Observations and statistics relating to suicide weapons

The weapon at the scene of a suicide provides a resource in addressing such questions as frequency of blood in or on the weapon, location of the weapon with respect to the body, and evidence of firearm discharge residues on the hand. The first 195 weapons were tested for blood by a technique different from the following 202 weapons. Results were obtained which caused procedural changes in blood detection. Data are presented for frequency of blood in and on the muzzle of weapons, relative frequency of location of suicidal gunshot wound, and percent "positive" findings of gunshot residue metals on the hands. It was found that suicidal gunshot wounds were 3 times more frequent to the head than the chest, and that no significant difference was noted between males and females in this study. Scene photographs reveal that the suicide weapon is in or resting on the hand of the decedent 20% of the time with handguns and 11% of the time with long guns.     

Civil service 2000: The coming crisis

The essay provides a comprehensive review of “the coming crisis.” Parts of the contribution not reprinted here provide some focus on appropriate policies for ameliorating what is in our future.     

Multijurisdictional drug task forces: An analysis of impacts

In the past decade, municipal police organizations have devoted significant resources toward drug enforcement. One popular strategy in addressing the American drug problem is the formulation of multijurisdictional drug task forces. Despite their popularity, the impact of these cooperative ventures on law enforcement agencies has not been adequately evaluated. The research reported here examined the effect of membership in a drug enforcement task force on levels of drug enforcement outputs and perceptions of effectiveness by comparing law enforcement agencies participating in drug task forces to agencies which do not participate. Results suggest that task force membership impacts perceptions, but does not appear to influence objective measures of drug enforcement outputs.     

Aryan visions for the future in the West Virginia Mountains

This article examines the worldview of William Pierce, a prominent figure among fringe right and neo‐Nazi groups. A self‐proclaimed ‘race separatist’, Pierce established his own spiritual community in the mountains of south‐eastern West Virgina in 1985. Characterized by an idiosyncratic blend of ideas including Darwinian evolution, Teutonic mythology, and the ‘scientific’ findings of early racial theorists, Pierce's Cosmotheist Community observes an unusual religion based on notions of racial destiny and the Aryan path to god‐hood. Home to a small group of devoted believers, the Cosmotheist Community looks toward the day when a white revolution will topple an American government thought to be corrupted by ‘Jewish interests’. Generally viewed as the intellectual leader of the American far right, Pierce is the author of The Turner Diaries (1978), a violent, futuristic novel which may have influenced the perpetrators of the Oklahoma City bombing. Pierce is director of National Alliance, an organization dedicated to the ‘racial purification’ of North America. Specializing in the production of anti‐Semitic and racial propaganda, National Alliance has become a lucrative operation. This article is based on an interview conducted with Pierce.