Police and Law Enforcement Books

This book is a must read for all gun owners especially if you are thinking about getting a CCW license. This is also a good book to send to people that are anti-gun. After reading this book the anti-gun people might change their minds about guns. I sent this book to my sister who hates guns.

This excellent manual gives precise details to American citizens in exercising their 2nd Amendment Civil Rights during a criminal or even terrorist attack. This book is comprehensive and includes information on:
*Regulations
*Shooting Instructions - Beginner to Advanced
*Case Studies about concealed carry action
*Safety Regulations and methods

This book is like a mini-course in and of itself. You can learn about selecting a handgun, the duty of self-defense and also methods of concealing a weapon. In addition, as I teach martial arts, I tell people that the most important weapon is Your Mind. Don't get involved in any dangerous encounters if you can avoid them. Ultimately, the taking of a human life - for people with a conscience - is a life-altering and difficult experience. It can be traumatic because it is a situation that few wish to experience - unless it involves saving your life and your loved ones from criminals.

Michael Mandaville, Author:"Citizen Soldier Handbook: 101 Ways for Every American to Fight Terrorism"

I have read several books about concealed handguns and thought that this is one of the best. It has more detail than most others and I liked that.

This is an excellent book. Both very informative and very well written. It is a must for any one thinking about carrying a concealed handgun. Even after much training, I learned many new things from this book. This book is very thought provoking and if you don't have a CHL yet, you will want one after you read this book. This is a book I will not loan out, but will buy extra copies for all the gals in my shooting club.

I found this book very informative. I read this just before taking a concealed hand gun class & it helped me understand the informaion presented in class. I would recommend it for anyone interested in self defense.

Nutshell review - A great read. Entertaining and informative. So well written and very useful at the same time.

I was pretty excited to read Bruce Schneier's Beyond Fear, I have enjoyed hearning him speak and like his blog. I will say that the book could have said what it says with a lot less pages, possibly even an essay. However, there are lots of great stories and a fantastic word picture called "Security Theater". His illustration is that after 9/11 no one knew what to do to combat air terrorism, so they gave the appearance of action by doing things like confiscating nail files. Oh do I agree that much of what we see is security theater!

Bruce has a five step process he tries to illustrate, especially in the second half of the book:

* What assets are you trying to protect?
* What are the risks to these assets? ( I think threats is a more correct word than risks )
* How well does the security solution mitigate those risks?
* What other risks does the security solution cause?
* What trade-offs does the security solution require?

This is a nice implementation of threat vector analysis and he tells great stories. I am not sure the book teaches that much, but it might be a valuable awareness tool for executives.

Beyond Fear is a well-written book on the fundamental concepts and applications of security theory. In the first chapter, he proposes a sequence of five questions that should be asked about any suggested security system.
1. What assets are you trying to protect?
2. What are the risks to those assets?
3. How well does the security solution mitigate the risks?
4. What other risks does the security solution cause?
5. What costs and trade-offs does the security solution impose?

He spends the rest of the book discussing various aspects of security, and talking about various implementations of security both historical and modern. He finished writing this book in 2003, so there are many references to the 9-11 incidents and the security activities implemented because of them.

Most people think that they think rationally about security decisions.

Most don't even know when they're making security decisions.

Fewer know what those decisions really entail.

Only Bruce Schneier knows how to make those decisions sensibly, and he's passing that information along to the world.

The content of this book slightly overlap the content of the author previous book Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World but presents the material with a different angle. An angle with the perspective of a security expert that witness security measures taken by governments in reaction of the 9/11 terrorism attack and wants people to understand the absurdity of some of these measures.

It is not technical at all and does not necessitate any particular background to understand and enjoy. The author explains clearly how to make a risk assessment of something that you want to make more secure and then evaluate the cost of the security measures. Only when you have that data, you can evaluate if the added security is worth it.

These explanations are backed up with concrete examples such as evaluating the risk to make purchase with a credit card over the internet. Other examples include the absurdity of securing a lunch in a company refrigerator because the potential loss if having a lunch stolen does not justify securing it. The author also explains that even with technologies that looks very accurate such as facial recognition with an error rate of, let's say, 0.0001 % are totally ineffective when they have to control a huge number of persons like a stadium crowd because even with this accuracy, they would create an unmanageable amount of false positive alerts.

The author also elaborate about why you should question the motivation of a security provider when it is a third party and link this with how people fears can be exploited to introduce invasive, excessively expensive and inefficient security measures. I think that the goal of the author was to make people more critics about security questions and my opinion is that his goal has been successfully achieved.

I am in the helping profession myslf, so I know that good literature that is specific to ones self-help needs is extremely difficult to obtain. If you love someone that is a police officer, read this book. It's that simple, and you will NOT be sorry.

This book is very helpful with practical advise about how to live in a cop's family. It deals with the day to day realities as well as the traumas that go along with living with a cop. It was an easy read that didnt give a bunch of doctor jargon. I highly recomend this book to anyone that lives with a cop, is a cop, or just wants to understand what its like to be a cop.

My 18 year old son is thinking about becoming a cop. I was quite suprised and a little taken aback when he declared the interest.

About the same time I bumped into the author of this book at a chance meeting and ordered it. Both he and I read it. It is an excellent rundown of the very real challenges cops and their families face, full of tools for how to deal with each one.

As part of reading the book and discussing it with my son I have come to terms with his current career choice.

What a wonderfully put together book on cops. How to handle the many issues that come along with loving a cop,what both the cop and their families go through, and how to help them get to the end of their careers safely full family intact. Every police recruit, spouse/partner should read this book. Can't say enough about it!

This is the worst book ever and should be titled "Why NOT to marry a Cop". This book will scare anyone interested in becoming a police officer out of the profession and make spouses of officers fearful that their cop will become an alcoholic, abusive, or get killed in the line of duty. This book WILL scare you, I don't recommend reading it. If you want to know about the effects of police work on the family, go and speak with families. DO NOT read this book.

It should also be mentioned that the author, a police psychologist, probably only meets with officers who have experienced trauma and or alcoholism, abuse, etc. The author solely speaks about worst-case scenarios and never mentions stories of all the officers who do not have multiple problems due to the job. Furthermore, as the author reiterates repeatedly, one is left thinking that all Cops will be treated poorly by their department, be shot or wounded, become abusive and distant with their families, or end up regretting their decision to become a police officer and quit altogether.

On a different note, the author doesn't cite any footnotes and the reader is left wondering where she gets the "facts" she states throughout the book. When the author does offer a statistic it is said in a negative way to make the reader even more fearful of police work. A better source of current stats on crime and police officer deaths is the current World Almanac or the FBI website.

If you are wondering how police work affects family life, a better source is www.officer.com and the message boards the site offers. You will be able to talk with police officers all around the country and get real answers to your questions.

Great book for studyng to take the TEA Exam. All the items that appears in the book have relation with the ones in the test. You will have a good score taking the test.

THIS IS THE BEST AND THE ONLY BOOK TO EXCEL IN TEA EXAM. I SAT FOR IRS TEA EXAM ON 03/09/07 AND I MUST SAY THAT PART A & B WERE MUCH EAIER THAN THIS BOOK. MATHEMATHICAL SECTION IS ABSENT IN IRS TEA EXAM.
IF YOU CAN SCORE 70% ON THIS BOOK, ITS MUCH LIKELY THAT YOU WOULD SCORE OVER 80% ON THE ACTUAL TEST.

I passed the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E) Special Agent/Criminal Investigator test after studying with this book. I wouldn't go into the testing center without spending at least a few weeks with this book. Highly recommend.

This study book is wonderful. I was told that this book would assist me in passing the TEA; and it did. The math examples and explanation given in the book is the best. The investigation questions were extremely helpful. I took the test this past week and passed. Normally, I get very scared and nervous during tests. But no worries with this one. Don't get me wrong, the test is extremely difficult. Without this book helping me to prepare I would have failed-big time. If you prepare with this book, you will pass. Get this book PEOPLE. It will help you. I have to add that I passed the TEA on the first try.

I used the book to study for the TEA exam. It gave much better examples of what to expect on the actual test than some other books I purchased. The reading and investigative questions were helpful. If you're not good at math, you should refresh yourself elsewhere, but the review is great if you are.

Years ago, I had the opportunity to tag along with some police officers during their patrols. While nothing much occurred, I learned some fascinating facts and heard some amusing stories. On one occasion, while in City Hall, a former politician from an inner city neighborhood warmly greeted the policeman that I was with like a long lost friend or family member. Afterwards, the copper explained that he routinely arrested the politico when he was a street punk. Years later, the man sued the police department for brutality and was elected to serve a term on the City Council. He ended his career in elected office by being sent to prison for corruption. The truth is stranger than fiction. One of his successors required a gubernatorial pardon to serve as a councilman!

The cops see and hear things that many of us unobservant taxpayers never see or constantly overlook. With that statement as a preface, I have to give high marks to this anecdotal account of "What Cops Know."

This is a highly readable and entertaining book that you will find difficult to put down. The police are sometimes cynical, humorous and jaded by turns, but their stories are never without interest. You will find tales of criminal stupidity and heartwrenching tragedies described in these pages. It is a wild ride.

The truth is out there. St. Jude is not the patron and benefactor of police officers for nothing!

This is a readable and interesting narrative about police work and much that goes with it. Author Connie Chandler interviewed 125 Chicago police officers in the late 1980's to put this book together. The officers speak plainly and openly about their jobs, and let us see what it's like to wear a badge. Readers learn about working the streets, and crimes that range from property crimes to violent offense and the mob. Some of the stories are interesting, some humorous, and some downright depressing. But nearly all are interesting in the capable hands of the author. Good writing is engaging and informative, and this book easily passes the test.

If you are looking for a terrific, can't-put-it-down summer read, I would highly recommend "What Cops Know." I've read it several times and it never fails to fascinate. The author's in-depth interviews with Chicago police officers and detectives cover everything from the beat cops' encounters on the street, to the sex crime officers' investigations into rape and crimes against children, to the undercover narcotics investigations, and more. There's a great wealth of stories here from cops who have seen it all. Perhaps it was even more interesting to me because I lived for 12 years in the Chicago area profiled in the book--the city's Area Six. The voices of the police officers come through clearly in this book, much as the workers' accounts in Studs Terkel's classic "Working" did. A must read for any true crime fan! Written in 1992--and if Ms. Fletcher hasn't written an updated "What Cops Know--Part II", she should!

Connie has done a magnificent job describing patrol officer tactics and daily procedures. I was a cop for over 13 years and I GAVE this book to all my probationers (rookie cops). This book should be required reading in ALL police academies including LAPD.

Virtually all of the books that I read are books that are referred to me. The books, "What Cops Know" was referred to me as a marketing book to give insight into human nature. The problem with it of course is that much of the human nature that cops deal with tends to be very negative human nature so I am sure how much of it applies to marketing and behavior.

Perhaps I don't watch enough TV; however, I found much of it to be very violent although morbidly interesting.

What I did learn from the book is that most cops tend to become fairly jaded and synical because they deal with criminals most of the time. What I learned from this is that I should make sure that I spend time with positive people so that I can appropriately inspire.

Interested in a career in Federal Law Enforcement, this is your guide!

This book has all the information you need, names, numbers, salaries, what kind of degree you need.

Highly recommended to anyone interested in this field!

The GOOD: Lots of agencies, groups, etc, I never thought of.
Never considered.
Lots of positions to consider and apply for.
In that respect, I'd say 5-stars.

The bad:
As I remember, I bought this book a couple years, maybe a few years ago.
At the time, it was available from a website I cannot seem to find any longer. (It was NOT bought from amazon)

I don't remember if this was the only book selling on that particular website or not (I do not remember it being a bookstore, more like a small website "sales page" for that exact book title).

Anyway the website I bought it from provided NO details about:
- terms of sale guidelines
- refunds,
- RMA's or their return policy,

UNTIL AFTER you submitted an order.

Meaning = you only found out AFTER you clicked on the
SUBMIT ORDER button.

Then you are greeted by a message saying that a fee, a restocking fee(?) of 50% would be charged to any returned books.

YIKES!

That really changed my opinion of the item I had just bought.

I was wondering if I had just gotten taken.

Why else would someone withhold terms of sale until AFTER the order was submitted?
Then basically smack-you-in-the-face with a 50% restocking fee or a 50% "gouge", for returns?

Such ploys are something that I'd expect some sort of a crappy book maker to resort to.

Therefore, a 1-star rating for methods of sales.

End RESULT: The book was what I was looking for, so no returns to worry about.

Marketing on that particular website (I wish I could remember it's URL) really left a LOT to be desired.

Left you feeling like might you just have been robbed.

(I understand some folks are paranoid about their intellectual property and think everyone is out to take advantage.
Like buy something, copy it and return it for a refund. But the book was large, many pages and places like Kinko's boldly post copyright rules so as to stop people from copying entire books.
Plus at 10 cents a page, or whatever they charge, a buyer of the book wouldn't be saving anything by copying it, vs buying a new 2nd book).

I'm glad the online book superstores (Like AMAZON) now offer most titles, from large and small publishers. That way I'll never have to go through that type of purchase process again, from a small, unknown website seller.

Guide to Careers in Federal Law Enforcement is the all-time champion of law enforcement career books. I know of about a dozen college classmates who used the book to get hired into great careers with federal agencies. Thomas Ackerman's law enforcement career books are number one bestsellers for a reason - he lays it right on the line and tells you what you need to know, without unimportant details.

I got a copy of Thomas Ackerman's "Guide to Careers in Federal Law Enforcement" and couldn't put it down. It should be a required text at every college that turns out students who are destined for the feds. It is THE authoritative source for getting through the federal maze. The tactics Ackerman describes for the interviews, exams, and application forms would benefit anyone at any level of experience or expertise. I appreciate that it's written in real-world terminology that everyone can relate to, because many people who are trying to get hired into the feds do not have a law enforcement background. I also appreciate that the author shows you how to overcome lack of experience so you can compete with the best and brightest regardless of your background.

the good: ackerman does a great job of summarizing all of the federal law enforcement jobs out there. there were a lot of jobs i didn't even know about before reading. the not so good: i bought the book with the hope of getting a lot of useful hints for passing the written tests and personal interviews, but found it didn't provide as much information as i had thought (still got a job though!). buy the book if you want lists and descriptions of nearly every fed law enforcement job out there. don't buy it for the "sure fire tactics for getting hired."

I bought this because I already owned the superb Boston's Gun Bible which is stuffed full of mostly irreproachable tips on weapons ownership.

It's hard to critique this book, however. In fact, I hope I never need to know any of this stuff. I'm betting it will come in handy and that I will regret not having fully assimilated its concepts. As I'm a geek and not exactly a people person, I would have considerable trouble finessing some of the social situations (i.e.: interaction with government employees) discussed in here.

Looks good, however. The lack of the fifth star is a) because I can't judge the quality and b) I probably can't do some of what is suggested.

About half way through you might think that Boston is being redundant at
times but I have decided that he is conditioning you to automatic non thinking responses when you find yourself in a "situation" with one of the many storm troopers in our country. Get this book and read it twice! It may keep you out of jail especailly of you are a legal firearms owner.

This was a great book for many different kinds of people, ranging from those who want tips on how to avoid traffic stops to those who want a full gamut of privacy measures during police contact. It is full of great advice and things one doesn't normally think about. Learn how to effectively, safely and legally deal with police to save you trouble and them hassle. Engaging, quick read - highly recommended!

This is a fascinating book written no doubt by a lawyer - and the content of it is basically a law school criminal procedure outline. The cases are accurate and it is very relevant and up to date. THe rule of this book is avoid the system at all costs - the system being "the man" - never even talk to a police officer. If you get get caught up in the American penal system & are ask to do repentence in a "penitentiary" - you will forever have a criminal record & will never have gainful employment. This is a good book for any lay person who wants to know "what his rights are" when he gets pulled over - in one sentence - you have no rights - and with the patriot act - I'll say it twice - you have no rights - dont talk to the man - buy a radar detector - avoid all confrontations with the law ..the stakes today with low cost commercial background checks is that you will loose your ability to earn a livly hood - and possibly even get killed or raped .. it is a sad commentary on the legal system. Why do you think that many fugatives now choose to shoot it out with the law when apprehended - the penal system is hell on earth.. they aint going back. The worst hypocracy is public defenders - they get paid $200 per head - now how you gonna get justice when they just wanna get paid ? Most public defenders consider their clients as slimebags anyway - & just plea bargain whether or not you are guilty - you will never get a "probable cause analysis" for $200 ..

Very well written with many law references and background. BT really did his homework and offers many examples of police opression from his own personal experience. BT is obviously well educated and has a very smooth writing style. This book is a "must read" for all African Americans and anyone else who is tired of being harrassed by or afraid of the police. Also contains many warnings of things to come that will make more law abiding Americans think that they are criminals. Shows the trend of current police forces to make working Americans the enemy and extort as much money as possible out of the common tax paying citizen rather than spend thousands of dollars trying to arrest and convict the real criminals.

This IS A TRUE STORY!!! This is the story of ONE honest cop/detective that actually tried to clean up crime in the "Big Apple" and got a bullet in his head thanks to his fellow officers due to his bringing in the FBI to clean up the NYPD itself....full of corruption!!!!!

This man deserves to be awarded the MEDAL OF HONOR.......strong words, yet few people in the history of our country have sacrificed as much as him and very unfortnately, only lip service is given in support by the Congress of the United States.

Frank Serpico is a modern AMERICAN HERO of the HIGHEST ORDER!!!!!!!

By the way, Mr. Serpico has to live in a foreign country to protect himself from taking a finalizing "hit" from friends of the corrupt officers of the NYPD.....I'm not saying ALL the officers are corrupt but far too many are!

Co-workers, supervisors - and even the people he served - mobbed and bullied Frank Serpico so severely, he never
got over it. Even though mobbing has been around since the beginning of time, it is frightening
to know that - in America - mobbing is encouraged - even though it can be avoided (thus saving someone's life).

Bottom line: mobbing is a management pathology and a management failure. And worse, in all cases, it can be
partially 'cured' through prevention policies. Back in Serpico's day, corruption was the rule and the mob was
to be feared. Even though this may be partially true today, what employees need to fear the most is management
participation in bullying and mobbing. Worse still, human resources takes the bullying and mobbing to
a new level. In some cases, they become goons on behalf of an organization. But this should never happen.

To understand mobbing fully, a researcher should read this book and highlight scenes that correspond with
the points Dr. Heinz Leymann made about mobbing: i.e. attacks on social relations, isolation, etc...

Only then, when we fully understand the magnitude of mobbing, can we work on solutions. Solutions we discover
today will save someone's life tomorrow.

Peter Maas (who sadly died in 2001) was best known for his career as the historian of the Mafia, corruption, and whistleblowing. His first book, The Valachi Papers, was an instant best-seller and kicked off the craze for all things Mafia that swept the seventies after its publication.

Serpico tells the story of Frank Serpico, the whistleblower cop who was determined to clean up corruption in the police force that he loved so much. It is as much about the policeman code of silence in the face of wrongdoing in the department as it is about Serpico himself. The book was also an instant best-seller at the time of publication and was the seed for an award-winning film by Stanley Lumet and a television series.

As a book, Serpico is a fascinating look at the issue of police corruption during the 1970s. Frank Serpico is really a hero of his time, embodying much of the confusion and changing priorities of the era. The prose is quite readable, but suffers a bit from hyperbole and some poor editing which meant that sections were occasionally repeated as the story progresses.

Recommended for true crime fans who would rather read about corruption than serial killers. It should also appeal to readers interested in the attitude towards police in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Three and a half stars.

The truth is often unpleasant. This verity is the highlight of the society surrounding Frank Serpico.
It's remarkable how anyone could sustain the mental pressure that was brought upon this person. We're just reading about it. Serpico was living through this very real tension.
Maas does a good job of setting up Serpico as the oddball in the group from his unconventional dress sense to his unwillingness to comrpomise his integrity and partake of the pervadiong corruption.
His journalistic streak does creep in from time to time and the narrative can occasionaly drag while he is setting up some sequences. This would put it at 4 stars
The purpose of the protagonist is an example that is well brought out by the book and that's why I think most people interested in some civic or public office should read it as a source of inspiring personal integrity - this gets it 5 stars.

The late Peter Maas was a master of investigative reporting. Nowhere are his skills more evident than in this story about Frank Serpico, a police officer who tried to rid the New York City Police Department of the corruption that was rampant amongst its rank and file. Eventually, Serpico's efforts led to the establishment of the Knapp Commission, which would do a large scale investigation of police corruption and the policies and procedures within the Police Department itself that would allow such to flourish. Unfortunately, his efforts initially fell, for the most part, upon deaf ears. Nothing of any real import was really done until Serpico was grievously wounded in a gun battle with a drug dealer in 1971 that left all of New York, including Serpico, wondering as to what really happened?

Serpico was a Brooklyn boy who had always looked up to law enforcement and grew up wanting to preserve and protect. Little did he know, until he actually joined the police department, that preserve and protect seemed to pertain to the bribery, graft, and extortion in which many police officers, at the time, engaged. Serpico's initial shock gave way to disillusionment, and he refused to accept the money that other officers took as part of their due. His naiveté was soon replaced by disgust at finding out how rife was the corruption within the New York City Police Department. That soon turned to anger, however, as no one seemed interested in cleaning up the cesspool of corruption in which he worked. Although he tried, all he got was the runaround, until his near fatal shooting.

This is a riveting account of Serpico's travails, and time has not diminished the author's riveting account of how Serpico took the system on. The author paints an interesting portrait of a man who was truly one of New York's finest cops. Although somewhat of a maverick and a loner, Serpico was a dedicated police officer, who only desired that his fellow officers follow the very same laws that they were to enforce. Serpico defied the system, and the system nearly defeated him. This book is simply a page-turner, and one that those who like the true crime genre will really enjoy.

I cannot say much more then the other reviewers here have. Truly astounding writing puts you right in the front seats with these seasoned (and not so much) veterans as they deal with day to day life on the beat. If you ever wanted to know what life is like being a cop, this is the book for you.

"You see the hilarious and cannot laugh, you see the heartbreaking and cannot cry. This is what it takes to be a cop." --Mark Baker

It's true. Cop work has changed in the last few years. The ranks are now filled with pussies. But this book reflects how police work used to be.

The vignettes are well-written and interesting and how-it-was.

Whether you love cops, hate them or just want to understand them a little better - this is the book to get. I'm not a cop. But like most, I've known cops, been rudely stopped by cops and been helped by cops. This is their story. Yes, the interviews were in the mid-80's - but while techology has changed, even the training probably - the situations, the stresses and the core of who these guys are is as good as the day they told their stories.

For the most part, I've always felt a bit of admiration and a bit sorry for these folks whose job is to protect and serve - who generally see people only when they are at worst and only rarely get a person who is just delighted to see them. This book reminds you of the horror and the black humor they often use to face it. It's like being a fly at a cops bar, listening to them tell their true tales - even the older tales still tell you who they are.

When you get tired of watching cop shows - and want to know what it's really like - I'd read this. For a different spin on the reality of Detectives versus street cops, I'd also recommend Cop Talk: True Detective Stories from the Nypd- especially good if you're a Law and Order fan.

This book is filled with short stories of cops in their own words. No censorship: From the cold description of an impaled baby on a tree on the scene of a terrible car accident to a blown up drug addict body in a bloody appartment. I almost vomited on my way to work when I read it two years ago on the city bus. So be sure to be prepared for horrible descriptions, lots of action and a superb inside view of the psychological aspect of the policemen/women. But remember that the tales are mostly taking part in the early 1980s. Every chapter starts with the author's take on a selected aspect of the police work. Are you ready for Atari-boy-killer, incredible housecalls, drugs, alcohol, sex and corruption? Then this book is for you. Very easy reading because each story is clearly divided by little stars. A must for police-related readers.

This is a book about cops, for cops, and by cops. The author has done an excellent job of organizing their stories about what it means be a member of the blue team. There are over a hundred such accounts compiled, and each one has a ring of authenticity, colored by a layer of humor and cynicism that goes often goes with the territoty. The often raw and gritty language, coupled with their vividly described experiences, gives the reader a birdseye view of the underbelly of the beast.

The only problem with the book is that policing has undergone a substantial change in the past several years, which is, of course, not reflected in this book, as it was published in 1985. Read in that context, the book is somewhat anachronistic. Still, it is one that will be enjoyed by those with a penchant for police war stories. If you are an avid cop buff, add one star to my rating.

We all enjoy watching a great athlete "step onto the field" and perform brilliantly time and time again. Bill Bratton, in Boston, NYC and now LA, has led very complex sets of activities--policing a multimillion person city--and reduced crime dramatically.

I lived in NYC from 1980-1983 and saw a rough place...and rarely saw policemen. During my first night in the city, I sat on the floor of my apartment because gunfire, for a long period, was a block away. When I moved back in 1997, I was shocked to see a patrolman on the beat in lower Manhattan. The city--I was about to find out--had changed dramatically.

This book goes into great detail to describe the man behind many leadership and management actions that made a DRAMATIC difference in crime rates and quality of life. What most struck me was his decision to disconnect the linkage between the economic and social nature of the community AND the associated crime rate. That is, he led while telling his officers and citizens that criminal behavior was caused by "bad guys"...and not merely my the economy, the job rate and general social conditions. Once he delinked those factors, he was able to apply organizational & human performance management--along with a solid budget--to go after crimes large and, more importantly, small. Mr. Bratton was able to apply information, intelligence and feedback (COMSTAT), get better resources, add incentives for the police and citizens, provide better/more realistic training and select the right people to serve in the police department.

I use Mr. Bratton's approach--and the NYPD--as part of a course/workshop on organizational leadership & performance. The attendees, senior law enforcement officials from outside the USA, are amazed that someone has so successfully "broken the code."

Read this book; I did twice in the first week. This guy really gets the process of orchestrating complex performance in tough environments. Who else can you say that about?

"Turnaround" tells the impressive story of William Bratton's turnarounds in the N.Y. Transit Police and New York Police Department, along with his growing up in Boston, and early learning experiences on their police force.

Bratton began his transit leadership by regularly riding the system and meeting people to learn their issues. An early lesson was that staff were demoralized (disliked being posted in uniform all day in the same spot in a futile effort to stop fare-beating - the violators simply moved elsewhere) and generally had a sloppy appearance. Bratton changed to using plainclothes police who were able to make "mass" arrests, substantially reducing the processing time for violators, and publicity over the arrests. Checking violators for warrants produced the side benefit of further reducing crime.

Lobbying for improved radios involved not only fighting city hall but also bringing community leaders on transit tours to understand conditions. Other leaders followed the one-month process to obtain warrants and shortened it to two days by implementing electronic records and lobbying court and D.A. personnel. Warrant-serving was further improved by launching sweeps at 4 A.M., instead of during the days when the perpetrators usually weren't home.

Other improvements included improving the uniforms and weapons, and having cops visit recently released transit-violator parolees to congratulate them on their release and remind them that security would be watching.

Bratton was then sought out by newly-elected Mayor Giuliani to take over the NYPD. Personnel decisions dominated Bratton's early days, as well as improving cooperation between fiefdoms (eg. detective bureau leaders were threatened with replacement). Another obvious problem was that staffing was largely M-F, 9-5, not a good match to 365-24-7 criminal activity.

Friction with the publicity-hungry mayoral office began the first week. Bratton et al worked through it and also quickly resolved the "squeeze people" - a mayoral priority. About half stopped when warned by police, and about half those remaining were arrested for warrant violations - the problem quickly stopped.

Bratton found that the focus of NYPD leadership was not on reducing crime, but avoiding media criticism for corruption - primarily by avoiding problematic undercover operations. Jack Maple (brought over from transit) was one of Bratton's innovative leaders - his innovations included instituting weekly crime statistics and maps, as well as the acclaimed Compstat reviews. (The latter involved challenging questions to area leaders regarding what they were doing to reduce crimes, and even personally challenging suspect answers and performance.)

Gun arrests had not been followed up - NYPD began pushing to learn the sources, and the sources of the sources.

Results were impressive - felony crime dropped 39% in the 27 months of Bratton's leadership, and NYPD's approval rating rose from 37% to 73%. Unfortunately, the publicity given Bratton grated on Giuliani, and intense micro-management by the mayor's office began, along with public undermining. Bratton left.

Bratton's ideas and practices have existed in one form or another over the last 30 years in policing. It is a testament to his leadership ability that he managed to implement his programs. A good leader is constantly in touch with his surroundings and can to an extent predict future trends based on information. The book is a must read for any law enforcement officer who is looking for the next trend in policing.

I have been teaching college level police management courses since 1976. I began to cite Bratton's tactics and leadership style in my lectures after he appeared in TIME and predicted that his name will be in police text books in the near future along with other heavyweights. Sure enough, in John Dempsey's "Introduction To Policing" (second edition) Bratton's COMPSTAT efforts are cited on pages 24-25. What is surprising to me are the negative reviews posted on this Amazon review section. They apparently have no clue on the nature of social disorder fostered in the "Broken Window" syndrome embraced by Bratton and integrated into his crime-specific targeting tactics of COMPSTAT. And yes crime did decrease in the nation during that period but that had nothing to do with targeting the notorious "window wipers" and recently paroled ex-cons (read the book to learn about these police tactics). I wonder if the negative reviewers are part of the traditional set that resisted needed change in how police do business? But I respect Bratton for his leadership style. Talk to New York transit cops who got new radios, Glocks and black leather jackets. Those little things mean a lot to street cops and that's what bonds them to their leaders. And, after being on the job only for a few weeks, he goes into the NYPD precinct to personally supervise the arrest of the cocaine cops then faced the cameras holding up the badges telling the city that the badge numbers will never be used again forever. It is a leadership paradigm that others wish they had thought of first. Of course, his detractors will call it grandstanding. If they know so much, how come they never got to be top cop of Boston, NYPD or LAPD?

This reviewer has no insight into how much of the book was written by Bratton and how much was written Knobler. Regardless, this book is a quick and delightful read. The language is rough and informal as one might expect from a police chief turned author, but is written with enough balance that it could be used a textbook for a criminology class. Assuming that Knobler had a major hand in this book, this reviewer intends to seek out his other books to see if they are as excellently written.

Having recently read Giuliani's book, it is striking how much less ego is in this book than in Giuliani's book which covers many of the same events and initiatives. Additionally, there are many striking differences of fact in this book and Giuliani's. Not just the discussions of personalities and why different folks were moved around or fired, but very specific things such as the level of computerization in COMPSTAT and the timing of the "rollout" of different initiatives. All things being equal, this reader would tend to believe the Bratton version of events since he was working these issues much closer than the Mayor would have been.

The book is not a true biography of Bratton. It has a short biographical section which is primarily structured to discuss why he became a cop and how his philosophy to criminology was developed. Then the book talks about Bratton's initiatives as the highest uniformed officer at Boston, as head of the transit police in NYC, as head of the Boston police, and finally his crowning triumph as Commissioner of NYPD.

To be completely honest, this reviewer has little interest in police matters. This book was read as a research project for a scholar I work with. Despite this lack of background, I found some very interesting ideas outlined in this book. First, large institutions - Governmental Bureaucracies, military, police - tend to become monolithic and exclusive. This means that members of those organizations, in order to avoid stagnation and collapse as society changes around them, must constantly scan the outside world to lift the best ideas and procedures available. Second, American nature is fascinated and compelled by change and innovation. To sell ideas and make the folks doing the work feel involved and have ownership, one might consider selling the ideas often as innovation even if they are more evolutionary than revolutionary. Finally, Bratton and Giuliani ultimately did quite a bit of damage to both the general population of NYC and the NYPD because of their huge egos. After reading this book, I am willing to believe that Giuliani had the larger share of fault in this, but the there is plenty of blame for both in this case.

Many will say that Bratton just rode the wave of national crime reduction. Some of the things they might cite as the real cause of the crime reduction might be: (1) the graying of America's general population. (2) The shift from Crack (a stimulant) to Heroin (a depressant). (3) The availability of cheap and legal abortions essentially killed the poor and disadvantaged before they had the opportunity to grow to adulthood and become criminals. (4) The decrease in crimes in NYC was simply a reflection of the statistical decrease of crime across the nation. While there is a grain of truth in all of these, they miss the point. NYC far exceeded the national average in crime reduction. Additionally, NYC is such a large population that they were a significant factor in the nation-wide reduction numbers. One need only look at cities like Washington DC or New Orleans to see that not all cities experienced reduced crime during this period. Therefore, the Bratton's policies must have had a significant role in crime reduction in addition to the elements discussed above.

Of course, part of the reason that this book was written was to help Bratton with his public speaking and consulting business that he started after leaving NYPD. However, that fact does not detract from its usefulness. Additionally, it must be noted that Bratton has recently returned to public service as Police Commissioner at LAPD. It will be interesting to see what initiatives he develops in that much different environment and how effective his "old" techniques developed at Boston and NYC will be in an environment that is much different both culturally and geographically.

In summary, this is an excellent book. I highly recommend it for folks interested in leadership, innovation, criminology, or the recent history of NYC. This book is better than Giuliani's both in terms of the writing and its usefulness.