Product Description
Why racial profiling is not just wrong, but ineffective too.

Racial profiling—as practiced by police officers, highway troopers, and customs officials—is one of America's most explosive public issues. But even as protest against the practice has swelled, police forces and others across the country continue to argue that profiling is an effective crime-fighting tool. In Profiles in Injustice, David Harris—described by the Seattle Times as "America's leading authority on racial profiling"—dismantles those arguments, drawing on a wealth of newly available statistics to show convincingly that profiling is not only morally and legally wrong, but also startlingly ineffectual at preventing crime or apprehending criminals.

A new chapter considers how the events of September 11 have recast the racial profiling issue, tipping public opinion in favor of the policy as a tool in fighting terrorism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Accurate, Eloquent, Searching Look at a U.S. Stain of Shame
This masterpiece of legal scholarship, clearly and eloquently written for the general public (plus police officers, politicians, and lawyers) lays searingly bare the United States's collective shame of the evil practice of racial profiling and stereotyping.The first 3 of the 9 chapters lay the groundwork of the author's thesis via extensive anecdotal evidence, thoroughly supported by direct quotations and direct observations, many of them from police officers as well as innocent victims.Chapter 4 provides a convincing and well-reasoned [I'm a professional statistician] statistical validation of the author's thesis, plus proof that racial profiling actually decreases probabilities of intercepting criminals.Chapter 5 exposes the hidden but corrosive costs of racial profiling, such as disunity among Americans and the cancer of chronic distrust of police and courts.Chapter 6 extends the discussion beyond African-American victims to East Asian, Hispanic, and Near-Eastern victims.The last three chapters provide the encouragement of a road to improvement, including examples of municipalities and police departments already following that road.
Throughout, the author's prose is objective, quietly restrained, and superbly organized and enunciated.

Accurate, Eloquent, Searching Look at a U.S. Stain of Shame
This masterpiece of legal scholarship, clearly and eloquently written for the general public (plus police officers, politicians, and lawyers) lays searingly bare the United States's collective shame of the evil practice of racial profiling and stereotyping.The first 3 of the 9 chapters lay the groundwork of the author's thesis via extensive anecdotal evidence, thoroughly supported by direct quotations and direct observations, many of them from police officers as well as innocent victims.Chapter 4 provides a convincing and well-reasoned [I'm a professional statistician] statistical validation of the author's thesis, plus proof that racial profiling actually decreases probabilities of intercepting criminals.Chapter 5 exposes the hidden but corrosive costs of racial profiling, such as disunity among Americans and the cancer of chronic distrust of police and courts.Chapter 6 extends the discussion beyond African-American victims to East Asian, Hispanic, and Near-Eastern victims.The last three chapters provide the encouragement of a road to improvement, including examples of municipalities and police departments already following that road.
Throughout, the author's prose is objective, quietly restrained, and superbly organized and enunciated. ... Read more

Product Description
The U.S. government's official profile of terrorists, who they are, why they hate America, and how they might attack.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Who Becomes A Terrorist and Why
I found this book to be incredibly insightful.This book not only explores al-queda, but several other terrorist organizations around the world.This book is based on numerous studies, spanned over 3-4 decades, and gives psychological, sociological, economical, and educational profiles of people who choose this lifestyle.The Appendix of the book lists many major terrorist groups, their leaders, and what each particular groups ideals and goals are.

I do not suggest buying this book if you find reports or statistics boring, as this book has plenty of them. (This was a report published by the U.S. government in 1999)However, if you are very interested in psycholog and what it entails, it is still worth a read as the percentages and stats are relevant to the information in the book.

This book also includes an excellent study on female terrorists, which I found to be particularly startling.I was quite unaware of the number of female terrorists formerly or currently involved with these groups, as the most known terrorists in the Western world are male.

Some of the statistics in this book were quite surprising to me, such as the education level of these people.This book shows the growing trends in terrorism, and shows how terrorism has evolved over many decades.This book was very helpful in understanding why people commit acts of terrorism and how it may be possible in the future to deal with such people.

Knowledge is Power
Anyone who wants to get a glimpse of just how much is "knowable" should read this book.

Though many will find the academic style of this book somewhat daunting, it provides an incredible vantage on just how much our government discovered about international terrorism BEFORE September 11th. If you read this book bearing in mind that its contents are not classified, you can begin to imagine how much specific intelligence the FBI, CIA, and NSA must have -- and now we're creating an Office of Homeland Security?

This book will convince you wholly and completely that tragedies like 9/11 are avoidable -- it's not the information that's the problem, it's wether or not that information informs policy. I sure hope this is required reading for our Congress. ... Read more

Product Description

The true stories of how professional profilers help catch serial killers.

Profiling reveals the confidential arsenal of tactics that real-life FBI investigators used to solve some of the most horrific murders in modern history. It begins with an overview of how profiling was first developed as a viable technique, followed by illustrated chapters that describe the specific parts of the profiling process:

• The FBI's crime scene analysis procedure
  
• Crime scene facts and evidence
  
• The organized and disorganized classifications of violent serial offenders
  
• Geographical profiling
  
• Types of rape and the clues they leave
  
• A serial killer's crime signature
  
• Identifying child abductors and abusers
  
• Profiling criminals through written documents
  
• How profilers work with other investigators and interrogators

Profiling focuses on 50 notorious true crimes to explain profiling, describing how crime scene evidence is processed and revealing the psychological clues and how the profilers helped to solve the case. Some of these headline-grabbing cases are:

• The Black Dahlia murder investigation
  
• David Carpenter, the Trailside Killer
  
• Robert Hansen, a highly organized killer who abducted prostitutes and left them in the Alaska wilderness so he could hunt them with a rifle
  
• Ted Bundy
  
• Jeffrey Dahmer

Profiling is the gripping behind-the-scenes story of a topic that has had fans of Criminal Minds and the CSI series glued to their television screens for many years.

Product Description
Offender profiling is a set of techniques used by law enforcement agencies to try to identify perpetrators of serious crime. There has been a rapidly growing interest in this subject over recent years. Profiling techniques have been used increasingly by police forces in many parts of the world, while fictional representations in films and television series like "Silence of the Lambs", and "Cracker" have generated an enormous popular fascination with the topic. "Offender Profiling and Crime Analysis" provides a readable account of the subject - and a picture of profiling which by no means accords with popular views and representations of what is involved. The book provides an overview of profiling techniques, offering some fascinating insights into the various approaches to profiling, and schools of thought, which have emerged - looking particularly at the work of the FBI, and of British and Dutch profilers.Key themes throughout are a concern to assess whether profiling should be treated as a scientific endeavour, or merely educated (or in some cases uneducated) guesswork; and a view that a key to an understanding of offender profiling is the need to examine the subject within a broader context of crime analysis, and a wider understanding of criminal behaviour. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Making it a reference
The services I received in the handling and delivery of my product was highly efficient and I am recommending it to many friends.The product's informations that were provided, help me in choosing the product.I was not disappointed.Thanks. ... Read more

Product Description
Dr. Chuck Missler's Prophecy 20/20 is a comprehensive, easily digested book that will give you a basic understanding of how past events fulfilled biblical prophecy. It provides a strategic grasp of prophecy that equips you to clearly see the "prophetic moment" of current events. Chuck Missler, founder of Koinonia House, analyzes trends on the geopolitical and technological horizons as well as their implications for the coming years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Good General Overview
This book, though dated, gives a good general overview of
end time events according to the Bible. As alway Dr. Missler
wets ones appetite to study the Scriptures to
find out for ones self.

Clear, concise, well-written and biblical
Dr Missler clearly defines how to use the Bible to look at today's events.To be like Christ we have to read the Bible.This book looks at the current significance in Bible prophecy.If you want to see today through the eyes that God wants us to use you need to read this book and look up the passages.It is powerfully and clearly written.

-CSL

Comprehensive book On Bible Prophecy!!!!!!!
Chuck Missler's PROPHECY 20/20 is an excellent book on Bible prophecy (History Written In Advance) and its importance to us today!!!!! What Missler does is show how past prophecy that has come true to the exact detail and this proves the Bible to be the word of the LORD;For example Daniel's Prophecy of the 70 weeks for Israel, written some 600 years before the time of Chjrst,(70 weeks of years), and how he predicted the rise and fall of empires (babylon, Persia, Media, The Greeks and Roamens), and the coming, death and ressurection of the Christ, to the DAY!!!!!

There is a nice section hear on Modern scientific discoverieswhich were predicted in the Bible, especially Modern Physics. Also technology's and modern events such s the smart bomb's, Nuclear war, Worldwide Satellite TV, and onand on were for-told in the scriptures. He shows how science is finally catching up to the Bible.

Missler then goes on to show how the prophecy's of the second coming are (or seem) to be about to be fulfilled.Missler talks about, the rise of Islam, China, India, The EU, Russia, The return of the jews to Israel, the decline of theUSA, and documents the move toward one world religion and government.

Missler covers the Rapture, the Tribulation, the Anti -Christ, The False prophet, The nations involved with the war of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 and the nations involved in the battle of Armageddon. And much more.

This is a must read for everyone and Missler ends with the most important thing of all. What are you going to do with this knowledge. Accept the LORD Jesus as Savior or reject Him.

Well Researched.
Well written, a fast easy read. Rather depressing but true. It is good to check-out differant authors for other view-points. Thanks-Ron.

Book
Received in excellent condition.Knowing the author (Chuck Missler) was the reason I purchased because I trust his knowledge. ... Read more

Product Description
The suspension and expulsion of ethnic minority students, especially African American males , remains a critical issue in schools today. This book addresses the root causes of racial disparity in discipline. Dr. Bireda shows how culturally conditioned beliefs and cultural misunderstanding negatively impact teacher-student relationships and interactions in the classroom. ... Read more

Product Description
Offender profiling has been developing slowly as a possible investigative tool since 1841 and the publication of Edgar Allen Poe's The Murder in the Rue Morgue. In this book, detective C. Auguste Dupin demonstrates the ability to follow the thought patterns of a companion while they stroll through Paris for 15 minutes without speaking a word. Today profiling is an important investigative tool. Nevertheless, it often represents a less than educated attempt to provide law enforcement agencies with detailed information about the behavior of an unknown individual who has committed a crime. Criminal Psychology and Forensic Technology: A Collaborative Approach to Effective Profiling introduces alternative approaches to improving the way crimes are investigated and offender profiles are generated. It shows forensic evidence experts how to work with profilers to combine discrete data into a more meaningful picture. The contributors address both their own specialty, such as anthropology, and then demonstrate how working in conjunction with criminal psychologists can provide more effective offender profiles.This book is unique in that it provides you with an array of articles that fuse aspects of criminal psychology and several forensic science methods in a collaborative effort to improve profiling. Written in a format that is simple and straightforward, it utilizes actual case studies to show how specific procedures relate to police investigations.The only book on the market that shows a team approach to criminal profiling, Criminal Psychology and Forensic Technology: A Collaborative Approach to Effective Profiling is a reference perfect for students interested in learning criminal profiling techniques and professionals wishing to sharpen their skills. Whatever your reason for choosing this book, it will enlighten you about alternative investigative tools. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Criminal Psychology and Forensic Technology:A Collaborative Apporach to Effective Profiling.
This is a scholarly written book filled with details,mapping charts, andexcellent walk throughs of statistical analysis.This is a must read for anyone interested in the field of Forensic profiling.The writer also compiled an excellent reference section at the conclusion of each section of his writing. This book is well worth a reader's time.

Not at the price
This book is NOT for the lay reader.You must have a grounding in statistical analysis to appreciate the research articles.Nonstatistical articles include a nice one on forensic archaelogy, three on ethics and two on cybercrime that essentially say there is a hacker subculture out there.The book has only one article with Godwin's four way classification scheme.A person who wants to learn that would be better off buying his other book (which I have not read).This book is a textbook and I've had much better textbooks. FYI Although I have taken many of the Justice and Paralegal courses at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, I have no background in law enforcement whatsoever. ... Read more

Product Description

Cancer is a heterogeneous disease in most respects, including its cellularity, different genetic alterations and diverse clinical behaviors. Traditional molecular analyses are reductionist, assessing only one or a few genes at a time, thus working with a biologic model too specific and limited to confront a process whose clinical outcome is likely to be governed by the combined influence of many genes. The potential of functional genomics is enormous, because for each experiment, thousands of relevant observations can be made simultaneously. Accordingly, DNA array, as other high throughput technologies, might catalyze and ultimately accelerate the development of knowledge in tumor cell biology. Although in its infancy, the implementation of DNA array technology in cancer research has already provided investigators with novel data and intriguing new hypotheses on the molecular cascade leading to cancerogenesis, tumor aggressiveness and sensitivity to antineoplastic agents. Given the revolutionary implications that the use of this technology might have in the clinical management of cancer patients, principles of DNA array-based tumor gene profiling need to be clearly understood for the data to be correctly interpreted and appreciated. In the present book, written by leading experts in each field, the technical features characterizing this powerful laboratory tool are discussed, and the applications so far described in the field of oncology are reviewed.

Customer Reviews (3)

The truth of New Jersey politics!
This book gives readers an inside perspective on just how powerful and self serving politicians in New Jersey can be toward those tragic incidents that can easily occur in the dangers of law enforcement.Racial profiling was a hot topic in the mid to late 90's that changed police work through-out the entire country.This book gives you a front seat perspective on the two New Jersey State Troopers who were at the center of that very political issue and how they were used in an attempt to further the careers of not only the Governor of New Jersey at that time, Christie Todd Whitman, but also a young Attorney General, Peter Verniero.

The book details the human side of the story, as told by John Hogan, one of the two troopers involved in the very public and now historical April 23, 1998 shooting of four black, unarmed motorists, on the New Jersey Turnpike.The New Jersey Turnpike, which is well know in the law enforcement community to be a main corridor for drug carriers, was targeted in the late 80s and 90s as a "hot bed" for drug interdiction.While the issue of racial profiling has taken its toll on drug interdiction, the truth of the matter is that politicians in New Jersey were very supportive of the New Jersey State Police when this drug interdiction served them well.However, as political views changed and the need for urban votes, for the future ambitions of those in office at the time of this incident,the New Jersey State Police and specifically these two troopers became the instrument.What really happen that night was a tragic chain of events that had nothing to do with profiling, but the dangers that were and still are faced by Jersey Troopers everyday on the Turnpike and other roads in New Jersey.

The stories told in this book will give readers another perspective on this topic and shed some much needed light on the backdoor dealings that took place during this dark period of time in New Jersey State Police, and law enforcement in general not only here in New Jersey, but through-out the entire country.

Lest we Forget
Trooper Hogan gives an inside look into the NJ State Police and the circus-like atmosphere that erupted following the shooting which occurred in the midst of allegations of racial profiling.None of us can know exactly what went down that fateful night, but there is no question that Troopers Hogan and Kenna became pawns in a political dance and power struggle between the Governor and State Attorney General, and the usual cast of well-known, frequently televised, race-baiters.

Part of the reason the whole racial profiling mess came to such a head was the NJSP themselves, who, as a result of their staunch paramilitary training and macho lone-wolf culture, have always had trouble differentiating between pure elitism and esprit de corps. Hogan gives some insight into this culture.He also gives insight and replays for us the despicable actions taken against Kenna and himself during the political firestorm.

Kenna and Hogan may very well have been wrong, have violated standard operating procedures and have been deserving of discipline, but most thinking people can agree that the State's attempt to prosecute two uniformed police officers for attempted murder was ludicrous and frightening.

Puts you right on the road
In the book Hogan gives the reader a peek into the storied world of the New Jersey State Police. It took the author years to get his badge, and seconds to lose it. No one can really know what happened that fateful night, but after reading this book you'll come away with a feeling that all was not entirely as the press-or the government-led us to believe. ... Read more

Product Description
Physician profiling is the key to quantifying health care delivery services. This new source book explains how to start and maintain a profiling system to support your operation. It takes you through every step, from laying the foundation and performing an initial needs assessment to harvesting data, evaluating profiling systems and turning analysis into action. ... Read more

Product Description
Racial profiling has been a controversial topic in civil right's dialogue for centuries beginning with the Negro Free Registry in the slave era, emerging again with the 1980s _War on Drugs,_ and climaxing with the 2000 _War on Terror._ This study offers an in-depth overview of the evolution of racial profiling in the United States throughout these diverse periods. ... Read more

Product Description

Offender profiling is mainly used by the police to narrow down suspects in cases where no physical evidence was left at a crime scene. Recently, however, this technique has been introduced into the courtroom as evidence, raising questions of its reliability, validity, and admissibility at trial.Because offender profiling was not originally intended to be used in the courtroom, its entrance there has caused both confusion and controversy. Offender Profiling in the Courtroom discusses the use of profiling evidence in criminal trials.Ebisike also covers the history, development, approaches to, and the legal aspects of this crime investigation technique. Several serial crime cases where investigators used offender profiling during the criminal proceedings are discussed, including the case of the New York Mad Bomber, George Metesky, who caused thirty-two bomb explosions in New York City between 1940 and 1956, and the case of Albert DeSalvo, known as the Boston Strangler, who carried out several sexually motivated murders in Boston, Massachusetts between 1962 and 1964.Ebisike demystifies offender profiling and raises awareness about the successes and the pitfalls of the process and its use at trial.

Offender profiling is a crime investigation technique where information gathered from the crime scene, witnesses, victims (if alive), autopsy reports, and information about an offender's behavior is used to draw up a profile of the sort of person likely to commit such crime. Offender profiling does not point to a specific offender. It is based, instead, on the probability that someone with certain characteristics is likely to have committed a certain type of crime. In spite of the ever-increasing media interest in the use of offender profiling in criminal trials, this technique is still not well understood by many people, including judges, lawyers, and jurors, who weigh such evidence at trial. Some people see offender profiling as a tried and true method of identifying suspects, and others simply see it as a fiction.Here, the author helps readers understand the true nature of offender profiling and the danger of its admission into criminal cases as evidence.

Product Description
The new edition of this popular book has been substantially revised and provides a practical step-by-step guide to community profiling, invaluable for students and practitioners involved in community-based research. The book begins with consideration of what a community profile is, explores the different reasons why community profiles are undertaken and offers tips for planning research. It then looks at methods for collecting, storing and analyzing data, and ways of involving the community, concluding with a chapter on ensuring your profile has impact. This book is fully updated throughout and includes: a new chapter on links between community profiling, policy development and practice; a new chapter on selecting methods for data collection; bulleted key issues at the end of each chapter; case studies and boxed examples; further reading and a list of additional resources; a new appendix for those who want to undertake more complex research; and a new glossary."Community Profiling" is essential reading for anyone engaged in community profiling, social auditing, needs assessment or community consultation.Community workers and community practitioners across a range of disciplines including regeneration, neighborhood management, library services, housing, health, youth work and social care will find it especially useful. It is also a helpful resource for voluntary and community organizations and students required to undertake community-based research. ... Read more

Product Description
The science of profiling is relatively new, having first been tried in the United States in the 1940s. However, it took about another twenty years of development and refinement before it became recognised as an investigative tool in the apprehension of criminals. Profiling can be described as an 'educated attempt to provide investigative agencies with specific information about the type of individual who could have committed a particular crime'. Nowadays it is utilised with other sound investigative techniques. Profiling serial killers and other crimes in South Africa contains a introduction to the subject, followed by chapters (with case studies) on serial killers, pyromaniacs, rapists, child molesters, stalkers, and white collar crime and intelligence profiling. ... Read more

Product Description

The first and only truly objective book to move the racial profiling controversy from its current rhetorical base into a reasoned argument. Racial Profiling focuses on the scientific investigation of racial profiling without alternative political or social agendas, devoting equal attention to the multiple perspectives of this controversial topic. This book’s scholarly approach presents the topic in an objective way, facilitating learning and making readers more informed consumers of the research. Features the most comprehensive literature review of what we know and what we don’t know about the extend of racial profiling–identifies the seven most important research questions within the controversy and discusses each one at length. For political leaders, police administrators, training academy instructors, scholars, and anyone in the criminal justice field.

Customer Reviews (1)

A thoughtful book on racial profiling
Finally, a book on racial profiling that studies this issue in an intelligent and objective manner.Withrow's approach is both scholarly and practical and most importantly free of the distracting rhetoric that surrounds this important issue.He offers real solutions for researchers, police practitioners and public policy makers to one of the most important issues in American policing.This text is a must read. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was written to eliminate confusion regarding what has come to be called racial profiling by clarifying the legitimate law enforcement practice of criminal profiling, and by clarifying what constitutes unfair discrimination, and persecution. This book was written to benefit sociology students, law enforcement officers, and anyone else in a position to be concerned with, or affected by, the profiling issue. Police administrators, judges, and legislators, must adequately understand the topics and their many ramifications if they are to make decisions that are based on fact rather than stereotype and myth, and free from the influence of adverse social and political pressures. And, attorneys, when prosecuting or defending cases wherein profiling and discrimination is an issue must have good insight into the many interrelated dynamics of the topics to properly prepare and argue their case. This writing explores difficult social issues that are often poorly understood, but issues that need to be understood if solutions are to be meaningful. And, a poorly conceived solution is especially likely when the issues are both complex and controversial. In this book, the writers acknowledge that while criminal profiling is a necessary and legitimate law enforcement practice, unchecked bias can pollute the practice. And, while they acknowledge that measures to detect those whose enforcement practices reflect bias can have merit, they emphasize that such efforts must be in addition to the hiring of high caliber officers, providing quality training, providing competent leadership, and on a properly staffed and trained Internal Affairs department. But, the authors also emphasize the unfortunate fact that many efforts intended to prevent bias are to varying degrees ineffectual and create collateral problems. Germane to that discussion is illumination of the difficulties of monitoring fair treatment policies, and the unintended problems that often accompany consent decrees. ... Read more

Product Description
The majority of the available published accounts of serial murderers are not in scholarly or technical publications. Even such few academic reviews as do exist typically commence with reference to fictional accounts so that the profile of a serial murderer is typically far from clear or precise.Hunting Serial Predators is unique in that each chapter, written in detail, explains how to research and interpret, psychologically, the crime scene actions of serial killers. The book provides the reader an empirical facet model of the crime scene actions of American serial murderers based on information available to a police inquiry; an overview of the related scientific knowledge, introducing a new method to classify the serial predator, and accounts of the process and difficulties of profiling the serial murderer.By presenting a classification model of serial murderers and their crime scene behaviors based on empirical and repeatable studies, this book makes significant advances in the areas of police investigations, etiology, and treatment possible.The empirical process used to analyze serial murderers' crime scene actions described in Hunting Serial Predators makes it possible to make logical decisions about how to detect, apprehend, and eventually access their dangerousness. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A long overdue fresh look.
Godwin deserves an A+ for giving a scientific look at the so-called "science" of criminal profiling.Criminal profiling, as practiced by the FBI, -- and as I had long suspected -- has gotten much more Hollywood hype than it deserves. This book is NOT written in the entertaining film noir narratives of John Douglas et al., nor is it a compilation of juicy murder cases. Rather, it is a scientific analysis of the profiling methods as they ought to be employed. Godwin exposes the statistical pitfalls and the wrong turns made by the current FBI profiling methods, and he suggests ways in which the profiling methods could be improved.Even if you aren't a statistician (with knowledge of cluster analysis and correlation coefficients), Godwin gives plenty of solid and readable introductory material and conclusions which can easily be understood by the interested layman.This is a must read for anyone considering a career in law enforcement and criminology.

Not easy to read
If Godwin wants to reach people, he is going to have to learn to write to the audience that needs this information. Based on this book, he seems confortable with data. There is a lot of it in this book. However, it is difficult to understand and follow the wayit is written. For that reason, I don't believe that many in law enforcement will find this book helpful.

Turning Profiling from an Art toa Science
I gleaned a totally difference opinion from Dr. Godwin's book, Hunting Serial Predators than the review by Pat Brown.First of all, I think that the book demolished more than a few specific myths about current profilingapproaches - Dr. Godwin covered a broad range of approaches and showedtheir weaknesses. Obviously the reader, Pat Brown, did not read the entirebook or fully understand what she was reading.Dr. Goodwin examined forthe very first time the consistency of serial killers' crime scenebehaviors from one offense to another and showed that they are veryconsistent on an empirical foundation.This very finding explodes themyths propounded in all the literature on serial murder. While others claimthis fact might be obvious, they have not provided the literaturedemonstrating this.In regards to the grouping of behaviors, the behaviorswere not done subjectively as is the case by individual profilers who usetheir experiences and gut feelings. Rather, the behaviors were group by thecomputer analysis and each classification was defended strongly with thesupport of psychological literature.For example, Dr. Godwin found a groupof crime scene actions that revealed the aspects of serial killers whospecifically targeted and murdered their victims indoors - no other serialmurder classification does this.He also showed what the dominant focus ofserial murder is - that it was not entirely sexual. Can't quite understandhow this Pat Brown misses these very important points in the book. Also,the four case studies in the book were just used for demonstrating purposesas I understand the reading of the book.I found the book to be a strongfoundation to built a computerized linking data system for law enforcementuse using the four classification types described.I also found the way inwhich Dr. Godwin used the information in his research to profile the serialmurder case in Raleigh, North Carolina helpful.I also found the book,considering the statistical nature of the book, an easy read.

A Voice in the Wilderness
Reading the analysis of Robert Ressler it would seem that he is at odds not only with the book, but with his peers as well. Indeed the use of both inductive and deductive logic as part of the process used by the FBI hasbeen suggested by other former alumni (copy available on request if youdoubt my word) and seems well supported by the few documents or booksreleased on the subject.

The question arises what, if any, method ofempirical analysis of crime would be used to track the changes over time inMO suggested by Douglas and others.

If VICAP and HITS are not "AComplete Waste of Time" (with apologies to Monty Python) then whatexactly is the point? More directly, tell us what crimes have been solvedor reduced using it? This book discusses that.

A survey of incarceratedoffenders with a more methodical and statistically valid codebook are afocal point of this book. This is a reliable way to provide informationthat utlimately turns what some derisively consider little more thanwitchcraft into the full promise it holds. Dr. Godwins book argues themerit and methodology needed to do it.

Indeed, many of the common mythsportrayed in popular media by Ressler or Douglas are proven false inresources studied by legitimate methods included in this book. That alonewould make it worth the price.

While not belittling the work of the BSU,I would suggest that they have expropriated a significant thing whichdeserves a more complete and well founded data base. Even in the context ofvariability in human nature, the fact that former BSU alumni are able toargue typologies rather than each case as being an individual suggests somecommonality in the perpetrators.

A conclusive, unbiased study ofincarcerated offenders as well as a more relevant analysis of violent crimewill curb this annoying tendency to see a very limited few offer theirservices or expertise in this area.

I will offer that there are areaswith which I do not agree with Maurice, but he makes a clear and convincingargument for re-evaluating the way statistics are gathered, analyzed andpossibly may actually produce something worthwhile.

So long asbehavioral science continues it's foray into the judicial process, I thinka better study is called for. In the meantime, I see it as a bit lopsidedin terms of equality for both defense and prosecution (cases in Georgia andColorado notwithstanding).

Alot of Research but very confusing interpretations
I have read many books pertaining to profiling and Godwin has by far done the most research on crime scene behavior.I commend him for this but does it really take SSA to come to the conclusion that serial murderers utilizethe same behaviors in the majority of their offenses.Also one needs aPh.D in Stats to understand the majority of Godwin's discussions.Itappears to me that Godwin has attempted to mask his weak arguments, andvery difficult arguments to understand, with a whole lot of meaninglessstatistics.Statistics I might add, that are displayed on very hard toread graphs and tables.I was also very confused at how Godwin describedinductive and deductive reasoning.If I am correct, Godwin believes theFBI's method is deductive.This is anything but the truth.It is purelyan inductive process.The FBI utilizes specific behaviors in a crime sceneto develop a generalized profile.(Specific to General).Like I said,Godwin did much work but much work does not always equate to a qualitypiece of work.I also find it very hard to believe that an investigatorcan find this book useful.If a law enforcement officer can understandthis book I'd be very surprised.They have enough trouble with simplecharts and graphs.SSA would most likely be gibberish to them. ... Read more

Product Description
A practical handbook for people who want to be safe and do something.

Racial profiling does happen.And while cases where victims find themselves looking down the barrel of a policeman's gun make the six o'clock news, dozens of less extreme, yet troubling, examples occur every day.Cabs that whiz by only to be seen stopping for "safer"-looking people just up the block; being asked for multiple pieces of identification when making purchases with credit cards; being followed around a department store by salespeople and security while never being asked if they need any assistance; being detained for hours and extensively searched in an airport or train station--Driving While Black clearly defines the system officially known as CARD (class, age, race, dress) and offers advice about how to handle potentially life-threatening situations with the police, as well as recourse for readers who suspect their civil rights have been denied due to racial profiling.

A book written to save lives, Driving While Black is not just for people of color, but for anyone who likes to wear a baseball cap, baggy jeans, sneakers, and a tee shirt and finds they are often treated like a "suspect."
Amazon.com Review
It happens every day: at a seemingly routine traffic stop, a cop approaches your car with his gun drawn. You're checking out some clothes in your favorite store and notice you're being followed by security. Dressed in a business suit with arm outstretched, you watch as dozens of unoccupied cabs pass you by. A woman clutches her purse and hurriedly crosses the street when she sees you walking down the sidewalk towards her. For many African Americans, Hispanics, Muslims, and Asian Americans, such incidents are known as DWBs--Driving While Black--or examples of racial profiling. Kenneth Meeks's well-researched and disturbing book details the origins, practices, consequences, and solutions to this problem. "From a legal point of view racial profiling is tricky to prove," he writes. "Seldom do investigators recover a smoking gun with fingerprints on it. This is why a national movement has been launched by politicians of color and civil rights leaders to mandate that law enforcement agencies keep statistics of whom they are stopping, questioning, detaining, and searching." There are numerous case histories in Driving While Black, including Samuel Johnson's terrifying highway encounter with the New Jersey State Police, Amy Bowllan's Amtrak nightmare in Baltimore, and Yvette Bradley's airline ordeal, all of which involved racial profiling on a number of levels. Along with the instructive horror stories, Meeks includes nonconfrontational tips on dealing with profiling: stay calm, carry identification at all times, take names, never run, and never go to the same precinct that violated your rights to fill out a complaint form. Informed and impassioned, Meeks's book is both a practical guide and a call to arms. --Eugene Holley Jr. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Life skills material
This book provides some valuable information, not only for Blacks, but other minorities, as well as people in lower economic communities.I am using it as a small part of a life skills curriculum, for at-risk youth. It certainly presented more concepts than I expected.

Very informative
Driving While Black give accounts of racial profiling that blacks go through in shopping malls, taxicabs, and being stopped by the police for no good reason. What I think was helpful was that at the end of every chapter were addresses that's included for victims that experience profiling to write, and complain.

This book meets its stated objective well
I think the earlier review by Mr. Cooper missed the point of this book: What to do if you are stopped by the police, and more importantly, what NOT to do.The book was not written as a dissertation on race relations.

I personally have not been stopped by the police because of my race (to the best of my knowledge).However, as a Black woman who commutes to an upper class Anglo neighborhood every workday, I thought the book was very well done and informative.The section on your legal rights when you are stopped is worth the cost of the book alone. There is also a chapter called "Living While Black", which contains helpful information about what to do when dealing with the police in everyday situations.

The author is also careful to point out that one should not just jump up and say "I've been victimized because of my race", but should be careful to gather information that will be needed when making an official complaint.This is the smart thing to do.Which is better:To conduct yourself well (even in the face of stupidity on the part of a racist officer or store clerk) and be able to make a strong official complaint later or to be "right", indignant, and get arrested, ignored (who will listen to the complaints of an "out of control", angry Black person?) or even killed?We must rise above and be better than those who are so ignorant and ill-bred that they behave shamefully.

Should we have to put up with racial profiling?No!Have we gotten to "the promised land" over the past few years by simply complaining that things are unfair?No!Mr. Meeks is not trying to solve all of America's racial problems with his book.He is arming Black Americans with the knowledge they need to deal with racial inequities.For this effort, I applaud and recommend this book.

A Small piece of the Pie
Mr. Meeks provides an excellent source of dissucssion on the topic of DWB. His use of stories to alarm and alert the reader are done in such away that it covers up the major problem that we are truely facing. Mr. Meeksun-intentionally creates a smokescreen - which blurrs the reader fromtrying to figure out how to solve the real problem- racism andprejudice.

The State of Missouri recently passed racial profilinglegislation - requiring police officers to take down the CARD (Class, Age,Race, Dress) information of every person that is stopped. But the questionthat remains - and what this book does not answer or approach is what do wedo with these numbers?These numbers will not tell us anything weknow.

Even though Mr. Meeks suggest Civil Remedies to combat the problem- this is a solution - but many of the people who are victims of DWB areindigent and do not have the resources to challenge a police department.

Mr. Meeks provides the reader with a great way to deal with people whenfaced with DWB - his nonconfrontational approach provides us with apositive way to deal with the police and it can be used to other people wedeal with on a regular basis.

My final comment on this book, is that itappeared to focus on Whites vs Colors - but we all have our prejudices. Weall judge people by CARD standards.

Mr. Meeks book made a worthwhileeffort on combatting the problem of DWB - but I think this issue is a smallpart of a larger problem.

Very IMportant Book
MR.MEEKS DOES AN Excellent Job of Mentioning a TImeLess Problem.Driving WHile Black.it really does happen time&Again.No Matter what Type OF Clothes Or Car You Drive it can Happen.The Book Does A Fantastic Job on TheDo's&Don't's.Being Calm is The Most IMportant thing.Being Civil is alsoImportant.Having all of Your Paper Work&Identifications is a Must aswell.it's easy too get caught up in the storm but you have too be LeveledHeaded about the Matter.but at times it's easier said than done.MR.MeeksCovers everything really well here.Sadly Everything he Mentions Goes onTOday&We are in a New Century? ... Read more