Also Been Reading Some Science Fiction

To cleanse the palate between courses...

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville Steam-punk, science-fiction, mytho-poetic, horror-fantasy novels aren't my usual thing but Mieville is so viciously skilled a writer he makes it work even for me.

The Engines of God by Jack McDevitt A well-paced read. Priscilla Hutchins is an interesting enough character I may come back for more.

3001: The Final Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

Otherwise, I'm still chewing on the serious stuff; The Radicalism of the American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood (almost done), the Bible (Exodus 23:19...), and From Babylon to Bethlehem: The Jewish People from the Exile to the Messiah by H.L. Ellison (just started).

Been Reading...

...more that I care to on targeted school shootings at institutions of higher education.

I suppose it's a good thing such exotic violence is so rare. If early detection, intervention, and treatment fail, the policy, training, and equipment needed for mitigation are daunting. Here's the bibliography for a report we've been working on:

Aveni, T. (2003) Officer-Involved Shootings: What We Didn’t Know Has Hurt Us. The Police Policy Studies Council, August 2003. http://www.theppsc.org/Staff_Views/Aveni/OIS.pdf   

Blair, J. and Martaindale, M. (2013) United States Active Shooter Events from 2000 to 2010: Training and Equipment Applications.  Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training, Texas State University, 2013 http://alerrt.org/files/research/ActiveShooterEvents.pdf  

Counterterrorism Bureau of the New York City Police Department. (2012) Active Shooter Recommendations and Analysis for Risk Mitigation. NYPD Printing Section, 2012 http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/downloads/pdf/counterterrorism/ActiveShooter2012Edition.pdf

Drysdale, D., Modzeleski, W., and Simons, A. (2010). Campus Attacks: Targeted Violence Affecting Institutions of Higher Education. U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, U.S. Department of Education, and Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice. Washington, D.C., 2010. http://www.secretservice.gov/ntac/CampusAttacks041610.pdf

Farren, K. (2013) Justifying Weapon Mounted Lights. IALEFI, Control 13-11 www.ialefi.com/2013editorial/13-11%20Farren.doc

Good. J. (2014) The Deployment of Illumination Tools: Law Enforcement Primer. Night Reaper Systems, 2014.  http://www.shastadefense.com/NR-lowlight-manual-2014.pdf

IACP National Law Enforcement Policy Center Board. (2007) The Patrol Rifle: Considerations for Adoption and Use. The Police Chief, February 2007. http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/issues/22007/pdfs/ThePatrolRifle.pdf

List of School Shootings in the United States. (n.d.)  In Wikipedia.  Accessed April 10, 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_shootings_in_the_United_States 

Paparazzo, J., Eith C., and Tocco, J. (2013) Strategic Approaches to Preventing Multiple Casualty Violence: Report on the National Summit on Multiple Casualty Shootings. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2013.. http://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0707-pub.pdf

Schweit, K. (2013) Addressing the Problem of the Active Shooter. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, May 2013. http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcement-bulletin/2013/May/active-shooter

Smith, L and Supiano, B. (2008) Major Shootings on American College Campuses. Chronicle of Higher Education. Februay 18, 2008. http://chronicle.com/article/Major-Shootings-on-American/22373/

Timeline of Worldwide School and Mass Shootings: Gun-related tragedies in the U.S. and around the world. (n.d.) Information Please Database, Pearson Education, Inc. Accessed April 10, 2014.  http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0777958.html#ixzz2H0tChjfr

United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation.  (2013).  Crime in the United States, September 2013.  Retrieved April 10, 2014, from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012  

Vossekuil, B., Fein, R., Reddy, M., Borum, R., and Modzeleski, W. (2002) The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States. United States Secret Service and United States Department of Education, May 2002. http://www.secretservice.gov/ntac/ssi_final_report.pdf

Photo credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Whitman