The Bookshelf
These books provide information for people interested in learning more about public safety on our roadways, law enforcement, and, of course, police vehicular pursuits. You will also find books for those who grieve. I have listed two books on grief that have brought me moments of comfort. Each book description includes a link for readers who wish to purchase the tome.
Ignorance of Power
Metamorphosis in American Government and Society
Causes and Real World Solutions
David Porter Price’s book is dedicated to repairing the damage done by politicians and politics. He explains how government has come to make so many catastrophically bad decisions and provides on-political real-world answers. His writing empowers you—the citizen—to take back your country.
It’s No Accident
The Real Story Behind Senseless Death and Injury on Our Roads
Lisa Lewis writes that for more than thirty years the government has been ramming cars into walls in an effort to make car crashes safe. The public has been conditioned to believe that seatbelts, airbags and more “crashworthy” vehicles are the best ways to protect us from harm on the roads. Meanwhile, the most basic strategies to deter dangerous driving and prevent crashes have been ignored. It’s No Accident provides a rare glimpse into how the government got seduced by the promise of “safe crashing.”
Becoming a Police Officer
An Insider’s Guide to a Career in Law Enforcement
Barry M. Baker’s Becoming a Police Officer is a serious examination of police work that is directed toward young people who are contemplating a career as a police officer. Baker draws on over 32 years of experience from some of the most violent streets of any city in the United States to show you the unembellished truths of law enforcement. (2006)
Police Pursuits: What We Know
by Geoffrey P. Alpert , Dennis J. Kenney, Roger G. Dunham, William C. Smith
With this book in hand, police professionals and policymakers will have the information they need to create policies that truly serve the best interests of the public.—Gil Kerlikowske, Deputy Director, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Past President, PERF and Former Police Commissioner, Buffalo, NY (2000)
Holding On To Hope
A Pathway Through Suffering to the Heart of God
Author Nancy Guthrie knows what it is to be plunged into life’s abyss. She writes in her 2002 book: Shortly after [my daughter] Hope died, I was at the cosmetics counter buying some mascara. “Will this mascara run down my face when I cry?” I asked. The girl behind the counter assured me it wouldn’t and asked with a laugh in her voice. “Are you going to be crying?”
“Yes,” I answered. “I am.”
90 Minutes in Heaven
A True Story of Death and Life
For years, author Don Piper kept his heavenly experience to himself. Finally, however, friends and family convinced him to share his remarkable story. 90 Minutes in Heaven has comforted many who have experienced the deaths of loved ones, Christians and non-Christians alike.
Fifteen
They Viewed Kristie and Others As Acceptable Collateral Damage
A Memoir
By Candy Priano
The first book to focus on the innocent bystanders who pay too high a price for public safety. No release date for print
Crimes called “accidents”
Criminals called “victims”
The Innocent called “Acceptable Collateral Damage”
Honorable Mention—Nonfiction
Santa Barbara
Writers Conference
Candy Priano received this recognition for Chapter 1 from her upcoming memoir, Fifteen. The Santa Barbara Writers Conference brings fantastic authors, faculty, and staff together with talented, warm-hearted writers for one week in June. Special thanks to Monte Schulz for sponsoring this annual event. Candy believes Kristie delights in the joy of laughter because at the top of this certificate is the image of Snoopy typing the words, “You Can Go Home Again If You Want To.” (2018, photo by Steven Priano)