Bryan Vila was a member of the United States Marine Corps from 1964 to 1967. His military service included a tour in Vietnam.  In 1969, Bryan Vila joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.  By the time he left the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in 1978, he had attained the rank of sergeant.  He continued this law enforcement career for “six years as a police chief helping the emerging nations of Micronesia develop innovative law enforcement strategies, and two years in Washington, D.C., as a federal law enforcement officer.”  Currently, “Bryan Vila, PhD, is a professor of criminal justice at WSU Spokane. Prior to joining WSU in July of 2005, he directed the Division of Crime Control and Prevention Research at the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice.”

Bryan Vila is the co-author of two books: Capital Punishment in the United States: A Documentary History, and The Role of Police in American Society: A Documentary History.  He is also the author of Tired Cops: The Importance of Managing Police Fatigue.

According to the book description of Capital Punishment in the United States: A Documentary History, “Both sides of the highly charged capital punishment debate in the United States are examined in this breakthrough collection of 112 key documents, arranged by historical period. The political and social aspects of the debate are represented through a wide range of documents, including congressional hearings, Supreme Court decisions, position papers, biographical accounts, and news stories. An explanatory introduction precedes each document to help readers understand how various and seemingly unrelated social, economic, and political factors have impacted public attitudes, legislation, and judicial decisions pertaining to capital punishment.”

One reader of Capital Punishment in the United States: A Documentary History said, “This book by Vila and Morris provides a uniquely impartial look at capital punishment in the USA through the words of the people who have most influenced the evolution of the debate during the past 3.5 centuries; and the editors use excerpts from more than 100 original source documents to accomplish this mission. Instead of telling us what to believe, they help us to develop our own opinions by providing these excerpts covering a variety of perspectives, and describing the political, social, and economic context in which the documents were recorded. We find that the volume is divided into six chapters - each covering a different era in the evolution of the death penalty debate. I found that there was a balanced selection of documents from a myriad of perspectives, and the materials were presented in a non-adversarial way. I enjoyed the book immensely. Who can use this book? First of all, political and human rights activists like myself, and of course, researchers, students, educators, speechwriters, members of the Criminal Justice System, prisoners, and concerned citizens. The book is well worth "a read" over several evenings, and will make us more aware of the highly charged issues dealing with capital punishment.”

The Library Journal Said of The Role of Police in American Society: A Documentary History, “Policing deals with central issues of social control. Vila and Bryan (Capital Punishment in the United States: A Documentary History, Greenwood, 1997) have produced a documentary history of policing in America and provide a chronological analysis of "how the issues, concerns, and ideals of police officers, chiefs, reformers, and researchers have changed over time." Their careful selection of important primary documents ranges from early police activities in 17th- and 18th-century America through conflicting expectations of the police role from the 1960s to the present. Each of the seven parts contains a brief introductory essay that outlines main themes found in the 95 documents. Most of these are summarized in two or three pages and represent a variety of viewpoints. This book is part of a series that makes available in one volume key primary documents on a given historical event or contemporary issue. Criminal justice practitioners and professionals can use this to identify key trends, and the general public will gain an understanding of changing police roles in American society.”

One reader of The Role of Police in American Society: A Documentary History said, “If you have a dual interest in history and law enforcement, this is the book for you. This volume chronicles the history of USA policing from colonial times to present, via 95 original documents. Each document includes an introduction placing it in a historical, social, and political context, often including very interesting biographical information. Unlike most books on the history of the police, this book tells the story in the words of the people who were involved in the struggle to enforce the laws, uphold the ever-changing Constitution, maintain safe and stable communities, and create truly efficient and effective police. Because the views are from a variety of perspectives, the reader is encouraged to decide for himself or herself what the role of the police should be, or what it will become. Special features include a timeline of important events in the history of policing in the United States, a glossary of legal and other terms in the book, a listing of police and police-related groups and organizations, US Supreme Court cases relevant to the role of the police, as well as a select bibliography of books, articles, and other particularly useful documents. In general, I found that the book did an excellent job in discussing the changing role of police in our history, and that we come to understand that the police are a reflection of the society in its position on the timeline, i.e., in a poetic sense, "a direct reflection of society's heart". The book is an important source of facts, figures, and quotes on American policing for researchers, police scholars and students, police chiefs and police officers, teachers, journalists, government officials, and especially for those who enjoy history, as well as being passionate about law enforcement issues. I liked the book and would recommend it to fellow law enforcement officers.”

The Role of Police in American Society: A Documentary History (Primary Documents in American History and Contemporary Issues) Bryan Vila  More Info Capital Punishment in the United States: A Documentary History (Primary Documents in American History and Contemporary Issues) Greenwood Press  More Info Tired Cops: The Importance of Managing Police Fatigue Bryan Vila  More Info

According to a reader of Tired Cops: The Importance of Managing Police Fatigue, “For many reasons discussed in this book, Dr. Vila espouses the theme, "good cops don't let tired cops hit the streets." He presents a well-written and documented book that encourages law enforcement officers at all levels to make proper sleep and rest as important in survival as training with firearms and the safe operation of vehicles. Vila's research and studies show that fatigue from sleep loss, disruption of natural body rhythms (circadian), and other factors, such as diet and overtime, can have serious negative effects. For one thing, fatigue worsens mood; tired police officers get irritable and short-tempered just like other people. Fatigue also may increase the possibility of officers involved in official misconduct and jeopardizing the positive relations between themselves and their families, and eventually the community. I sincerely believe that law enforcement agencies should add this book to their libraries for research, reference, and as a tool to explain uncharacteristic behaviors of some officer. Dr. Vila did a good job with this one.”

According to a reader of Tired Cops: The Importance of Managing Police Fatigue, “I am a student at the University of Wyoming and for a readings class with Bryan Vila, he gave me this book and told me to read it and write a paper on it. So, maybe this review is a little biased, but it is an honest review. Dr. Vila had talked about his research for this book numerous times over the past several years in the classes I've taken from him, but this was the first chance I had to read any of the material he had gathered and written down. It all came together in this book. And everything he said and found in his research is 100% true and accurate. The book is well composed and I was excited to see the finished product of all his hard research over the years. It all came together nicely Bryan, and it is a great start. I know you still want to do so much more with this topic. Thanks for being such a great teacher and I look forward to working with you more as I pursue a masters.”