John Roland, 49, died in surgery after a shooting in West Palm Beach. Police deputies were dispatched to a disturbance in the 4600 block of Myla Lane, but just before arriving at the scene, dispatch received a 911 call from a nearby Subway restaurant regarding a shooting victim entering the restaurant. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue transported the victim to a local hospital for treatment, but he died in surgery a little while later. More … [Read more...]
Neighborhood Blames ‘Squatters’ In Fatal Shooting
Neighbors claim a man’s death might not have happened last Tuesday if the city had listened to their cries for help with the rundown squatter home in the neighborhood. The house was an eyesore with an overgrown lawn and broken-in windows. Residents of the Northwood Hills Historic District say the house has been filled with squatters since the owner died a few months ago. Yet despite their many calls for help to police and city officials, the … [Read more...]
A Palm Beach Murder From My True Crime Book, DADDY’S LITTLE SECRET
Rodney Clark, a fifty-year-old man from Jackson, Miss., is being tried in Palm Beach this week after being charged with first-degree murder in the 1987 death of Dana Fader. It will be the first death penalty case to be tried in the county since Florida got a new death penalty law in March. This is a Palm Beach murder from my true crime book, Daddy’s Little Secret: “Detective Venetucci was not just a dedicated detective, he was also the drummer … [Read more...]
Dennis Flynn Gives A Brief History of Hostage Negotiations
The subject of ‘hostage negotiations’, or more commonly referred to by most agencies due to its accuracy as ‘crisis negotiations’, is a relatively new police concept, beginning in the early 1970’s. Considering the City of Boston began using night watchmen in the 1630’s and centralized policing started in the 1830’s, less than fifty years is relatively new. It is argued that hostage negotiations began in New York City during the early 1970’s. … [Read more...]
Author Dennis Flynn on Being A Crisis Negotiator and Why He Wrote HELD HOSTAGE
The topic of hostage/crisis negotiations has always been intriguing to me. As a young police officer, I was involved in several “stand-offs” (which is the media’s terminology for police usually dealing with a barricaded or suicidal individual). We would do our best to resolve the situation but the person we dealt with held the cards. They were the ones inside the house/business/car refusing to come out and we knew if we used force to get them … [Read more...]
Forest Through the Trees: Author Dennis Flynn Opens Up About PTSD and the Loss of His Son
There was one topic I had considered including in the book but as I sat down to write it, the wounds were too fresh so I intentionally left it out. Since it has been just over a year and a half, and the wounds have slowly begun to heal I wanted to discuss it in hopes that it will allow someone to get the help they need. The topic is that of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD. PTSD is a condition many relate to military personnel but it … [Read more...]
Dennis Flynn
Dennis Flynn retired from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department after 30 years. Following his assignment in patrol, Dennis spent the majority of his career working in undercover and investigative assignments. During his tenure with the Department, he promoted several times; first to Detective, then Sergeant, and eventually to Lieutenant. As a Lieutenant he worked a variety of assignments including as the Swing Shift Commander for the Las … [Read more...]
Dennis Flynn Gives An Inside Look Into the Work of Las Vegas’ Crisis Negotiations Team in HELD HOSTAGE
What do officers say to a hostage taker to have their hostage released unharmed? What can a suicidal subject be told to prevent them from ending their own life? Lieutenant Dennis Flynn spent nearly two decades responding to hostage situations, armed barricaded subjects, and suicidal individuals in Las Vegas. Many of these events occurred beneath the glitter of the Las Vegas strip! His informative book provides a view behind the scenes of … [Read more...]
Read What Soldiers Are Saying About SAVING SANDOVAL
"Great book, unbelievable story. I spent 5 years in the Army and ROE and SOP's are drummed into everyone's head from the 1st day. It was upsetting to see what they put this kid (and his family and friends) through. Drummond deserves a handshake and a beer for his defense of what was clearly a bad situation. The book clearly walks you through the events leading to charges being brought, then clearly walks your through the defense teams actions and … [Read more...]
SAVING SANDOVAL Reveals the True Story of the U.S. Army Sniper Tried For Murder After A Shooting on the Battlefields of Iraq
Saving Sandoval is the true account of the defense of U.S. Army Specialist Jorge G. Sandoval, Jr. Sandoval, a 22-year old infantry paratrooper deployed to the forward operating base of Iskan during the enemy uprisings of 2007 in Iraq. Iskan was located in the “Triangle of Death,” which at the time was the most dangerous area in Iraq; arguably the world. Sandoval’s unit began to take heavy casualties during the increased violence in the region. As … [Read more...]
