Local detective talks books, bad guys

When asked, “Why police work?” Detective David Williams begins talking in earnest about how it had been a long-term interest. “I knew in high school that I wanted to be in law enforcement. I didn’t know any police officers, so most of my perceptions were based on television, which is not a completely fair way to do your career planning.”

He began his career as a paramedic in Austin, Texas, where he grew up. Williams went through EMT school, started a special operations rescue unit and worked for the SWAT team. He and his wife, Danette, then decided it was time for a move to Fayetteville. “My father has been here for a long time, so we wanted to be closer to him, and we thought Fayetteville would be an amazing place to raise our children.” David has been a Fayetteville Public Library patron since he moved here 10 years ago and was an Austin library patron. “I wanted my children to grow up in a library environment—it’s a good place to be.”

Since moving here, David has gone into investigations, “primarily domestic violence crimes and crimes against children.” Williams says that even though his work is challenging and exciting, it absolutely has its heartbreaking side. “There are horrible crimes that we are witness to, particularly crimes that involve children.” Ultimately, though, he says there is satisfaction in helping those in need. “We have the opportunity to make a significant difference in an individual’s or a whole family’s life and direction. Justice isn’t always what we get, but many times we can get to the truth, and we can get to change for the better. That’s what keeps you coming back.”

In his demanding career, Williams has to stay centered and focused. “I try to always remember to be calm and in control. I work through stress with physical exercise, purging my mind by talking about my experiences, and being with my family as much as possible.” David spends most of his free time with his family playing tennis, swimming and biking. He proudly notes that his sons were recently certified in scuba-diving, which is a long-time passion of his. He has been scuba-diving with his father for almost 30 years.

Of course, he is also a passionate reader. He reads historical fiction, murder mysteries and crime thrillers “How predictable is that?” he says. Favorite authors include Michael Connelly, Martin Cruz Smith, Bernard Cornwell, James Clavell and Arkansas author Grif Stockley. He is also a history buff, especially the Napoleonic Era. “It fascinates me. I can’t understand why they were so rabid about warring and duels based on sometimes nothing more than the most minimal of slights or offenses. “Imagine taking 10,000 men into battle because of a slip of the tongue!”

Besides all his law enforcement training and education, Williams also holds a B.A. in Literature from St. Edward’s University in Austin. How does this degree help him in his chosen career? “Well,” he says with a slow smile, “I write really interesting police reports. And I try to throw in a metaphor or two for the judge.”

Williams has written a novel, Lost on the Road to Jericho, about—what else?—police work. “The story involves two paramedics who stumble onto a conspiracy to sell contaminated pharmaceuticals. The bad guys realize that the paramedics know about their scheme, and start trying to remove them as a threat to their operation.” Besides writing his novel in the same style that he likes to read, Williams factored in a great deal of his own experiences. The two main characters “are both me, at two very different times in my career. Just about every character in the book is based on someone I’ve met, or is a blend of people I’ve known and worked with.”

Along with his work on the force, family time and writing, Williams also finds time to keep a watchful and caring eye on the library. “Every police officer has some place or some institution or some family that they watch out for and take care of, and the Fayetteville Public Library just happens to be mine.”