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POCKET PARTNER
A Book Review by James Bell Jr.
Sequoia Publishing
9903 Titan Court
Suite 16
Littleton, C0 80125
888-932-1500 [VOICE]
http://www.sequoiapublishing.com
Sometimes, when on duty, you will find the need for some small piece of uncommon information - things like HAZ-MAT material identification numbers, information on photographing crime scenes, and just refresher information on things you have learned before.
Sometimes, that information can be hard to come by, or you need to make a call to someone that has it when time may be very limited. It would be nice to have a partner with all of that information, but sometimes it's your partner asking for the information - and you are as stumped as he/she is.
I recently found out about a VERY small book packed with tons of this type of information. It's called the POCKET PARTNER, and I found it highly useful for both LEO's and Contract Security Officers.
The POCKET PARTNER measures 5 3/8" high, 3 1/4" wide, and 5/8" deep. It contains over 576 pages of information useful to those in Law Enforcement, Security, and other emergency services work.
It was written by Dennis Evers, a 12-year veteran with a degree in Criminology. His experience obviously made it easy for him to include a great deal of useful information with little or no fluff.
Among the information contained is a small Spanish-English dictionary of common phrases used by LEO's [the Miranda Advisement & waiver, common traffic stop and pat down questions, drug names, etc.]. This has been quite helpful for me as my second language is Portugues, not Spanish. They are NOT the same!
There is also a ASL [American Sign Language] alphabet, Morse Code alphabet, and a list of SWAT hand signals. For those applying for a SWAT position, this is something to be familiar with.
The next section details identifying traits of child abuse, and has a section on missing children - including relevant telephone numbers for each state.
Weights and measures conversions are also included, as is a nifty little section detailing Social Security Numbers as allocated to states. The first three digits indicate the state of residence at time of issuance. If you think something is "hinky", this is just another quick check you can make.
Evidence collection, search patterns, and other related items are covered, as are explosives. Another neat section is the one on controlled substances. It even has a druggie dictionary - listing the street names and the actual substance names they refer to. I hadn't seen some of them listed here, and if it wasn't about drugs it would almost be funny.
A section on firearms, bullet proof vests, and gun laws is also included.
Pages 239 through 258 cover basic first-aid for different situations.
Pages 295 to 550 are dedicated to HAZ-MAT information. This might prove very enlightening to those CSR's out there who work in areas where they may not always be told everything about the materials around them. It includes the designations used on placards for the Hazardous Materials Information System [HMIS] and the National Fire Protection Association [NFPA] Diamond. Both of these are used to identify hazardous materials located on-site for storage. It also includes the DOT triangles. A complete guide to most classes and many specific agents is included. For each - Fire/Explosion Risks, Health Risks, Protective Clothing Recommendations, and Evacuation Distances are listed. I'm one of those who has already found this VERY informative.
In the last section, a calendar for 2000 through 2002 is included, as well as a complete index.
If you are new to the job, or if you have been on the force for a long time, this is a handy little reference. I was lucky enough to find out about it. Keep it in your pocket, or your glove box,. I recommend it highly.
.-- James Bell Jr. - THE COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY REVIEW