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Art Adkins

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Visit the Gainesville Police Department (Florida) Website.

Lieutenant Art Adkins is a 29 year veteran of law enforcement.  He began his law enforcement career on the Fort Lauderdale Police Department and then joined the Los Angeles Police Department.  During his 12 years with the Los Angeles Police Department he attained the rank of sergeant.  Lieutenant Art Adkins returned to Florida to finish his law enforcement career with the Gainesville Police Department.  He has worked a variety of assignments including patrol, detectives, administration, vice, bunco-forgery.  Moreover, as a sergeant he has supervised both investigative and administrative police units.  Lieutenant Art Adkins is the author of The Oasis Project and his newest book Power Grid.  

According to the description of Power Grid, “Slade Lockwood, retired LAPD Deputy Chief and hero of The Oasis Project, returns in Power Grid to grant the cryptic wishes of a dying man. Trying to discover a secret power source which may have constructed architectural wonders of antiquity and destroyed Atlantis 11,000 years before, Slade finds that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Cast into an arena of international intrigue, he races against time and around the world to unravel the mystery of Power Grid and to keep it out of the hands of corrupt government officials and nations intent on turning an ancient technology into a modern weapon of war. As the clues to Power Grid are revealed, will Slade succeed in his mission to make the secrets of the past remain in the past? The future of the Earth may well depend on it.”

According to the book description of The Oasis Project, “Why were they murdered? Shirley Waterbury does not believe her family's death was accidental. Shirley knows her father was too meticulous and too cautious and knew the sea too well to attempt to sail during an approaching hurricane. The sea was his life, and he would never jeopardize the welfare of her mother and her brother, Billy. She knows they were murdered, but with no indication of foul play, no one will investigate a tragedy classified as an accident.

Enter Slade Lockwood, a decorated twenty-year veteran of the LAPD, who returned to Cedar Key to find what he lost in law enforcement: himself. His reluctant acceptance to investigate the deaths of Shirley's family members will take him on a journey across America, where he finally finds what he has lost while unraveling the mystery behind the murders - a prize so priceless, it will rival Einstein and become the greatest gift ever bestowed upon the human race! The face of the world could change, and billions are at stake as Slade races against time to bring a ruthless killer to justice!

The Midwest Book Review said of The Oasis Project, “A motive can be the hardest thing to figure out when investigating a homicide.”The Oasis Project" follows Shirley Waterbury as she deals with the catastrophe of her family's death. Although the tragedy is ruled an accident, she refuses to believe it and wants to bring those responsible to justice. She finds support in a grizzled old cop who needs answers to why he does what he does anymore, and who thinks there may be something to Shirley's theory. A riveting mystery all the way through, "The Oasis Project" is a grade-A pick for community library mystery collections.”

A reader of The Oasis Project said, “From the first words on the first page, the adventure will grip you and absorb you. The Oasis Project has likeable characters and you will want to cheer for the hero, Slade Lockwood. The plot will draw you in and keep you until the climatic finish. If you're familiar with Central Florida, you will recognize many of the locales used in this story. The description and atmosphere used to describe Cedar Key will inspire you to travel to the quaint little town.  Art Adkins has a unique gift to tell a story and bring the characters to life. I look forward to seeing his name linked with other great writers of our time.”

One reader of The Oasis Project said, “I usually don't read fiction, and seldom read "who-done-its". I look for reading matter where I can learn something. But someone lent me a recent novel that I started, put down, then picked up and did not put it down again until I had finished the book.  It is a who-done-it written by a former California policeman, but, for the most part, set in Cedar Key. It has several murders, a Florida hurricane, and a sassy Cedar Key pelican.   The author knows his police work and I did indeed learn a great deal about forensic science.   The book is very close to the truth, especially in its description of Cedar Key-- Remember what you have heard about the drop-off into the Gulf from Cedar Key airport?  I do not want to spoil the story for you so I will not touch on the plot; I just may read it again.”

One reader of The Oasis Project said, “I met the author in a book store and after he told me about the book, he graciously signed it. When I started the book, I was a bit skeptical.. I prefer to read books by writers I know. There are no words to describe how delightfully surprised I was. His prose description of characters and places drew me right it. That's right, I could not put it down. Mr. Adkins has woven a story unlike any other mystery I've read. When I finished with a rapidly beating heart, I was sad it was over. That, dear friends is the best sign of a great book.... Way to go Mr. Adkins, cannot wait for the next one!”


Power Grid
Art Adkins  More Info

The Oasis Project
Art Adkins  More Info

Art Adkins' January 2010 Newsletter

Art Adkins March 2010 Newsletter

About the Gainesville Police Department

According to the Gainesville Police Department, “The City of Gainesville received its name in September, 1853, when the County Commission provided a site for a new town and moved the County Seat of Alachua County from what was once Newnansville.  Gainesville was named in honor of General Edmund Pendleton Gaines who was the captor of Aaron Burr and who commanded the forces fighting against the Indians during the Second Seminole War. 

 

The City of Gainesville was incorporated on April 15, 1869, with a mayor and council-style government. That same month, the first town marshal, P. Shemwell, was elected, with 56 of the 93 votes polled.  In 1919, the title of Marshall was changed to Chief of Police, a title which was more honorary than actual, for the department consisted of one man - the Chief.”

 

Today, the Gainesville Police Department is a full service law enforcement agency employing more than 240 police officers.  The Gainesville Police Department is organized into three bureaus: Administration, Operations and Investigations.  The Administration Bureau consists of The Personnel Division; Public Information Office; Support Service Division: Operational Skills Unit; Professional Standards Division; Fiscal Division; Internal Affairs Division; and, Technical Services.

 

The Operations Bureau of the Gainesville Police Department consists of Patrol (organized in three districts), Crime Analysis, Community Resources, Police Service Technicians; Special Programs and Analysis Division; Specialty Units; Front Desk; Traffic Safety Team and School Crossing Guards.

 

According to the Gainesville Police Department the Police Service Technicians’ responsibilities are to “respond to calls for service in the field where it has been predetermined that the call is not in-progress and non-confrontational.  Examples of such incidents would be after-the-fact burglaries, vehicle crashes, and forgeries.  Proactive time is spent enforcing parking violations.  Each PST is trained as an evidence technician and attends advanced courses such as Traffic Homicide Investigation and Reconstruction.  PSTs handle many administrative tasks as well as public fingerprinting requests.”

 

The Investigations Bureau of the Gainesville Police Department consists of Crime Investigations, Special Investigations and Crime Victim Advocate.  According to the Gainesville Police Department, the Special Investigations Unit, “investigates illegal drug activity at three levels. The Narcotics Unit investigates street-level drug crimes that occur throughout the City of Gainesville. Detectives assigned to the street-level Narcotics Unit identify and arrest subjects who are selling drugs in neighborhoods and affecting the quality of life for the residents in the area. Most enforcement of street-level drug crimes is done through undercover drug buys. The drug buys usually result in the arrest of the drug dealer and/or a search warrant being served on the location where the drug activity is occurring.”

 

Source:

gainesvillepd

© 2006 - 2012 Raymond E. Foster, Hi Tech Criminal Justice

 

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