One Cop Who Never Quit

by Kelly Siegler

We are all raised to believe that what we should strive for in this life is the knowledge that when we leave this earth, we do so having made this world a better place. Isn't that what we have always been told?

If leaving this world better off because you have lived means helping people when they believe that everyone else has failed them or forgotten about them . . . If it means teaching someone that doing the right thing means telling the truth when you would rather not get involved . . . If it means convincing people to speak up and speak out even when doing so might put their very lives at risk . . . If it means taking on the cause of those among us who oftentimes never get heard . . . then I know such a man.

His name is Johnny Bonds. He recently retired from a lifetime career in law enforcement. He spent the first part of his career working for the Houston Police Department eventually finding his way to the Homicide Division. He retired from the Harris County District Attorney's Office as an Investigator. He spent most of his life doing what few have done better, as a "murder cop."

Johnny worked on the high-profile cases often enough during his career. One of his most difficult cases is profiled in The Cop Who Wouldn't Quit , a book Rick Nelson wrote about Bonds. But this article is written to tell you about all of the not-so-high-profile deeds that Johnny Bonds did for so many years.

Because my friends and I were fortunate to work alongside Johnny Bonds for so long, we got to see him in action close-up. His ability to convince people who were reluctant or defiant witnesses to come clean and tell what they knew the truth to be was masterful. His easy-going approach to handling dangerous and tragic situations was a lesson that all rookies would be lucky to study. His innate perception at how best to approach people from all walks of life was impeccable. The number of investigations and unsolved cases he closed are too numerous to count.

In the world of homicide cops, Johnny would tell you that he was no different than any of the other guys he worked alongside. He had far much less machismo and ego than one might expect. He was first and always a team player more committed to getting the job done than to anything else. His ability to laugh and to make others laugh when all seemed so bleak and his ability to size up a situation will always be remembered.

Ah, Johnny Bonds, the families you have given justice, sometimes single-handedly. The grieving parents you have given some measure of solace. The innocents you have helped make safe from the evil visited upon them. The wrongs you have helped right. The good you have done in this at-times terrible world. May God's blessing be always upon you. For all you have done for all of us.

You have truly left our world a better place because you decided to become a cop.

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Mystery Man - Clue Box

Time for our next Mystery Man. We hope you enjoyed the four-part series we featured over the Fourth of July holiday. Our next guest contributor is a big-city homicide detective from the Death Penalty capital of the nation: Houston, Texas. This investigator was one of two detectives selected to form the department's Cold Case Unit. Since his unit's expansion, he has been able to add detectives like WCI's Connie Park.

Twenty-seven years ago this summer, our Mystery Man joined the Houston Police Department. He was promoted to sergeant in the late 1980s, and has spent most of his career since then in the Homicide Division. When he joined HPD in 1981, the Murder Squad was dealing with the surge of violence of the late '70s, when the team of homicide investigators had more business than they could handle. On the two manual typewriters detectives used to take statements, the rollers only stopped moving for as long as it took for the next in line to sit and load a clean sheet of paper.

Investigators were typing statements on computers by the time this Mystery Man arrived. The most notorious statement he took was on videotape: the confession of Andrea Yates, who drowned her five children in 2001. Though it's difficult to imagine, one desperate parent murdering multiple children would not be the only quintuple homicide he investigated.

Ten years earlier, he stood over the bodies of four children and their father, a distraught man who murdered everyone because his wife had sued for divorce and asked the court to grant him sole custody of the children. What the detective remembered most was this: After purchasing a .45 semiautomatic, the father had driven the kids to K-Mart for new clothes and a Polaroid. At home, he took a photo of the children, wrote a note to his wife that the picture would be the last time she saw them, and fired a bullet into each child's head before ending his own life the same way.

Those mass murders are but two of the several hundred cases he's investigated. Somewhere in there, he met a Harris County prosecutor he wanted to share his life with, and together they had a beautiful daughter. Over the years, his cases have taken him all over the nation, though he's not one to boast. "My killers seldom run to the garden spots of the US," he said. "I've awakened in such places as Hackensack, New Jersey; Pascagoula, Mississippi; Bakersfield, California; and Monroe, Lousiana." Tomorrow, he'll share some of his memorable Houston cases. You shouldn't need any other clues to convince you that this Mystery Man is not to be missed. Check him out here tomorrow.

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Critical Thinking in Investigation

by Donna Weaver

I heard a great line on an old Charlie Chan movie last night: "The mind is like a parachute--it is only useful when open."

We all carry around our own preconceived ideas and opinions on issues of small and large importance whether we consciously realize its or not. We are continuously bombarded with information from newspapers, radio, television, and personal contact designed to influence our opinion. Critical thinking can help us evaluate material from all these sources:

What is the statement or claim, and who is making it?

Before you accept information as fact, determine if the person has something to gain. Then ask yourself if your own assumptions or preconceptions have created bias or influence how you view the speaker's statements or ideas. Great credibility is awarded to public figures and persons in positions of authority, and while we can learn from them on subjects within their field of expertise, their statements or claims should not prevent you from asking good questions of your own.

Are there other plausible explanations for the statement or claim (or event)?

It is possible to have two or more explanations that explain an event or claim. The Law of Parsimony says we should accept the simpler explanation that requires the least number of assumptions.

When events or behaviors appear to be correlated, it does not prove that one event or behavior caused the other. Further investigation is required to discover if they are related because of a third event or behavior.

For an objective evaluation of facts and evidence, bias must be identified and removed and scientific inquiry applied to produce reliable results and appropriate conclusions.

Scientific principles are the foundation of all scientific inquiry. Modern forensic and other biological sciences are supported by three thoroughly tested and validated principles.

• Natural casualty-all events can be traced to natural causes within our ability to understand.
• Uniformity in space and time--natural laws do not change with time or distance .
• Common perception--people view natural events in a similar manner. Common perception applies only to scientific study because it is limited to objective observations that produce reliable information. Common perception does not apply to subjective value systems that vary among individuals such as religious, moral, or cultural beliefs and personal views, or opinion.

Yes, Deductive Criminal Profiling and Behavior Analysis is a scientific endeavor because it uses the scientific method to draw conclusions based on known facts borne of objective observations, considered thought, accurate communication, skill, and experience. A criminal profile is derived from crime scene analysis, including physical evidence and Victimology, critical thinking, analytical logic, evidence dynamics, and other scientific principles used in forensics.

The scientific method is applied to these elements producing logical deductions that lead to well-reasoned conclusions about offender characteristics and behavior. Each offender characteristic is based on the premise that if the underlying facts and evidence are proven to be true, then so must be the logical conclusions arrived at by studying them. Imagine the effect bias, no matter how small, can have on making observations when evaluating evidence and other investigative tasks.

Those in law enforcement and related fields as well as those in other professions who work closely with the general public on an individual basis are taught to maintain an emotional distance from the people they interact with in order to be objective, thorough and accurate in the performance of their duty. Since these types of professionals often meet individuals experiencing trauma, or some other extremely personal or stressful event, great importance is placed on leaving ones emotions at the door.

Sorry, but lack of emotion does not equal objectivity-- nor does it always increase productivity . In the last 24 years, I have met many investigators who were the “no emotion” type. I can’t think of one who was not a total jerk with the personality of a wet dishrag, often with poor interview skills. Getting people to open up and trust you can be critical in successful investigations.

Conversely, an effective criminal profiler or investigator must possess a range of valuable professional characteristics including an enduring passion for examining facts, seeking answers, and resolving cases combined with the unwavering self-discipline to put aside personal opinions, pride, and career ambition.

Taking pride in one's work or wanting a successful career is not a bad thing. The emotions of passion and empathy provide a powerful motivation to to deliver a dedicated effort. On the other hand, arrogance and overweening ambition are often common sources of bias that need to be identified and analyzed to limit their influence on deductions and conclusions.

It is entirely possible to perform objective analysis and evaluation of crime scenes, victims, witnesses, and evidence without being an emotionless robot if one remains vigilant through the use of critical thinking techniques and scientific method.

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