Police Unbound

"Former Minneapolis police chief and Bronx police force commander Tony Bouza pulls no punches in this assessment of police culture. Bridging the gap between the average citizen's perception of police work and the day-to-day reality of life as a cop, Bouza reveals the inner dynamics of a secretive, fraternal society that will do almost anything to protect itself. The strong bonds of loyalty among police officers inspire individual acts of heroism in the face of danger, but also repress full disclosure of the truth when corruption or abuse of power are suspected, says Bouza. Young rookies are quickly molded by the unspoken rules and the code of silence that govern a cop's professional life, and they soon learn that while physical courage is expected, moral courage is discouraged." "Bouza evaluates sweeps, roundups, sting operations, racial profiling, and the politics of law enforcement. He critically examines the excesses, abuses, and corruption of the New York, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis police forces, among others, offering insights into what went wrong in the infamous Louima and Diallo cases." "But his most telling criticism is directed not against the police per se but against our society's ruling elites and the middle class, who give police the unmistakable message that the underclass must be kept down and property owners protected at all costs."--Jacket.