Two Cops and a Civilian

Note: Two of the authors are former military.

Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. The website added two police officers (Martin Turner and Tom Dempsey) and one civilian police employee (Sunny Frazier).

In 1972, Sunny Frazier joined the United States Navy with the idea of becoming a journalist. The Navy had other ideas, assigning her as dental technician. In 1976, At the end of her enlistment, Sunny Frazier was honorably discharged as a Dental Technician, Third Class. After her military service, she went to university and worked as a photo journalist for a newspaper. Ultimately, Sunny Frazier would join the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department (California), where she worked as a civilian employee. Sunny Frazier worked in the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department records department with warrants for six years. She then worked as a secretary in the Narcotics Section for 11 years.

Sunny Frazier is a contributing author to Valley Fever: Where Murder Is Contagious: A Collection of Short Stories Set in the San Joaquin Valley. Sunny Frazier is also the author Fools Rush In. According to the description of Fools Rush In, “On a blazing July day in Central County, California, snitch Johnny Blue is murdered by a lethal heroin injection. Undercover narcotic detective James Wolfe, the operative who handled Blue, goes to the Sheriff's Department substation seeking ex-girlfriend Christy Bristol. In the past he ridiculed her hobby of casting horoscopes. Now he needs her expertise to catch the man he suspects is behind Blue's murder, a drug dealer named Lloyd Parr.”

Martin Turner began his career with the Burbank Police Department (California). In 1988, he began working as a Deputy Sheriff in the Washakie County Sheriff’s Department (Wyoming). Martin Turner is the author of A Common Sense Approach to Raising Your Children; from a Cop's Perspective.

According to the description of Martin Turner’s book, “with over twenty-six years in law enforcement, Marty Turner overcame many obstacles while growing up. Marty applied his life lessons to helping others throughout his career and now he wants to share them with you. Learn through the eyes of those who see it firsthand, day after day. Some of those experiences are humorous, some are tragic.”

Tom Dempsey has been the Director of the Police Training Institute (PTI) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign since June 2002. In that capacity he directs the activities of the only law enforcement training activity in the United States that is a unit of a major research institution. Prior to accepting his current position, Director Dempsey was a faculty member and program director at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia.

Tom Dempsey was a Torrance Police Department police officer for eighteen years. He served in a variety of assignments including as a police officer, supervisor and manager in patrol, investigations, vice and narcotics and administration. He is also a former United States Marine Corps officer. Tom Dempsey holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Arizona State University and Master’s degrees in public administration and in criminal justice administration from California State University.

Tom Dempsey is the co-author of Law Enforcement for the Twenty-First Century. According to the book description, Law Enforcement for the Twenty-First Century, “continues to be a valuable tool for both instructors and students of law enforcement because it identifies and thoroughly examines the entry-level training topics that form the foundation of the successful law enforcement officer’s career.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 544 police officers (representing 224 police departments) and their 1154 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.

Reserve-Component Funding at Historic Highs

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

May 18, 2007 – Funding for reserve forces will hit a historic high if Congress approves the component's full fiscal 2008 $18.1 billion request, a Defense Department official testified this week. The 2008 reserve-component baseline budget increase is 6 percent greater than the overall growth of the department's budget since fiscal 2001, Jack Dave Patterson, principal deputy undersecretary of defense, comptroller, told the independent Commission on the National Guard and Reserves at a public hearing here May 16. Funding requests for the reserve component are 73 percent greater than fiscal 2001 totals, as opposed to 67 percent for overall Defense Department funding.

The fiscal 2008 global war on terror request includes $6.5 billion in funding for reserve equipment, training, and recruiting and retention. The biggest chunk -- $4.9 billion -- is earmarked for equipment, Patterson said in his written statement to the commission.

"So, we are working very hard to ensure that all of America's soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are fully trained and equipped to successfully carry out their missions," Patterson said.

He told commission members that Guard and reserve funding and equipping needs follow the same process as the needs of other department organizations. "I would emphasize that those needs are presented, debated, validated and prioritized in the very same way as the needs of other organizations," Patterson said.

He said all reserve components are integrated into the planning, programming and budgeting process of their respective services.

"The services rigorously prioritize their funding requirements from the highest to the lowest priority, with the two highest priorities being those forces who are either deploying or about to deploy," Patterson said.

After service reviews, the budgets are reviewed, analyzed and balanced across the Defense Department. By the time the budget reaches Congress, it "represents the department's best judgment of what is needed to accomplish the mission."

Patterson's testimony came the same day as Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' call for department policy changes revising how funding and resourcing for the reserves, including civil support requirements, are determined.

Initially, the commission was to report on the proposed "National Guard Empowerment Act," which aimed to increase the authority of National Guard leaders. Instead, the commission broadened its report -- Strengthening America's Defenses in the New Security Environment -- to include U.S. Northern Command, the departments of Homeland Security and Defense, and state governors.

It is now hearing testimony on the impacts of resourcing policy, programming, and budgeting on the readiness of reserve components, and the impacts of frequent and lengthy deployments on employers and families.

Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, law enforcement personnel who have written books.

Bookseller Announces Large Donation

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

May 18, 2007 – Bookselling giant Barnes and Noble opened a new chapter in its history today by announcing a donation of 300,000 items to America Supports You home-front groups. "It's such an honor for Barnes and Noble to provide books, games, and toys to members of the military community as a way to say thank you for all their services," Marie Toulantis, chief executive officer of BarnesandNoble.com, said at a news conference during the Joint Services Open House here. "We're very thankful to ... all those involved in the America Supports You program for helping us get our gift to military members."

The donation totaled $3.4 million and has benefited nine America Supports You home-front groups and military-affiliated nonprofit organizations.

America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

The journey that actually moved about 22 tractor-trailer loads of goods from Barnes and Noble to the various groups wouldn't have happened without the network America Supports You has established, said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communication and public liaison, the architect of the America Supports You program.

In fact, the company started out with an "angel" on its shoulder.

Former Marine Angel Carrion Jr. was working at Barnes and Noble's Memphis warehouse when the decision was made to close the facility. Typically, the merchandise would be donated to local charities, Toulantis said.

But Carrion had a twist on that idea.

Stops at the Indianapolis airport USO lounge had left him with fond memories, so he contacted Marie Spinoza, director of fund raising for the USO of Indiana.

"I was amazed at what he had," she said in an earlier phone interview. "It was a very generous donation."

Knowing her organization couldn't handle such a large donation, she contacted Frankie Mayo, the founder of Operation AC, another America Supports You group. The Delaware-based home-front member in turn reached out to the America Supports You team for help in sharing the bounty with other home-front groups.

"I'm so proud to be a member of the ASY organization," Mayo said. "I can't tell you enough how important it is to have a hub for all the organizations out there like mine that are spokes out there."

That "hub" reached out to one of its corporate supporters, Y3K Grafix, for help in shipping the donations. The company provides America Supports You graphics to turn donated space on the sides of tractor-trailers into moving billboards.

"When I received the initial call, I said, 'Absolutely. We can get it done,'" Tony Rosenbaum, vice president of Y3K Grafix, and a former Marine, said. "Then it kind of manifested into a monster."

That monster was tamed when Rosenbaum contacted one of his strategic partners, Penske Logistics. The trucking company not only agreed to initially move the donation out of the closing warehouse on short notice, but also collected it from its temporary storage at the Memphis Tennessee Air National Guard base.

The trucking company also has been instrumental in getting shipments of donations to Operation AC, Operation Shoebox in Florida, Adopt-a-Chaplain in California, the USO of Indiana and several other nonprofit organizations across the country.

The whole process was a perfect snapshot of what the America Supports You program is all about, Barber said.

"It's about helping companies and organizations find ways to connect to support our military members and their families," she said. "What's great is all of the people that came together to make this work."

The fluidity and speed with which the America Supports You program worked to make the Barnes and Noble donation a success did not go unnoticed by the world's largest bookseller.

"All of us at Barnes and Noble have been extremely impressed with the ability of ASY to actually move the merchandise so quickly and to get it out to the troops and other nonprofit groups," Toulantis said. "As a result of our very positive experience with America Supports You, we're proud to announce that we're joining the America Supports You team."

As one of its first acts as an official America Supports You corporate supporter, the company has established a special Web site. Five percent of every sale made through the www.BN.com/asy Web site will be donated to America Supports You home-front groups.

"Thank you to Barnes and Noble for the most generous donation we've had to date from a company," Barber said. "We're grateful to join with you and welcome you to the America Supports You team.

"Somebody once said, 'Fame is what you get in life. True greatness is what you give,'" she added. "I'm honored to be on a platform today honored by people who are truly great."

Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, law enforcement personnel who have written books.

Pentagon Emphasizes Motorcycle Safety Across Force

By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service

May 18, 2007 – With motorcycle fatalities on the rise over the past two years in the Defense Department, senior military officials are making sure that servicemembers and civilians are keeping safety in mind while hitting the roads this summer. The Army is taking the lead in hosting the National Capital Region Motorcycle Safety Event at the Pentagon yesterday and today for both riders and military commanders, culminating in a group ride along the scenic George Washington Parkway.

"The Army had 48 motorcycle fatalities last year," said Jim Patton, who works in the Army's Environment, Safety and Occupational Health Office. "That was a huge wake-up call for us to get the word out on increased safety before the riding season picks up."

Other branches of the military are experiencing similar numbers in fatalities as a result of riders being inexperienced and receiving little training in safety and motorcycle handling, he said.

There were 261 traffic-accident fatalities in the Defense Department in 2006; 94 of those involved motorcycle riders.

The Pentagon's two-day event is designed to decrease motorcycle accidents by showcasing safety initiatives with booths, panels of speakers, skills demonstrations, and a "rodeo," in which participants can compete in applying skills needed in heavy traffic scenarios.

"This is an effort for us to lead by example," said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Dan Curry, who serves as the assistant to the military training task force chairman. "This is a (Defense Department) effort that's being sent down through all services, that we're serious about safety and we do care."

Organizers hope to draw 300 to 500 people to the event, in which safety representatives from all services will mentor inexperienced motorcyclists and promote awareness to military leaders so they can inform riders within their units.

"This is a great opportunity to protect our forces," he said. "Our finest assets are our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and civilians; they're what makes this military what it is."

The focus of the event is for everyone to recognize there are dangers in motorcycle riding, but risks can be mitigated and lives can be saved, Curry said.

"Doing things safely is no accident," he said. "We're going to bring folks in who share a passion, but who also share something else, and that's safety."

Although the Army is hosting this event, Patton said he hopes other services will host similar events in the future.

"Our goal is to have a top-notch event as a model for others to follow," Patton said.

Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, law enforcement personnel who have written books.

Defense Department Calls for Service Reports on Reserve Needs

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

May 18, 2007 – A top defense logistics official has asked the services to report on their reserve-component needs by the end of the month. The request was in response to Defense Department concerns about the schedule and funding requirements for the National Guard and reserves, P. Jackson Bell, deputy undersecretary of defense for logistics and material readiness, told the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves on May 16.

Bell said he shared the commission's concerns that the operations tempo of the reserve components has increased at a far greater pace than resourcing. He added that the department is taking "proactive steps to mitigate those concerns."

The reports will include a schedule by year with requirements for individual types of items, actual equipment on hand, and "fill rate." They also will reflect planned changes.

"The new reporting requirements will provide much-needed visibility into the plan for meeting resource requirements and materiel readiness of the National Guard and reserve components, and it will enable increased oversight to ensure the materiel readiness improvements are realized," he said.

Bell said the department owes it to reserve troops and the nation to ensure they are properly equipped and funded.

Bell's testimony came the same day as Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' call for policy changes to how the Defense Department it determines funding and resourcing for the reserves, including civil support requirements.

Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, law enforcement personnel who have written books.