Book excerpt: The half inch wide black velvet band that is placed around the Peace Officer's badge symbolizes the grief and pain that grips the heart behind the badge. The Black Band begins at the graveside service of Officer Augustino as he is laid to rest. The sound of the bagpipe drifts over the departing crowd as they drift back to their duties.... The Black Band portrays cops at work, catching burglars in the act of committing crimes, discovering evidence of a robbery/homicide during a routine parole check and attempting to clean up prostitution and drug dealing. The reader is brought along to hear and live through the words and emotions of the pastor and eulogy, as they attempt to give answers to the meaning of life and the relief from the stress of being a peace officer in a violent and cruel world. --- ..".an enjoyable read, produced by an authentic hand and mind..." Dan Milchovich, retired Captain, Inglewood CA Police Department --- A look inside police work rarely ever seen--the good and the bad--and the heartbreaking truth about what happens when a warrior is killed in the line of duty. ―John M. Wills, New York Journal of Books --- Want to read what it's really like to be a police officer and under threat-not only from the public, but from those you thought you could trust? Black Band is a true eye-opener. From the opening line to the end, Black Band, will grip you with the reality of a cop's life--and death. ―F. M. Meredith, author of the Rocky Bluff P.D. series Marilyn Meredith aka F.M. Meredith Latest Books: River Spirits and Violent Departures About the Author: Albert vande Steeg... was born in the Netherlands at the beginning of the Nazi occupation of Holland during World War II. At age twenty four he joined the Chino, California Police Department as a reserve officer. He then served the City of Ontario for fourteen years; six in patrol and seven as a detective and one year as a training officer.