Sergeant Howard A. Monta, Seattle Police Department (ret.) was an enlisted Airman in the United States Air Force from 1956 to 1959.  After his military service, he joined the Seattle Fire Department and served from 1961 to 1966.  In 1968, he joined the Seattle Police Department where he rose to the rank of sergeant, retiring in 1997.  During his law enforcement career, he was a field training officer as well as a basic police academy instructor in Verbal Communications.  He earned his BA in Public Administration in 1974.

Sergeant Howard A. Monta is the author of three law enforcement related books: How Police Officers Get Hired: The Key to Getting the Cop Job and Keeping It; Survive Low Morale, Stress and Burnout in Law Enforcement: (Identify & Manage the Eight Elements of Job Burnout); and, his autobiography, Like a Cat with Nine Lives.

According to the book description of How to Survive Low Morale, Stress, & Burnout in Law Enforcement, “Throughout his twenty-nine-year career, Retired Seattle Police Sergeant Howard A. Monta maintained an interest in looking beyond the normal functions of his job description. Sergeant Monta supervised a patrol squad staffed by Field Training Officers, and was intensely involved in the training of student officers from 1990 to 1997. Monta maintained a curiosity and concern for the actions and feelings of others, always trying to find explanations for the reactions of people in response to their environment. He kept records and notes relating to events that caused significant negative reactions from peers and administrators—reactions that led to stress and morale problems. First and foremost of Sergeant Monta’s interests were the causes of job stress, low morale, and burnout in the profession. This manuscript is meant to serve as a textbook that would familiarize prospective and current police officers with one of the most severe hazards of the profession, and offer advice to assist in overcoming this dangerous reality.”

According to the book description of Like a Cat with Nine Lives, “This is the story of Howard A. Monta’s evolution from a picked-on, chubby kid, to a risk-taking adventurer who was drawn to a long career as an aggressive law enforcer. The saga spans his life from childhood in a poor Seattle neighborhood, to his retirement from the Seattle Police Department in 1997.The colorful narration of his infatuation for a New York girl whom he cajoled into marrying him, despite his outrageous behavior, will bring a smile to the face of even the most somber reader.”

One reader of Like a Cat with Nine Lives said, “For anyone who thought they knew that being a police officer was all about, this book will enlighten and surprise you. With completely candid stories and adventures, Sgt. Monta gives you a play by play on what it is like to walk in his shoes for a while. As an officer that has worked under and with him, I can honestly say, he deserves applause for all his dedication to the police family.”

Like a Cat with Nine Lives Howard A. Monta  More Info How Police Officers Get Hired: The Key to Getting the Cop Job and Keeping It Howard A. Monta  More Info How to Survive Low Morale, Stress, and Burnout in Law Enforcement: (Identify & Manage the Eight Elements of Job Burnout) Sergeant Howard A. Monta Seattle PD Retired  More Info

Howard Monta said of How Police Officers Get Hired (Formerly entitled, Cops Who Succeed), the book “provides insight into the most exciting, most controversial, most scrutinized, and the most important occupation in our society. In addition to vividly describing the public expectations and actual duties of police officers, Chapters One through Four identify the personal qualities of those who are "cut out" to be cops. The application, testing, and training processes are meticulously described. Chapters Five through Eleven describe those elements of the law enforcement profession that cause stress, low morale, and eventual job burnout. Helpful methods of surviving the stress and trauma of police duties are offered. This information is not only directed toward prospective officers, it is also invaluable for experienced officers. The book will never be outdated. Similar requirements and problems that exist for cops today, existed in the 1960s, and will continue to be relevant for generations to come.”

About the Seattle Fire Department

According to the Seattle Fire Department it “provides fire suppression and emergency medical services to a culturally diverse and vibrant population of Seattle. Since organized in 1894, the Fire Department has evolved from an organization focused only on fire fighting, to one that includes other critical services such as building inspections, fire code enforcement, tactical rescues and public education.

Today, the Seattle Fire Department employs 1,044 uniformed personnel, 40 department chiefs, 78 paramedics and 86 civilian personnel in 34 fire stations.  The department has 33 engines, 11 ladder trucks and 24 other types of emergency services related vehicles.

The mission of the Seattle Fire Department is “to prevent the loss of life and property resulting from fires, medical emergencies and other disasters.  We accomplish our mission through highly trained firefighters, a focus on fire prevention and education and nationally recognized emergency medical skills.”