Police and Law Enforcement Books

The glimpses into cop work are brief, over-dramatized, and lacking the emotional power of other works by authors such as Gina Gallo. It is a sincere attempt to reveal the inner workings of NYPD but the author fails to achieve this. I found myself losing interest after chapter 2, which is a shame, because the subject is an ever-engrossing one.

This book consists mainly of observations and conversations of the front-line cops of NYPD's 23rd Precinct. It does a good job of capturing many of their true feelings about the often thankless job of policing one of the city's toughest neighborhoods. The tone of the book, however, can get a little depressing. I could have done with a little less of the cynicism present throughout the book. Reading the book, you could really sense the extreme lack of pride, or maybe the author didn't bother to give more attention to those who are still truly in love with their jobs.

For a more detailed update on the improvements made to the NYPD, I recommend also reading Bernard Kerik's "THE LOST SON". For those who are interested in reading about women in the front lines of justice, I recommend Gina Gallo's "ARMED AND DANGEROUS" (although this one's about the Chicago Police Department, not the NYPD).

Overall, this is a good effort as far as books of this genre go.

This book consists mainly of observations and conversations of the front-line cops of NYPD's 23rd Precinct. It does a good job of capturing many of their true feelings about the often thankless job of policing one of the city's toughest neighborhoods. The tone of the book, however, can get a little depressing. I could have done with a little less of the cynicism present throughout the book. Reading the book, you could really sense the extreme lack of pride, or maybe the author didn't bother to give more attention to those who are still truly in love with their jobs.

For a more detailed update on the improvements made to the NYPD, I recommend also reading Bernard Kerik's "THE LOST SON". For those who are interested in reading about women in the front lines of justice, I recommend Gina Gallo's "ARMED AND DANGEROUS" (although this one's about the Chicago Police Department, not the NYPD).

Overall, this is a good effort as far as books of this genre goes.

If you are a cop or in law enforcement this book might be worth your while. However, you're better off skipping this one; there are too many other good books out there. Since when does piecing together interview after interview, quote after quote pass for good writing? I get the feeling that Schulman spent time as a stenographer. There are so many people, so many different angles in this book that I don't even think Schulman could keep track of it all.

This book is the inside stuff of what goes on in a New York City police precinct. I work in one and this book is as realistic as it gets. I particulary liked the chapter about female cops on the job and their history in the NYPD. The dialogue makes you feel like you're in the patrol car without air conditioning with the cop. Being a police officer is a tough job in a tough city and the writer really got the inside story which deserves to be told. Great book! Thank you, Arlene Schulman!

I haven't read this book yet, but I did sleep at a Holiday Express once.

I loved it and found it to be really accurate (coming from a long line of men in blue!)

As a former NYPD officer this book is on the money! As I was reading the book I could picture all of the stories happening and it made me laugh out loud . It brought back many of the good times I hade on patrol. You really could not make this stuff up. The authors also managed to keep it clean without losing the humor so I was able to give it to my kids to read. If you want a good laugh or need a gift for an officer friend this is the book

The stories are broken up in a way that would make it great reading while you are waiting -- at an airport or dr. office -- each story only takes a minute or two to read.

This was a funny, fast read. Some of the stories were better than others, but on the whole, I really enjoyed this book.

I got this book as a birthday present for my 14-year-old sister, who wants to be a cop. Thumbing through it at home before wrapping it, I found that the majority of the stories are based on making fun of people of other races (anyone non-white is a target), people with disabilities (how funny it is to refer to someone as "retardo"), etc etc. Trash. I returned it and will be writing a letter to the publisher.

I liked this very much. The tactics were presented in a step by step "how to" manner. Easy to follow. It is organized and clear.

During the period that this book was in the process of being written I had the pleasure of knowing Capt. Cappel. This was the first book of its kind at the time published. Capt. Cappel was also kept busy helping local police forces start up and train their teams. As a Viet Nam Vet who earned the Silver Star, he knew from experience what he wrote.

The book is an in depth primer for the training of a Special Unit/SWAT Team. It answers questions, provides sound tactical guidance, and addresses in a step-by-step fashion several key segments of special unit's operational duties (sniper use and defeat, barricaded gunmen, building and room clearing, movement, stairwells and halls, ambush drills, hostages etc.)
I was pleased with my purchase and have recommended it others.

This is a good tactical book. Explains very clearly tactical techniques and shows some diagrams. The diagrams are "football playbook" like. They do the job. This book is more like a manual that is given while training to be in SWAT. Not something you pick up and become SWAT. Being because the techniques shown already require some kind of knowledge such as moving in formations. Such as "V formation". Tells you to use V formation not how to move in V formation. I aspire to be in SWAT one day and this book will be very helpful.

I am not in a law enforcement related vocation. I purchased this book to try to get an understanding of what our police departments might use in preparing them to do some of the more dangerous tasks associated with their jobs.

This book was extremely clear and insightful in explaining the uses of special teams, describing in-depth, step by step tactics, outlining training procedures, and exposing me to many other great to know items.

I have always had a great respect for our police officers. Knowing that they have this type of reference material available to them, makes me feel all the more confident in their abilities to handle situations that occur over and above their normal, already dangerous daily operations.

I'm glad that I bought it...

What a story of shear guts and determination of a man who paid the price for speaking out against the Secret Service protection for President Kennedy. I wish I had half the guts Mr. Bolden has, and I hope that in the end, those who for the most part framed Mr. Bolden, will be held fully accountable when they meet their maker. There was definitely a breakdown that fateful day in Dallas of Secret Service reaction when the first shots were fired. REading about one of the agents losing his credentials in a bar the night before the assassination definitely makes one wonder about the "phony" Secret Service agent who flashed credentials behind the grassy knoll.

This work is intriguing as Abraham Bolden gives his side of how the Secret Service framed him rather than permit him to give testimony to the Warren Commission about the lax in the duties of Secret Service agents to protect President John F. Kennedy. The Warren Commission investigated the assassination. Bolden was the first black to serve on the White House Secret Service, assigned to protect the president, and was invited to that post by Kennedy. Bolden is very brief about his childhood, and tells even less about his teen and college years. The main purposes of this section is show the development of his sense of duty, honesty, and other values his parents taught him. Most of the book is devoted to his tenure as a Secret Service Agent and how all that he had built professionally was destroyed. He provides very detailed accounts of the trials, and his appeals and other strategies to clear his name and get his freedom. Despite all that happened to him, his family stood my him. The work is well written, and written in such a way that the reader can get a sense of the intellectual, emotional, spiritual and physical trials and tribulations of the author and those around him. The minute details are necessary because Bolden is attempting to clear his name and actions from a time period that is very controversial. Therefore, he uses footnotes so that the reader can cross check the facts. Some documents were unobtainable, but Bolden proves to a great researcher, using various primary source materials to support his claims. Unlike most autobiographies, the work is indexed. Others have criticized the book because it sheds little light on the Kennedy assassination, but this is an unfair assessment. The book is about Bolden, not Kennedy. This work is a very much needed addition to black American history, particular in the history of Secret Service Agents. In addition, it also contributes to the historiography of the assassination of President Kennedy, as well as the general historiography of the 1960s. It could also be used in the study of racism, organized crime, the criminal justice system, and the legal system. This work stands, perhaps, as the final testimony of Bolden, who wants to public to know his ordeal. At this point, the public becomes the jury.

If you are looking for something really new and substantial on the JFK case, I doubt you'll find it here. Or anywhere ! I'd recommend the book if you are interested in the secret service however and the author has a few interesting snippets to tell of his brief meetings with the Kennedy brothers which may be of interest to some. It's a reflective work and highlights some of the prejudices prevalent at the time even within the secret service, but the title is a little bit misleading as the material relating to the assassination is limited. A nice to have book, but there are better recent works on the case.

Abe Bolden, a seasoned and decorated law enforcement officer and the first Black to serve on the Presidential detail (handpicked by JFK himself) as a member of the Secret Service, experienced a staggering fall from grace, due in large part to "guilty knowledge" he had that bore on the possible conspiracy to assassinate President John F. Kennedy. Having been alerted by uncommonly vicious backroom verbal attacks against Kennedy (and racist attacks against himself) by his colleagues and the very men sworn to protect JFK, Bolden's antenna were on full alert as he witnessed event-after-event that could only be interpreted as "purposeful laxity" in both the run up to JFK's cancelled visit to Chicago (where an assassination attempt was foiled) and the President's fatal visit to Dallas (where it succeeded).

Bolden, as a seasoned agent, was deep inside the Secret Service's inner loop as an "eye" and "ear" witness to all of the behind the scene maneuverings that resulted in both the failure to apprehend the suspects who conspired unsuccessfully to kill JFK in Chicago a couple of weeks before Dallas, and then as witness to his colleague's laxity during the President's fatal visit to Texas, where they apparently succeeded.

Once it became clear that Bolden was not going to "be a team player" in the cover-up of possible Secret Service complicity in the assassination, things turned very bad for him indeed. Unable to silence him on the outside, Bolden was then framed by his colleagues in an elaborate setup that apparently had the support of the judge who presided over his "railroading" through the U.S. Criminal Court system. After a lengthy sequence of trials that went all the way to the Supreme Court, he eventually landed in a series of increasingly brutal and isolated U.S. jails, work camps, and prisons, ultimately ending in the prison psychiatric ward on heavy and regular doses of psychotropic drugs.

In what can only be considered an epic miscarriage of justice that one would think could never occur in the U.S. -- highlighted by the admitted perjury and recantation of the key witness against him (a low level mobster and snitch affiliated with the Sam Giancana outfit (also implicated in the JFK assassination) named Joseph Spagnoli), combined with the ruthless bias of a federal Judge (J. Sam Perry) bent on prosecuting him at all cost, Bolden used up his savings, his good graces, his reputation, and apparently his nine lives before he was summarily sentenced to six years for having allegedly sold a criminal file to his accuser for $50,000.

The real saga of this tale is not just that justice failed at every turn through a lengthy series of Court battles, but that it was an obvious and blatant "frame-up" from start to finish. Once Bolden was caught-up in the American legal grinding machine, there was nothing anyone could or would do to overturn his situation. Like in Kafka's novel "The Trial" as Bolden moved deeper and deeper into the bowels of the U.S. prison system, almost inexorably, laws were stretched, procedures twisted, and documents disappeared just enough to continue his progression towards, and to ensure, the already pre-determined outcome of either silencing him or changing his mental state so that he would eventually end his campaign to tell what he knew.

Apparently six years in prison and years of heavy medication seems to have succeeded in silencing him, because in this book, which was written after his release, Bolden (beyond telling us about an "all alerts bulletin" for someone with the name "Hurd" immediately after JFK was shot, and the fact that a prime suspect in the Chicago attempt, named Echeverria, just disappeared from the radar screen) Bolden still has not given us a full accounting of, or any additional insights into what he actually knew.

That this travesty could occur in the U.S. against a citizen with an impeccable Law Enforcement record, with not even an eyebrow raised, is just further confirmation that we still live in the post-JFK assassination era, an era that continues to be chilling in ways that we as a nation cannot be very proud of.

Four Stars

This is an amazing story of injustice, racism, a corrupted justice system, and dogged, courageous persistence to clear his name. Abraham Bolden was clearly his own worst enemy, if only because he wasn't shy about pointing out the shortcomings of his colleagues and bosses. Most of us would shake our heads and pass on by. Not Bolden. If Secret Service agents came to work drunk, he spoke up about it. If they let security relax on President Kennedy's White House detail, he told his superiors. That's not a strategy to warm the hearts of co-workers, but this was the Secret Service, and the President's life was at stake. Bolden took his protective mission to heart. The obvious and blunt racism of his colleagues is surprising forty years later but typical of the sixties. After a stint with the First Family on Nantucket Bay, Bolden writes that his shift supervisor, Harvey Henderson, a good-ol'-boy Southerner, commented to him, "You're a nigger. You were born a nigger, and when you die, you'll still be a nigger. You will always be nothing but a nigger. So act like one!" If that doesn't stagger your perceptions about the Secret Service, nothing would. Imagine trying to do your job with that kind of attitude hovering over you. Transferred back to Chicago, his home base, after a month on the White House detail, Bolden's troubles continued and eventually culminate in charges, conviction, and imprisonment. As he presents the case against him, the corruption, racist conspiracy to destroy him, and the fumbling, blockheaded pursuit of the case by authorities eventually overpower and convict him. It is justice pursued in the most invidious fashion for the most insidious motives. The man is black. Get him. Yet, after all that he and his family endure, Bolden emerges years later undefeated. And that is what makes him a man admired. This is one heck of a story! And the horrifying thing is, it's true.

INFORMATIVE BOOK
EASY TO READ
WELL WRITTEN
BUY IT!!!!!
SORRY I CAN'T WRITE A HUGE NEVER ENDING REVIEW blah blah blah WHINE WHINE WHINE SINCE I ACTUALLY HAVE A LIFE

I was a little hesitant in purchasing this book since it was written by a military leader who likely operated in an environment where authoritarian leadership is the norm. My concern was unfounded. It is written for police leaders and in language that is easily understood. The author has some great insight into what it takes to be an effective leader. More importantly though, he gives some concrete examples and ideas on how to act as a leader. The case histories are based in hard reality with examples most police officers will be able to relate to. I really can't say enough good things about this book. It should be required reading for all police brass.

The author of the review "Bad" could not have been more on-target. (And now I will proceed to be similarly lambasted by those of you who deem my articulate review "unhelpful" simply because I don't agree with you that this book will solve all of the world's problems. Thus, since I write negative reviews AS WELL AS positive ones, I will certainly never challenge anyone's "Top 100 reviewer" status.... but that's another story; I digress...)

This book is a jumbled cacophony of lists, adages, and "how-to" advice; all with no inherent interconnection, and limited usefulness in practical terms. I, like other reviewers, was only reading it as it was required reading for an online law enforcement course I was taking (I am a cop). Therefore I felt the need to warn those of you who are actually contemplating the voluntary reading of this book for purposes of enhancing your career.

I notice of course the flowery praise from other reviewers. This is somewhat unexplainable to me. All I can think of is that we as a people (admirably) are more likely to comment on something we feel positive about, than the opposite. And don't get me wrong, if this book helps you in some way, or you feel it has effective information to suit your needs, then by all means, I am not knocking your experience. Certainly there is SOME amount of helpful info to be gleaned here (thus the 2 stars instead of one!). It just seemed like overall, you are just being given an "information dump", with little coherence or style to speak of.

Additionally, many of the concepts and actual phrases are taken DIRECTLY from US military doctrine, as well as the actual leadership publications. At times this is appropriately noted and referenced, but other times it is not. (I spent 9 years in the Army, and some of the terms and phrases the author uses are VERY familiar, believe me!)

The real-world examples and anecdotes are few, and lackluster, and the author is quick to jump back into his ingrained style of dumping on you more maxims and formulas (some of these are so clicheed as to be almost PAINFUL to read, especially if you have read a few self-development books in the past). In the end one is left with the impression, "I could have written this book!"

Also the review would not be complete without noting the gratuitous and sometimes ghastly grammatical errors. They are all there folks: misspellings, syntax errors, usage issues, incomplete sentences, the works. I am not an English major, but come on, isn't someone supposed to review this stuff before publication? If you have read a few books in your life (not saying you need to be Einstein) you will surely find all the grammatical flaws distracting- and, admittedly, a bit disheartening from a man trying to "teach" me something.

Like I said, if you get something out of this book, my hat's off to you. Personally I found it dry, formulaic, and almost completely UN-helpful. There HAS to be better books on leadership out there! Wait... I'll recommend one right of the bat: try to get your hands on Army Field Manual 22-100, "Military Leadership". You'll find great historical examples, practical applications (to the military, though, not police work), and you may be surprised to find some of the same information as in Baker's book! (Minus all the grammatical errors though).

This book is such a great leadership review!
Anyone who reads this book should get a better understanding of how to become a great leader. The text is clear and to the point. After reading Baker's leadership book there is NO excuse for poor performance. It was nice to read a book that had all the information on this topic and was actually easy to comprehend.
If you don't get the principles of leadership after reading this book, you never will. I recommend it to my friends as the best study guide out there.
Grab a copy and see for yourself.

I give this police leadership book a 5-star rating. All the fundamentals are there in an easy-to-read format. This book makes a contribution to the field of law enforcement and I am glad that I had the opportunity to read it. The book encourages ethical police leadership and a sense of duty and honor.

I rated this book 5* because even though it spells out 10 steps to Defeat Global Terror,it does an excellent job of detailing the approach that has been going on ever since the end of WWII,in dealing with the enemies of the Western World.
The whole idea of blameing those who are being attacked rather than those who are doing the attacking ,taking the approach that the attacker needs to be understood rather than destroyed,only extends the time,and cost in lives and resources to eliminate it. We saw this clearly with the march of Nazism,Fascism,Japanese Imperialism and Marxism. No amount of money,understanding,appeasement,negotiating,agreements;would ever had any effect in changing the will or intent of these evil powers. It took too long for that to happen,and in the end it was nothing short of a total commitment to destroy them ,that resulted in victory.
The stated object, of total destruction of western civilization, by Islam,attacks throughout Europe,Southwest Asia and America,are nothing short of declarations of war,and no different than we saw during the 1920's and 1930's ;and until they are taken as such;the future will be no different than it was then.
All that is proposed in this book is more of the same thing that has encouraged the enemy to continue on its present path.
This book scapegoats Bush over and over again as if he is the problem. This war by Islam was well underway many years before Bush came to power and will continue long after his Presidency is up.Which,by the way,is less than a year away---then who to blame? How much has been spent to date by the US .Well over $400 Billion. What have most other countries done;other than to critcize America and Bush. The message is quite clear;they would be pleased if the US lost the fight,as would many on the Left and in the media. Their heads are in the sand,if they don't understand these forces are not only out to destroy Bush and America,but themselves as well.
This book proposes huge increases in Bureauracy,American Funds,restructuring of organizations similar to the adage of "Rearranging Deckchairs on the Titanic",huge increases in security,that can never be enough to guarantee total protection,proposing that the UN and NATO will solve the problem,and on and on .
This war that Islam has embarked on must be confronted head on with the destruction of the evils they are intent on subjecting on others,and not a condition that needs to be "understood".

This book follows the thinking of Neville Chamberlain who said;

"In war,whichever side may call itself the victor,there are no
winners but all are losers."

Just imagine if the Nazis,Fascists,Marxists or Imperial Japan had won--
-now imagine if Islam were to triumph.
Where are the leaders today who safeguarded the Liberties and Freedoms
we now enjoy.Here's what they had to say;

"In war there is no subsitute for victory" Dwight D. Eisenhower

"In war there is no second prize for runner-up."General Omar Bradley

"Wars are different from baseball games where,at the end of the
game,the teams get dressed and leave the park." Harry Trumam

"The will to conquer is the first condition of victory." Marshal
Ferdinand Foch

"I say we are going to have peace even if we have to fight for
it."Dwight D Eisenhower

"A prisoner of war is a man who tries to kill you and fails,and then
asks you not to kill him." Winston Churchill

"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."
Emiliano Zapata

Or in the words of Will Rogers;

"The United States never lost a war or won a conference."

This book sure looks like the way to lose.

This is one of the dumbest books I have ever read though I suggest you read it; only to understand its arguments and the flaws inherent in them. The title of this book is promising: how to defeat global terror, and the book makes several very valid points that are not fully discussed in the popular media. These points include:
1. The real cost of building Iraq into a stable democracy is quite high, and has not been fully fathomed by the Bush Administration.
2. Pakistan is quite dangerous and potentially unstable, with its political scene a couple of assasinations away from chaos.
3. The most dangerous modern day terrorism to confront America are adherents to Islamic fundamentalism primarily from Middle East countries, and the primary target of this fundamentalism is Middle East governments.

That said, this book goes on to list several steps the US must take to defeat global (Islamic) terror. None of them will stop global (Islamic) terrorism, and their listing in this book reveals a biasness to throw more money at the problem. On the other hand, there are several things not listed in this book that do contribute to global terrorism, and should be stopped.

First, the US should stop selling weapons to other countries. What do people do with weapons? They kill each other! What happens when people grow up in an enviroment of killing? They become extremists and resort to killing as part of their daily lives! Look at the countries listed by this book as trouble spots; spots where Islamic fundamentalism is a growing threat; Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, etc... Each and every single one of them was/is a major buyer of weapons from the US or other western countries such as the UK, France, Germany and Russia/USSR.

These weapons were often sold by Western countries to Muslim countries in exchange for oil. These sales still continue as Saudi Arabia is one of the largest purchasers of American weapons. What do the recipient countries do with their newfound weapons? Several things actually. First, they can point it at their neighbors and try to intimidate each other over issues like trade agreements, water access, border disputes, etc... This is why any diplomat from the Middle East will tell you this area is like a hornet's nest; you stick your hand in there and someone is bound to sting you. Second, they can point it at their own people. Specifically, nearly all of the major purchasers of US weapons are non-democratic.. i.e. the ruling clique in each country uses these weapons to keep their country's population at bay. Both effects; hostile neighbors and a dictatorial government, generate a civil society conducive to terrorism, religious fundamentalism, intolerance, and violence. To stop Islamic jihadism dead in its tracks, this culture needs to be changed, and one way the US can help is to stop selling weapons to these countries AND prevent US corporations from selling weapons to these countries through national legislation and effective regulation. The question then arises: what should the US give to Muslim (Arab) countries in exchange for their oil? Several things come to mind, primarily, the US could allow goods from Arab countries into the US duty-free and tariff-free. This will spur job and economic growth in the Arab countries, and people are generally less likely to go jihading when they are making money.

2. Change the people who represent America abroad in the embassies and various other government agencies. The current Bush administration highlights this problem. If you look at the various ambassadors and other officials G. W. Bush has appointed to these diplomatic offices, you quickly notice that they got these offices out of patronage and not because of their skills and knowledge of these areas. For example, many of our ambassadors to Arab countries are ex-employees of oil corporations whose former employers contributed to Bush's election campaign. I wonder how many of these ambassadors know Arabic, or studied Middle East history, or are familiar with the Israeli - Palestinian issue? None probably. What they do know and what they will do in their government posts is grease the bureacratic wheels for oil companies and their subsidaries doing business in the Middle East. If the USA is really serious about stopping Islamic fundamentalism, then it should appoint individuals to ambassadorships and other offices who won't concern themselves with oil reserves in the Middle East, but instead concern themselves with civil rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, secular education, ect, ect in the Arab countries.

3. Take Arab opinions every bit as seriously as Israel's opinions. Throughout the Cold War Israel expanded gradually by taking lands owned by Palestinians, and pushing the natives of them. Time and again, Arab countries and many other non-Arab and non-Muslim countries in the world put forth UN resolutions to condemn Israel. And time and again the US vetoed these resolutions. The message these vetoes sent to private citizens in Arab countries was that their governments are powerless against the US. The result of this is that some Arabs have gone outside their government to help the Palestinians; i.e. form terrorist groups to attack Israel and the US. If the US is to expect Arab governments to control their citizens and stop terrorist groups, the US can help by stop siding with Israel against world opinion in its conflict with Palestinians.

4. Hold up our end of international agreements on security, extradition, weapons inspections, and disarmament. Throughout the Cold War, the US built up a rich web of alliances and treaties with most of the countries of thw world. These treaties and alliances fostered cooperation in tracking and controlling the flow of money and individuals between countries, and limited the spread of many classes of weapons. Some of these treaties also placed US citizens or US businesses overseas under the jurisdiction of foreign laws. Under the current Bush administration, the US has exited many of these treaties, thinking they are too much of an impedance on US security and US business interests. The result is that after 9-11, when American officials wanted to question individuals in other countries; there was minimal legal groundwork through which this could be done, and many other countries were reluctant to help. To really defeat global terror, we need global help, and to get that, America needs to get of the top of the hill and learn to cooperate with other countries as equals.

5. Support birth control and other measures to slow population growth. Religious extremism of any kind is a byproduct of too many people with too few jobs to go around. One way to solve this problem is to support birth control and family planning in third world countries. The current Bush administration will not do this because of their Religious Right supporters, and the previous Clinton administration did not do this due to opposition from the Religious Right. Public citizens in the US starting with the President need to publicly drive home the point to the Religious Right that too many people in poor countries can only lead to trouble for America and Americans.

These five steps I listed above are five things that the US is not doing, and which this book does not include as steps to defeat global terror. But, I believe these steps will go further in defeating global terror than anything said in this book.

U.S. Army War College's Dale Eikmeier is right on the money as Ullman states in his introduction: "What can and must be done to defeat this grave and gathering danger [radical Islam] is the basis for this book." Sadly, he pulls a literary bait and switch. This work is not, as implied, a formula for defeating radical Islam. Those looking for a serious and scholarly work on combating what Ullman calls "jihadist extremism" will be disappointed by the lack of research and discussion on the ideological foundations and leaders of the movement.

However, political historians may find the first half interesting as it lays out the national security positions of the Democratic Party's 2004 presidential campaign. The chapter on Operation Iraqi Freedom even opens with the Bush-Kerry debate question: "Is America safer or securer as a result." The second half, where Ullman discusses transformation of the U.S. military, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the federal government, makes an original contribution. One of his more intriguing ideas is Sarbanes-Oxley-type reform legislation designed to improve congressional and executive branch accountability. Policymakers concerned with government and defense reform may find some gems here.

Poorly organized, Ullman built a mound of tangents (Gorbachev and perestroika), distortions (hoof and mouth disease and a strike in Britain set D-Day for Operation Iraqi Freedom), factual errors ("Pakistan is both Muslim and Arab"), and partisan political statements ("President Bush must subordinate his visceral dislike for Kim to the larger goal of denuclearizing the [Korean] peninsula permanently"). To find any buried gems, you must dig. In the end the effort isn't worth it. Once you have polished the obscuration away, you'll find that Ullman's formula to defeat radical Islam is the Cold War's containment strategy with "transformed" multinational security organizations, resolution of Kashmir and the Israeli-Palestinian disputes, and a series of what he admits are prohibitively expensive Marshall plans.

If you were thinking that the War on Terror is going to be over any time soon, Harlan Ullman will quickly disabuse you of that notion. He rightly points out this is actually a War on Jihadist Extremism. Winning that war will require remedying the discontents that feed the extremism, and repositioning the United States government to be better able to do so. Most of the book is a rather dismal catalog of all the reasons for our failures to date. The background is great for those unfamiliar with this area, but sometimes the prose makes the phone book look enticingly entertaining by comparison.

But what are the "10 Steps" promised in the subtitle? They are ambitious, indeed. The first is to stop thinking about a Global War on Terror (remember the wars on drugs and poverty?), and recognize that this is a war against Jihadist Extremism. That makes sense. Next, we must realize that the danger posed by the terrorists is not the buildings they might demolish, but the institutions they threaten to disrupt--like our economic system and our personal freedoms. That, also, is imminently logical. At this point, Dr. Ullman becomes more ambitious. We must also reorganize the White House, Congress, and Defense Department, commit billions and billions to bring the "Crescent of Crisis" into the 21st Century, and force government officials to sign pledges similar to those required by Sarbanes-Oxley so that they can be held responsible for their actions. If Dr. Ullman is correct in all of this, we are in for a truly long haul.

C-Span2 Book TV has an excellent author event available. The author is very articulate and the book is brilliant. Some of the main points of the book are listed below.

1. We do not understand the danger of terrorism. We are dealing with a political movement with political ambitions. The terrorists are using religion as a cover.

2. Our government needs major reforms. Discipline and accountability has to be a responsibility of government officials.

3. We need to change our focus from national defense to national security. We need to form a national security university.

4. We need better ways to respond globally to the terrorism threat. We need to rejuvenate NATO. NATO now has a global mission.

5. The danger is in the Middle East. The real terrorist threat is to the Middle East, not so much to the USA mainland.

As individuals, what the Jake's did is unbelievably heroic. As individuals, they exercised their rights to join the Freemen and put their lives on the line. What this book does not reiterate is that the Jakes were not individuals, but pawns of an overbearing and tyrannical government. We must commend the Jakes as individuals, we must abhor them as slaves of their government. The government has no rights in our lives as individuals, and they have no right to risk individuals lives for their own selfish wants.

This is an excellent book, very detailed in what was ACTUALLY going on behind the scenes during the Freemen stand-off in Montana. It is reassuring to know that people like Connie & Dale are watching out for our safety. Thank you!

Absolutely wonderful tale of courage. I can't keep the book in my home long enough to read it (people keep borrowing it) so I bought the audio cassettes for myself. I, too, am glad the Jakes had the courage to go inside and then speak out about what was happening. They are 2 unsung heros. Unfortunately, this kind of thing DOES happen in our own backyards. What else must we do these days to keep our children and families safe? Maranatha!

I've read a lot of scary fiction authors in my time, but nothing compares to what the Jakes witness in this book -- and it's all true. Dale and Connie Jakes are civilians who go undercover at a Freemen compound in Montana. They have a handshake agreement with the FBI - they dish up dirt on local members, and the FBI gives them $25,000. The Jakes deposit their children with a friend and go in thinking it will be a short few months of undercover work. It turns into several very scary years with the Freemen, at which at any time they could be discovered and horribly murdered.

What the Jakes find, and how the FBI uses the couple (in every sense of the word) makes up the bulk of the book. Folks, this book freaked me out. It is very hard to believe that our country has in it such cruel, hardened, vicious wackos as are protrayed in the book but it does. This book is very much a wake-up call to the internal terroism that is happening in America today.

There is something that that transpired in 1996 that Connie & Dale Jakes and Clint Richmond know nothing of. Only a handfull of people can attest to the fact that had the FBI not delayed the arrests and the 81-day standoff not taken place, a beautiful, small life WOULD NOT be thriving today. To this we are eternally thankful. God does work in ways that we know not of. If there was a way to personally thank the Jakes', I would.

This collection of stories is nearly impossible to put down once begun. It is a unique look into the unpredictable world of police work as well as an intriguing perspective on human nature in general. Highly recommended to all except for the kiddies and the squeamish.

because this book mysteriously sprouts legs during a shift and finds its way the greedy hands of your fellow officers.

Someone finally decided to put a collection of war stories together, in a form that everyone can enjoy. A book you can pick up for a couple of minutes, put down, and come back to without missing a beat.

This book at the same time dispells and confims all those curious antics about the mysterious and intrepid New Orleans Police Department and surrounding agencies. The Crecent city is legendary throughout the world for its debauchery. This book sheds light on the men and women who serve to maintain the thin blue line between chaos and humanity.

This book just does not flow. These individual stories are hit or miss, and they miss more often then hit. This book had potential with the excitement and flair of New Orleans, not to mention the reputation of their Department, but it does not delve into these areas. Just not a good book.

I've been on the job in New Orleans my whole career. It's a rough city and this book does a good job of looking at it from the officers' perspectives. Me, I can't say which stories are real or not, but I know they all ring true. Maybe you want to know what the job's like, then this book tells it.

This book was so true-to-life, it was painful. I found myself either laughing or crying. The insight into the life of a "Cop" as revealed in this book was human, explicit, and exposing. I laud the courage of one who could and would write this material. (Special note: The only reason I did not give this book a 5 Star rating is that it just is NOT for every reader, only the brave.) As a woman, I appreciated the format of the book as it is not really chaptered (sic) or sequenced but individual and brief stories shared with the author. This allowed me to take the material in and digest it's rawness in small doses. Also, the scattering of quotes and facts used to separate the stories was a delightful and unexpected addition. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants the "real stuff" about "real cops." Ironically, however, it offers much insight into the pure and naked reality of humanity.

As a military Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician, I recommend BOMB SQUAD. The authors spent a year in the field with the NYPD BOMB SQUAD. The result is a narrative that strikes the right balance between history, human interest, and blowing stuff up. By the time I finished BOMB SQUAD I understood what it means to be a disposaleer in the Big Apple. I am particularly impressed and amazed with the number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that New York's Finest face on a regular basis. This book is a must read for anyone interested in EOD, police work, and homeland security. Thank you, Messrs. Esposito and Gerstein.

Mr. Gerstein should keep to writing for television. I was completely disappointed in this book. The character development was so minimal you really didn't care what happened to them. Each chapter jumps to a different era making a dry read that much harder. The writer was so constrained by the NYPD to NOT go into any details about bombs or methods to diffuse them the reader was left totally in the dark. While this book may have some minimal value to someone who is either obsessed with bomb squads or is directly connected to this one, for the rest of us this book is a bore. I had to consciously will myself each time to pick it up, hardly a page turner.

To make matters worse, the writer's political leanings are strongly to the right as he obviously is a big fan of the Patriot Act and has strong animosity towards former president Clinton. If you are a Fox News fan, you may enjoy this book.

I will wait until he reads the book. Therefore, I can't review it at this time.

great book as an emergency first responder in a haz mat specialty position I really enjoyed the story and could identify with the team in many ways.

I knew this book was going to be a good read but I must admit I was greatly surprised to realize how important this book is. Not only is it a great history and peak inside the daily working of the NYPD Bomb Squad, but the fact, figures and observations of the many bomb technicians interviewed make you see the terrorism that has engulfed us for so long with fresh eyes. It's more informative than any Congressional hearing and I would wager that anyone reading this book is not only going to have an exciting read - my heart was racing - but is going to feel that reading this book was time and money well spent. I wish there were more books and authors like "Bomb Squad" and Richard Esposito and Ted Gerstein.

This book is a real eye-opener to the world of the people whose job is to defuse bombs. It is not one for the faint of heart or impatient. You are given a brief description of some of the basic strategies and equipment members of the bomb squad use when confronted with a potentially explosive device. I found it fascinating to learn some of the techniques that they follow. Of course, no specific details regarding how to make bombs are revealed.
Nevertheless, this is one of those books that keep you fascinated as you also learn some details of the most celebrated bombing events in the United States. After 9/11 the focus is on international terrorists, but the reality is that bombs are being safely handled nearly every day in this country. And none of the bomb makers is a member of any international terrorist organization.

Book is very nice, but be prepared for a very small book for the price.
I have now bought three books from this author and all the books cost me a small fortune,but my husband is a Capt. on our city's fire dept and also on the bomb squad so he collects these things. There are very few pages in this book and they are more like the children's "Golden Books" thats how small the book is. When paying over 20.00 some dollars for the books I was expecting a much bigger book for my dollar. Just be aware of what your getting. If its worth it for you, then the money is not an issue.

Again for me my husband collects them, but I thing if he knew how much I paid for them he would even be disappointed.

Added note: I would say the ages for this book would be eight years on up????

If you want to enter the the world of bomb disposal from the technician's point of view, then this book is for you. Although due to security matters, most things have been ommitted, it's still a very good read, into the tallents of the guys who help save people's lives when bombs are involved. Get it now, or miss out.

This book is a wonderful initial look into Explosive Ordnance Disposal or Public Safety Bomb Technician work. I would highly recommend this book for a younger reader, or a person who could appreciate the photography, some of which aren't found anywhere else.
This book would also be good for media or executive - types who need a basic working knowledge of what goes on, but not at a technical operations level. This book is basically a VIP tour of a typical Hazardous Devices Unit. Mr. Tomajczyk REALLY did his homework.

Considering the fact that the world's busiest and best bomb squads were never even mentioned or covered in this book (New York, Israel Police, British Army Northern Ireland, Spanish EOD squads, French Police demolitions units, and German bomb techs), this coverage is missing the "big bang!"