"Probably the most entertaining and chilling police tale you’ll read this year." 

Author Al Moreno’s natural prowess for police work resulted in an unprecedented 70 commendations as he dealt with scores of gangs and violent criminals during his tenure with the Los Angeles Police Department. Moreno was one of 36 police officers chosen from the ranks of the entire L.A.P.D. to launch what became the nation’s premiere specialized anti-gang unit, Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums  (C.R.A.S.H.). He not only led his colleagues in arrests, but exhibited a rare ability often noted in his L.A.P.D field commendations: “Officer Moreno displays particular skill when handling armed suspects, as he recovers more weapons in the field than any other C.R.A.S.H. officer yet has avoided involvement in an officer-involved shooting.”

Moreno overcame tremendous odds to achieve his dream of becoming an L.A.P.D. officer. He was one of 12 children raised in a 874-square-foot, three-bedroom home in the gang-infested streets of L.A.'s Florenai-13/Watts neighborhood, with a neglectful ex-con father who didn’t even attend his graduation from the police academy. As a child, he suffered from a rare childhood disease, Legg Calves Perthes, which required the use of crutches and metal braces for four years. If that wasn’t enough, he was a poor student in grade and high school due to an undiagnosed case of dyslexia and dyscalculia (learning disabilities in processing language and math). He dropped out of high school his senior year and was arrested three times, drifting from one meaningless job to another until he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1968 at the height of the Vietnam War.  He served with honor and received a commendation for outstanding performance of duty.