Judy La Salle is a retired peace officer who holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, and a master’s degree in Criminology from California State University. She has taught Criminal Justice at the college and university levels and was a newspaper columnist for nineteen years. She was a "stewardess" with an international charter airline and served a year in Vietnam with the American National Red Cross. Judy currently resides in Central California with her husband, who is an architect.