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PROLOGUE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I want to acknowledge my co-author Robert (Bob)
Schirn, the unofficial historian for the District Attorney’s Office. He
shares my appreciation for the contributions and sacrifices that police
officers have made in the line of duty, and we both wanted to prepare a
book that portrays police officers in a positive and accurate manner. Bob
spent countless hours locating files, transcripts, reports, and photographs
and collected documents from various sources including case files, police
agencies, clerks’ offices, and newspapers. Bob and I then spent many hours
collaborating on and organizing each chapter in this book.
Both Bob and I are career prosecutors, and we have written this book
in the manner and style of a lawyer. We are direct and straightforward in
our approach, and we have attempted to lay out the facts and the court
proceedings without undue embellishment. We have avoided literary de-
vices that would overly dramatize the deaths of the officers. The death of
an officer and its impact on family, friends, and society is dramatic enough
that additional emphasis is not necessary. This book is written primarily in
the third person, but certain segments are in the first person when I have
been personally involved in the case or have personal comments to make
about the case.
I want to acknowledge the contributions of Deputy District Attorney
Darren Levine not only to this book but also for his successful prosecu-
tions of cases involving murdered police officers. Darren also should be
credited for helping develop and advance many of the techniques, proce-
dures, and protocols utilized by CAPOS (Crimes Against Peace Officers
Section) in the earliest levels of investigations and successful prosecutions
in court. CAPOS has been blessed with some of the best lawyers in the of-
fice. However, Darren Levine clearly has distinguished himself as perhaps
the best in CAPOS’ history. Out of eight chapters in this book, four involve
cases handled by DDA Darren Levine.
I also want to acknowledge the contributions of former LAPD Captain
Greg Meyer, who provided the authors with his insightful expertise on po-
lice tactics and officer safety. I hope that police officers can benefit from the
“Lessons Learned” segments and use them as a training device to increase
their awareness and response to potentially dangerous situations.

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