When Charles Whitman sprayed bullets in a brutal killing spree from the heights of the University of Texas clock tower in 1966, he single-handedly made history by dashing the security of millions and changing law enforcement forever. In the wake of this horrifying event, SWAT - Special Weapons and Tactics - teams were born. Since that time, such desperate, bloody face-offs with police have steadily increased, making SWAT an invaluable and necessary part of law enforcement. Captain Snow, author of the acclaimed Protecting Your Life, Home, and Property, and a police officer with over 25 years experience, delivers to the reader the immediacy of actual SWAT events - including both the notorious and the bizarre. We get a chilling glimpse into the desperate, twisted mind of the hostage taker - often hovering precariously between violence and suicide - and witness the brilliant, life-saving strategies SWAT commanders put into action to stop them. As Captain Snow demonstrates, whether intervening during a tension-filled hostage showdown or serving an arrest warrant to a heavily armed drug lord, SWAT teams are, in general, uniquely prepared to handle the most volatile and life-threatening police situations with poise, speed, and - when necessary - deadly force. From the unnerving events in Waco to the thousands of successes every year, Snow analyzes what works and doesn't work in a SWAT team. When the smoke clears, we find at the heart of this book the inspiring story of professionals who have dedicated their lives to saving others. Captain Snow gives us the real story behind the Hollywood image - at once exciting and sobering - of this relatively new and increasingly vital branch of law enforcement.

Captain Snow, a veteran police officer and acclaimed author of Protecting Your Life, Home, and Property, gives us a startling look, as only a police officer can, at the violence, tears, and terror that shatter homes and lives across America, and tells us what we can do about it. Walking us through the course of a regular night shift, we witness, first-hand, tragic and vividly real scenes of abuse that are becoming all too commonplace. We learn the heart-wrenching story of a woman who has suffered burns, broken limbs, and even a fractured skull at the hands of her brutal husband, but is too terrified to report his crimes. We see the chilling evidence of neglect in a bare, airless, padlocked room where a son has imprisoned his elderly mother without sufficient food, medicine, or human contact, awaiting her death. And we hear the stuttered excuses of a father lying about the scald marks on his baby's legs as the child screams in agony. Abusers, we discover, come from every walk of life, and no one is untouched by the powerful consequences of violence, neglect, and emotional and sexual abuse in this country. Snow goes on to reveal the tactics of violence and terror these abusers all wield - whether against a parent, wife, or child. More importantly, he shows that this hateful legacy of abuse need not continue. At the heart of this book is an urgent, persistent question: How can we stop these horrible crimes? With an insider's knowledge forged from years of experience on the police force, combined with in-depth research, Snow provides a refreshingly practical perspective: tough solutions to conquer this growing crime. Taking on the ranks of the police, the courts, and public education, he sounds a clarion call for reform and reeducation. Captain Snow also gives invaluable advice - in this less-than-perfect world - to victims and their loved ones on how they can now use the police and legal system to their best advantage in fighting against abuse.

Of all crimes, murder fascinates the public more than any other. While considered a detestable act, for which society reserves its severest punishments, homicide still captivates the American public. But the way homicide and its investigation are depicted in our media fail to capture just how murders get solved. Here, Snow takes us on a tour of murder, its investigation, and its prosecution from the perspective of a seasoned homicide detective. From the commission of the crime to the collection of evidence, examination of the crime scene, roundup of suspects, interrogation, and resolution, he leads readers from the scene to the courtroom, stopping along the way to consider all the elements that go into a murder investigation. He considers the culprits, the motives, the victims and their families, and offers readers a glimpse into the actual techniques and methods used to solve real crimes. This volume will fascinate and inform anyone interested in knowing the truth behind the scene of the crime of murder. Through the use of real-life cases of actual murders, Snow captures the intricacies of solving murders of all sorts. From domestic or intimate partner murders to cold cases and sexually based murders, police must approach homicide cases very carefully so that successful prosecution can eventually take place. Snow shows that there is much that can be learned from the crime scene, the body, the evidence, and the witnesses in terms of identifying suspects and motives for murder. He considers all aspects of the murder case and illustrates how careful police work can lead to the capture of the right suspect in any type of homicide. In addition, he looks at the victims themselves and theaftermath of their murders for their families and friends, who must cope with the violent loss of their loved ones. What emerges from these pages is a truer picture of the investigation of this most violent crime.

While most people have heard about high-profile abductions such as the Elizabeth Smart case, such abductions are not isolated cases. The abduction of children occurs much more often in our country than most people would suspect, but because of a fault in our country's national crime reporting procedures, no one knows the true number. This book details the scope of the child abduction problem in the United States, and its very real danger. It covers the different types of abductions and discusses the psychological changes that can occur in long-term abducted children that will often stop them from attempting to escape, or even to seek help, though good opportunities may present themselves. Snow also discusses the danger to secondary victims of child abduction. He devotes several chapters to what both parents and the government can do to stop many of the child abductions that now occur, and, for those not stopped, steps parents can take that will greatly assist the authorities in quickly locating and safely rescuing an abducted child. He concludes with a chapter on the psychological and emotional concerns of recovered abducted children, and how families can help them re-integrate themselves into a normal life. Real life examples are provided in every chapter.

It is every parent's worst nightmare. Someone has abducted their child, and no one, including the police, has a clue where the child is. But worse, while parents feel certain their child is terrified and crying desperately for them, they don't know if their child is being physically mistreated, sexually molested, or worse. The uncertainty and powerlessness can drive parents of abducted children to the edge of insanity. But there are measures parents and children can take to avoid being the victim of abduction. There are things families can do, too, to apprehend offenders and bring children home even after an abduction occurs. Here, a retired police captain offers expert advice designed to help keep children safe and to help families deal with an abduction once it has occurred. Practical advice is offered throughout to families and professionals that will help all involved handle this tense and terrifying experience. Featuring such prominent cases as the abductions of the Groene children in Idaho in 2005, Christopher Michael Barrios in Georgia in 2007, Zina Linnick in Washington in 2007, Mychael Darthard-Dawodu in Texas in 2007, Crystal Chavez in Texas in 2002, Elizabeth Smart in Utah in 2002, the Montano children in Florida in 2003, the Walker children in Indiana in 2007, the Nunez children in California in 2002, Emily Johnson in Indiana in 2007, Ludwig Koons in New York in 1993, the Beveridge children to the United States from Australia in 2000, Erica Pratt in Pennsylvania in 2002, Clay Moore in Florida in 2007, the Hari children in Illinois in 2005, Samantha Runnion in California in 2002, Ben Ownby in Missouri in 2007, Shawn Hornbeck in Missouri in 2002, Steven Stayner in California in 1972, Natascha Kampusch in Austria in 1998, Jessica Lunsford in Florida in 2005, Carlie Brucia in Florida in 2004, Amber Hagerman in Texas in 1996, the Nguyen children in Canada in 2006, and Cecilie Finkelstein from Sweden to the United States in 1975.

Although for much of the mid-20th century police departments across the U.S. had been reluctant to embrace new technology, depending instead on traditional police techniques, detectives in Los Angeles finally departed from this practice when they found themselves stymied in their attempts to solve the infamous Night Stalker serial murder case. This murderer and rapist had gone on a deadly rampage during the spring and summer of 1985, and though the police used every traditional police technique, they could not solve the crime. Finally, in desperation, they decided to do something different: use what was then the latest, cutting edge-technology. This new technology, the laser print finder, worked perfectly and the police arrested the Night Stalker the next day. Following this astonishing success, police departments across the nation suddenly began clamoring to obtain all kinds of new technology to assist them in solving crimes. This rush to embrace the latest technology hasn't slowed in the intervening 21 years. This book takes readers through every major branch of law enforcement and shows how technology has radically changed police department operations during the last two decades. It also shows how these changes continue today as technology advances and refines techniques already in practice. Beginning with the Night Stalker case, the author illustrates how the use and reliance on new technologies in solving crimes has made policing and detective work more accurate and efficient in capturing and convicting criminals (and courts more recently in releasing innocents convicted of crimes). Capitalizing on the interest in all things forensic, this book illuminates the behind the scenestechnologies that go into solving crimes and keeping dangerous criminals off the street. Snow covers DNA and fingerprint technologies, vehicle technologies, undercover work, bomb detection, and other methods. Using many real life examples and first hand anecdotes, he shows how technology has become part and parcel of criminal justice efforts to solve crimes.

No one wants to be robbed at gunpoint, or have his car stolen, or his house robbed. When these crimes happen, victims may feel angry, afraid, or violated. But there is no violation quite so devastating as sexual assault. Victims do not recover easily—either emotionally, psychologically, or physically from such incidents, and the long-term impact can have devastating effects on the victims, their families, and communities. Investigating sexually based crimes is particularly difficult for many reasons. Often the collection of evidence requires a medical examination of the victim—a second violation of sorts. Police must interview the victim, who must recount his or her assault. Often, the victims are children, and offenders range from family members to perfect strangers. But investigating and prosecuting these crimes is crucial to the healing process of many victims, and to the safety of society at large. Detective Snow takes readers on a tour of the ways in which the police investigate and help prosecute such crimes. Each chapter begins with a real-life incident and throughout the book real stories are used to illustrate each step in the process. Snow addresses the processing of the crime scene, the collection of evidence, the development of suspects, the questioning of witnesses and perpetrators, and the preparation for trial. Few members of the public have any idea how complex and delicate the investigation of sex crimes really is. This book sheds light on this important police work and helps readers understand how these crimes are investigated, solved, and prosecuted. Victims and their families will especially benefit from the information in this book, but all readers will gain insight into the crimes, their incidence, their impact on victims, and the way the criminal justice system responds, from the scene of the crime through the capture and incarceration of the perpetrators.

How does a Vampire Cult differ from a Satanic Cult? How do seemingly "normal" or "ordinary" citizens suddenly find themselves committed to a group whose leader promotes criminal activities and isolation from families and friends? What should you do if a loved one becomes indoctrinated by a potentially dangerous cult? This book focuses on various cults and their often criminal belief systems. Most readers are shocked by stories of mass suicides and ritualized cult killings, but few understand how such crimes come to be committed. Snow, a seasoned police officer with experience working on cult crimes, examines those cults that commit offenses from murder and fraud to kidnapping and sexual assault. By providing specific accounts of dangerous cults and their destructive acts, Snow illustrates how seemingly innocent groups can turn pernicious when under the sway of a charismatic leader with an agenda, or when members take things too far. He offers advice on how to avoid falling victim to cult indoctrination, concluding with chapters on how to identify cults, how to protect yourself and your family, and what to do if a loved one is ensnared by such a group.