SOCIAL WORKERS WITH GUNS is an account of the author's twenty-seven years, 1961 to1988, as a parole officer with the New York State Division of Parole. His book was not intended to be a study of the theory and practice of the parole system, but rather a riveting account of the complex duality of a parole officer's role being both social worker and cop. Two years after supervising a caseload of approximately sixty parolees, the author applied for and was accepted into the Division's Bureau of Special Services (BSS). No other parole system in the country had a unit mandated to focus on career criminals and organized crime associates, maintaining a close working relationship with law enforcement agencies at all levels. "Pete the Greek" and "Mad Dog" were two of the many cases. Then, there were the cases that became personal: the brutal murders of Parole Officers Barry Sutherland and Brian Rooney and the capture of their killers that included Sutherland's killer who had escaped from Sing Sing two years following his conviction and died in a wild shootout after being located by BSS officers.
The story of the BSS has never been told but it reminded the author of a simple quote by movie director Kathryn Bigelow..."You just try to tell a good story that captures a moment in time."
The author noted "my story about the BSS ended when I retired. I never looked back until now."