The Development of a Hunter: Part 1

Sometimes life comes at you in ways you would never expect, and I've gotta say that I never saw it coming. How about you? Read on to get some insight on how it started for me.

After graduating college I entered the workforce and excelled in a business career that allowed me to utilize my talents and educational background to the fullest. Pretty blessed, right? Here I was, living a relatively comfortable existence in a Phoenix suburb that included my beautiful best friend (my wife), our new house, and a new car with a long daily commute to a nice corporate office. Objectively, it was a good life. At this time, my only interactions with law enforcement had been an occasional speeding ticket (that new car was also a twin turbo).

All was going well within the relative safety and success of my profession until that trajectory was diverted when I got "the calling" to serve in law enforcement. (Looking back it seemed I was being called from a "good life" to a "hard life" of service.) Why the radical change? It was the unexpected and tragic death of a friend, the birth of a son, and a dare to do something about the injustices seen in the world—which all led to the career change. It was something I never expected nor saw myself doing, but I just couldn't get the idea out of his mind. My wife and I discussed how we could make it work. We realized that we'd need to move into a not so new house and have not so new cars, but after prayerful consideration we trusted it was the right thing to do. Maybe a bit idealistic, but all of it combined to ignite a fire to serve for what I felt was a greater purpose.I thought, if not me, then who?

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After the gauntlet of testing with several agencies, I was recruited into a large police agency where my idealism was immediately tested. Mistakenly thinking my college education and business acumen would be a recipe for success, I found myself the target of the academy class sergeant as I was being tested in a paramilitary system designed to break you down before building you back up. (The class sergeant and I became friends later, but at the time, I couldn't tell if he hated me or was merely messing with me! My military savvy teammates already understood the game, as they were trying to be a "blade of grass"—to not stand out!) Realizing I was starting at ground zero, and after eating some humble pie, I realigned my expectations, shut my mouth, and gutted it out. Tucking my head down, I pressed onward toward completing the year-long Police Academy and Field Training programs. Throughout the process, my respect for the profession and the individuals in his new profession grew even stronger. Finally on my own and graduating as a solo officer, I began to learn what being a cop was really all about. Within the first few weeks working the streets on my own, I observed the worst and the best of humanity. As tough as it was, I immediately recognized this was my calling.

I am breezing through this part of my career, as even a year on the job feels like a lifetime of unbelievable stories. After a couple years as a Patrol Officer, my work received attention from superiors and I was awarded "Arizona Officer of the Year" from a couple state organizations. During this time I observed and continued to learn from those more experienced than myself. There were certain officers who made a distinct impression on me. They didn't just "take calls" but brought a real problem-solving angle to everything they did. In fact, these few individuals would find trouble frequently, were in the right place at the right time, and really seemed to proactively make the most notable felony arrests of those plaguing the community. I found this was the distinction between "the hunter" and "the gatherer."

When a crime has already happened, it is important to investigate and "gather" as much evidence as possible in order to identify suspects and develop probable cause for an arrest. All of that is incredibly important for a good case, but what these "hunters" were doing was identifying the "frequent fliers"—those who were living a criminal lifestyle. By targeting career criminals instead of waiting for them to victimize the next innocent person, these officers would "hunt" suspects by patiently observing and making cases against them. In some ways it as just good old fashioned cop-work. They officers would pay attention to their beats. Working their street sources to identify suspects, they would build a pattern of life—habits, hangouts, co-conspirators and behaviors—all with the purpose of anticipating their next move and predicting their next victim. These officers were the guys I came to admire and wanted to follow professionally. This was my first real view of proactive vs. reactive policing, and it influenced me to seek out proactive assignments—with the aim of becoming a hunter. 

It wasn't long before I tested and was selected to join a specialty unit that proactively worked problem-oriented street-level crimes. No longer was I a solo officer taking care of my own work, rather I was part of a cohesive team with shared objectives and missions working together to fight crime. It was a small team of six, plus a supervisor, but we really saw a positive impact on crime in our district. We were primarily focused on "street-level crimes" including drug interdiction, prostitution, street-jump robberies and other crimes that plagued neighborhoods and businesses in an older area of the city. With a lot of autonomy, we put our heads together to problem-solve. Relying on each other, we always came out on top and unscathed despite some very spicy situations. The unit really bonded and received several commendations from the Department and accolades from the community. Some of my fondest memories in my career are from that first specialty assignment.

While on that unit, I was again selected to temporarily support a top-level clandestine team assigned to a DEA task force. Their mission was to target a transnational cartel that was trafficking drugs from the southern border of Arizona up through Phoenix and then onto the rest of the country. (You'll notice the protagonist from "The Legacy" got pulled for a similar task force. Although my book is not autobiographical, it is fiction with shades of truth from the shadows.) The task force was comprised of detectives that worked from the shadows. These guys were "dirty," meaning they looked nothing like cops, but were also smart. The men and women on his task force worked rotating shifts, conducting months of surveillance without being detected and exploited every legal means available to intercept human, electronic, and observational intelligence toward building a cohesive case. But they weren't the only "smart ones." The cartel moved their product though ingenious delivery systems, they blended into normal residential neighborhoods and small storefront businesses. Using coded messages to communicate, they moved money electronically and decentralized their command structure to conceal their hierarchy. If one arm of their network was taken down, those members knew very little of the command structure or who was above them. It was the sophistication of their criminal network that made traditional overt methods of policing ineffective. This was my first awakening to the world of covert policing. I had taken the "red pill" and now I could not unsee what was happening in the shadows all around us.

When the DEA case reached its peak, an entire ring of criminals (many of whom were foreign nationals) were arrested on conspiracy charges, with multiple simultaneous warrants being served in the Phoenix metro area. My takeaway? It is one thing when an individual preys upon another's weaknesses with the intent to victimize them for their own benefit; and it's another thing for dozens of like-minded career criminals who conspire to victimize an entire society. Their priority was about money with no concern for the consequence of the violence or lives lost. Working with this clandestine and elite group revealed a hidden new world of police work. It was this first opportunity of being on a mission-focused team which influenced the rest of my career. From then on, I set my sights on becoming a "hunter."

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Look for The Development of a Hunter: Part 2—Coming Soon!

On a personal note, this was only the first few years of my career. Don't get me wrong; as this series of blogs continue my résumé may look like a "big deal," but in truth, I know I received as much or more than I gave, and it was an honor to serve with alongside my teammates. Looking back at those heroes and mentors who influenced me, I was the least among those who have taken up the shield and sword in this profession. Every single day was filled to capacity and recounting stories from these more than 25-years would fill volumes of books. The warriors I ran with, the public we served, and even the accused we brought to justice have made a lasting impression. My desire is to share this world through fiction; to dig deeper into the lives of those in the fray, and to reveal shades of truth from the shadows in the crime-thriller fiction genre. Please check out the social media, podcast broadcasts, and sign-up for "The Maximus Tribe" email newsletter to get updates on gear, give-aways, media and progress on the book publishing journey. I respect your time and thank you for being a part of this mission!

- TD Mack