The author, Joseph Brauer is a veteran of foreign wars, having served in the United States Marine Corps from 1970-1972 with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Amphibious Force in Southeast Asia (Vietnam) and Okinawa. He was honorably discharged in 1976 and became a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #6137 in St. Louis, Missouri. In December 1973, he attended the Greater St. Louis Police Academy in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from the police academy in 1974, his career in law enforcement began. Throughout the course of his career, in 2007-2008, he became a "contractor" for MPRI, a Department of Defense Special Operations group and was embedded with the 3rd Squadron, 7th Calvary in Iraq. Mr. Brauer holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Administration of Justice and retains various command development certifications from Northwestern University, FBI-LEEDA Executive Command school and the Missouri/Illinois Police Chief's Executive Command schools. He is a former member of the Missouri Police Chief's Association (MPCA), International Association of Chief's of Police (IACP), Southern Illinois Police Chief's Association (SIPCA), National Association of Chief's of Police (NACP) and C.A.T.L.E.T. - Advanced Training Institute. He remains an active member of Shriners International through Ainad Shriners, E. St. Louis, Illinois and Masonic Lodge 787 in Waterloo, Illinois. After 33 years in the law enforcement profession, Joe Brauer has provided to the public the difficult, bizarre and chilling experiences he faced every day on the mean streets in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a highly decorated officer from each of the departments, divisions and districts he served in. His experience is vast and is documented from 19 Letters of Commendations/Awards and 2 Distinguished Service Citations.
