The iron fist and the velvet glove

the long version

This book presents a concept of the role of police in society as basically repressive. The authors give a historical account of the rise of police from early slave patrols to the present to bolster their position that the police are a repressive force. Instances of police brutality and police control of demonstrators are examined. Technological advances and equipment to aid police departments are pointed to as examples in the police arsenal of repression. Police political surveillance is described, and private security police come under fire also for protecting corporate property and investments.