Let's Talk Hip Hop

The new generation of criminals are more combative and tactical in facing police. They may wear body armor themselves and shoot at the head of an officer wearing a bulletproof vest.  That is why training on the Hip Hop and Gangsta Rap cultures is so important.  Every law enforcement officer, parent, community leader and teen should be aware of the dangers associated with this music.

Our mission statement: 

Saving lives by talking about Hip Hop and Gangsta Rap music.

Our training sessions are geared for your needs. They can be as short as 2 hours up to 16 hours depending on what you need.  In addition to Hip Hop, we offer presentations on the effect violent video games are having on our youth and even some adults.

Did you know that.........

In today's society, many gang members compose and put their true-life experiences into lyrical form... . Law enforcement officials must remain mindful of ... the opportunities to obtain inculpatory evidence in gang-related investigations and cases. ¹
 
- From Understanding Gangs and Gang Mentality: Acquiring Evidence of the Gang Conspiracy (2006)

Rap-music lyrics get OK for use in murder trial

By MELISSA HAYES
Burlington County Times

Prosecutors will be allowed to use rap-music lyrics to establish motive and intent in the trial of a man accused of killing an Evesham woman.

Superior Court Judge Thomas Smith Jr. ruled yesterday that documents found in Christopher Kornberger's home May 14, 2004, could be used as evidence.

Kornberger, 22, of Evesham is charged with sexually assaulting and killing 24-year-old Krista DiFrancesco outside her Evesham home in May 2003 and attacking two other women in Evesham.

Who We Are

James O. Smith (J.O.) retired from the United States Park Police (USPP) in 2000 after 28 successful years.  J.O. worked almost every position in law enforcement, including foot patrol, narcotics, hostage negotiator, crime scene technician, criminal investigations, and SWAT.  When he retired he was the Supervisor of the Criminal Investigations Unit of the San Francisco Field Office (SFFO), overseeing all criminal investigations in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Western Region for the National Park Service.  J.O. is a highly trained criminal investigator who specialized in child abuse and sexual assault cases. He has attended advanced courses at the FBI Academy and at the U.C. Berkeley.  He also served seven years on the Protection Detail for the Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt, traveling around the country providing protection for him.

In March of 2000 he accepted an instructor position at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in the Enforcement Techniques Division (ETD).  Two years later, he was promoted to Branch Chief overseeing the Technology Branch.  In 2005, he was promoted to Chief of the Forensics and Investigative Technologies Division.  In 2008, he was assigned as the Chief of the Driver and Marine Division.  We should note that the information contained on this site and the training offered are not products of the FLETC.  He is a member of the International Association for Identification (IAI), National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).

 J.O. has instructed various leadership courses all over the U.S., Canada and in Africa. Due to the increase of violence in the Hip Hop culture, J.O. developed two presentations entitled the “Effects of Hip Hop and Rap Music on Law Enforcement” and “What Every Parent and Teen Should Know About Hip Hop Music.” He has made presentations in Atlanta, Memphis, New York, San Francisco, Norfolk, Florida and in several cities in Georgia, with more requests coming in weekly. 

In 2007, Michael Chertoff presented J.O. with the Department of Homeland Security Secretary’s Award for Volunteerism at a ceremony held in Washington, D.C.