Code 4: A Civilian's Guide to Safe Encounters With the Police (Author Interview)





Code 4 looks like a great guide for people in police encounters.  Any plans to release similarly themed books?
My immediate plan is to ensure that Code 4 is significantly marketed so that it has a positive impact on the maximum number of lives.  Once I am comfortable with the number of young people being exposed to the information in the book, I will use customer feedback to determine the next course of action.

What will readers get out of your guide?    
The primary lesson that I hope readers will learn is that law enforcement officers never respond to our intentions.  Rather, they respond to their perceptions of our actions.  In one well-publicized case that is covered in Code 4,  a motorist with a concealed carry permit told a police officer that he had a gun – but didn’t mention the fact that he could legally carry a firearm.  The “I have a gun” statement put the officer on high alert and within 40 seconds of the statement, that innocent young man was fatally shot.

How did you come up with the concepts and ideas in Code 4?   
The NFL players kneeling protests inspired me to write Code 4.   As a proud U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, I love our country and respect our flag.  I was raised in the inner city and starting at age 14, dozens of my friends were beaten or killed by police during various encounters.  So, I clearly understood the statement that NFL players from similar backgrounds were trying to make.   Since the players chose to protest during the National Anthem, I also understood why a lot of people with different life-experiences were offended.

When did you decide to become a writer?
I have wanted to write books since I left the Military.  However, raising a family and running a small business never allowed me enough free time to focus on writing.

When writing Code 4, did anything stand out as particularly challenging
The most challenging part of writing this book was ensuring it would be true to the issues without being perceived as gratuitously negative against Law Enforcement.  Since many young people do not enjoy reading books as much as previous generations, I also felt the need to minimize the number of pages in the guide while making sure the most critical information was covered.


How did you come up with the concepts and ideas in Code 4?  
Code 4 is police jargon for “everything is under control”, and that is the ideal situation for every encounter with law enforcement.  To improve the chances of that happening, there are a few rules-of-engagement every civilian should understand.  To help develop this understanding, I have put a Safe Police Encounters Quiz on my website at https://code4book.com/quiz.

The book and online quiz provide readers the opportunity to develop skills for safely interacting with police and effectively exercising their rights during those interactions. For example, if a police officer asks for permission to search your car, most people do not know they have the legal right to politely refuse.  But if you chose to give them permission and they find anything illegal that a passenger may have left under the seat, you may be arrested and charged with a crime.  

What do you like to do when not writing? 
When I am not writing, I am usually pretty busy developing computer software and running my Software Development Company.

How can readers discover more about you and your work? 


My website code4book.com provides additional information about me, a few of my life experiences and, of course, information about the book.
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