News : Vinton Police officer Dickinson continues writing for public safety personnel

A Vinton police officer is again gaining national attention, this time by writing about Newhall.

But it’s not Newhall, Iowa, but Newhall, California, that Eric Dickinson is discussing.

Dickinson has written about the fatal shooting of four California Highway Patrol officers by two heavily armed parolees near Newhall, Calif., in 1970. That tragedy helped law enforcement leaders understand the need for more tactical training and better safety equipment and the need for body armor for law enforcement personnel.

The article in Law Officer magazine recounts the Newhall incident, and offers a summary of the lessons it still has for law enforcement officers today.

For years, Dickinson has been helping to teach and train other law enforcement officers and EMTs. He has helped organize the training sessions sponsored by the Vinton Police Department, and has written several articles for public safety magazines. He is currently working on a tactics textbook for officers.

“I get a great feeling when I get emails from officers or deputies across the U.S. telling me that one of my articles had a positive impact on them personally or on their agency's training program,” he says. “It is pretty cool knowing that an officer from an 8-man agency in rural Iowa can have an effect on agencies as large as LA, Chicago and New York.”
Dickinson has had 26 articles published in public safety magazines since 2007 including the JEMS article regarding the Legion fire, and the importance of providing medical care to firefighters. He has also contributed chapters to two law enforcement related books, and has served as a technical advisor regarding self-aid (medical) for cops for another book.

And, says Dickinson, “I have my own book coming out soon. Mine is a law enforcement text book regarding medical tactics so it won't exactly be something I'll expect to see on anyone's coffee table.”