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Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City

Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City

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  • Create Date：2021-03-26 13:13:08
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  • Author：Rosa Brooks
  • ISBN：0525557857
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Summary

Journalist and law professor Rosa Brooks goes beyond the blue wall of silence in this radical inside examination of American policing

In her forties， with two children， a spouse， a dog， a mortgage， and a full-time job as a tenured law professor at Georgetown University， Rosa Brooks decided to become a cop。 A liberal academic and journalist with an enduring interest in law's troubled relationship with violence， Brooks wanted the kind of insider experience that would help her understand how police officers make sense of their world--and whether that world can be changed。 In 2015， against the advice of everyone she knew， she applied to become a sworn， armed reserve police officer with the Washington， DC， Metropolitan Police Department。

Then as now， police violence was constantly in the news。 The Black Lives Matter movement was gaining momentum， protests wracked America's cities， and each day brought more stories of cruel， corrupt cops， police violence， and the racial disparities that mar our criminal justice system。 Lines were being drawn， and people were taking sides。 But as Brooks made her way through the police academy and began work as a patrol officer in the poorest， most crime-ridden neighborhoods of the nation's capital， she found a reality far more complex than the headlines suggested。

In Tangled Up in Blue， Brooks recounts her experiences inside the usually closed world of policing。 From street shootings and domestic violence calls to the behind-the-scenes police work during Donald Trump's 2016 presidential inauguration， Brooks presents a revelatory account of what it's like inside the blue wall of silence。 She issues an urgent call for new laws and institutions， and argues that in a nation increasingly divided by race， class， ethnicity， geography， and ideology， a truly transformative approach to policing requires us to move beyond sound bites， slogans， and stereotypes。 An explosive and groundbreaking investigation， Tangled Up in Blue complicates matters rather than simplifies them， and gives pause both to those who think police can do no wrong--and those who think they can do no right。

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Reviews

Lynn ，

Rosa Brook， a journalist， anthropologist， lawyer， decides to become a DC police officer。 She works about 3 years and finds respect for officers and discovers what their work is like。 She also has compassion for the people they police。 An interesting account of what’s it’s really like to be an officer。

Scott Schneider ，

This book helps humanize the police and show that much of their work is mundane and routine。 Much of it doesn't have to be and probably shouldn't be done by armed officers。 Too many people are arrested for minor offenses。 Traffic stops don't need police officers。 Many calls are for mental health issues or domestic disputes which could be handled better by mental health professionals or social workers。 Much of the crime really related back to poverty and hopelessness。 I didn't really think she sh This book helps humanize the police and show that much of their work is mundane and routine。 Much of it doesn't have to be and probably shouldn't be done by armed officers。 Too many people are arrested for minor offenses。 Traffic stops don't need police officers。 Many calls are for mental health issues or domestic disputes which could be handled better by mental health professionals or social workers。 Much of the crime really related back to poverty and hopelessness。 I didn't really think she should dwell so much on her mother's disapproval and her difficulties in becoming an officer。 She could have spent more time on the problems with policing。 I appreciated though her talking about how police work is not as dangerous as is portrayed or as officers are taught。 Also I appreciated the Innovative Policing program and Police for Tomorrow programs she started， which seem to have achieved a positive culture change。 。。。more

Peter McDermott ，

Surprisingly interesting/entertaining -- not least about her relationship with her mother， the cranky Barbara （Nickled and Dimed） Ehrenreich。 There were times when her kneejerk liberal bias made it difficult （everyone is a victim in Brooks' world） but she's very fair about the tough balancing act police have to deal with and her policy recommendations and attempts at making change seemed sensible and well thought through。The section on the guy who delivers her training is laugh out loud hilariou Surprisingly interesting/entertaining -- not least about her relationship with her mother， the cranky Barbara （Nickled and Dimed） Ehrenreich。 There were times when her kneejerk liberal bias made it difficult （everyone is a victim in Brooks' world） but she's very fair about the tough balancing act police have to deal with and her policy recommendations and attempts at making change seemed sensible and well thought through。The section on the guy who delivers her training is laugh out loud hilarious。 。。。more

Terry ，

A very important topic - our criminal justice system is broken with race， poverty， discrimination of many forms， education， police tactics and training reform， health care， broken families， drug addiction all tangled up into a problem so large that all the band-aid 'fixes' are inconsequential。Give Brooks a lot of credit for tackling this problem first hand。 A middle-age， successful woman professor， journalist， parent， she signs up for the 'reserve police officer' corp in DC。 Good descriptions of A very important topic - our criminal justice system is broken with race， poverty， discrimination of many forms， education， police tactics and training reform， health care， broken families， drug addiction all tangled up into a problem so large that all the band-aid 'fixes' are inconsequential。Give Brooks a lot of credit for tackling this problem first hand。 A middle-age， successful woman professor， journalist， parent， she signs up for the 'reserve police officer' corp in DC。 Good descriptions of the training， the trainers， fellow trainees， and then actual patrol work。 And then at the end suggestions on what reforms could make a significant difference。If you don't mind or actually like the autobiographical material Brooks brings into the book， then it's likely the book would be a 5 star for you。 Her mother pops in and out of the book multiple times as a way to describe 'typical liberal views of cops'， mother-daughter issues， and the danger of the job。 She also includes Mark the bully at her bus stop that she had a tussle with who later became a cop （！） and died young （？）。 Also descriptions of her growing up as a tomboy with a 'sissy' brother who needed protection from the bullies。She ends up defending the cops as having an impossible job with a few bad apples。 The stats show that policing isn't even in the top ten of dangerous jobs （construction， farming， roofing， trucking， 。。。） have more fatalities。 However the training cops receive hammer into them the possibilities someone will pull a knife or gun on them and kill them if they are not constantly vigil。 Lots of Utube videos are watched and shared during the training showing how a routine traffic stop or house visit can turn bad。 Brooks includes examples where she does a risk assessment （young crying distraught teen or elderly， frail grandmother） and quickly decides there is no danger and that the cop's role is to provide comfort to people suffering and overwhelmed with a life with too many barriers。 She lets us speculate with her on what might have happened if one of her more vigilant partners was spooked by a sudden movement。 As we know from police shooting cases， cops are well-protected if they feel their lives are in danger regardless of the facts。 。。。more

Liz ，

This is an unusual insightful book。 In a day and age when everything is politicized Rosa Brooks has managed to do what I thought was almost impossible， humanize the police while still calling for police reform。 This is a definite must read！

Dennis Hogan ，

Just finished Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City by Rosa Brooks， an author， journalist， law professor and Human Rights expert who at age 42 with two kids decided to be become a Washington DC Metropolitan Reserve Officer。 This is a timely book about policing。 She describes her upbringing， left leaning and career all while detailing her training experience and then work in one of the poorest and most crime ridden districts in DC as a part time cop。 The book is decidedly pro police but Just finished Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City by Rosa Brooks， an author， journalist， law professor and Human Rights expert who at age 42 with two kids decided to be become a Washington DC Metropolitan Reserve Officer。 This is a timely book about policing。 She describes her upbringing， left leaning and career all while detailing her training experience and then work in one of the poorest and most crime ridden districts in DC as a part time cop。 The book is decidedly pro police but she gets at a lot of underlying issues in policing， like training， recruitment and the emotional baggage officers carry around from everyday， soul sucking experiences with worst of society， often poor and in a lot of cases emotionally challenged people， both victims & perpetuators。It’s a thoughtful book about policing from a qualified person with a front row seat in the arena。 。。。more

John Nelson ，

Interesting book from a law professor （among other things） who became a part time DC police officer to help her better understand the daily challenges facing officers。 Very objective in her story telling and shows that the vast majority of the police and public strive for good。 Love that her experience led to her helping create a program for recruits to better understand some of the social issues around policing。

Amalia Torres ，

An excellent book。 Incredible experience。 Insight into the police world， and poverty from an eclectic point of view。 No pointing fingers to any side， but the problem may take down our comfortable society。 Need to be addressed from the judicial， health， education， and opportunities for people trapped in a damaging vicious circle。 No way out unless open paths can be created。

Susan Landers ，

I enjoyed this personal story of a law professor who trained in the DC metropolitan police department and served for four years as a reserve officer。 Her stories reminded me of my experience at Parkland General Hospital in Dallas as a resident。 Some truly astonishing， another worldly situations， but our culture， nevertheless。 She portrays systemic racism in policing without calling it that。 I learned so much from this book。 I continue to respect the police and the work they do。

Robert Costic ，

Brooks provides a very accurate and detailed account of what it's like to be a police officer for the Metropolitan Police Department in DC， down to the minutiae of putting on a uniform or handcuffing a prisoner。 In that sense this book is not really meant for police officers themselves as much as for a public curious as to how the police operate。Brooks actually spends a great deal of time talking about her life， how she decided to become a reserve officer， and how her mom was enraged by this mov Brooks provides a very accurate and detailed account of what it's like to be a police officer for the Metropolitan Police Department in DC， down to the minutiae of putting on a uniform or handcuffing a prisoner。 In that sense this book is not really meant for police officers themselves as much as for a public curious as to how the police operate。Brooks actually spends a great deal of time talking about her life， how she decided to become a reserve officer， and how her mom was enraged by this move because she had so much antipathy toward the police。 I think Brooks dwells on this in part because she wants to explain that she's not just some pro-police academic， but rather a Leftist who came to the profession inclined to think of policing and the criminal justice system as a problem。With that in mind， I agree with her most controversial argument: given the actual statistical likelihood of officers getting killed on the job， which is lower than that of loggers and professional fishermen， their priority should be to preserve the lives of the public， not just the lives of officers， and that means there needs to be a higher standard to justify when a police officer can kill someone。On the other hand， Brooks does seem to suffer the problem that many Leftists have， which is that they just don't take crime very seriously。 She's so pre-occupied with how structural racism pervades the criminal justice system， and how arrests and convictions can ruin the criminals' lives， that she neglects those people who would really like not to get robbed， carjacked， stabbed， or shot。 At one point she actually dwells on this and almost recognizes how silly she can sound; she mentions that if someone is robbed she can't very well let the robber go and lecture the victim on structural racism， but in the tone in which Brooks writes this passage I could tell that's kind of what she wants to do。 。。。more

Sandra ，

Rosa Brooks did a fantastic job on this book。 She shows things from police perspectives and from outside perspectives， something her unique life experience of being a law professor and reserve cop allow her to do， so I anticipated her opinions to be valuable however they turned out。 The first part of the book is a fascinating look at her time going through the academy and her shifts as a volunteer officer。 But the gold comes in the last fifty or so pages of the book where her experiences and tho Rosa Brooks did a fantastic job on this book。 She shows things from police perspectives and from outside perspectives， something her unique life experience of being a law professor and reserve cop allow her to do， so I anticipated her opinions to be valuable however they turned out。 The first part of the book is a fascinating look at her time going through the academy and her shifts as a volunteer officer。 But the gold comes in the last fifty or so pages of the book where her experiences and thoughts come together in an opinion on policing that I think really hits the nail on the head。 It’s a shame this book isn’t getting a lot of attention because it has some answers I think a lot of the public is looking for。 。。。more

Mary Brown ，

I liked the book but especially appreciated the the last few chapters the epilogue and the appendices。 The metro DC police department seems like a good place that is trying to get better。 They should be a blueprint for other police departments。 The Police for Tomorrow initiative that the author helped develop is promising。 I want to give this book to the Rochester NY mayor and the police Locust Club。

Suneet Bhatt ，

The Tension in Service is Brought to LifeAn honest and balanced reflection on life as an officer。 Hard not to leave this book with a more critical take on policing， better than the caricatures we feel at either extreme。

Karen ，

Interesting and readable book about a journalist's step inside the world of the DC Metropolitan Police Departmnet。 Her stories were interesting， but not riveting。 In fact one of my takeaways， is that many tasks of policing are quite boring。 Lots of standing and waiting。 Lots of paperwork。Another takeaway is that many of the situations with no good choices could be avoided if people would stop calling the police for petty matters。 Once they are called protocol has to kick in and be followed。Good Interesting and readable book about a journalist's step inside the world of the DC Metropolitan Police Departmnet。 Her stories were interesting， but not riveting。 In fact one of my takeaways， is that many tasks of policing are quite boring。 Lots of standing and waiting。 Lots of paperwork。Another takeaway is that many of the situations with no good choices could be avoided if people would stop calling the police for petty matters。 Once they are called protocol has to kick in and be followed。Good overall reminder that most police officers are truly wanting to help people and they do a lot of good。My complaints: She talked FAR too much about her mother and wanting to please her。 Why was that even relevant to her story？ And she got a bit repetitive as the book went along - lots of reminders that the gear is cumbersome， etc。 。。。more

Susanna Sturgis ，

This is one of the best and most important books I've read in years。 I don't use the phrase "must read" lightly， but this book is one。 If you have any interest in public policy， policing， systemic racism， and/or law， please read this book。That goes whether you support Black Lives Matter or Blue Lives Matter （full disclosure: I lean heavily to the former and have been， at best， jaded about "the cops" since my much younger days as a student antiwar activist）。 No -- make that especially if you have This is one of the best and most important books I've read in years。 I don't use the phrase "must read" lightly， but this book is one。 If you have any interest in public policy， policing， systemic racism， and/or law， please read this book。That goes whether you support Black Lives Matter or Blue Lives Matter （full disclosure: I lean heavily to the former and have been， at best， jaded about "the cops" since my much younger days as a student antiwar activist）。 No -- make that especially if you have strong feelings on any side of these issues。 Tangled Up in Blue will probably make you sputter and even dig in your heels。 It sure did me。 That's the point。 That's why it's a must-read。The heart of Tangled Up in Blue comprises Brooks's experiences training and patrolling as a reserve police officer in Washington， D。C。's Metropolitan Police Department （MPD）。 Reserve officers train like regular officers， but they serve 24 hours a month instead of full-time， and they're all volunteers。 From the outset， she faced consternation， confusion， and outright disapproval from friends， family， and colleagues: not only is she a law professor at Georgetown University but she's also the daughter of feminist， left-leaning writer Barbara Ehrenreich （Nickel and Dimed， etc。）。 In her social and political circles， working for the MPD was widely seen as going over to the enemy。But Brooks brought impeccable， possibly unique credentials and perspectives to the project。 She has worked in both the State Department and the Department of Defense。 She has extensive experience on the ground in several countries， exploring the interconnections of violence， the military， law， and war。 Not least， she's also a wonderful storyteller。 I was surprised by how often I laughed out loud reading Tangled Up in Blue， often right before or right after I wanted to scream or cry or throttle someone。Part of what makes this book a must-read is its nitty-gritty detail， its evocation of the day-in-day-out life of a police officer on patrol， from the perspective of one who is both participant and observer。 Generalizations and ideologies polarize easily in part because they paper over complex realities。The realities Brooks writes about are dauntingly complex。 Many chapter epigraphs are excerpted from an officer's daily report: "Officer [redacted] was bitten on his right arm while breaking up a large group fight。 。 。 。" "The Complainant was inside the church acting erratically and aggressively， at which point he began jumping from the second floor choir balcony onto the first floor。 A couple minutes later had climbed onto the roof 。 。 。"Her accounts of her own experiences on patrol are often heartbreaking and infuriating at the same time， as when a young sister and brother， ages about 13 and 10 respectively， try to protect their possibly still-addicted mother from a violent （maybe） boyfriend。 In the aptly titled chapter "It Can Be Kind of Hard to See Things Clearly，" Brooks discusses trauma and PTSD （post-traumatic stress syndrome） as they relate both to police officers and the people they police in poor， high-crime areas like district 7D， where Brooks did a lot of her patrolling: "Police officers experience PTSD at roughly five times the rate of the general population， and most years， suicide kills far more police officers than on-duty incidents。 。 。 。 And when traumatized citizens interact with traumatized cops， a lot can go wrong。"I caught myself sometimes resisting the idea of "traumatized cops，" even as Tangled Up in Blue made vividly clear both the experiences and the often unrealistic expectations that cops are subjected to。 I wanted to take refuge in those generalizations。 Feeling empathy for the police， understanding what they are up against， sometimes felt like "going over to the enemy，" which is exactly what some of Rosa Brooks's friends， colleagues， and family thought she was doing。And that's another reason， maybe the most important reason， that I consider this book a must-read， especially for those of us whose experiences of policing and being policed are limited。 It really is possible to fight for police reform， and criminal justice reform， while keeping messy on-the-ground realities in the forefront of one's mind。 Not easy， but possible。As the book's epilogue makes clear， Rosa Brooks has done more than write an excellent book about her experiences。 "What I wanted， I suppose， was a way to build a bridge between my own two parallel lives: my life as a part-time police officer and my other life， my 'real' life as a law professor， a writer， and someone committed to making the world a little more just。" Before graduating from the police academy， she writes， "I had written up my proposal for the fellowship designed to encourage young officers to confront what I thought of as 'the hard questions'" -- the ones that get lost in the day-to-day lives of most police officers。With huge input from the Metropolitan Police Department and Brooks's Georgetown Law colleagues， the Police for Tomorrow Fellowship is now up and running。 It's being used as a model and inspiration for similar programs elsewhere。 Of the original planners， Brooks writes， "In many ways， we could hardly have been more different。 But although we each saw different pieces of the elephant that is the American criminal justice system， we shared a common belief in the magic that can occur when people are willing to ask each other hard questions。"And there's my final reason for urging you to read Tangled Up in Blue: this potential magic isn't confined to law enforcement。 It can happen anywhere people are willing to ask each other hard questions。 。。。more

CCammisa ，

A highly approachable read and potentially a bridge between those sympathetic to police and others who want to see reform。 In her first person narrative， Brooks provides real life stories along with research and figures to bring the reader beyond assumptions and stereotypes。 Those who want to cut to the chase can jump to her conclusions and recommendations in the final chapters and epilogue。 Her work in developing a program for the Police of Tomorrow is important and admirable。

Amy ，

I didn't get very far。 I expected to put it aside b/c of politics。 As it turned out， I put it aside b/c of a chapter about her mom's parenting style when the author was going through puberty。 I didn't get very far。 I expected to put it aside b/c of politics。 As it turned out， I put it aside b/c of a chapter about her mom's parenting style when the author was going through puberty。 。。。more

Frank ，

“Explosive and groundbreaking” it is not。 Brooks gives a long description of her training and short sound bites of some of her arrests。 I did not get the impression that she， as a volunteer auxiliary officer， was given a real look “behind the blue line”。The book description and the book do not mesh。 I was hoping for much more。

Ian Cook Westgate ，

Frustrating book。 Much more autobiographical than I expected， in often tangential ways。 The NPR Fresh Air interview with the author titled “Tackling Police Reform From The Inside” somehow managed to encapsulate most of the more interesting stories within this book， and so I would recommend listening to that over reading this。

L。 L。 ，

What happens when a tenured law professor at Georgetown University， with a background in human rights and a famous mother known for her immersion journalism book"Nickel and Dimed: On Getting By in America" decides to sign up for Washington D。C。's reserve corps police training？First， her mother， Barbara Ehrenreich， berates her for assisting the enemy。 Her husband wonders if she's lost her mind。 And her father notes she's always liked pursuing the unusual。The Metropolitan Police Department （MPD） i What happens when a tenured law professor at Georgetown University， with a background in human rights and a famous mother known for her immersion journalism book"Nickel and Dimed: On Getting By in America" decides to sign up for Washington D。C。's reserve corps police training？First， her mother， Barbara Ehrenreich， berates her for assisting the enemy。 Her husband wonders if she's lost her mind。 And her father notes she's always liked pursuing the unusual。The Metropolitan Police Department （MPD） in Washington DC offers one of the few programs in the country where unpaid volunteer auxiliary police attend the same academy training as those from the police academy and are sworn in as armed police officers with full arrest powers。 After training， volunteers serve twenty-four hours of patrol time each month Brooks keeps notes throughout her course work and shifts in District 7 between the years of 2016-2018 in， "the poorest， saddest， most crime-ridden part of the nation’s capital，”（3）。 She chronicles the bureaucratic slog that slows down well-meaning officers on the force， she observes and shares the nuances of policing that tear at the hearts of many good officers， and she critically analyzes the black-white divide between enforcers and criminals。CHAPTER TWO: “I Don’t Even Live Here”In this chapter， Brooks humbly states her intentions for the book: "This book is about what it was like for me， a particular individual with a particular set of prior experiences and assumptions， to serve as a part-time patrol officer in Washington DC， with most of my time spent in the very poorest sections of the city。 I don't know what it's like to be a police officer in a different city， or a rural area， or a wealthy area。 I don't know what it's like to be a detective， or a vice cop， or a harbor patrol officer， or a staff officer assigned to police headquarters。 And， of course， my experiences were inevitably filtered through my own identity: white， female， over-educated， brought up on the political left。 Can readers generalize from my experiences？ I have no idea，" （18）。In a poignant chapter during her early shifts in District 7， Brooks is paired with a Hispanic officer， Auguste。 They receive a call from a wife requesting help with her immobile husband in the bathroom of their housing project。 Auguste jumps in to perform CPR， trying everything he can to resuscitate the man。 In the ER， he cries over the man's death， worrying， wondering， and wishing he could have done more to save him。 A few hours later， while he， Brooks， and the medic who drove the ambulance are waiting to be released from their hospital watch， the medic and Auguste engage in some morbid banter about the downside of their jobs， especially the kids on the streets they deal with regularly。 The medic calls them the "Dead People，" who continue to die from life on the streets。 Auguste chimes in， referring to them as "fucking animals，" （25）。In the book's epilogue， Brooks offers a global overview of the obstacles within the American police force that make the job increasingly impossible for any city officer to do well: "As a reserve police officer in Washington， DC， I said， I had seen first-hand the pressure put on police officers to be all things to all people， playing multiple and often contradictory roles。 American society asks police officers to use violence when needed to enforce the law， but we also ask them to serve as mediators， protectors， social workers， mentors， medics， -- and it's almost impossible to be good at all of them。 We're caught in a vicious spiral: as American cities and states slash funds for education， health care， rehabilitation programs， and other social services， the resulting poverty and hopelessness fuels more crime and dysfunction， which leads to more calls for police and higher law enforcement budgets -- but the more we spend on enforcement， the less we have available to spend on the vital social services that， in the long run， help reduce crime，" （340）。Brooks suggest instituting a forum where real conversations could take place between chiefs and officers with less than one year experience in a series of intensive monthly workshops。 Here they could discuss topics such as "race and policing， implicit biases， poverty and crime， DC's changing demographics and the impact of gentrification on policing， mental illness， adolescent brain development， police use of force， and innovative approaches to reducing violence， over-criminalization， and mass incarceration，" （232）。 From this， an initiative called Police for Tomorrow initiative was created shortly after Brooks completed her service hours。 。。。more

Emily ，

An important book， offering an inside look at the DC Metropolitan Police Department， its strengths， flaws and possibilities。 Professor Brooks is a Human Rights advocate and a law professor at Georgetown Law who volunteered to become a part time police officer so she could understand the issues facing policing nationwide。 She founded a joint program between DC Metropolitan Police and Georgetown to enhance both the effectiveness and the sensitivity and humanity of policing。A very thought provoking An important book， offering an inside look at the DC Metropolitan Police Department， its strengths， flaws and possibilities。 Professor Brooks is a Human Rights advocate and a law professor at Georgetown Law who volunteered to become a part time police officer so she could understand the issues facing policing nationwide。 She founded a joint program between DC Metropolitan Police and Georgetown to enhance both the effectiveness and the sensitivity and humanity of policing。A very thought provoking book。 。。。more

Roy Adams ，

A well written book which will get you thinking about the role if policing in society。 Rosa provides a balanced， transparent view of her experience becoming a reserve officer。 Then closes out with her active projects to make DC policing better。

Greg ，

In her quest to better understand policing， a middle-aged female law professor enrolled in a police academy， graduated， and became a reserve police officer in Washington D。C。  This book provides a fair  and even-handed critique of police cultural problems。  It also fascinated me to see what an educated "outsider" thought about law enforcement work after giving it a legitimate evaluation。  The events and practices that puzzled the author were things that also bothered me throughout my career。  It In her quest to better understand policing， a middle-aged female law professor enrolled in a police academy， graduated， and became a reserve police officer in Washington D。C。  This book provides a fair  and even-handed critique of police cultural problems。  It also fascinated me to see what an educated "outsider" thought about law enforcement work after giving it a legitimate evaluation。  The events and practices that puzzled the author were things that also bothered me throughout my career。  It's nice to be validated。I truly admire this author。  She put everything on hold and risked her life working as a cop because she wanted to better understand the issues she was studying in her academic career。  That type of dedication is exceptionally rare in this country。 。。。more

Peg （Marianna） DeMott ，

Rosa Brooks is the daughter of activist， and feminist Barbara Emmerich who is the author of the book Nickled and Dimed。 This book written twenty years ago is a favorite of mine and changed the way I look at women forced to care for their families while working minimum wage jobs。 Barbara totally did not get why her daughter， named after the famed freedom rider Rosa Parks would want to go through the hassles of becoming a reserve police officer with the DC police department。 After all Rosa had a p Rosa Brooks is the daughter of activist， and feminist Barbara Emmerich who is the author of the book Nickled and Dimed。 This book written twenty years ago is a favorite of mine and changed the way I look at women forced to care for their families while working minimum wage jobs。 Barbara totally did not get why her daughter， named after the famed freedom rider Rosa Parks would want to go through the hassles of becoming a reserve police officer with the DC police department。 After all Rosa had a pretty darn consuming career as a law professor at Georgetown Law。 She'd had held several high level policy jobs in Washington。 She was by all measures a success。 In Barbara's eyes the police were the enemy， plain and simple， and she didn't fail to chastise Rosa numerous times about her decision。 Even Rosa was not exactly sure why she was doing it。 She was， after all， at the time she started police training a single mom of two young daughters with a demanding career。 As the book progresses we see the inside of policing from a rookie cop's eyes， the terrible suffering of people she's called to serve， the pride of a job well done， the routine boredom at times。 We also see how Rosa Brooks finds a way to be much more than a single， part time cop filling in as a cop at our nation's capitol。 In the end Rosa got to say， this is why， mom， and mom did finally understand and stood tall as her daughter was honored for creating a new way for police training。 。。。more

Yukari Watanabe ，

I really enjoyed reading this book。 We all need to think and find a way to work together to solve complex issues。 I admire Brooks' courage and actions。 I really enjoyed reading this book。 We all need to think and find a way to work together to solve complex issues。 I admire Brooks' courage and actions。 。。。more

Jesse Keljo ，

While The New Jim Crow is a powerful book， it left a lot out about the current state of being a police officer。 This book is a terrific complement that fully understands and acknowledges the sins in our policing and criminal justice system while also acknowledging the daily realities officers on the ground face。 It is heartening to hear about a program the author helped start that is trying to reform policing from within。 I will need to also read The Rise of the Warrior Cop to learn more about t While The New Jim Crow is a powerful book， it left a lot out about the current state of being a police officer。 This book is a terrific complement that fully understands and acknowledges the sins in our policing and criminal justice system while also acknowledging the daily realities officers on the ground face。 It is heartening to hear about a program the author helped start that is trying to reform policing from within。 I will need to also read The Rise of the Warrior Cop to learn more about the militarization of the police as well and Policing the Open Road to better understand the role of the car in the current state of traffic policing。 。。。more

Chris ，

First， a quick note that I work in the social sciences but have no particular background in or knowledge about law enforcement。 I also used to teach a class in education that sounds a lot like Dr。 Brooks' policing program--an opportunity for teachers-in-training to step back from their quotidian professional concerns and consider the many contexts of the enterprise of which they are a part and how to make it work better for everyone--so I completely see the value in that。That said， I found this First， a quick note that I work in the social sciences but have no particular background in or knowledge about law enforcement。 I also used to teach a class in education that sounds a lot like Dr。 Brooks' policing program--an opportunity for teachers-in-training to step back from their quotidian professional concerns and consider the many contexts of the enterprise of which they are a part and how to make it work better for everyone--so I completely see the value in that。That said， I found this book to be a considered， even-handed look at American policing。 It's so rare that a scholar would seek out an opportunity to immerse herself so thoroughly in the enterprise she wants to understand （beyond the standard scholarly approaches of participant observation， etc。）， and care about doing a good job of it （while always questioning what it means to do a good job of it， of course）， and then actually help improve it （at the invitation and with the collaboration of the enterprise itself）。 （Yes， many people end up in academe having worked in professions they want to understand and/or improve--but few dip back into such professions once they're established in academe。） I wonder how much more publicly interesting/applicable/useful scholarship would be if more of it were carried out that way。 I was also impressed by how much respect Dr。 Brooks had for her fellow officers。 This book didn't feel like an expose to me--it felt like she was both trying to understand how the criminal justice system creates certain roles and expectations for the police， and how individual officers do the best they can within them。 The only thing I think this book would have benefited from was some examples of how policing is thought about and carried out in other countries， to show that alternatives are possible。 。。。more

Ben ，

Brooks tries to humanize police in this memoir of training and working as a volunteer reserve police officer in Washington， DC。 Despite the job and the memoir's episodic nature， Brooks does a good job organizing the stories to keep a thematic momentum going。 There is more personal backstory than I wanted， but after the first few chapters I couldn't stop reading。 The stories have both humor and compassion。 Brooks approached the police from a very liberal viewpoint， and I think that she must have Brooks tries to humanize police in this memoir of training and working as a volunteer reserve police officer in Washington， DC。 Despite the job and the memoir's episodic nature， Brooks does a good job organizing the stories to keep a thematic momentum going。 There is more personal backstory than I wanted， but after the first few chapters I couldn't stop reading。 The stories have both humor and compassion。 Brooks approached the police from a very liberal viewpoint， and I think that she must have planned to write a timely and complicated book about American police。 In this， I think she largely fails。 Her day-to-day patrols are disconnected from conversations about police violence， race， or even drugs or guns， except， perhaps， urban poverty。 That itself could be the point。 But I think that in "The Second Chance Club，" Jason Hardy more successfully combines a memoir about his experience as a parole officer with a social and political discussion of parole and sentencing。 It is still a good book。 > Patrol has no plot。 I learned this very quickly。 This is why there are thousands of books and movies about detectives， but not many about patrol officers。 The work of detectives comes with built-in narratives。> The medic tried again。 “Listen， man。 What’s your name？” Nothing， just a blank look。 “Buddy，” said the medic。 “You know what day it is？” A light went on inside the dull brown eyes。 “Hey， yeah， man， it’s like， I think it’s like … it’s … Sunday， right， man？ Sunday。” “You know who the president is？” The medic was running through the standard mental status checklist。 The guy paused， looking puzzled and， for the first time， a little alarmed。 “Is Donald Trump the president？” “Sorry， man， yeah。” “ Shee-it。” He closed his eyes again， this time with some determination。> For a police officer， having three or four firmly attached belt keepers is a very good thing if you happen to be breaking up a fight or running up five flights of stairs to respond to an urgent assault-in-progress call， since the duty belt holds your radio， gun， handcuffs， flashlight， pepper spray， baton， tourniquet， and various other vital odds and ends。 You really want it to stay on your waist and not go flying off as you run—or， worse， fall down around your ankles， snaring your legs in a lasso of your own creation。 But if you happen to be a woman and you happen to need to pee， belt keepers are not your friends。 … I fumble around in the tiny stall， groping blindly for the lost belt keeper。 The stiff leather duty belt， almost but not quite freed from its underbelt， swings around wildly， and my holstered gun hits the toilet tank with a loud smack。 By now I’ve twisted my whole body around so I’m facing away from the stall door。 I’m practically straddling the toilet， bracing my legs to try to keep my radio， which now dangles from its holder， from sliding away。> We were stopped at a red light when I noticed that the woman in the car next to us was screaming。 I rolled down my window。 “Oh my God oh my God！” shrieked the woman。 She lifted both hands off the steering wheel。 “Oh God oh God！” “Ma’am，” I called。 “What’s wrong？” “Oh God oh God there’s a spider in my car。 Oh God help me。” She was hyperventilating。 Ben and I looked at each other。 Then Ben hit the blue lights and we both jumped out of the car。 “Ma’am， just come on out of your car，” I said。 “My partner here is going to take care of that spider。”> “Ms。 Watkins，” I said dutifully， “I just wanted to let you know that we don’t have any additional information yet， but we’re looking all over， and the minute we find out anything， we’ll let you know。” “Oh， she’s back！” “She’s back？” “I’m sorry， officer， I meant to call you， but I got so busy yelling at her， I forgot。 She come back about an hour ago。” She gestured at a sulky-looking teen sitting on the sofa。 “You gonna arrest her now？ I’m sick and tired of this。 She won’t mind me。 Night in jail would do her a world of good。”> In every district， the majority of calls for police service involve reports of disorderly conduct。 This can mean anything: an aggressive panhandler， kids smoking weed in the park， a loud drunk staggering around in the middle of the road， someone peeing in an alley。 But after the ubiquitous disorderly calls， the seven police districts diverge。 In the wealthy Second District， the most common calls after disorderly conduct complaints involve burglar alarms and business alarms going off， followed by accidental property damage （usually minor fender benders） and traffic complaints。 In 7D， after disorderly conduct calls， most calls for service involve “family disturbances，” assaults， and “other，” with burglar alarms coming in fifth> MPD code words were more prosaic， and often silly: backpack， optional， happy， love， fun， rocket， urology， and waffle featured among recent entries。 It was hard to imagine a desperate undercover officer trying to identify himself as a “friendly” during an armed police raid by yelling， “Waffle！ Waffle！” and shouting “Rocket！” struck me as a recipe for dangerous misunderstandings。 At one point， the police code word was police， which seemed both redundant and unpersuasive。> only about 3 percent of DC residents suffer from schizophrenia or severe bipolar disorder。 Within the city’s homeless population， 13 percent suffer from severe mental illness， and another 15 percent suffer from chronic substance abuse problems。 Encounters with mental health consumers could be sad and frustrating， but they were also treasured by officers for their comic potential。 Only with a mental health consumer， for instance， was an officer likely to encounter someone deploying a snapping turtle as a weapon。> “He says he’s an alien。 He’s waiting for the other aliens to pick him up。”> All told， the average arrest costs the city several thousand dollars—even when arrestees are ultimately released without formal charges。 Nearly a third of all DC arrests are “no-papered，” meaning they don’t lead to formal charges because prosecutors decide not to move forward with the case。> the Police for Tomorrow initiative。 We would invite applications from officers and MPD civilian employees with less than a year on the job， we decided。 Those selected as fellows would participate in intensive monthly workshops on topics such as race and policing， implicit bias， poverty and crime， DC’s changing demographics and the impact of gentrification on policing， mental illness， adolescent brain development， police use of force， and innovative approaches to reducing violence， over-criminalization， and mass incarceration … Christy Lopez and I developed and co-taught a practicum course on innovative policing at the law school， and we trained our law students to serve as discussion facilitators at the police academy。 MPD asked us to help rethink the entire academy curriculum， and a team of law students worked with academy staff to develop proposals for change。 We put other student teams to work helping MPD rethink its performance evaluation system， develop new approaches to recruiting， and analyze the data on police stops to identify and address racial disparities。 We expanded beyond MPD as well， helping a community activist in New Orleans launch a Police for Tomorrow–like program with the New Orleans Police Department> I talked about my previous writing on war and the military， and the ways in which our tendency to view more and more global threats through the lens of war had undermined the rule of law even as it expanded the role of the military。 When it came to domestic， US issues， I said， we were seeing a strikingly similar phenomenon: we were categorizing more and more behaviors as crimes， with devastating consequences for the most vulnerable Americans， and we were steadily expanding the role of police。 … “We live in a world in which everything has become war and the military has become everything， everything is becoming crime and the police are becoming everything， and war and policing are becoming ever more intertwined， both on the level of law and the level of institutions。 These trends remain invisible to most Americans—but they are having a devastating effect on human rights， democratic accountability， and the rule of law> In the US， for instance， we consider it normal to have armed police officers enforce compliance with traffic regulations， even though most traffic violations don’t constitute criminal offenses。 … American society asks police officers to use violence when needed to enforce the law， but we also ask them to serve as mediators， protectors， social workers， mentors， and medics。> I found that mention of Donald Trump’s presidency offered a fairly reliable test of mental alertness。 Otherwise-stuporous people could be jolted quickly back to consciousness—often irate consciousness—by mention of Trump’s name， and the test worked even if you didn’t name names … “Great， you’re doing great。 Just one more question，” the medic told her。 “You know who the president is？” For a moment， her eyes fogged over， but then they snapped back into focus and she jerked herself upright。 “That 。 。 。 white 。 。 。 motherfucker！” “Yeah， she’s good，” said the medic， jotting a note on his tablet。 “Fully oriented to time， place， and person。”> ACCUNK stands for “Accident with Unknown Injuries，” for instance， while THRTPER stands for “Threat—In Person” and BERGMACHRPT stands for “Burglary of Machine， More than 30 Minutes Ago。”> In Britain， there are only 6。6 guns per 100 people; in Germany and France， there are roughly 30 guns per 100 people。 In the United States， there are somewhere between 88 and 112 guns per 100 people。 The per capita US homicide rate also far outpaces other developed countries: it’s roughly three times higher than in France， four times higher than in Britain， five times higher than in Germany， and 13 times higher than in Japan。 The United States’ violence problem has obvious implications for American police officers and how they think about their on-the-job encounters 。。。more

Chris Barsanti ，

Brooks， a law professor and researcher with a focus on human rights and the military， wrote the perceptive and prophetic book How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything， brings that same balance of on-the-ground footwork and solution-focused theorizing to this book on modern policing。It's mostly a narrative about her somewhat comical and George Plimpton-esque training as part of Washington D。C。's unique "reserve police force" in which civilians can essentially become cops but o Brooks， a law professor and researcher with a focus on human rights and the military， wrote the perceptive and prophetic book How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything， brings that same balance of on-the-ground footwork and solution-focused theorizing to this book on modern policing。It's mostly a narrative about her somewhat comical and George Plimpton-esque training as part of Washington D。C。's unique "reserve police force" in which civilians can essentially become cops but only put in a few hours a month。 It's like the law enforcement version of the National Guard。 That part of the book is entertaining （especially for the reactions of her disapproving mother， Barbara Ehrenreich） but also informative。 Brooks brings an even-handed point of view to her new role and the （mostly male） officers she trains and ultimately goes on patrol with， seeing good intentions everywhere despite the inevitable layering of cynicism。 But while she avoids simplistic defund denunciations， she also highlights the problems inherent in the model that ends up forcing police like her into spending their days and nights "arresting poor people for trivial offenses。"It is really the last section where the book becomes essential。 In this policy paper for the layman， Brooks proposes a complete revamp of how she saw police trained to see everything and everyone as a threat。 In what will likely become a controversial point， she calls to do away with how in police culture cops are told they have "a right to go home safe。" Brooks calls this not only dangerous， leading to many civilians dying as a result， but also unusual: "No one tells soldiers that they have 'a right' to go home safe。"A balanced and humane call for a new approach to policing in which the safety of the people， not the police assigned to protect them， is made paramount。 。。。more

Sam ，

Although I disagree with some of her conclusions， Brooks’ description of police work is thoughtful， informative， and accessible。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0