Sergeant Eric Briggs, Maryland State Police (ret.) is “a US Army veteran and a retired Maryland State Police sergeant. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1967.  He served as a Specialist (E5) in the 53rd Davey Crockett Nuclear Weapons Platoon attached to the 25th Infantry Division.

During his twenty-six year Maryland State Police career, he worked in uniform patrol and criminal investigations, ending his career while a member of the FBI's Wash DC/PG County Violent Fugitive Task Force.  Sergeant Eric Briggs is the author of Signal 13: Chronicles of a Calvert Trooper.

According to the book description of Signal 13: Chronicles of a Calvert Trooper,, “When the electrifying code Signal 13 crackled over the cruiser radio heralding a brother trooper's desperate call for help, your heart froze and your gut erupted into a fireball. Retiring Maryland State Police Sergeant Dalton Bragg, hamstrung by mulish pride, was in desperate trouble, but even as the specter of death sneered in his face, he still couldn't call for help

Tormented by his demons, Bragg climbs to the sanctity he calls Purgatory Ridge, his coveted Calvert Cliffs overlook high above the majestic Chesapeake Bay. Buttressed by booze and waning pride, the resolute sergeant holds his own retirement party. Haunting memories come swirling back; those heady academy days, countless years of intense camaraderie highlighted by hilarious and horrific experiences, the deaths of fellow troopers, the inevitable wreck of his doomed marriage, and the State Police life that was created from a deck of stacked cards.

Fighting off abhorrent nightmares as the restless tiger aimlessly treads in his head, the "silverback" sergeant holds on. Troopers take the pain!

For Dalton Bragg, clinging by fingernails to his tarnished image of "Maryland's Finest," the dark experiences are irreconcilable, despite his budding relationship with the alluring MSP detective Diane Coulson. Could his lofty refuge amidst soaring bald eagles be the perfect place for an imperfect end to his torment?”

One reader of Signal 13: Chronicles of a Calvert Trooper said, “As a former trooper who worked under the author I was astounded by the details he put in print. Most of everything in the book happened to someone during their time with the state police. Obviously the names have been changed and unless you worked during that time frame you would not know who the players were. I sort of skipped over the sex scenes, but I'm sure they were interesting. It was my honor the serve the state police from 1978 to 1995 and Calvert was served well by most of it's state troopers. I can't wait for the sequel. I read the book in one night, I couldn't put it down.

For starters, this is reality so transparently cloaked in fiction that it amounts to putting a negligee on an Elephant. But what a spectacular elephant! It's redeeming grace is the eloquence of the presentation and the powerful way it delivers its message. I bought it expecting a memoir, but what an understatement that was; it's a total immersion experience and so well crafted that it's pure art. I feel like I got caught up in one of those high-powered storm-surge waves and churned around head first on the bottom until I was within an inch of drowning, before being spit out onto the beach exhausted. But it was one hell of a ride, and I want to jump back in for more, but, alas, the waves have subsided to beach lappers.”

SIGNAL 13: Chronicles of a Calvert Trooper S. Eric Briggs  More Info

One reader of Signal 13: Chronicles of a Calvert Trooper said “The promo blurb here doesn't begin to do this book justice. Yeah, it's all of that, but it's so three dimensional and up in your face authentic you feel like you are right there in that cruiser with him for the 26 year ride up to that lone wolf retirement party on that impossibly beautiful promontory overlooking the Chesapeake Bay, another one of the ghosts present. It's the only way he can allow himself to celebrate; he's so beat up from the years he spent on the job trying to live up to the impossibly high esteem he had for the organization and those who served with him that anywhere along he could have grabbed a cushy tax free retirement and hung up his spurs, but it isn't in him. He rode out hardship and losses that tore away his family and tormented his mind with horribly vivid nightmares and pain. He carries those and the ghosts of his departed comrades up on that ridge with him and it's his mental reunion with them and memories of still others he served with, in vivid detail, that sets the stage for the bigger story unfolding on the ridge itself. The telling is made all the more real by the narrator taking on the voice of the protagonist. It's this masterful technique that gives this story the first hand feel and authenticity that engages all of the senses to the fullest. By the time the past merges into the present you are so caught up in the story and intimate with Dalton Bragg, the main character, that you anticipate what's coming, but, like they say in the profession, you have to have been there. So go, you won't be disappointed. The least you can take away from the experience is a new found respect for those behind the badge.”

One reader of Signal 13: Chronicles of a Calvert Trooper said, “This book contains it all. Fast paced, intermingled with soul searching introspection, it's the story of a law enforcement life that's been centered around the call of duty, a call that wreaks havoc on Dalton's personal life and slowly destroys the myths he once thought to be true. The author incorporates a reader friendly style throughout the book which makes the audience feel as if they're experiencing all the highs, lows and numerous humorous escapades right alongside the main character. The use of extensive "down to earth " dialogue exchanges between the characters only adds to the feeling of being right there in the scenes.

I would imagine anyone who chose to commit themselves to a life of law enforcement would want to read this book. On the other hand, "ordinary citizens" might find the book even more appealing because it strips away the façade that somehow our "guardians" are immune to the problems associated with just trying to make it through another day, i.e., shields of armor definitely do get dented.

The writing is very image provocative and emotionally stirring, especially during those periods when the author is describing his innermost feelings regarding the loss of a life; whether it be the death of a strangers' loved one, or the demise of another close, fallen comrade. Equally impressive are his descriptions of the world of nature he loves so much and its ability to re-energize him when gloom threatens his existence. Once you start reading this book, it's tough to take a break! And contrary to the lyrics of that popular British song from the early 70's, the author's writing is definitely "Heavy.....and he's my brother.”