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William Harmening
William Harmening is a multi-published author who has written everything from children's books to some of the most widely used college textbooks in the areas of forensic psychology and criminal justice. Having retired after 37 years as an Illinois law enforcement officer and two decades teaching forensic psychology and criminology at various colleges and universities, including Washington University in St. Louis, he now lives in rural Tennessee and writes on a full-time basis. He can also be found testifying as an expert witness in courtrooms all across the U.S. on the subject of police use of force. He served as the plaintiff's expert in the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Missouri, as well as in the more recent case of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn. He has dedicated this part of his life to promoting needed change to and restoring the public's faith in the law enforcement profession
FEATURED BOOKS
THE GOLDEN SWORD
Looking for a great book for your middle-aged reader?
Aaric is the young son of a Viking clan leader, but he lacks the warrior spirit expected of a Viking boy. He is more at home in the forest communing with the animals or sailing alone on the deep fjord near his village. It is a troubled time for the Viking clans of the north. Without a king to unify them, there is constant strike, and Aaric fears that his clan will be attacked. It is during a contentious council of the clan leaders that Aaric learns from an old sage of the existence of a golden sword that once belonged to King Haldor, a near mythical figure of times past who disappeared while battling the last dragon of the evil sorcerer, Valgaard. The sage tells Aaric that whoever possesses the golden sword will have the blessing of the gods as the true king of all the Viking clans.
The Golden Sword chronicles the journey of Aaric and a young Celtic slave girl named Kira to retrieve the sword for his father in hopes of bringing peace to the clans and proving himself worthy in his father's eyes. It is the story of two young people struggling for acceptance in a world that has been harsh on both, and how overcoming danger and adversity draws them closer and allows them to discover the courage and greatness that is in each of us.
IngramSpark Publishing 2022
Hardbound $18.95
No. 1 on Amazon.com! (Category: Criminal Law and Procedure New Releases, 11/27/2021)
How many times have you read a news story about someone being shot by the police while reaching for their waistband? Or about an officer who testified at trial that the person he shot during a physical struggle had superhuman strength or a thousand-yard stare in his eyes? And how many times have you watched a police chief or sheriff during a press conference invoke the “21-foot rule” to justify their officer’s killing of a mentally ill person with a knife?
These and a host of other verbal devices are what author William Harmening calls the “deadly force script.” It is a strategy that has been employed with great success by the law enforcement community in the decades following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Tennessee v. Garner (1985), the case that for the first time placed significant restrictions on a police officer’s use of deadly force. It is a strategy that has gone relatively unnoticed by the general public, the media, elected prosecutors, and the judges and juries who must rule on the reasonableness of an officer’s actions.
Now, perhaps for the very first time, William Harmening pulls back the veil to expose the deadly force script for all to see. He does this in a unique and informative way by presenting actual case studies where the script was employed following a deadly police encounter, typically right under the unsuspecting noses of local media and the prosecutor tasked with deciding whether to criminally charge the officers involved. Anyone with an interest in the twin ideals of an equitable system of justice and a professional and bias-free police force will find this book both fascinating and enlightening.