Crime & Law Enforcement Issues & Death Penalty/Expert Profile

Expertise

I can answer questions related to the rights, responsibilities, and proper conduct for both citizens and officers regarding: * Traffic stops * An arrest (including the arrest of the individual, of a friend, or of a family member) * Search warrants (home, business and vehicle) * Interviews & Interrogations (there IS a difference between the two) * Property seizures pursuant to a criminal investigation (ie: when one’s property is seized by law enforcement due to that property being involved in an ongoing investigation) I can also answer questions regarding what happens during the investigative phase of a criminal complaint from a law enforcement stand point and what you need to know about the part you play as a victim, witness, suspect or an arrestee. Please do not ask me how to break the law or how to get away with a crime, because I can't answer that. Nor can I tell anyone the amount of time they will receive as a sentence once convicted--the sentences are different according to a variety of factors and, are different in each state. However, I AM willing to answer questions for people in the middle of a court case who may need some helpful hints on how to possibly gain lenience from the judge and lessen the penalty they will receive for certain criminal acts.

Experience in the area

For 19 years I was employed by what is known as a "local" law enforcement agency. What this means is that I worked at a city/county level rather than the a state or federal agency. My career ended early due to an injury received on the job. I began my career as most do, as a uniformed officer driving a marked unit. For the majority of my career, I have been a detective, in one unit or another. I have worked in the Burglary Unit, Homicide/Violent Crimes Unit, Internal Affairs, and the Vice Unit. I also served on a multi-jurisdictional task force for robberies and violent crimes. Internal Affairs is a unit that investigates citizen complaints against officers and complaints of misconduct (including criminal behavior) by officers or civilian personnel of the agency. The Vice Unit for my agency included prostitution, narcotics and assisting other investigative units when undercover work was required for their investigation. Throughout my years as a detective I was also utilized by other investigative units within my agency, and by surrounding agencies for interviewing and interrogating suspects. I do not know if it is a gift or a curse, but I was well-known for having the ability to obtain confessions from people from all walks of life. So saying, I am well-versed in mistakes people make when talking to the police.

Education/Credentials

Masters in Psych and a Bachelors in Criminology. Advanced training in Interview & Interrogation, Hostage Negotiation, Tactical Response, Firearms, Crime Scene Techniques, Drug Enforcement, and Covert Ops. I also hold instructor certifications for several of the aforementioned areas. I have certifications in Kinesiology (which is basically "reading" people's body language and speech patterns). In addition, I have advanced certification in operating a CVSA. CVSA is a computerized lie-detecting device similar to a lie detector, though the devices and the operation of such are different.