'A Vulgar Display Of Power' Author Teaches Police Seminar

On June 21, the author of "A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa", Chris A, took the story of the murders of guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott, Jeff Thompson, Nathan Bray and Erin Halk to another level: Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) for law enforcement. At the invitation of Police Lieutenant Tony Hetrick, Bowling Green Police Department, Bowling Green, Ohio, the author provided a two-hour block of training to approximately 25 police officers and sheriff's deputies as part of the three-day CIT course. The focus of the training was identifying, dealing with, and providing referral assistance to people afflicted with mental illness. "This was an excellent opportunity to take one of the main lessons of 'A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa' and provide insight and a real-world example to law enforcement," related the author.

Abbott, Thompson, Bray and Halk were murdered by a paranoid schizophrenic on December 8, 2004. "A Vulgar Display of Power" tells the story of the people and events which led to the murders. Over a period of approximately 10 years, the killer had multiple encounters with police, corrections officials, judges, probation officers, school counselors and others. All who mistakenly chalked up his criminal conduct to drug use instead of schizophrenia. According to Chris A, it wasn't that those officials didn't care, it was a lack of training to identify the illness. "The folks who tried to help the killer during his teen and early adult years are good people and professionals who did the best they could," he said. "However, the common thread among them was that they had not been trained on the traits and characteristics of a person suffering from a severe mental illness. They had a 'ticking time bomb' in their community and simply didn't know it."

For the writer, the opportunity to present the story of the murders at the Alrosa Villa directly to police officers and deputies was something he couldn't resist. "When Lt. Hetrick called me and asked if I would be interested, it was a no-brainer," Chris said. "Since I finished the book I've become a crusader on two issues, first pushing for better training for cops on identifying these 'ticking time bombs' and secondly the failings of the national instant background check for handgun purchases."

After the request to speak at the CIT, the author devoted several hundred hours to create a credible and powerful two-hour presentation focusing on paranoid schizophrenia, its traits, ideations and how the illness manifests itself. Chris A, a former policeman holding a bachelors degree in criminal justice and a dual masters degree in public administration and human resources development, provided the officers at this training the basics about paranoid schizophrenia. "I didn't cut any corners on this presentation," he said. "I put a lot of thought into it and used all the resources I have at my disposal, including video, photos, plus the actual words and writing of the killer to illustrate the points of my course. I felt it was important for the cops on the street know how this horrible illness is diagnosed, its characteristics, how it affects people and how it can be controlled. I then provided the officers the background of the killer and how he came to be a mass murderer that night at the Alrosa Villa night club. It made for a very powerful presentation. My hope is that the information about the illness, coupled with the emotional story of the Alrosa Villa murders will stay with these civil servants and will help them to identify others suffering from mental instability and refer them to local officials for treatment."

Feedback from the officers who took the course has been overwhelmingly positive according to Chris A. "I've heard from a number of the officers who attended and they found great value in the presentation," he said. "I've been asked to return for the next course as well and I may have opportunities to present the training to other police departments."

In an e-mail to the author, one attendee wrote: "I am a deputy sheriff for Wood County and had the pleasure of sitting in on your class on Thursday, June 21. It was awesome, and might I add the best of all the classes they offered. Thanks, and keep up the great work!"

In a statement for this interview, Chris A said, "I wrote 'A Vulgar Display of Power' as a tribute to the goodness and humanity of Erin Halk, Jeff Thompson, Nate Bray and Darrell Abbott. The book is more than just rock 'n' roll or true crime. It is an incredible story of bravery and courage against horror and evil. I believe we must use the lessons learned from that night. Addressing the issue of untreated and unmonitored individuals with paranoid schizophrenia is one of those lessons. To simply shrug our shoulders and do nothing isn't an option."

For more information about "A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa", go to this location.