: About Me

For a full third of my life I have been a member of the police department in my state's largest city. During my time with the police force I have served in a number of capacities including the community policing unit, traffic (collision and DUI) investigations, CPR instructor, a weapons of mass destruction response trainer, field training officer, and critical incident stress/peer counselor. In performing these duties I have prepared a great number of different reports and forms for a variety of purposes and audiences. I have been responsible for crime reports, traffic collision reports, arrest reports and arrest warrants, search warrants, performance evaluations, lesson plans, tests and grades. I recently completed a ground-up revision of my agency's Critical Incident Stress Management / peer counseling policy.

I have always had a great deal of respect for the written word. In fact, people that know me often say that it is my most effective method of communication. My career has, as a matter of necessity, improved my writing abilities. The need for thorough descriptions, attention to detail, effective fact gathering, and persuasive narratives are things that are expected, even demanded, during the course of every day's work. When a written document can mean the difference between a person's freedom and his imprisonment or be the linchpin of a victim's rights, a great deal of emphasis is placed upon the writing and reporting being flawless. Each type of document that I am required to prepare is for a different type of reader and must be tailored to their particular purpose. Whether it be an accident report aimed mainly at an insurance adjuster, a warrant that is being read by a judge and prosecutor, or a "routine" crime report being provided to a victim for their own purposes, the information must be complete and it must be useful to the eventual recipient. While I have no formal writing credits to speak of, I already consider myself to be a professional writer, since 'professional' is commonly defined as "engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation" and writing is a pivotal activity in the furtherance of my main paid occupation. My desire to expand my writing beyond the confines of Delaware's criminal justice system brings me to Helium with the hope that I will prove myself to be a talented writer and parlay my tightly focused writing experience into something greater; a second career as a published author.

I have recently been invited to serve Helium as a Sub-channel Steward. I happily accepted and, in the interest of sticking to what I know, I have been spending much of my time on the U.S. Law & Justice Channel. I'm looking forward to reading more of the articles there, some of the differing viewpoints that I have been exposed to so far have been a real eye-opener. If you have any suggestions for the channel, or any concerns, feel free to contact me through Helium.

My passion is ...

ensuring my child every success in life.

I know too much about ...

nothing. But a little about about way too many things.

My favorite memory ...

looking down at the face of my daughter for the first time.

Why I write ...

I write because I have a lot to say and writing lends itself to reaching a larger audience than any other medium.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

Current reads: Dracula, The Science of Success, The Reagan Diaries. Music: nearly all types. Watching: TLC, Discovery, and the most moral show on TV - The Simpsons

My first job ...

newspaper boy

My best moment ...

as my chid grows, so too do my best moments evolve, but the best of the best always seem to involve her.

My inspiration ...

books, books, books. I'll read anything with words printed on or in it. But I get the most inspiration from seeing the wonder with which my child sees the world.

Politics, News & Issues > Political & Economic Theory The importance of a free press in the United States

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Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. "Doesn't it seem like Chelsea is being pimped out in some weird sort of way?" Recently MS/NBC news correspondent David Shuster made the above remark on-air during an interview, and it led to his suspension. Shuster made the comment while interviewing two people about Chelsea Clinton's involvement in the Clinton campaign a...

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