FedEx just delivered my latests Amazon purchase: Criminal Interdiction by Steven Varnell. Having been through a few criminal interdiction classes (commercial vehicle drug interdiction was one of the best), I am eager to read this book and see what tips I can pick up from the author.
According to the book cover, Varnell is a retired trooper from the Florida Highway Patrol and has been involved in criminal interdiction work for 26 years. With that kind of experience, this book has the potential to being a great police training tool.
I’ll post a review on the book once I have finished reading it. In the meantime, you can check out the book at Amazon.
Following a tip, Alabama deputies made contact with a suspicious man in the parking lot of a restaurant. The man was in possession of a take-out lunch that he said he was getting ready to eat. However, the foil-wrapped baked potato was actually five ounces of cocaine.
Police academies are woefully inadequate at teaching criminal law and criminal procedure. Typically, 40 hours or less are devoted to teaching criminal law (I’ve seen some states only require 16 hours). Generally, the teacher is a street cop, who may not spend a lot of time reading the statute books or slip opinions.
