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Charles "Sid" Heal

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In 1969, Charles “Sid” Heal joined the United States Marine Corps.  After serving a combat tour in Vietnam, he returned home, joined the Marine Corps reserve and attended college. Commander Charles “Sid” Heal began his law enforcement career in 1975 as an investigator for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.  In 1977, he joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy sheriff. During his law enforcement career, he has worked various assignments within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, including Men’s Central Jail, Firestone Station and Industry Station.

 Upon being promoted to Sergeant in 1983, Commander Heal worked at Crescenta Valley Station and the Special Enforcement Bureau. After being promoted to Lieutenant in 1989, Commander Heal worked Central Property and Evidence, Firestone Station, Lennox Station, Hall of Justice Jail, Transit Services Bureau, Walnut Station, Emergency Operations Bureau, Special Projects Unit, and Field Operations Region III Headquarters. In January 2000, he was promoted to Captain and selected to command the Special Enforcement Bureau.

 During his 35 years in the Marine Corps he has served in over 20 countries including military operations in Vietnam, Desert Storm, Somalia and Iraqi Freedom.  Charles “Sid” Heal retired from the United States Marine Corps at the rank of Chief Warrant Officer (CWO5).

 Commander Heal holds an Associate of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Pasadena City College, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Police Science and Administration from California State University, Los Angeles, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and a Master’s Degree in Management from California Polytechnic University, Pomona. He is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy.  Commander Charles “Sid” Heal is the author of Sound Doctrine: A Tactical Primer, An Illustrated Guide to Tactical Diagramming and Field Command.

 According to the book description of Field Command, “Ever wondered about the difference between a sector of fire and a field of fire?  How about command and control, information and intelligence or drifting standards and creeping missions?   Is time on your side?  What is key terrain and how do you recognize it?  Should a tactical intervention always be considered a last resort?

 What would we think of a doctor who had the latest and most sophisticated MRIs, CAT scans and X-rays but without the knowledge to interpret and understand them?  Sadly, that is the state of many tacticians in contemporary law enforcement.  It is somewhat ironic that in the most technologically advanced period in history the most conspicuous capability gap appears to be a lack of knowledge of tried and true scientific principles that can be dated back thousands of years.

 This book is a first of its kind in that it introduces and explains more than 250 time-tested, tried and true tactical concepts in an easy to understand format tightly focused on domestic law enforcement applications. Critical concepts like initiative, tempo, speed, friction, fog, and surprise are explained in detail. Commonly confused terms with distinctly different meanings and applications, such as; fields of fire vs. sectors of fire, situational awareness vs. common operational picture, main effort vs. focus of effort, centers of gravity vs. critical vulnerabilities, proximate causes vs. root causes, and many others are both defined and compared for easy understanding.

 The book is formatted to be used as both a text and a reference. For example, no footnotes are used to facilitate continuity and an easier style of reading and each of the principles is bold-printed and defined when first introduced. Many of the concepts are amplified with endnotes that provide the historical context of how they were discovered or determined. The concepts and principles are taken from tactical texts and military field manuals but are presented in scenarios that commonly confront law enforcement officers. The book includes more than 40 illustrations to elucidate and amplify key concepts and includes both a comprehensive index and "concept glossary" to facilitate reference and research.”

 According to the book description of Sound Doctrine: A Tactical Primer, “In recent years, law enforcement has suffered a number of tactical fiascoes. Besides the loss of life and deterioration in public confidence, officers and agencies have been the subject of both civil and criminal sanctions. Unlike most tactical books, which teach tactics as a "skill set", this book emphasizes an intuitive application of fundamental principles. These principles have evolved over centuries of tactical operations and form a body of "sound doctrine".

 Heal not only presents a distillation of the more than ninety tactical texts, but provides an insightful and compelling call for rethinking tactics of law enforcement. Assuming no prior experience or understanding of tactical matters, Heal draws from everyday life such as competitive games, driving, or planning a vacation to show how to reconceptualize a difficult situation. Because the fundamental concepts Heal explores apply to all types of emergencies, Sound Doctrine is suitable for not only law enforcement, but firefighters, private security, and other emergency responders.

 According to the book description of An Illustrated Guide to Tactical Diagramming: How to Determine Floor Plans from Outside Architectural Features, “This book is not about construction, although you will learn about building codes and practices. It is not about tactics, although the information gained by knowing a floor plan will undoubtedly affect them. Instead, this book is designed to provide a quick and simple method of confidently determining floor plans by using outside architectural features. It assumes no knowledge of construction or tactics and is designed to be useful whether it is read cover to cover or occasionally referred to as a reference. It provides time-tested, tried and true principles that any tactician can use to determine avenues of approach, observation and fields of fire, obstacles, and cover or concealment, not to mention where a suspect might be most vulnerable. Using this essential tool for quick and clear comprehension of tactical diagramming, even a novice tactical planner will learn to use windows, doors, vents and other clues to confidently determine interior features. After reading this book, it will be clear that the proverbial glass house is in the mind s eye!”

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