Through this powerful, award winning inspirationalbook that is unlike any other, "Break Every Chain," you will see that we are not alone, that we can overcome-and live the life we've been given. GOLD Medal, Christian Living Category: READERS' FAVORITE BOOK AWARD INSPIRATIONAL MEDALIST: ILLUMINATION BOOK AWARDS"#1 BEST ADDICTION BOOK OF ALL TIME" - BOOKAUTHORITY"#1 BEST DEPRESSION BOOK OF ALL TIME" - BOOKAUTHORITY-An encouraging and inspiring true story. An amazing account of redemption. A source of hope and strength for anyone who has ever struggled with depression, anxiety, alcoholism, death of a parent or child, anger, addiction, death, PTSD, infidelity, or self-worth. This book is a suicide prevention resource for police, fire, and military, or anyone else struggling with suicidal thoughts.-Jonathan Hickory is a veteran police officer, a men's leader in his church, and an inspirational speaker and author. This book takes you into his lows, the highs and the reflection of life, what really matters and how by facing your demons you are able to achieve the impossible. Hickory didn't do this on his own, and that is where the appreciation also shows itself. He is able to reflect on the fact that his Heavenly Father was there to lead the way, pick him up when he fell and to offer forgiveness and mercy as needed..We all have gone through situations where we felt "bound" by sin or by our challenges. What a great reminder this book is that we can break out of the captivity we are in and live a life that is full of happiness and shows others what they can overcome.-Book Summary:Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and military members all see the innermost of our dark and fallen world. Jonathan Hickory gives us a veteran police officer's intimate perspective into the struggle that many of our heroes battle in their hearts.-Drowning in the depths of depression and sadness, burning with anger, and chained down by alcoholism, Jonathan couldn't do any more. After the death of his father as a young boy, facing countless horrific death scenes in the line of duty, and the loss of his first son, Jonathan turned to the world for answers--finding only darkness. Facing the threat of losing his job as a police officer, the loss of his wife and daughter, and contemplating suicide, Jonathan turns to the only One who can truly save.

From "one of the most interesting sociologists of his generation" and a former cop, the story of three departments and their struggle to change aggressive police culture and achieve what Americans want: fair, humane, and effective policing. What should we do about the police? After the murder of George Floyd, there's no institution more controversial: only 14 percent of Americans believe that "policing works pretty well as it is" (CNN, April 27, 2021). We're swimming in proposals for reform, but most do not tackle the aggressive culture of the profession, which prioritizes locking up bad guys at any cost, loyalty to other cops, and not taking flak from anyone on the street. Far from improving public safety, this culture, in fact, poses a danger to citizens and cops alike. Walk the Walk brings readers deep inside three unusual departments--in Stockton, California; Longmont, Colorado; and LaGrange, Georgia--whose chiefs signed on to replace that aggressive culture with something better: with models focused on equity before the law, social responsibility, racial reconciliation, and the preservation of life. Informed by research, unflinching and by turns gripping, tragic, and inspirational, this book follows the chiefs--and their officers and detectives--as they conjured a new spirit of policing. While every community faces unique challenges with police reform, Walk the Walk opens a window onto what the police could be, if we took seriously the charge of creating a more just America.

The police in America belong to the people—not the other way around. Yet millions of Americans experience their cops as racist, brutal, and trigger-happy: an overly aggressive, militarized enemy of the people. For their part, today's officers feel they are under siege—misunderstood, unfairly criticized, and scapegoated for society's ills. Is there a fix? Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper believes there is.Policing is in crisis. The last decade has witnessed a vast increase in police aggression, misconduct, and militarization, along with a corresponding reduction in transparency and accountability. It is not just noticeable in African American and other minority communities—where there have been a series of high-profile tragedies—but in towns and cities across the country. Racism—from raw, individualized versions to insidious systemic examples—appears to be on the rise in our police departments. Overall, our police officers have grown more and more alienated from the people they've been hired to serve.In To Protect and Serve, Stamper delivers a revolutionary new model for American law enforcement: the community-based police department. It calls for fundamental changes in the federal government's role in local policing as well as citizen participation in all aspects of police operations: policymaking, program development, crime fighting and service delivery, entry-level and ongoing education and training, oversight of police conduct, and--especially relevant to today's challenges--joint community-police crisis management. Nothing will ever change until the system itself is radically restructured, and here Stamper shows us how.

Opening with a powerful letter to former Tacoma police chief David Brame, who shot his estranged wife before turning the gun on himself, Norm Stamper introduces us to the violent, secret world of domestic abuse that cops must not only navigate, but which some also perpetrate. Former chief of the Seattle police force, Stamper goes on to expose a troubling culture of racism, sexism, and homophobia that is still pervasive within the twenty-first-century force; then he explores how such prejudices can be addressed. He reveals the dangers and temptations that cops face, describing in gripping detail the split-second life-and-death decisions. Stamper draws on lessons learned to make powerful arguments for drug decriminalization, abolition of the death penalty, and radically revised approaches to prostitution and gun control. He offers penetrating insights into the "blue wall of silence," police undercover work, and what it means to kill a man. And, Stamper gives his personal account of the World Trade organization debacle of 1999, when protests he was in charge of controlling turned violent in the streets of Seattle. Breaking Rank reveals Norm Stamper as a brave man, a pioneering public servant whose extraordinary life has been dedicated to the service of his community.

“As the spotlight on law enforcement grows ever harsher, the perspective of a top cop—a black cop—makes one sit up and take notice. [Corey Pegues] gives us an incisive look at life on both sides of the blue line....a nuanced perspective of the often-fractious relationship between communities of color and law enforcement.” —USA TODAY“A rollicking, no-holds-barred account of life on the streets, seen from both sides.”—Booklist (starred review)During the 1980s, crack cocaine devastated many of America’s inner-city communities. Drug dealers seized neighborhoods, terrorizing its inhabitants with brutal violence. Aunts and uncles, next-door neighbors, and best friends became addicts. No longer were playgrounds and parks a safe-haven for kids; the sound of bouncing basketballs by day was replaced by the pop of gunshots by night. Those who lived through the nightmare tell unimaginable stories of that era. Once a Cop is one of the most extraordinary. Raised in Queens, New York, as a teen, Corey Pegues watched drugs uproot his stable, working-class neighborhood almost overnight. When times got tough, he had a choice: continue to watch his family struggle to buy food, to pay bills; or sell dope. He chose the latter, eventually becoming part of the notorious Supreme Team street gang. After a botched murder attempt on a rival gang member, Corey, the only member of his family to graduate from high school, knew he had to get out. Barely eighteen, with two kids by two different women, Corey left under cover of night to enlist in the US Army. After several years in the military, he set his sights on becoming a New York City cop and breezed through the police academy. In this provocative memoir, Corey Pegues tells how a onetime crack dealer became one the highest ranking members of the largest police force in the country, living and working in the nation’s most violent neighborhoods. His meteoric rise from patrol officer to deputy inspector covers the administrations of former New York City mayors Rudy Giulliani and Michael Bloomberg, and coincides with the early tenures of famed police commissioners Ray Kelly and William “Bill” Bratton. Corey grants readers full access to the manner in which some of the NYPD’s most controversial policies like Broken Windows and Stop, Question and Frisk were implemented; and an insider’s take on the shootings of Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, the assault on Abner Louima and other tragedies that stained the department. As tensions continue to mount between police and communities of color, Corey tears down the blue wall to discuss the discriminatory practices he faced within the NYPD and talks candidly about the distrust that exists between law enforcement and the citizens they are sworn to protect. What is daily life truly like for urban youth in America? What is the one problem endemic in law enforcement that’s even more dangerous than rampant racism? Corey contends that his life on the streets informed his approach to police work, and shows how it made him a more conscientious and compassionate officer. There aren’t many people who understand both sides of the story the way he does. Corey doesn’t hate the police. He loves the badge. And he believes it’s his duty to challenge the culture of racism, silence, and arrogance in the NYPD and police departments across the country.

Forty years ago, President Richard Nixon declared a “war on drugs.” Since that time, the country has incarcerated thousands of citizens and spent billions of dollars, and yet the drug problem rolls on. Today, the illegal drug market funds international terrorism, the horrific drug war on the Mexican border, and the senseless violence plaguing our communities, large and small. It is past time for a new direction. This book provides a drug policy framework that will choke off the revenue supporting the illegal drug market. Howard Rahtz outlines a series of drug policy steps buttressed by a historical review of drug policy measures, a review of international efforts against trafficking, and a clear understanding of the dynamics of addiction and its role in facilitating the illegal drug market.

Honorable Intentions is a memoir by Russell Jones. As an army Chief Warrant Officer and combat helicopter pilot in Vietnam, he was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and 16 Air Medals. After his honorable discharge, he became a San Jose police officer where he worked as a Canine Officer and Field Training Officer. Promoted to the Detective Bureau, he was assigned to the Narcotics Division where he worked Organized Crime, investigating organizations such as the Nuestra Familia and the Hell's Angels. After law enforcement, Russell Jones served as an intelligence agent in Costa Rica during Iran-Contra in Nicaragua where he infiltrated groups involved in covert operations such as Tipped Kettle. In private practice as a Forensic Consultant, he testified as an expert witness in criminal cases, such as rape and homicide, where drugs and substance abuse played a role. In academia, he developed, wrote, and implemented Drug Rehabilitation courses designed for court-mandated clients. As a guest of the Ministry of Interiors of both the Soviet Union and China, he traveled throughout those countries and worked with their narcotics officers. He has thousands of miles of blue water ocean sailing experience, having sailed to Central America, the Caribbean, and the Bahamas, as well as the east coast of the US, from Florida to Maine. Russell Jones served with honor, but constantly questioned government policies that were taking the lives of those he served with.

A California Superior Court judge attacks the War on Drugs, describing the harm it has caused and laying out the other options--ranging from education and drug treatment to different strategies for taking the profit out of drug-dealing--in a book that includes testimonies by 40 other judges. Simultaneous. Hardcover available.

There’s another hillbilly elegy. It’s the reality of multi-generational trauma, poverty, and how our society has abandoned millions of Americans to suffer the ravages of a system they don’t control.\\nOn May 12, 2013, 48-year-old Vicky Isaac of rural Puxico, Missouri—a woman with a history of learning disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, and drug addiction— loaded a .22 caliber handgun and shot her violent addict husband while he slept in the trailer they shared with Vicky’s adult son. Or did she? According to police reports, Vicky called 911 and confessed to the crime.\\nWas this another sad case of murder amongst addicts or something more?\\nBetty Frizzell escaped her family’s legacy of crime, addiction, and abuse to become a respected law enforcement officer and teacher. Drawn back to the town and people of her past, Betty works to uncover the truth of murder and her family’s history of violence. Her investigation uncovers sad realities about mental illness, small-town politics, and a society that doesn’t care about “poor, white trash”.\\nThere are never easy answers when the odds are stacked against you and no amount of “elegies” will save your family.

True story of an African-American female whose LAPD career spanned twenty years under the command of police chiefs Daryl Gates, Willie Williams and Bernard Parks. Retired LAPD sergeant Cheryl Dorsey worked exclusively in patrol and specialized units in all four geographic Bureaus within Los Angeles; South, Central, West and Valley. In addition to various patrol division assignments, Sgt. Dorsey was assigned to traffic division, Newton Area vice and the infamous gang unit in Operations South Bureau; known as Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (C.R.A.S.H.) Sgt. Dorsey's experiences form the basis for her second book, The Creation of A Social Advocate.Sgt. Dorsey exposes institutional police abuses and social justice disparities, while introducing strategies to systematically attack those injustices and empower audiences on how to navigate within that system, when necessary, and help change that system, when possible. "As an advocate for those who continue to suffer racial injustices, disproportionate and selective enforcement, intolerance at the hands of a police force that swore an oath to protect and serve yet seems to lack empathy and compassion in certain areas of the community; I am here for you. It may not be you right now- but you might be next." - Ret. LAPD Sgt. Cheryl DorseyWe have Cheryl's account and her contributions to law enforcement. That is change. And part of the solution she reminds the reader, is us; our education about law enforcement and how to deal with our encounters with them. There is reason to be optimistic. After all, we have Cheryl Dorsey. - Dr. Drew"Cheryl speaks truth to power in an unbought fashion exposing a system of lies and corruption. Every civil rights advocate must read this book, it's a game changer!" ~Attorney Ben Crump "With truth, compassion, courage and wit, Sgt. Cheryl Dorsey tells the oftentimes gritty tale of life behind the LAPD badge. Her transparency, as she lifts the lid off the boiling pot of police corruption, abuse and killings, is remarkably brave." - Rolonda Watts, Journalist, Author of Destiny Lingers"Courageous, bold, and strong woman. Powerful read!" - Dr. Tiffany Crutcher (twin sister of Terence Crutcher killed by Tulsa OK police)

Written by a former law enforcement officer, the Medical Marijuana Survival Guide offers a unique look into the life of a medical marijuana patient. This book answers questions and provides step by step instructions on handling many of the of the unforeseen obstacles of being a medical marijuana patient in today's society including: - What you should do if you are stopped by law enforcement and you have medical marijuana in your car. - Understanding why medical marijuana patients are still being arrested if medical marijuana is “legal”. - How to safely and securely cultivate marijuana for medical use. - Collective behavior and private transfers. - Telling your family that you are a medical marijuana patient. - Tips on how to become an advocate for the medical marijuana community. The Medical Marijuana Survival Guide is a must read for anyone that uses marijuana medicinally or for those that are curious to know more about “medical marijuana”, its legitimacy and history.

Reflected almost daily in headlines, the enormous rift between the police and the communities they serve―especially African American communities―remains one of the major challenges facing the United States. And race-related riots continue to be a violent manifestation of that rift. Can this dismal state of affairs be changed? Can the distrust between black citizens and the police ever be transformed into mutual respect? Howard Rahtz addresses this issue, first tracing the history of race riots in the US and then drawing on both the lessons of that history and his own first-hand experience to offer a realistic approach for developing and maintaining a police force that is a true community partner.