Pat McKinley

Chief Pat McKinley is a 42-year veteran of law enforcement. After serving four years in the United States Air Force, he attended the police academy in Los Angeles. He then went on to work for the L.A. Police Department for 29 years, where in 1968, he and 75 other officers volunteered to be part of an elite force within the LAPD known as SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics unit). Working his way up to captain, McKinley spent 29 years with the LAPD.

McKinley's extensive training and experience with barricaded suspects has taught him volumes about the criminal mind. He learned that most criminals are weak-willed and skittish. The slightest resistance from a potential victim will send him or her looking for someone else to victimize. In an effort to understand this phenomenon, McKinley talked to victims and to officers who had spent time working with the victims of violent crimes. Through this research, McKinley gained insight into what causes criminals to prey on certain people.