True Crime Blog
Policing is probably much simpler in countries where dissenters are machinegunned to death on the streets and a dictator nods his approval. Being a cop in America, on the other hand, has become an impossible job, and—as it turns out—freedom might be nothing more than a two and a half-century failed experiment. As a former street…
Police and detective stories have withstood the test of time, and they are not going away anytime soon. If you’re writing crime novels but have no law enforcement experience, how do you get it right? Most crime writers have no personal experience with the crimes about which they write, nor with the resulting investigative processes…
The lines have been drawn and it’s time to pick a side. Either you stand for law and order, or you are advocating for anarchy, chaos, and the destruction of civil society. Two L.A. County Deputies Ambushed Before I continue, you should know that I am writing this just hours after two Los Angeles County…
NOTHING LEFT TO PROVE is a law enforcement memoir to be published sometime in the near future. It is the story of my career as a deputy sheriff with Los Angeles County, but it isn’t just a collection of war stories; rather, it is a compelling story of pain and healing, self-doubt and certainty, love…
A former colleague recently asked for audiobook recommendations for himself and others who spend a lot of time traveling. I’m a big fan of audiobooks, and I’m always listening to something on audio when I’m driving or taking a walk. The following are some of the books I’ve listened to recently that you might enjoy…
You may or may not know the name Dallas Barnes, but I assure you you’ve seen his work. T.J. Hooker, Magnum PI, Hunter, Kojak, The Blue Knight, Police Story, Police Woman, Joe Forrester. Those are some of the shows for which Barnes has written. Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, and Barnaby Jones are others. And there are…
We’ve just passed the two-year anniversary of The Murder Memo. Origin of the Name A murder memo is a document used at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau. It contains the particulars of a case: identification of the victim, the date, time, and location of occurrence, and suspect information if there is any. The team…
During the early morning hours of October 30, 1997, Deputy Michael Hoenig was killed by gunfire as he attempted to stop a suspicious man on a bicycle in the City of Lynwood. Last week, I received a message from a colleague who had been reading the reflections posted on the Officer Down Memorial Page of…
By September 11, 2001, I had become accustomed to my phone ringing at all hours of the day and night. But on that Tuesday morning, it was my wife’s phone that rang at 5:50 a.m., not mine. It wasn’t the office calling. It wasn’t my partner, nor my lieutenant, nor an informant, witness, or a…
Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America As they walked him out of the building, Devin was back to whining. He wanted something—a soda. Skaggs turned, and for an instant, the calm, imperturbable patina he had maintained for two decades of working homicides slipped. Farell caught his look, surprised; he had never known Skaggs…