Louis
Cesena
English-5
Book
Review
Cops by Mark
Baker, contains a series of interviews depicting authentic accounts from police
officers across the country from several different departments. The interviews
were conducted with real cops ranging from street patrol officers to
detectives. Interviewees recalled their experiences with stories of specific
events that were significant to their career or situations that they remember
the most. Some of these stories can be quite graphic at times, amusing, or even
sad. In the book, there are officers who described murder scenes they have been
to and even car accidents involving small children as young as infants, while
others discuss senseless acts of crime performed by unintelligent criminals.
A good portion of the interviews throughout the book
entail how these experiences effect the officer psychologically such as post-traumatic
stress. In Chapter 1, a policeman recalls an incident where he was with his
partner and responding to a woman who called 911 because her husband was
supposedly trying to commit suicide. When the officers arrived at the
residence, the wife told them that the husband locked himself inside the
bathroom and was threatening to kill himself. As they were trying to get the
man to come out he slightly opens the door and the officers force their way in
only to find that this man is extremely larger than them and engaging them
wielding a screwdriver. One of the cops was stabbed in the arm while the other
was scratched on the chest with the weapon but nothing critical. Another
policeman arrives to assist them and finally handcuff the man with the
screwdriver. The officer then describes having nightmares on several occasions
about the large man with the screwdriver but pictures him attacking with a
straight razor instead, thus suffering from post-traumatic stress due to the
previous incident.
Chapter 2, Crimebusters,
is about the investigation and undercover point of view of law enforcement.
It is an important aspect of solving crimes because it enables police officers
to collect monumental evidence against the individuals who are being accused of
these illegal acts but have not yet been caught in the process of doing it. For
example, an officer cannot arrest someone based exclusively on their belief
that this person is actually committing the crime, but rather, acquire
incriminating evidence to do so.
Mark Baker’s intentions are to give the reader an insight
view of what cops go through on the job and provide a perspective that most
people will never experience or understand. The book captures the reader’s
attention with graphic details and first-hand accounts of different police
officer experiences on the street. Baker implicitly gets his message across, which
in my opinion is to allow people to understand what police officers go through
despite whatever previous assumptions they may have about law enforcement,
however, not necessarily wanting to attain any sympathy for cops, but rather
empathy.
I would recommend this book to anyone who does not fully
understand how police officers do their job or what exactly their occupation is
and how they do it. Regardless of their knowledge of law enforcement, it is
always significant to comprehend someone else’s point of view on a specific
topic so as not to obtain any misunderstanding or miscommunication of what it
may be. Cops, is a prime example of
what it is like to experience situations from another person’s perspective.
This book has allowed me to further comprehend the
concept of what kind of mental mind state and preparatory knowledge I will need
to have during my career as a police officer. I have gained a first-hand
perspective of what I can expect to encounter in the field of law enforcement.
It has also helped me understand the level of empathy and professionalism I
must provide when handling delicate situations involving victims of crime. But
most of all, what it means to be a police officer of law enforcement and what
it stands for.
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