By Staff Sgt. Luis P. Valdespino Jr., USMC Special to American Forces Press Service  Oct. 30, 2007 - Afghan national security forces, continuing to move from supporting roles to lead roles, recently demonstrated their leadership skills by planning operations in Gardez to secure their country. During a rehearsal operations planning meeting at Camp Thunder, the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police put themselves in lead roles, counting on coalition troops only for support and mentorship.  All the operations planning was briefed and discussed in Dari by Afghan planners. American soldiers present quietly listened in on headphones as an interpreter translated.  The speakers discussed tactics for securing areas, beating insurgents and meeting logistical needs during a real operation.  American soldiers offered a few pointers in the presentation set-up and methods, but otherwise they stepped back and let the Afghan personnel handle all aspects of the planning meeting.  "There is a good relationship between the ANA, ANP and coalition here," said Army Col. Barry A. Searle, commander of Regional Corps Advisory Command East. Taking the lead role in planning and conducting operations says a lot about the future of Afghanistan and the country's security forces, Searle said.  "The staff has been empowered," he said. "They are showing depth and capability we have not yet seen in this corps."  Army Maj. Brian P. Sullivan, operations officer with the brigade combat team for Task Force Fury, agreed. "They're growing every day," Sullivan, from Fort Bragg, N.C., said.  The Afghan forces' willingness to take the lead in operations can be attributed to their growing relationship and increased capabilities. The cooperation has helped maintain operational achievements, U.S. officials said.  Afghan army Col. Yar Mohammad Saidi, deputy commander for the 203rd ANA Corps, said that since Operation Maiwand last summer, the force has had continuous coordination and good relations with the national police.  "When we work together, we will accomplish the mission," added national police Maj. Raz Muhammad Wardak, Southeast Police Headquarters regional operations officer.  

(Marine Staff Sgt. Luis P. Valdespino Jr. is assigned to Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan Public Affairs.)

Greetings:

My new book on leadership is up on Amazon.  The book image hasn’t appear yet, but things are moving in the right direction.  I would appreciate you visiting Amazon and “tagging” the product.  This involves you identifying the product for search engines – words like leadership, leader, leading, business leadership, etc., would be great tags.  When it asks you why you have tagged it, you could say something like you are a “friend, business associate, colleague, etc.” and have seen my resume and know I am capable of writing a great book on leadership.  Here’s the link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1419674382/raymonefoster-20

If you want to review my resume you can go to www.police-technology.net/raymond.foster.cv.html.

Thanks,

Raymond

By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service  

Germany, Oct. 30, 2007 - Patients at a new medical transient detachment barracks that opened here earlier this month point to the facility as proof that the military is living up to its promises to ensure troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan get the best care possible.

Army Col. Kirk Lawrence, deputy chief of staff for U.S. Army Europe, pointed to the new facility as an example of the services working together to care for wounded warriors. "All we want is the best care for our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines," he said.

By Spc. Shejal Pulivarti, USA Special to American Forces Press Service  Oct. 30, 2007 - The Military Police Platoon from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, has developed a 10-day preparatory class to implement the basics for Iraqi police recruits before they attend the Baghdad Police Academy, which initiates them as official police officers. This course is designed to give police recruits a basic understanding on what their job will consist of, said Army Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Brinson, the MP Platoon's top sergeant.  The trainees waiting to attend the academy come from various stations in the surrounding area to learn basic police skills, he added. It's an orientation, ensuring all new police cadets go into the academy with the same level of general knowledge.  "The training covers basics on ethics, principles, Iraqi law, first aid, basic rifle marksmanship, responding to a crime scene, and search techniques in various scenarios," said Brinson, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native. "The recruits follow a structured daily schedule emphasizing teamwork and discipline."  The 10 days are spent introducing the material in the classroom and then actively applying what they've learned. The last two days consist of practical exercises that incorporate the entirety of the course.  "Everything learned has to be applied during the hands-on scenarios. The situations gradually get harder to test their understanding," Brinson said.  "Everything is a perishable skill; they have to practice it in order to retain it," he continued. "They understand the task; they are definitely learning what they need to know to be successful."  "The trainees get better every day. The course helps them become good IPs and work with the coalition forces to do our job," said Iraqi Police 1st Lt. Hesham Saman Ali Sauba Boor, a course instructor.  Each Iraqi police station is responsible for sending an academy graduated officer to teach the new recruits. Military personnel rotate through as instructors from the MP Platoon and are assisted by Iraqi army liaison officers.  "Having the IP officers teach them accomplishes a lot; it mainly helps the Iraqi police force become self-sufficient," Brinson said. "It's another step in the progress to make security forces stronger."  As he watched the recruits successfully complete a bounding exercise, Brinson noted, "I see the trainees take more pride in themselves. This course is helping them to become a cohesive unit to accomplish the mission."  Staer Gabar Abedallah, a trainee, said he chose to become an Iraqi police officer to serve his country, secure his community and stop the terrorists.  "The training is a great opportunity to concentrate on training and help the Iraqi people move forward in self governance," said Stonington, Ill., native Army Sgt. David Ashbridge, a military police leader.  

(Army Spc. Shejal Pulivarti is assigned to 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)

By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service  Oct. 30, 2007 - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met today at the Pentagon to discuss proposals about control and coordination of rivate contractors in Iraq, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said.  During a news conference, Morrell said the meeting was the first between the two since the return of a Defense Department fact-finding panel from Iraq. The two secretaries have both been traveling and just haven't had a chance to meet until now, Pentagon officials said.  Rice and Gates agreed with the working group recommendation that Multinational Force Iraq needs to be more involved in all contractor operations, Morrell said.  The working group – co-chaired by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte – looked at better ways to supervise and coordinate Defense and State Department contract employees in a war zone.  Morrell said Gates believes the key to whatever the two department leaders agree upon "must include a common set of standards, common rules for the use of force and ... thorough coordination of all contractor movements well in advance."  Defense officials also want to know what training private security contractors in Iraq have, Morrell said.  The working group still must flesh out the details of the various recommendations, Morrell said. The members will travel to Baghdad early next month and present their recommendations to U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker and Army Gen. David A. Petraeus, Multinational Force Iraq commander.  Gates will not buy into the recommendations unless Petraeus is comfortable with them, Morrell said. "But I don't want to present a problem where there is none," the press secretary said. The working group has made great strides in making some general understandings of the way forward, and "we do not anticipate there being problems down the line."  

Both secretaries expect the new recommendations will be in place by Thanksgiving, Morrell said.

Books from California Cops October 28, 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 police officers from California agencies. Gary Delfino is a 24 year deputy sheriff with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department (California) Gary Delfino is the author of Conscience of a Dead Killer.  According to the book description, “Heaven waits for believers, and Hell waits for those who are evil. For the evil convicted killer, Billy Boyle is a fate worse than Hell. After his execution he meets his Spirit Guide. He discovers his divine punishment.” Dale L. June has been a Police Officer, U.S. Secret Service Agent, U.S. Customs Intelligence Specialist, Private Investigator, Executive Protection and Security Specialist, and University Instructor. Dale June began his protective service career as an eighteen-year-old soldier assigned to an elite military police unit. After his military service, Dale June settled in California where he worked as a Shasta County Deputy Sheriff, a Redding and Sacramento Police Department (California) police officer while attending college. Graduating with a BS degree from Sacramento State University in Public Administration, he joined the U.S. Secret Service in the Sacramento field office. His Secret Service duties included a two-year assignment as a protective intelligence agent responsible for investigating threats against those protected by the service, interviewing those responsible for the threats, and determining the degree of potential danger they posed.  Upon leaving the Secret Service, Dale L. June started his own executive protection company, providing security to European and Middle Eastern royalty, celebrities, including many well-known television and movie personalities, VIPs, corporate executives, and an occasional foreign tourist. Later, he returned to government service as a U.S. Customs Intelligence Research Specialist assigned to working terrorism and organized crime.  Dale L. June is the author of two books: Introduction to Executive Protection and Protection, Security, and Safeguards: Practical Approaches and Perspectives.  He is also the co-author of Undercover. According to An Introduction to Executive Protection, it “provides beginners in the occupation of executive protection with the tools they need to know and appreciate the profession; to enable them to realize what is expected when they are placed in positions of confidence and trust; and to understand the implications of being responsible for the safety and lives of others. This guide emphasizes the basic elements of executive protection which are often neglected or overlooked in practical application, even by professional schools of executive protection instruction which sometimes mistakenly assume all enrollees are practiced journeymen. In addition to practical and technical considerations of the profession, "executive protection" means working with people on a personal level.” Jared Zwickey began his law enforcement career in 1965.  In 1977, he was promoted to sergeant, in 1982 to lieutenant, in 1993 to Captain and in 1997 he was promoted to chief of police of the Tracey Police Department (California).  Currently, he is the Coordinator of Public Safety Training Programs, Director of the POST Basic Police Academy and the State Fire Marshal Firefighter Academy, San Joaquin County Delta College, Stockton, California.  Jared Zwickey is the author of Use of Force for Law Enforcement. According to the book description of Use of Force for Law Enforcement, it is “an indispensable source for law enforcement officers and their supervisors. Any law enforcement official involved with conducting preliminary investigations and other critical incidents, or accurately recording the facts and circumstances concerning use of force will find this product useful. This handy FlipCode provides the officer with topic-related review questions to aid in the precise and comprehensive documentation of the different circumstances surrounding the use of force. Also includes a supervisor's checklist for "Use of Force," "Critical Incidents," and "Administrative Investigation" along with a glossary of terms related to use of force.” Police-Writers.com now hosts 792 police officers (representing 356 police departments) and their 1699 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.

By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service  Oct. 29, 2007 - Keeping al Qaeda "on the ropes" is job No. 1 for the 1st Armored Division and Multinational Division North, the organization's commander said today. Army Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, who took command of Multinational Division North yesterday, said his command is well-positioned for success following the great work done by the men and women of the 25th Infantry Division. He spoke to online journalists and "bloggers" from his base at Forward Operating Base Speicher, near Tikrit.  Northern Iraq is a very complex unique and diverse environment, Hertling said, adding that the area is on "the verge of doing some strong things as Iraqis stand up against terrorism."  Division soldiers discovered a huge explosively formed projectile factory in Diyala province that illustrates progress the area is making. An Iraqi citizen, tired of violence, told an Iraqi police officer of his suspicions about a house in his neighborhood. The police officer, in turn, went to his higher headquarters and the coalition.  Iraqi and coalition soldiers raided the house and found the largest cache of the killer projectiles, which included 130 pre-made weapons and 170 of the copper plates that form the projectiles themselves. The soldiers also found more than 600 pounds of C-4 explosives, rockets, mortar rounds and mortar tubes.  Hertling said cooperation from all strata of the command made the raid possible. The discovery hurt the enemy -- in this case, Shiite extremist groups most likely allied with Iran -- very badly.  This is Hertling's second tour in Iraq. He was in country in 2004 as the assistant division commander. "Some of the things we're seeing here -- the awakening, the reconciliation, the concerned local citizens -- all those things are a result of the people beginning to see they are, in fact, getting better security," he said. "There is the potential for the government to start standing up."  The Iraqi people appear to have made a decision to support the Iraqi government and the coalition. "This is much different than it was when I was here a couple of years ago, when it seemed the Iraqi people were on the fence and trying to decide which way things were going to go," he said.  The division faces a lot of hard work, and job No. 2 is helping the local and provincial Iraqi governments establish themselves. Under Saddam Hussein, the central government ruled and told the provinces what to do.  Now, it's an emerging federalist system, Hertling said, where each province -- like U.S. states -- has its own special interest. Seven provinces are in Multinational Division North, and each is very different.  "I think we're seeing within the provinces a growing strength of government," he said. "The governors are becoming more independent, like our governors are in the United States. One of the jobs we have in MND North is to help them push their agendas with the central government."  The Iraqi government as an institution is trying to get its processes and procedures established "under some very tough and demanding and challenging situations," he said. Hertling is not as hard on the Iraqi government as some people because he understands the pressures the government is under.  

He said Ninevah province -- with the second-largest city in Iraq, Mosul -- certainly will go to provincial Iraqi control sometime between December and April.

My wife, Janie, and I met when I was a police officer; I caught her speeding.  My heart became captive to her beauty and charm. My weapons held no defense against her prominent and penetrating eyes. It was if two souls had been wandering in the wilderness, lost and without hope, then coming upon a beautiful oasis. We both clung to each other like young voyagers on the high seas, captivated as the tide by a full moon. Our voyage took us through exciting avenues of life; breathtaking dates on the sands of Lake Michigan as a billion stars applauded high overhead; laughter and tears at the junctions of life as our love carried us over smooth, then bumpy highways. We still are kept warm by the never ending fire of that first encounter; when our hearts touched and produced a flame that sowed seeds of envy in the depths of a powerful Sun: warmth that keeps out the wintry blasts of approaching age.  Our love has become timeless!  Richard Neal Huffman About the Author

Richard Neal Huffman was born the son of a sharecropper. At the age of two his parents migrated to southwest Michigan.  At 20, Richard was drafted into the United States Army where he served as a medic.  After discharge, he joined the National Guard and later the Army Reserves.  Richard joined the Bangor Police Department and throughout his career he would serve as a patrol officer, training officer, sergeant, detective and assistant chief of police.  Richard Neal Huffman’s first book, “Dreams in Blue: The Real Police,” is an autobiographical journey that takes the reader inside the world of the small town cop. He introduces the reader to people, situations, and a culture that is both interesting and unique. Richard’s second book, “Rubal,” is a fictional account of a Union soldier during the Civil War.  Read more about Richard Neal Huffman’s work here.

American Forces Press Service  Oct. 29, 2007 - Coalition forces detained 11 suspects today during operations to disrupt al Qaeda networks in central Iraq.  -- In southern Baghdad, coalition forces captured a wanted individual believed to be involved in roadside-bomb and small-arms attacks against coalition troops and Iraqi citizens. The detainee is linked to al Qaeda activities in Baghdad's Arab Jabour section and other areas. Coalition forces detained another suspect also linked to al Qaeda in Iraq.  -- Also in Baghdad, coalition forces detained two more al Qaeda-linked suspects without incident.  -- Coalition forces captured two individuals in Tarmiyah. One of the detainees is linked to Ali Latif Ibrahim Hamad al-Falahi, a former terrorist leader who coordinated car-bombing operations in Baghdad and was killed Aug. 20.  -- In another Tarmiyah operation, coalition forces detained five more suspects while targeting a terrorist believed to be responsible for local roadside- and car-bomb attacks. "We're continuing to engage terrorists who carry out brutal attacks on the Iraqi people and threaten Iraq's security," said Army Maj. Winfield Danielson, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman.  -- Multinational Force Iraq officials said Arkan Hasnawi, a former brigade commander in the Jaysh al-Mahdi militia, is responsible for kidnapping Shiite and Sunni tribal leaders from Diyala province yesterday. The tribal leaders were returning to Diyala from their meeting with an Iraqi government representative when they were kidnapped. Arkan Hasnawi is linked to Iranian-supported terrorists operating in Iraq.  In operations earlier this week:  -- Coalition forces took advantage of a concerned citizen's tip to seize several rockets aimed at a coalition base east of Baghdad during an Oct. 27 raid. Four rockets were confiscated.  -- U.S. soldiers discovered two caches of ordnance during operations conducted east of Hamrin Lake on Oct. 26. The first cache contained more than 110 mortar rounds and six landmines. The second cache consisted of 15 mortar rounds and one recoilless rifle with an improvised gun mount. The contraband ordnance was destroyed. "The discovery of these supplies is vital, as it continues to limit the supply of extremist groups who continually try to disrupt the progress in Diyala," said Army Col. David W. Sutherland, commander of coalition forces in Diyala province. "The terrorists have no safe haven. We will destroy them, as well as their support base."  -- In Baghdad, two Iraqi civilians died and 22 others were injured after a two-week spate of terrorist rocket and mortar attacks that ended Oct. 26. Yet, over the same period, coalition officials said, there has been an overall reduction in insurgent-conducted violence against coalition and Iraqi security forces and civilians.  -- Coalition forces uncovered two weapons caches containing enough material to make 200 roadside bombs during a search operation in Hawr Rajab on Oct. 26. The caches were destroyed. On the same day in the same area, concerned citizens uncovered two other caches containing two makeshift roadside bombs, two rocket-propelled grenades, two 57 mm rockets filled with explosives, a 60 mm mortar round and nine 2-liter bottles of explosives. The contraband material was destroyed.  -- U.S. soldiers found a bomb-rigged rocket and detained three men suspected of insurgent activities during operations in Baghdad's Rashid district Oct. 26.  

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

October 28, 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 police officers who have written about tactics, the law and investigations. A former lieutenant with the Santa Ana Police Department (California) and professor emeritus from Santa Ana College, Thomas Adams is the author of five books: Introduction to the Administration of Criminal Justice; Training Officers' Handbook; Harden the Target : A Guide to Defense of Life, Limb, and Loved Ones; Law Enforcement - An Introduction To The Police Role In The Community; and Police Field Operations. He is the co-author of a sixth: Crime Scene Investigation. According to the book description, Police Field Operations “is written from the perspective of a working police officer, presenting real-life scenarios an officer is likely to encounter while on-duty. With its focus on community policing, it describes how and why certain procedures are used, and gives informative techniques from leading police academies from around the country. It provides readers with the widest range of up-to-date information: Use-of-force issues; guidelines for shaping and enforcing policy; officer survival and stress Reduction.  Police Field Operations helps readers develop the necessary skills of observations, perceptions, interviewing techniques, and crowd and riot control. Great resource material for those involved in police patrol procedures and police and field operations.” In 1968 Devallis Rutledge joined the Santa Ana Police Department where he served for two years.  In 1975, he completed law school and in 1976 joined the Orange County District Attorney’s Office as a prosecutor.  Since 2000, Devallis Rutledge has worked as private counsel in a law firm and as Special Counsel to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.  Devallis Rutledge is the author of eleven books: Criminal Investigations and Evidence; The New Police Report Manual; Courtroom Survival, The Officer's Guide to Better Testimony; The Search and Seizure Handbook; The Officer Survival Manual; Criminal Interrogation, Law and Tactics; California Criminal Procedure; California Criminal Law Concepts; The Search and Seizure Field Guide California Peace Officers Field Source guide; and, PC 832 Concepts. According to the book description of The New Police Report Manual, “this manual is the undisputed authority on plain-talk report writing techniques. Interesting and easy-to-read, it provides hundreds of examples that show easier and better ways to write without any spelling or grammar lessons. It is valuable as a supplemental reader for investigations or police communications courses.”  By 1960, Rod Sanford was studying the martial arts.  Through his years of study he became a preeminent practitioner and Sensei of traditional martial arts.  In 1968, Rod Sanford joined the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office.  He spent most of his 25 year career with the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office as a patrol sergeant.  However, he was a member of several specialized units such as the search and rescue team, dive team, mounted unit and the SWAT team.  In 1969, he began to teach defensive tactics to his fellow police officers.  For the next twenty-five years, Rod Sanford would teach firearms and officer safety tactics as well as defensive tactics.   In 1983, Rod Sanford left the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office and founded the Pacific Institute of Defensive Tactics in order to teach law enforcement tactics full-time.  Rod Sanford is the author of Law Enforcement: Reasonable Force Options; Basic Arrest Tactics & Self-Defense for Law Enforcement; and, Arrest Control Techniques & Baton Tactic. According to the book description of Law Enforcement: Reasonable Force Options, “This book is for all law enforcement officers, students and instructors. No matter what your background or system you will find, tactics and techniques that will help you enjoy a successful career and keep you going home safely at the end of each shift. Rod Sanford has drawn from over 30 years of law enforcement and training experience to bring you the essence of use of force, defensive tactics and officer training in a complete text with over 1,600 step-by-step photographs.” Police-Writers.com now hosts 789 police officers (representing 353 police departments) and their 1694 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.

"Learn" and "adapt" are the key messages of the new Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual, which just hit the streets.  The Counterinsurgency Field Manual, FM 3-24 and Marine Corps Warfighting Publication 3-33.5, is a unique joint effort between the Army and Marines to put in place doctrine to help operators as they face the challenges of asymmetric warfare.  

The manual codifies an important lesson of insurgencies: it takes more than the military to win. "There are more than just lethal operations involved in a counterinsurgency campaign," said Conrad Crane, director of the U.S. Army Military History Institute, in Carlisle, Pa., and one of the leaders of the effort.

Download the Manual

http://www.military-writers.com/counterinsurgency_manual.html

American Forces Press Service   Oct. 28, 2007 - Afghan and coalition forces engaged and killed more than six dozen Taliban fighters near the Musa Qaleh Wadi region of Afghanistan's Helmand province yesterday, officials reported.  A combined Afghan-coalition forces patrol was conducting reconnaissance when Taliban fighters engaged them with rocket and small-arms fire. The combined patrol immediately returned fire, maneuvered, and employed close-air support, resulting about 80 Taliban fighters killed during a six-hour engagement. During the battle, the combined force exchanged small-arms fire with the fleeing attackers, quickly putting them on the defensive.  The insurgents attacked from a trench line using small arms, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. The Afghan and coalition forces fixed the enemy in their positions, and four separate precision-munitions engagements killed more than six dozen insurgents who were trying to reinforce enemy positions.  "Afghan national security and coalition forces remain devoted to uprooting Taliban insurgents in the Musa Qaleh Wadi region," said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokesman.  In other operations yesterday, Afghan and coalition forces engaged insurgent fighters near Kandahar province's Shah Wali Kowt district.  The combined force was conducting a reconnaissance patrol when several insurgents engaged them with rocket and small-arms fire. The patrol immediately engaged the Taliban element, killing several enemy fighters before they fled the area.  "Today, the Afghan national security forces spotted the enemies of Afghanistan before they could carry out their attack," Belcher said. "The superior capabilities of the ANSF were instrumental in this successful engagement with Taliban insurgents."  

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 82 news releases.)

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 San Francisco Police Department police officers. Sergeant Peter Thoshinsky graduated from San Jose State University in 1982 with a degree in Criminal Justice.  In June of 1982, he joined the San Francisco Police Department.  He was promoted to sergeant in 1990.  He worked the Poterero, Central, Southern and Ingleside Stations as well as the Narcotics Bureau.  A 20 year veteran of law enforcement he also served as a member and supervisor on the San Francisco Police Department’s SWAT team.  A photograph for almost 30 years, he is the author of Blue in Black & White, a collection of photographs relating to law enforcement. Inspector Mark Hawthorne is a 28 year veteran of the San Francisco Police Department. He has been assigned patrol, field operations and investigations.  His current assignment is Crime Scene Investigations.  As a POST instructor he specializes in Instructor Development, Preliminary Investigations and Crime Scenes.  As a an adjunct faculty member of the City College of San Francisco Administration of Justice and Fire Science Department he acts as an advisor to the Forensic Science Club. Inspector Mark Hawthorne is the author of First Unit Responder: A Guide for Physical Evidence Collection for Patrol Officers and Fingerprints: Analysis and Understanding.  According to the book description of First Unit Responder: A Guide for Physical Evidence Collection for Patrol Officers, “Physical evidence cannot be wrong; it cannot perjure itself; it cannot be wholly absent. Only its interpretation can err. Only human failure to find it, study and understand it, can diminish its value." -Presiding Judge, Harris v U.S., 331 U.S. 145 (1947) HOW TO MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF THE CRIME SCENE WHILE CONDUCTING AN INVESTIGATION.  First Unit Responder: A Guide to Physical Evidence Collection for Patrol Officers is a training guide and reference for patrol officers and criminal investigators, who conduct preliminary investigations of crime scene, to aid in identification, collection, and booking of physical evidence. Written by a veteran of 24 years of law enforcement, the book stresses the importance of understanding the critical nature of physical evidence and preservation of the crime scene as part of the case against a criminal defendant. This book is an important tool for police academies that train recruits and veteran patrol officers, as well as for students of criminal justice who seek guidelines for proper collection and handling of physical evidence” According to Corporal Andreas K. Mendel, NCO in Charge, Forensic Identification Section, West Vancouver