Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Courage, Snipers and Riots

Editors Note: At least one of the authors is former military.

Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to listing state and local
police officers who have authored books, added five police officers and one civilian police employee to the growing list of police officers turned authors.

Captain
Thomas G. Dempsey of the San Francisco Police Department researched the deaths of the 92 San Francisco police officers killed in the line of duty between 1878 and 1994, and authored the book Men of Courage: San Francisco Police Officers.

Curt Nelson has been a San Francisco Police Department police officer, a member of the Screen Actor's Guild and a negotiator for Rockefeller Center, Inc. in New York City. Curt has authored Darkstar and Heart of the Hunter. According to the book description, Darkstar “is a novel of sex, violence, murder and revenge, set in San Francisco and Hawaii, spanning a time period of twenty years before coming full circle.”

Peter E. Laksbergs was born in Wisconsin. While in the U.S. military, he received law enforcement training, ground defense tactics, and special weapons training. He is currently a police officer with the San Antonio Police Department (Texas). Laksbergs first novel is Scope of Lie: A Sniper’s Diary, is the story of a young man who enters the military, “learns quickly and respects authority, and is a great shot.” According to the book description, “these attributes do not go unnoticed.” And, the main character ultimately learns to “hit the target, confirm the kill and get home” for the "The Agency." Years, missions and lies pile up until there is one “lie in particular that Pete (the main character) cannot ignore-that what he is doing is in the name of national security. But the next mission targets Pete and his family. This time, Pete has to make sure that this mission does not succeed.”

Inspector
Victor L. Short (retired) of the San Francisco Police Department explores his 32 year career in Only the Facts Ma’am.

Tom Owens, a former Los Angeles Police Department police officer wrote Lying Eyes: The Truth Behind the Corruption and Brutality of the Lapd and the Beating of Rodney King. According to Kirkus reviews, the book is “an inside look at the Rodney King case, the ensuing trials, and the L.A. riots that followed, by the private detective hired by King's attorney to investigate the police officers' conduct and provide security for the beleaguered beating victim. A former L.A. policeman, Owens does not claim to tell ``the Rodney King story,'' but rather, with the help of Hollywood writer Browning, to give ``the factual version.'' In reviewing his own 12 years on the LAPD (he's oddly vague as to dates, when he resigned and why, what he did prior to opening his agency, etc.), he contends that the violence demonstrated by the officers that night in March 1991 is systemic, and that there is a ``code of silence'' that helps ``explain the attitudes of some of the officers'' caught in the act on George Holliday's now famous videotape.”

As a former
Los Angeles Police Department police officer, Tom Owens was also added to the list at LAPDauthors.com.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 340
police officers (representing 143 police departments) and their 765 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.

DoD Working on Patient-Care Issues

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

Feb. 20, 2007 – The Defense Department is working to address patient-care problems recently identified at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center, the department's flagship medical facility, a DoD spokesman said today. Wounded servicemembers at Walter Reed still receive the best medical care available, but they do face some administrative and personnel problems that need to be fixed, Bryan Whitman told reporters.

"Taking care of our wounded servicemembers is about taking care of the entire person, and taking care of the entire person is making sure that their administrative needs are taken care of, that when they're outpatients that their housing needs are taken care of, and there are some shortcomings there," Whitman said.

A recent Washington Post series of articles detailed housing problems, a lack of assistance and bureaucratic frustrations for Walter Reed outpatients, who live in buildings on post or in nearby houses, apartments and hotels while continuing treatment or awaiting decisions about their duty status.

The
Army has known about these issues for some time and has been working on them, Whitman said, but DoD leaders have just been made aware of them. Top leaders, including Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Dr. William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, are discussing the issues and how best to address them, he said.

"The department takes these issues very seriously; they're being looked into," Whitman said. "Our servicemembers that are wounded deserve the kind of holistic care that goes beyond just the medical treatment that they receive in our facilities, which is unquestionably outstanding."

Whitman added that Winkenwerder is looking into whether similar problems may exist in other DoD medical facilities. No formal review has been announced, however.

Article sponsored by
Criminal Justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.

Troops to Teachers Adds Advance Hiring Feature

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

Feb. 20, 2007 –
Military members with a desire to mentor and shape young minds now may not have to face the anxiety of an uncertain future when retiring or separating from the military. In a new twist on Troops to Teachers, a program that has long been producing teachers out of the ranks of the military, qualified servicemembers can now be hired in advance to work as teachers in certain school districts.

The Hire in Advance Program, which has launched in Las Vegas, Denver, and Newark, N.J., guarantees teaching jobs for eligible military up to three years before they retire or separate from active duty, Wayne Rees, of Mt. West Troops to Teachers in Las Vegas, said in an interview.

Troops who qualify for the Hire in Advance program can send in applications and interview with school officials, who can officially hire them up to three years before they leave active duty, Rees explained. During that time,
military members can finish the necessary schooling and teaching requirements, creating a seamless transition between active duty and the start of their new careers, he said.

The program was unveiled in Las Vegas in June, and the first two Hire in Advance Program agreements were awarded. Since then, Troops to Teachers has been working with states, especially those with high-needs areas, to expand the program, Rees said.

"We absolutely are offering it to every state and every school district, with the hopes that we can help our military personnel have a seamless transition from the military into teaching kindergarten through 12th grade public schools," he said.

To qualify for the Hire in Advance Program, servicemembers must have a bachelor's degree and meet other Troops to Teachers requirements, such as having served six or more years in the
military honorably. The program offers counseling and referral services for each state, as well as a $5,000 stipend to help pay certification costs. Servicemembers may also qualify for an extra $5,000 if they are hired at a high-needs school.

Air Force Maj. Dayton Rogalski, chief information officer for the Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., hospital, was one of the first servicemembers awarded a hire in advance agreement. His 23-year military career ends in about three months, and he hopes to become a business education teacher at the high school level, he said.

Rogalski, who has teaching experience from his time in the military, said he wants to become a teacher because he believes youth are the future of America. "The Troops to Teachers program has enabled me to pursue teaching through their support and funding," he said. "They have delivered on all the points they presented."

Rogalski said he believes servicemembers make good teachers because they bring military values, patriotism and cultural experiences to the classroom. Rees agreed, noting that teaching fits a need many servicemembers have to give back to the community.

"Because they have been dealing with and leading young men and teaching them, it's a natural transition," Rees said. "This is a program that has a variety of skill sets that will translate from the
military into civilian life."

Troops to Teachers and the Hire in Advance Program are both open to
military spouses as well, Rees said. Spouses are not eligible for the two $5,000 stipends, but can receive up to $600 to help with certification, he said. Teaching is a convenient career for military spouses, he pointed out, because the demand for teachers ensures employment, even with frequent moves.

Article sponsored by
Criminal Justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.