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Detective
Lieutenant Frederick Price, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (ret.), served over 33 years in law enforcement.
After discharge from the military, he joined the ranks of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Over a 33-year career
he served in a variety of law enforcement assignments including patrol, vice, and special investigations. His last five years
on the department were spent monitoring and investigating cases involving casino gaming, Asian organized crime, and terrorism,
which lends background to his writing. He is the author of the novels Lair of the Dragon and Dragon’s Ghost.
According
to the book description of Lair of the Dragon,
“It began with a simple lie. A concocted report, written by a veteran cop, to close what he thought was an unworkable
case. And it wasn't intended to hurt anyone. When Metro Detective Sergeant Chad Belmontes wraps up a case by falsely reporting
he has met with the witness, he unwittingly gives the witness an alibi for murder. Caught up in his lie, he attempts to find
the witness before his superiors can discover the truth. But the witness has vanished. And what the detective doesn't know,
but will soon learn, is that his bogus report has set in motion a scenario of death and deceit that will threaten to end his
career–and his life. The more he searches for the witness, the more complicated things become. It turns into a game
of cat and mouse leading to a ruthless Chinese crime boss who will go to any lengths to prevent Belmontes from finding the
witness and uncovering the real reason behind his mysterious disappearance.”
According
to the book description of Dragon’s Ghost,
“In a strange motel room, on the night before his wedding, retired Detective Sergeant Chad Belmontes wakens to a living
nightmare. On the bed beside him is the body of a strangled hooker, and everything
points to him as her killer. With no memory of how he got there, or who the dead
woman is, he flees the grisly scene determined to find out what really happened. To learn the answer he must— without
a badge to open doors for him—begin his own desperate search for the truth. And he must find it before the police arrest
him for murder.
With
the help of his fiancée, Cassie Wong, Belmontes turns up several leads that suggest someone has tried to frame him. But the
closer he comes to discovering the identity of the person responsible, the more incredible his situation becomes. For every clue points to a man that he knows is irrefutably dead.
A Chinese crime boss, gunned down in a Chinatown alley—and Belmontes pulled the trigger.”
Midwest Book Review said of Lair
of the Dragon, “A retired detective lieutenant, Frederick Price spent thirty-three years with the Los
Angeles County Sheriff's department. He spent time in everything from patrol to special investigations, and investigated
cases ranging from organized crime to terrorism. Lair of the Dragon is his first mystery.
Every portion of police work
involves the writing of reports. Combine this with the years spent in dangerous situations with bad guys, some life tragedies,
and an overbearing captain and you have the beginning of Lair of the Dragon. Chad Belmontes is a Metro Detective who is still
mourning the loss of his wife and child. When his supervisor threatens punitive action if he doesn't catch up on his caseload,
he fakes some reports to save his hide, never dreaming that his faked report sets up an alibi for a murderer. As he and his
friend Stan begin to dig, they uncover an organization of Triads, a Chinese mob, run by Benny Chi:
"Returning to his chair,
Wu accepted Belmontes' offered cigarette. 'Chad,' he began again, 'these are real fanatics you're dealing
with. Triad rites and ceremonies are based upon 36 Hung Mun oaths. They are...' 'Hung...what?' Belmontes interrupted.
'Blood oaths,' Wu answered. 'These oaths basically demand allegiance by all members to the Triad. As part of their
initiation ceremony, new members drink a mixture of their own and other initiates' blood. It's supposed to make them
bound for life.'"
Chad Belmontes is a marred cop who
is lovable in spite of his warts. The one thing that stands out is his basic sense of honesty and decency...even to the point
of putting his life in jeopardy for a system all too ready to pounce on one mistake. Frederick Price does a bang-up job of
creating a real police environment, which translates to overworked men who are expected to be superhuman in their pursuit
of crime and organizations. They are often outgunned and out manned, and they have to use their wits to get the better of
their adversaries. Price reminds us, via Belmontes' character, just what a thankless and dangerous job police work is.
Lair of the Dragon pulls the reader through a maze of criminals and murders that is exciting and frightening. A great read!”
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One reader of Dragon's
Ghost said, “Once again, Frederick Price has written a galvanizing book. I started reading, and couldn't
stop. This book is a roller coaster that never slows down. Action, suspense, mystery ... it's all there in Dragon's
Ghost. Price is a consummate story teller and his characters are believable and captivating. I haven't enjoyed a book
the much in a very long time.”
One reader of Dragon's
Ghost said “Price is back with a fast-moving, exciting story with his continuing character Chad Belmontes
and Chad's feisty financee Cassie Wong. I really admire her courage in dealing with the gangsters. There is no putting
this book down. I live on a Pacific Island, and I took the book with me to a fiesta, on a fishing boat, and had my wife drive
us to a wedding, so I could finish the last three chapters on the road. If you want a close-up look at American-Chinese crime,
and some romance and mystery, and some shooting and dead bodies, this is the book for you. Now that Chad has retired from
the police, and getting married, what's his next move?”
About the Los Angeles County
Sheriff’s Department
The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department
is the largest sheriff's department in the world. In addition to specialized services, such as the Sheriff's Youth Foundation,
International Liaison and Employee Support Services, the Department is divided into ten divisions, each headed by a Division
Chief.
There
are three patrol divisions (Field Operations Regions I, II and III), Custody Operations Division, Correctional Services Division,
Detective Division, Court Services Division, Technical Services Division, Office of Homeland Security, Administrative Services
Division, and Leadership and Training Division.
The Sheriff's Department of Los Angeles
County was formed in April, 1850. Elections for the office of Sheriff were held annually until 1882, when the term was increased
to two years; in 1894 the term was increased to four years. The first Sheriff of Los Angeles County was George T. Burrill
and his staff consisted of two Deputies.
Twenty-four men have served Los Angeles
County as Sheriff since 1850: nineteen were elected and six were appointed by the Board of Supervisors to serve the unexpired
term of their predecessors. Two were killed in the line of duty. Of those appointed, four were re-elected to the office. The
youngest man ever elected to the office of Sheriff was William B. Rowland, who was sworn in when he was 25 years old (in 1871),
and was re-elected three times. The record for the longest consecutive service goes to Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz, who completed
51 years in the department, from deputy in 1907, to being appointed Sheriff in 1932 and then retiring in 1958. Our previous
Los Angeles County Sheriff, Sherman Block, entered the department as a Deputy Sheriff in 1956 and continued up through the
ranks until he was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to succeed Sheriff Pitchess in 1982. In June of 1982, Sheriff Block
was elected to a full four year term as Sheriff of Los Angeles County.
Source:
lasd.org/
lasdabout.html
lasd.org/
aboutlasd/history.html
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