well aware that humans are visual creatures. It is far and away our most dominant sense and that is one of the reasons I get so frustrated that we have so many distracters in our modern patrol vehicles.
While in fiction Sherlock Holmes' magnificent intuitive leaps lead to remarkable arrests, we would make a huge number of mental errors if we tried the same tricks. Worse, we might make assumptions that would get us or someone else hurt.
Even though we now have these marvelous tools, the key to winning confrontations is still what is happening behind our eyes, not in our hands. Yes, great weapons help us win, but we have to have our minds right, before and during a life-and-death confrontation.
Is Mass Murder on the Rise? "Yes," says Todd McGhee. "No," says Jack Levin. Each can defend his answer.
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