The Spingola Files
In "Best of the Spingola Files, Vol. I" retired Milwaukee Police Department homicide detective Steve Spingola explores several unsolved murders, including the 1979 slaying of a 19-year-old bicyclist, the homicides of co-eds near the University of Wisconsin campus, and the deaths of several young men in the hard-drinking town of La Crosse.
A four-part series also looks at the violent acts of an outlaw motorcycle gang, which resulted in the tragic death of newspaper delivery boy killed by an improvised explosive device."During a class I taught" said Spingola, currently an instructor of criminal justice studies, "a handful of students asked why several organizations, like the Innocence Project, seek to overturn murder convictions while only a few groups advocate for the victims of unsolved homicides."
In response, the investigator known amongst his colleagues as 'the sleuth with the proof,' developed the "Spingola Files" Web site."Best of the Spingola Files, Vol. I" also profiles the life of one-armed mobster Max Adonnis, reviews three interesting crime related books, and picks apart the circumstantial evidence used to charge an Illinois police officer in the so-called 'honeybee shootings.'"More good stuff," writes Milwaukee PD captain Mike Massa, "from the brainiest cop I ever knew."
Spingola takes a critical look at the post 9/11 world of government surveillance, including cellular telephone and credit card tracking, the spread of facial recognition software, the storing of all emails and telephonic communication, private sector DNA sharing, and intrusive drone technologies that threaten to undermine the privacy and liberty of all Americans.
“Retired homicide detective Steven Spingola is a rare breed and truly an investigator to his core. Not satisfied with accepting anything at face value, he is examining the controversy at what must be a very uncomfortable intersection for anyone involved in law enforcement: liberty vs. technology.
Spingola has dared to do what precious few of our best cops will and that is to take a long, hard look at the new technologies being used by law enforcement and how these technologies might adversely impact the freedoms of innocent Americans. As a good government and privacy advocate, I applaud Steve Spingola's courage in initiating this desperately needed debate amongst his peers and the public.”
---Kaye Beach, Norman, Oklahoma
“True crime enthusiasts, students of criminal justice and psychology, and police officers in the field can learn a lot from Steve Spingola. I sure did.”---Larry Powalisz, Milwaukee PD Detective (retired)
The investigator with a national reputation for excellence takes readers on de facto ride along to revisit unsolved murders, reminisce about Milwaukee's underworld, and examine the suspicious drowning deaths of young men in the hard-drinking college town of Lacrosse, Wisconsin.
"In a four-part segment entitled "The Detectives in the Rye", Steve Spingola does an outstanding job detailing why the strangulation murders of prostitutes and others involved in the vice underground are difficult to solve," said retired Milwaukee PD detective Larry Powalisz. "In great detail, he explains how killers with a slightly different signature often target those from the same victimology demographic."
Spingola also takes a critical look at the post 9/11 world of government surveillance, including cellular telephone and credit card tracking, the spread of facial recognition software, the storing of all emails and telephonic communication, private sector DNA sharing, and intrusive drone technologies that threaten to undermine the privacy and liberty of all Americans.
"As a lieutenant of detectives, Steve Spingola taught me that an investigator's real pursuit is the truth," wrote Eric Donaldson, a 20-year Milwaukee Police Department veteran. "When explaining the facts behind a story, he brings skill and acumen to the table. In a crowded literary genre, authenticity is king and Steve Spingola brings it."
“Best of the Spingola Files, Vols. I and II peeks into the world of a veteran homicide detective: the complexities of victimology, the misnomer of a ‘cold case,’ and the quandary of constitutional preservation and technology. Steven Spingola’s ego-free compilation begins by gently providing detail necessary to impart the brutality of certain unsolved cases while avoiding victim exploitation. Spingola weaves in a tease of the Milwaukee and Madison underworlds then stimulates critical thinking on the national policy of domestic surveillance, leaving one to long for the investigative journalism of yore."---Kelly McAndrews, J.D.
