In 1995 I was asked to sit through the canned communications course that was being presented to recruits at the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy in Glen Ellyn, Ill. I was teaching related subjects at the time that included Psychology of Perception, Stress and Variant Behavior. I sat through two hours of the lesson which was about 90 minutes longer than I needed: The program was terrible. The instructor lacked credibility and the course was full of useless acronyms that confused while it offered almost no answers to real world communication issues.
I was asked to put together a program steeped in reality; one that would hold the interest of the recruits while giving them a real world perspective of communicating in a law enforcement environment. The class, which eventually became Arresting Communication, became very popular and soon I was teaching it around the country. A book followed, spurred on by requests of students who wanted a much more comprehensive text as a reference for future use.
My goal was to write a book for cops by a cop using real life stories and cop humor and to include interaction skills that could be utilized immediately on the street. It includes body language, proxemics, detecting deception, how to get confessions, and an understanding of the human animal. Arresting Communication has been very well received and Lawofficer.com named it one of the Top Ten Books necessary for law enforcement officers entering the profession. Soon came the requests for a version geared toward those entering the profession: So here it is.
Arresting Communication: The Academy Version is written for recruits by a guy who taught at an Academy for 12 years and has more than 30 years in law enforcement. It is meant to not only give recruit officers the tools to communicate effectively but also advice on how to make it through both the Academy and the subsequent probation period that follows graduation and employment.
