2011 Mass Police Promotional List

Civil Service has released the 2011 Massachusetts Police Sergeant / Lieutenant / Captain promotional reading list. The 4 main "management" texts are:

• Community Policing: A Contemporary Perspective 5th ed.
• Criminal Investigation, 10th ed.
• Police Administration 7th ed
• Supervision Of Police Personnel, 7th ed

Also, to help explain Massachusetts General and Constitutional Law the following sources are available from Law Enforcement Dimensions:

• Criminal Law 2011 Massachusetts Police Manual
• Criminal Procedure 2011 Massachusetts Police Manual
• Juvenile Law 2011 Massachusetts Police Manual
• Motor Vehicle 2011 Massachusetts Police Manual

There are also a number of other resources available to help the Massachusetts police officer prepare. These include:

• Criminal Law and Procedure 2011 Audio Master Classes
• Juvenile & Motor Vehicle Law 2011 Audio Master Classes (due in May)
• Criminal Law 2011 Q Book
• Criminal Procedure 2011 Q Book
• Drug Enforcement 2011 Massachusetts Police Manual
• Juvenile Law 2011 Q Book
• Motor Vehicle Law 2011 Q Book

I wanted answer a few frequently asked questions as well.

Are all the books required? The management books are required. Candidates are also required to know Massachusetts General and Constitutional Law. The Law Enforcement Dimensions books are not required, but people find them very helpful in breaking down and explaining the laws.

How should I study? Whether you buy all the books at once, or one at a time, don't psych yourself out. There is a lot of reading but focus on tackling one book at a time you should be fine. Also study groups are recommended. Choose people you won't be competing against and have strict rules for meeting, reading and discussing.

Anything else I need? Once you've taken the exam we have a number of books to prepare for the interview and assessment centers. Don't get ahead of yourself. Focus on passing the exam first, the interview books will still be here when you're done.

Discounted pricing is available if buying all the books as a set. And as always, if you have any questions please give us a call at (800) 522-8528 or email us at support@fire-police-ems.com.

The ultimate department library?

Often times we get asked for recommendations on technical books. Sometimes someone is teaching a class, sometimes someone is writing a paper, sometimes a person is looking for a little extra when preparing for an exam.

We're happy to give our opinions, but would like to know what you think. Many of you have taken the classes, taught the courses, or kept yourselves up to date on all the latest info. We want to give you the opportunity to share your recommendations with your peers.

If you were building the ultimate department library, looking to touch all major topics, what books would you choose? Are there older, out of print books that should be included? Topics can include anything you feel important. Some suggestions would be Management, Officer Training, HazMat, Building Construction, Pumping Apparatus, Rescue, or anything else you feel is important. Leave your list in the comments section where everyone can take a look. We'll put them all together and post the ultimate department library.

Also, I'm sure there are some subjects that you can't find info on, or you feel should be covered more in depth. Here's your chance to let us know what those subjects are. We'll not only post the list so you can offer suggestions to each other, but we'll also pass it along to the publishers so they know what there's a demand for.

As always you can follow us on Twitter @FSPbooks, become a fan on Facebook, or visit us online at www.Fire-Police-EMS.com.

Why choose FSP?

We understand the importance of getting and keeping a customer. We pride ourselves on our customer service and want to help you any way we can. So why choose FSP?

We have been in business (and firefighter owned) since 1987, that’s over 22 years, serving public safety (fire, police, EMS) individuals and organizations. Our staff has been together for over 5 years, so you get a voice you know whenever you give us a call and a face you recognize any time you stop by. Our product line has been fairly constant: books, videos, software. Our business model is simple: get a customer, offer them excellent service, and the customer will be back. In fact, a high percentage of orders are from existing customers, or referrals.

We started our website over 10 years ago. To this day we continually adapt to customer needs, such as the newly added Public Information Officer / Media Relations section to help fire, police, and EMS deal with the press. Our website is updated daily, so NEW really means new, and cross referenced in as many ways possible to help make it easy to use. We constantly get praise for our website, but want to know what you think.

We're also trying to take advantage of the technology available. Things like this blog, Facebook and Twitter allow our customers many different ways to access us. Hopefully you also get to know the people behind FSP a littel better. We're always looking for suggestions from our customers also.

We keep almost 100% of our products in stock and ready to ship. You’ll never see the standard line: “ALLOW 4-6 WEEKS FOR DELIVERY”. In almost all cases if you get the order to us by noon (Eastern time), we’ll ship it that day. Need something fast? Give us a call and we'll help you the best we can. Next day and 2nd day air shipping is available.

We can work with your department to put together a first class station library. We carry all major publishers and producers so FSP can be your one-stop shopping. If you've received grant money we can help you determine what will get the most bang for your buck. Give us a call or drop us an email and we can help you out.

I know we say it a lot, but we really do appreciate customer feedback. Email us, Tweet us (@FSPbooks), leave us a message on Facebook, leave comments here, or give us a call.

Visit us online at www.fire-police-ems.com.

A Few Quick Thoughts

Ripping off Peter King's Things I Think I Think before heading off for vacation...

1. We're always looking to carry new books, DVDs, software, etc. Technology is a wonderful thing. Its given us do-it-yourself DVD producing and burning on the computer and print on demand publishing. We try to keep up with everything the best we can, but I'm easily distracted. If you have something new you think we should be carrying, please call, email support@fire-police-ems.com, or check the website for submission guidelines. We've found out about many of our current products this way.

2. We love feedback and are want to hear from YOU, the customer. We want FSP to evolve to meet your needs so if you have comments, praise, suggestions, anything, let us know. Email, call, or leave a comment here.

3. We also want to do all we can to help departments out in this economy. If you're updating your station library, writing a grant, or giving a promotional test let us know. We'll do our best to maximize your budget and save you money. FSP is also one stop shopping. We carry all major publishers of fire, police and EMS books.

4. We're looking to make things more interactive, allowing customers to share ideas, studying strategies, and more. Become a friend of FSP on Facebook and feel free to post on the discussion board.

5. The new catalog mailed out last week, and we already have a number of new products that didn't make it in. If you don't get the catalog in the next couple weeks, let us know. And if you want to know whats new click here.

6. In the last month we've offered $5 off and 5% off coupons. Follow us on Twitter for special deals and Twitter only coupons. And let us lnow your thoughts @FSPbooks.

7. If you don't get our email blast, FSP NewsNotes, you can sign up on our website or by sending an email to support@fire-police-ems.com with "NewsNotes signup" as the subject. The NewsNotes is sent twice a month and covers new products, FSP news, and featured subjects. So far this summer we've been featuring different regions in every newsletter. If you want to get a feel for it, they're archived here.

8. If there are any subjects you'd like to see discussed in the blog, or featured in the NewsNotes, let us know. I struggle for ideas sometimes, but would love to know what you want to read about.

9. Just a reminder most orders placed by noon eastern time ship the same day. And orders can be placed online 24 hours a day at www.fire-police-ems.com.

10. Thinking of doing firefighting, police and EMS links posts at some point. Leave comments with your favorite links. Thanks and stay safe!