Careers in Corrections

Editor's Note: Military personnel looking at post-service careers would find this conversation useful.

On August 14, 2009, Conversations with American Heroes at the Watering Hole will feature a discussion with corrections official Tracy E. Barnhart.

Program Date: August 14, 2009
Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific
Topic: Careers in Corrections
Listen Live:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/08/15/Careers-in-Corrections-

About the Guest
After completion of a Marine Corps combat tour of duty in Iraq in 1991, Tracy E. Barnhart completed the National Registry requirements as an Emergency Medical Technician. He responded to calls of emergency medical nature for over three years until he became a police officer for the City of Galion (Ohio). After three years on patrol he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Later leaving the City of Galion Tracy E. Barnhart was hired as the Chief of Police for the City of Edison (Ohio). After 3 years as chief of police, and with a total of ten years experience in law enforcement he changed careers leaping into the realm of corrections where he is currently employed at the Marion Juvenile Correctional Facility.

Tracy E. Barnhart is the Law Enforcement coordinator the Tri-Rivers Public Safety Adult Education where he designs and coordinates continuing educational courses for law enforcement and correctional officers. He has established courses on verbal de-escalation, criminal behavior analysis, use of force, and ground fighting and take down techniques for law enforcement.

About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.

About the Host
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a Criminal Justice Department chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in Law Enforcement, public policy, Public Safety Technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in Law Enforcement.

Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/08/15/Careers-in-Corrections-

Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530

Police History and Military Fiction

Editor's Note: One of the authors is a former servicemember.

October 26, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists nearly 800 state and local police officers who have written books. The website added three authors who have written police history, military fiction and on crime prevention.

Kevin J. Mullen served for more than twenty-six years with the San Francisco Police Department and retired at the rank of deputy chief. He has written extensively in magazines and newspapers on criminal justice issues. He is the author of Let Justice Be Done: Crime and Politics in Early San Francisco, Dangerous Strangers: Minority Newcomers and Criminal Violence in the Urban West, 1850-2000 and The Toughest Gang in Town: Police Stories From Old San Francisco.

According to the book description of Dangerous Strangers: Minority Newcomers and Criminal Violence in the Urban West, 1850-2000, “Have newcomers to American cities been responsible for a disproportionate amount of violent crime? Dangerous Strangers takes up this question by examining the incidence of criminal violence among several waves of immigrant/ethnic groups in San Francisco over 150 years. By looking at a variety of groups--Irish, German, Italian, and Chinese immigrants, primarily--and their different experiences at varying times in the city's history, this study addresses the issue of how much violence can be attributed to new groups' treatment by the host society and how much can be traced to traits found in their community of origin.”

Chief Steven J. Newton is a 25-year law enforcement veteran and a former Marine/Navy veteran. He served with the 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division. With the Navy, he was with NAVACTS-UK-318 and was called back to active duty for the first Desert Storm. Steven J. Newton began his law enforcement career in 1977 when he joined the Springfield Police Department (Missouri). In 1995, he became the chief of police of the Clever Police Department (Missouri).

Now retired and afflicted with Parkinson’s Disease, he continues to write article for various law enforcement, military and veteran publications. He is also the author of the Old Sergeant and the Old Sergeant and Friends. Steve Newton continues to serve on the Advisory Board of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and serves as Director of the Law Enforcement Equipment Program. He is the Founder of the Silver Star Families of America and he is a supporter of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance.

According to the book Description, “The short stories of The Old Sergeant compile many different aspects of the human character, including inspiration, tragedy, honor and humor. He is fictional, but his life, and the lives of the men he commands, become very real to the reader as the stories come together as one. One life lived and some lives lost. Through the war in Iraq and reflections on past wars won, now a distant memory, the Old Sarge is someone who most everyone can relate to. There is a real-time sense in all of the stories told, to be embraced into the reader’s mind and heart.”

William Langlois is a retired San Francisco Police Department police officer and the co-author of Surviving the Age of Fear/Life-Saving Lessons for Senior Citizens from San Francisco's Heroic Decoy Cop Who Was Mugged 256 Times. According to Booklist, “Langlois had a record of successful performance as a decoy in past stings when he was recruited to play the role of The Old Man on a short-term undercover RAT (robbery abatement) team formed in 1987 (and reestablished in 1988) to cut the rate of violent robberies of the elderly in and around their homes in San Francisco's Tenderloin district.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 783 police officers (representing 352 police departments) and their 1670 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.

Domestic and International Police Books

Editor's Note: One of the authors is a former servicemember.

Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. Two domestic police officers and one international police officer were added to the website.

James Harper Walker served in the United States Army from 1953 to 1956. He began his law enforcement career with the Willoughby Police Department (Ohio) where he served in patrol for two years. He then joined the Waite Hill Police Department (Ohio) were he served for eight years, attaining the rank of detective. He then became the Assistant Chief of Police for the Huron Road Police Department (Ohio). James Walker then moved into the private security field where he held a number of managerial and executive level positions. He has a BA in Business Administration and is the author of four books: Man in Blue; Bushytail the Squirrel; Rambling in Rhyme; and, the novel Inside your Local Police.

According to the book description of Inside your Local Police, “follow police Lieutenant James MacDonald (Mac) as he tries to solve The Claw Hammer murder case. While being constantly interrupted with assorted armed robbers, gang fights, gun fights and domestics.”

Gerald W. Boyd is the Communications Director for Baker County’s Consolidated 9-1-1 Dispatch Center. Jerry Boyd is also concurrently the Deputy Chief of the Baker County Fire Authority and the Deputy Director of the Baker County Office of Homeland Security. Jerry recently managed the complete remodeling and expansion of their 9-1-1 PSAP.

Gerald W. Boyd has been the Chief of Fire Company 50, Shasta County, CA Fire Department (1999-2003), the Chief of Police of the Martinez Police Department (California) (1991-1996) and the Chief of Police of Coronado Police Department (California) (1981-1991). Jerry Boyd’s law enforcement career also includes working at the Irvine Police Department (California) as a police lieutenant and SWAT commander and with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as both a deputy sheriff and sergeant.

Jerry Boyd has designed, fabricated and staffed Mobile Incident Command Units for over 25 years. He is well versed in Tactical and Special Operations deployments. Considered an expert in the field of PSAP Management and Supervision, Jerry holds Basic through Management POST Certificates and is a popular Police and Fire Academy Instructor. He has written five books, including three on emergency communications subjects and over three dozen articles in professional journals. Among his books, he is the author of The Will to Live--Five Steps to Officer Survival and the co-author of Incident Dispatcher: A Guide for the Professional Tactical and Incident Dispatcher.

According to the book description of Incident Dispatcher: A Guide for the Professional Tactical and Incident Dispatcher, “After years of articles, web sites, and presentations, this is the first book to examine the concept of Incident Dispatch. The authors’ purpose is to provide basic, essential guidelines for establishing an Incident Dispatch program, how to function as an incident dispatcher, and how to manage an incident dispatch team in your agency or region. It is written from more than a decade of personal experience in IDT operations, management, and training, validated by the ongoing use of hundreds of incident dispatchers and their supporting public safety and communications agencies nationwide.”

Julie Hryniewicz-Hache was hired by the Ontario Provincial Police in 1995 as a Provincial Constable. During her law enforcement career she served in five detachments of the Northeast Region of Ontario. Today, Julie Hryniewicz-Hache is a keynote speaker, workshop leader and author. According to Julie, “My purpose revealed itself through my adversity. Despite divorce, depression, illness, and bankruptch, I am so blessed for every step of my journey.” Julie Hryniewicz-Hache is the author of Natural Balance: How To Energize, Heal, & Simplify Your Life.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 726 police officers (representing 335 police departments) and their 1556 police 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.

Texas Police Authors

Editor's Note: One of the authors if former Airborne.

Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Three Texas law enforcement officials were added to the growing list of state and local police officers who have authored books. Two of the newly added authors represent Texas county and municipal law enforcement while the third is a retired federal law enforcement official from the State of Texas.

John Matthews, Executive Director of Community Safety Institute, is an Assistant Chief Constable for Dallas County and a former small-town Chief of Police. Earlier in his law enforcement career, he served as a member of the Dallas Police Department. John Matthews has a BA and Masters in Administrative Management. He has served as a facilitator and instructor for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Police Foundation, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the National League of Cities, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Main Street program. He is the author of two books.

His first book, The Eyeball Killer, is a true crime thriller. According to the book description, “Death was an occupational hazard for every hooker who worked Dallas's depressed south side. That's why police weren't surprised to find the body of prostitute Mary Lou Pratt shot to death in December of 1990...until the discovery that sickened even the seasoned coroner: the young woman's eyes had been cut out.” The book details the murders committed by Charles Albright. John Matthews’ second book is Creating a Safer School.

Brent Walker serves with the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office in the Marine Division, which includes marine patrol, dive team and emergency response duties. Previously, Brent served as a SWAT officer on a multi-agency tactical team, detective and US Marine in a reserve Scout Sniper platoon. As a marine enforcement officer, Brent has taken advantage of his military and tactical backgrounds. He developed a curriculum and trained SWAT units in tactical maritime methods by merging existing SWAT strategy with marine patrol and dive team options. The end result is a “win-win” solution for all involved. Additional details on this can be found in Brent’s first book, Waterborne T.E.A.M.S. Marine Patrol and Dive Team Support of SWAT.

He is also responsible for having adapted USCG and USN port security tactics for use by civilian law enforcement when patrolling maritime security zones and guarding/escorting high value vessels and cargo. Brent Walker is a certified boating safety and police instructor in Texas. Brent has also authored several marine theft and boating safety articles in various publications.

Claude Thormalen was born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1940 and grew up in Alice, Texas. Claude has a masters degree in education with a minor in criminal justice. He has worked as a police officer, criminal investigator for Customs Agency Service in the Treasury Department and as a special agent with the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs in the Justice Department. After leaving the Justice Department, he taught law enforcement at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, where he also served as department chairman, Dean of Men and Dean of Students. Thormalen also worked as a middle school counselor in San Antonio. Claude also volunteered for 3 years in the 82nd Airborne Division and was discharged a Sgt. E-5

His book is The Right Side of the Law. According to the book description, “This fictionalized, realistic look at the life of a federal narcotics agent follows Alton Haymon, former special agent still suffering from post traumatic stress resulting from work with both the Treasury and Justice Departments as drug agencies were merged to form the DEA. The conflict between his honest desire to enforce his country’s laws and his need to protect his brother agents with whom he feels bonded is the major struggle of the book. Thefts of drugs and drug money and use of illegal wiretaps become common and agents’ drugs use is wide spread. This struggle between good and evil and Haymon’s continued risk taking causes his final collapse. Haymon, a broken 31-year-old man, resigns from what was up until then the most important thing in his life and finds himself living in the mountains of Western Colorado where, in a last desperate attempt at sanity, he writes his story.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 467 police officers (representing 197 police departments) and their 973 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.

A bear of a cop and others

Editor's Note: Robert Downey is Air Force Korean War Veteran.

Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books added three police officers: Dexter H. Mast, Robert Downey and Larry Murphy.

Dexter H. Mast was an Oakland Police Department police officer for over 30 years, According to the back cover of his first book, Six Gold Stars, “Chuckles and tears from the notebooks of Oakland’s legendary police officer during a career that began in 1939, in the depression. Even the gamblers and whores who were jailed by this bear of a cop liked him. But one day he wrote a ticket to the man who could make or break anyone in Oakland.”

Robert Downey began his law enforcement career with the Oakland Police Department. After his Air Force service during the Korean War, he joined the Beverly Hills Police Department. He advanced through the ranks to Lieutenant and eventually moved to San Juan County, Washington as Undersheriff. He closed out his career as a Senior Special Agent with the Treasury Department U.S. Customs Service. According to the book description of his book, “Beverly Hills Detective, “The magic city of Beverly Hills conjures up images of movie stars, Rodeo Drive, big homes and even the neighboring town of Hollywood. During the late 1950's and 1960's, Robert Downey found himself in the detective bureau of this fascinating city investigating an odd assortment of crimes. This is the story of Robert Downey who goes from rookie cop to seasoned veteran and the cases and people who took him there.”

Larry Murphy was an Oakland Police Department police officer. According to his bio, “he has broad experience in Administration of Justice and, notably, made significant contributions toward revising police recruiting and police training standards following the riots that shook America's cities during the latter part of the 1960s. He was awarded the Oakland, California, Police Department's Medal of Merit for contributions to police training innovations and earned the coveted advanced certificate for law enforcement preparedness issued by the California Department of Justice.”

Larry Murphy’s book, Blackjack and Jive-Five, is the true story of “the day-to-day pressures experienced by a unit of black cops and their white sergeant confronting a white-dominated police culture.” According to Jon J. Sparks, Chief of Police (ret.), “Blackjack and Jive-Five should be required reading for all incoming police recruits. Not only is there a strong social message but the book includes many textbook solutions to a variety of typical disturbance situations and tactical maneuvers for handling potentially dangerous contacts with criminal suspects. I know of no formal written training instrument that tackles these difficult situations with such detail and insight to the human factors involved.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 353 police officers (representing 146 police departments) and their 785 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.

Murder, sinners and souls

Editors Note: Two of the police officers have prior military service.

January 20, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) New Orleans increased their representation of police authors with the addition of four police officers who continued the New Orleans’ themes of murder, intrigue and thrills in the big easy. Added to the list are Wade Schindler, Sylvester Armand St. Cyr, Frederick Morton and Lawrence Green.

Dr. Wade Schindler began his law enforcement career in 1967 when he joined the New Orleans Police Department. In New Orleans he worked various assignments such as patrol and homicide. In 1974 he became the chief of police for the Oberlin Police Department. He has a Doctorate in Criminal Justice from Southwest University in Arizona and is the author of several novels including “Help! Murder! Police!” According to his website, “Help! Murder! Police!” Is a cop's cop novel. It zeroes in on the day-to-day mission of an average patrolman on the streets of one of America's most intriguing cities at a critical moment in the history of the American psyche.”

Dr. Wade Schindler “developed the idea of a guidebook for the foreign traveler to the United States-a guidebook that would go beyond the ordinary travel guide to give visitors to this country insight into ways of protecting themselves from the all too common criminal attacks in the United States. The book, “Freeze! A Guide to Safe Travel in the United States,” discusses every aspect of safety from living arrangements to travel by automobiles, planes and trains, as well as how to sightsee and shop safely.” He is also the director of the Orleans Regional Security Institute.

According to Ron Schott, of dropzone.com, Sylvester Armand St. Cyr was “A paratrooper in the US ARMY in the early 1950's, he was also a two-time boxing champion and coach of the championship team while on duty in Korea. Following his stint in the military he became an undercover narcotics officer for the New Orleans Police Department. As a New Orleans patrolman, he was the victim of kidnapping and attempted murder. He escaped by defying the perpetrator's orders to run a police road block with his cruiser and instead aimed it at a tree and jumped just prior to the vehicle's impact. His adventures in undercover work and the characters he met provided the background material for his book, The Saint and Sinners.”

Detective Frederick (Eric) C. Morton grew up in a middle class neighborhood in New Orleans with a good family background and virtues. His father raised him with a very stern hand, but taught him always to help others, never turn anyone away who needed the help, never let your guard down, and to always put your family above all. His mother raised him to be a caring person dedicated to family values and God. All during his childhood, he loved to watch and play police, but never thought he would ever develop into that line of work. After joining the military and a few years of college, he became bored with life until a chance encounter with two New Orleans Police Detectives. Infatuated with the idea, they talked him into joining the police department. He is married with three wonderful children, and since his inception in the police department, Eric has held many positions and has attempted to make an impact wherever he went.

Lawrence (Larry) E. Green was born in Natchez, Mississippi, and was raised as a child in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is married and is the father of two children. After graduating high school, he worked as a mechanic for ten years and decided to fulfill his life long dream of being a New Orleans Police Officer. Now he has over ten years of Law Enforcement experience, where the latter part he has held the position of a Homicide Investigator for the New Orleans Police Department.

Both the authors began working together when they headed up an international investigation involving the theft of cemetery artifacts. This investigation led them into a world of supernatural occurrences that changed their life forever. Although their novel, Lost Souls in the City of the Dead,” is completely fictional, it was inspired by this true to life investigation.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 267 police officers (representing 107 police departments) and their 671 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors and international police officers who have written books.