Saturday, March 26, 2016

Dr. Eric Hickey is Visiting San Joaquin Sisters in Crime

    





ERIC W. HICKEY, Ph.D.
                                                      Criminologist & Consultant
                                           Mobile 559-676-0711
   Eric.Hickey2@waldenu.edu
            erichickey.com

                                             BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Dr. Eric Hickey is a professor and core faculty member in Walden University’s Forensic Psychology graduate programs. As the former Dean of the California School of Forensic Studies at Alliant International University and Professor Emeritus at California State University, Fresno, Dr. Hickey has taught many courses involving the psychology of crime. Some of the topics explored include serial and mass murder, criminal paraphilia and sexual predators, crime scene investigations, psychopathy and criminal personalities, arson and fire-setting, threat assessment and risk management, school and workplace violence prevention and victimology.  He has also taught seminars at several universities and colleges, as well as for jail and prison staff trainings and supervises theses and dissertations involving forensic psychology.

Dr. Hickey has considerable field experience working with the criminally insane, psychopaths, sex offenders and other habitual criminals. He consults with private agencies and testifies as an expert witness in both criminal and civil cases involving sex crimes against children and adults, criminal paraphilia, stalking, homicide, domestic violence and serial crimes. A former consultant to the FBI's UNABOM Task Force, Dr. Hickey assists local, state, and federal law enforcement in training and investigations as well as assisting in the review of cold case files. His seminars for law enforcement and mental health practitioners focus on profiling, investigation, classification and prevention of sex crimes, arson, robbery, homicide, stalking, workplace violence and domestic terrorism.  He has worked with California’s Peace Officer Service Training (POST) in developing course material and job aids for investigators. Dr. Hickey is also an Independent Contractor with Robson Forensics; Atrium Services; and ForensisGroup.   

An international survey (2014) identified Dr. Hickey as one of the top 30 active forensic experts in the world. He has conducted seminars in countries throughout Europe, Asia and North America and has trained VIP protection specialists in Israel in profiling stalkers and conducting threat assessments and interventions. He currently collaborates with the Swiss School of Management centered in Rome, Italy to facilitate international training for students interested in forensic professional practice.  His expertise is chronicled in dozens of television documentaries including appearances on CNN, History Channel, NPR, Larry King Live, 20/20, A&E Biography, Oxygen, Reelz, Good Morning America, CBC, True TV, Discovery, OWN and TLC.


Dr. Hickey is a member of the Society of Police and Criminal Psychology (SPCP) and currently the Editor-in-Chief for their Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology (JPCP). He has also published several books and articles on the etiology of violence and serial crime. His most frequently cited book, Serial Murderers and Their Victims, 7th ed., 2015 (Wadsworth-Cengage Publishers), is used as a teaching tool in universities and by law enforcement in studying the nature of violence, criminal personalities and victim-offender relationships. His current research focuses upon the development of his theory of relational paraphilic attachment (RPA) and sexual predators. Dr. Hickey is also currently in a collaborative study that assesses psychopathy levels in American serial killers. Another of his recent works is the co-edited book, Understanding Necrophilia: A Global Interdisciplinary Approach, 2016 (Cognella), that explores through the eyes of noted experts, some of the darkest criminal behaviors known to mankind.

We've been honored to have Dr. Hickey as a speaker several times, and I recommend that everyone who possibly can, come to hear him.


Scene of the Crime
Yosemite Falls Restaurant      On Ashlan, West side of 99     EARLY START at 10:00 am
SATURDAY April 2, 2016. – Please come early by 9:45 so we can start on time.

NOTE NEW LUNCH PRICES         Members - $16.50      Visitors - $21.50
**NOTE:  We will be served a choice of BBQ Burger, Chicken Fajita Salad, or Hot Turkey Sandwish


RESERVATION PROCEDURE
RSVP by Wednesday before the meeting
If you can, we highly encourage you email your reservation instead of phoning it in, Thanks.
NOTE:  please put your lunch choice on subject line
Do not log on to the website, simply send email to the above address.
IF YOU CAN NOT EMAIL Please call 559-431-0360 
AND LEAVE VOICEMAIL
with your name & choice of lunch.
Dial carefully, there is no greeting announcing SJ SinC.

Friday, March 18, 2016

MATT COYLE: "OVERNIGHT SUCCESS" by Sunny Frazier


When San Diego author Matt Coyle spoke to the San Joaquin Sisters-in-Crime last weekend, he confided that his path to publication took 13 years to accomplish. He dreamed of being a writer since age 12 but his epiphany was “to write a book you actually have to write.” He explained his Irish heritage of guilt, regret and unfulfilled potential finally propelled him to try his hand at a novel. The game plan was to write a book, sell it, get a home in La Jolla and become famous. The book was done in five months.

What he didn’t realize, as he explained to the group, is that 80% of agents will ignore a budding author. He discovered there was much negativity in the publishing world. Maybe taking a writing class would help. Under the tutelage of mystery author Carolyn Wheat, Coyle took 3 years to revise. He received “a very close rejection.” Wheat gave him 12 single-spaced pages of “suggestions” and it took a few more years to polish the manuscript.

Persistence paid off as “Yesterday’s Echo” went on to win the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, the Ben Franklin Silver Award and the San Diego Book Award. He scored high praise for his second book, “Night Tremors” from mystery masters Robert Crais and T. Jefferson Parker.

Coyle had excellent advice for the group. He suggested signing up for writers’ conferences where agents attend and, with a fee of about $50, five pages can be submitted for their input and interest. One-on-one sessions last approximately 15 minutes. While in the past agents were willing to work with an author, now they expect the manuscript to be polished and ready to go. Do your research before going to a conference and before meeting authors. By attending book signings and conferences, published authors will start recognizing you and perhaps start talking with you.

It’s all about networking and it can make a difference!  

Editor's Note:

This is great advice.

     

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

AUTHOR DAVID PUTNAM GETS “VIOLENT” by Sunny Frazier


On March 5, Southern California author David Putnam spoke to the San Joaquin Valley Sisters-in-Crime on the Anatomy of Violence: What It Takes to Shoot a Person.

Putnam explained there were three criteria for an officer discharging a service weapon: the legal right, the moral right and the emotional ability to pull the trigger.  His speech was illustrated by stories from his 31 years in law enforcement.

His family background includes a father who was a deputy sheriff and an aunt who had her husband assassinated. The Mexican mafia later kidnapped his cousins. Still craving excitement, Putnam first joined the Ontario PD, then the LA County Sheriffs, San Bernardino SO and worked in Hawaii at the real Five-O.  He worked patrol, SWAT and Violent Crimes Team with the FBI.

Putnam described true scenarios and then quizzed the members whether they would shoot a criminal under the circumstances. Most of us were too quick to pull the trigger. What we discovered is the gray area and split-second decisions a law enforcement officer is forced to make.

We also learned terms such as “pain compliance,” which is twisting limbs until the suspect is controlled. Ruse and subterfuge are allowed, so Putnam often went undercover posing as a truck driver. Another time he suspected the suspect was at his girlfriend’s house and pretended to be with Welfare to find out.

Putnam’s experience with being shot at started as a cadet in 1978. It was his first two weeks and he was on a ride-along when he and the officer stopped for donuts (yes, they really do that!). Dispatch radioed an attempt murder across the street from their location. The four suspects were just pulling away from the scene. A fight ensued and, with a backup patrol unit, all were arrested.

In one year on the beat in LA, Putnam was involved with 6 shootings. “Once I pull the trigger, the training is doing the shooting,” Putnam said. In Southern California there are approximately 2400 bank robberies a year. After training in Quantico, Putnam became adept at figuring out where robbers would go after the crime and started tracking armed robbers on his own.

Turning his crime fighting skills into crime writing makes for a less exciting life but definitely a safer one.