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To Protect and To Serve by Norm Stamper
The police in America belong to the people—not the other way around. Yet millions of Americans experience their cops as racist, brutal, and an overly aggressive, militarized enemy of the people. For their part, today’s officers feel they are under siege—misunderstood, unfairly criticized, and scapegoated for society’s ills. Is there a fix? Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper believes there is.Policing is in crisis. The last decade has witnessed a vast increase in police aggression, misconduct, and militarization, along with a corresponding reduction in transparency and accountability. It is not just noticeable in African American and other minority communities—where there have been a series of high-profile tragedies—but in towns and cities across the country. Racism—from raw, individualized versions to insidious systemic examples—appears to be on the rise in our police departments. Overall, our police officers have grown more and more alienated from the people they’ve been hired to serve.In To Protect and Serve, Stamper delivers a revolutionary new model for American law the community-based police department. It calls for fundamental changes in the federal government’s role in local policing as well as citizen participation in all aspects of police policymaking, program development, crime fighting and service delivery, entry-level and ongoing education and training, oversight of police conduct, and--especially relevant to today’s challenges--joint community-police crisis management. Nothing will ever change until the system itself is radically restructured, and here Stamper shows us how.
Hardcover
First published June 28, 2016
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About the author
Norm Stamper
11 books15 followersNorman Harvey "Norm" Stamper is an American former chief of police and writer.
He is known for his role as chief of the Seattle Police Department responsible for its response to the protests of the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999, which he has expressed regret about. Since his resignation, Stamper has called for the legalization of drugs and the case-by-case release of persons incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses.
Stamper is the author of Breaking Rank: A Top Cop's Exposé of the Dark Side of American Policing.
He is known for his role as chief of the Seattle Police Department responsible for its response to the protests of the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999, which he has expressed regret about. Since his resignation, Stamper has called for the legalization of drugs and the case-by-case release of persons incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses.
Stamper is the author of Breaking Rank: A Top Cop's Exposé of the Dark Side of American Policing.
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June 15, 2020
These past few weeks have sparked some hard and much needed conversations around race in America and the role of the police. My wife and I have had some tough conversations ourselves, and we have been wrestling with our responsibility in helping undo systemic racism, and make American a safer place for some of its most vulnerable citizens. I have to admit, before I saw the tape of a police officer standing on George Floyd's neck, I had been a blind optimist about racism in America. I couldn't see it myself, and I thought the hardest battles were behind us, as illustrate so well in this tweet:
https://twitter.com/badhistorytakes/status/1269921256331190274
Sure, there were some crazies out there, but it was not representative of what America strives to be. I have now been confronting that the America black Americans experience is very different from the one I do. I may want it to be otherwise, I may think that America's ideal that all be treated equally is implemented, but it isn't the case. We still have a lot of work to do. I am grateful that George Floyd's death has been a catalyst to open conversations that weren't happening, but at what a cost.
I feel it is part of my responsibility to educate myself on some of these topics, and I'm just starting. I chose to start with a book on police reform. I found this book written by former Seattle police chief Norm Stamper To Protect and Serve: How to Fix America's Police. Stamper wrote the book after the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri by police officer Darren Wilson. As an insider, Norm knows how the system works, he can identify its many weaknesses while acknowledging its virtues. He isn't an advocate for completely getting rid of police and we know it today. But he also doesn't give a blind eye either. This is a scathing insider critique of a broken system. Stamper is unequivocal that this isn't the case of a few bad apples:
The "few bad apples" theory is not enough to explain police misconduct. The kind of behavior widely questioned and condemned today is, in reality, part of a deeply ingrained, historically dysfunctional structure, that is, a moldering orchard, or, if you prefer, a rotten barrel...
That "vast majority" response has been worked to death, yet it gets trotted out every time a police officer shoots an unarmed teenager or a fleeing adult in the back. Or chokes or beats a man to death. Or, on the way to jail, subjects a handcuffed prisoner to a "rough ride" or a "screen test" (propelling the prisoner cuffed behind his back into the steel screen separating the front and back seats). Or rapes a motorist. Or steals drugs. Or plants drugs on an innocent person or a "throw-down" gun on a deceased suspect. Or kidnaps and tortures suspects and witnesses-- with impunity.
But I also chose to read this book, because Stamper isn't just trying to throw stones. He loved being a police officer, because it was a chance to help people. And he knows that most officers serve because they want to help people too. I find that the insider critique is one of the most powerful for this reason, as so beautifully expressed in Richard Rohr's Eager to Love when critiquing the Catholic Church: The Catholic Church gave the friars and sisters... the scriptural, spiritual and theological tools by which to critique its own structures and practice, which is the only way to critique anything-- from the inside out. I find Stamper's critique to be honest, heartfelt, and hopeful.
I had actually stumbled upon a critique of policeman in a completely different book a few weeks previously, Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by psychologists Carol Davis and Elliot Aronson. Police were just one of the featured mistake-makers, but this was certainly a big one: lying in court and planting evidence:
The practice of police falsification of evidence is "so common in certain precincts that it has spawned its own word: testilying." In such police cultures, police routinely lie to justify searching anyone they suspect of having drugs or guns, swearing in court that they stopped a suspect because his car ran a red light, because they saw drugs changing hands, or because the suspect dropped the drugs as the officer approached, giving him probable cause to arrest and search the guy... One officer told the Mollen Commission investigators that he was "doing God's work." Another said, "If we're going to catch these guys, fuck the Constitution."
In some cases, cops can start out idealistic, but the practicalities get in the way. Constitutional rights are an inconvenience if it stops you from nabbing your guy. This is a dangerous example of when the ends justify the means.
One of the consistent threads throughout Stamper's critique is an acknowledgement of systemic racism. In one of the most powerful chapters The Talk, Stamper recounts a conversation with his friend Dirul-Islam Shamsid-Deen, a chef in Washington state. Shamsid-Deen recounts "The Talk," the conversation every black son and daughter has to have with their parents at some point just in case they have a run-in with the police:
What do you wear? How do you drive? What do you do when you get pulled over? How do you comport yourself, talk to a police officer?
Shamsid-Deen learned to dress neatly, "always neat" in order to "not bring attention to myself." He came to think of clothing as a "costume," designed to reduce his chances of getting stopped. Or, if stopped, to increase the odds of surviving the encounter. He wore clean trousers, his shirt always tucked in. He learned that a pressed white shirt usually meant he would not be ordered to the ground, and spread-eagled. And, as his father mandated: there would be no bulges in any item of clothing, ever. To this day, it's automatic: Shamsid-Deen refuses to get into the car without putting his wallet and cell phone in plain sight.
I've always been a little wary whenever I see a police officer or get pulled over, but this is next level. I can't imagine having to go out every day with this level of foresight. This is one example that really hits home systemic effects of racism. Sure, individual officers may not be racist. But even if police brutality were "a few bad apples", that alone is enough to give black people a very different experience when encountering police.
This book covers a LOT of ground, though. He points out that police are held responsible for too many tasks, social ills they aren't equipped for. Their organization is bureaucratic and militaristic. Police unions make it nearly impossible to make any meaningful reform. Many cities have come to rely on the police as a source of income, implementing quota systems that unfairly target poor communities.
In his solution, he draws on the founding document of modern police, which was crafted by Sir Robert Peel. Peel outlined nine principles:
The basic mission for which police exist is to prevent crime and disorder.
The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police actions.
Police must secure the willing cooperation of the public in voluntary observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain the respect of the public.
The degree of cooperation of the public that can be secured diminishes proportionately to the necessity of the use of physical force.
Police seek and preserve public favor by not catering to public opinion but by constantly demonstrating absolute impartial service to the law.
Police use physical force to the extent necessary to secure observance of the law to restore order only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient.
Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community and welfare existence.
Police should always direct their action strictly towards their functions and never appear to usurp the powers of the judiciary.
The test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, not the visible evidence of police action dealing with it.
Peel's solution for police reform is community-based policing. Communities are to be involved in everything from hiring decisions to investigations of individual cops. It can't be lip service either. In addition, the federal government should take a leadership role in establishing national standards. I think Stamper adds an important voice to the conversation. Cops can't fix this alone, and it is us as communities that need to take a leadership role in making meaningful change.
July 18, 2016
Living in the school district which encompasses the spot where Philando Castile was shot and the aftermath broadcast on Facebook Live has left me in a fairly despondent state. I have watched my friends become angry and disgusted with police. Yet I know of police officers that I trust, respect and honor. I keep saying to myself that something ought to change. In fact, much of the coverage of BLM has been about the grieving and the marching and efforts to get attention. This energy, at one point or another needs to become directed at some changes. Stamper, a veteran police chief from the West Coast take an approach in this book of surveying the various reforms that are out there and proposing some that might be effective. He is not an apologist and he does offer very sincere criticism of what is wrong with the police--deep entrenched racism, a militarized system, a system that is designed to fight reform and a system which is designed to protect some of us at the expense of others. He offers a complex set of potential reforms that culminates with a very involved plan for reform nationally that would potentially change our society. I'm afraid that real reform is a ways out, but I am optimistic that the more people read thoughtful analysis like this book, the more a movement to enact real change might rise out of the chaotic and heartbreaking events unfolding right now.
July 18, 2021
Helps you understand from a former officer's perspective what works, what doesn't work, and what tough conversations are still to be had. In today's society, more people need to understand what is going on, what has happened, and what needs to happen, part of which this book addresses.
November 23, 2023
Informative, but a very slow read. Skimmed the last 100 pages for a summary.
July 16, 2018
WARNING: SPOILERS
Reading this book, I’m reminded of a fact of law enforcement. With exceptions, once you get above sergeant (in a large police department) you no longer do police work. Chief Stampler is what we call a bureaucrat with a badge. It shows in his writing. He seems to think with over 63 million interactions a year, approximately 1000 shooting deaths, of which less than a quarter are black, shows rampant racism spread over 900,000 peace offices in the US. Forgive me, he’s wrong.
His review of the 1033 program is laughable, when he describes a “tracked armored personnel carrier, i.e. a tank.” (Page 84). He does not know the difference between the two. An armored personnel carrier moves persons into a hostile area with protection from small arms, so they can deploy and engage. A tank is a weapon in and of itself, you fight with and the main gun is the primary weapon. Other than as display items, tanks are not sent via 1033, and they are demilitarized (e.g. concrete is poured in the gun tube).
The Chief is very judgmental of Darren Wilson, basically saying if he had just tried “de- escalation technique,” the Ferguson riots would have been avoided. He says the liar, Dorian Johnson, was truthful when he said Wilson screamed “Get the f$%^ out of the street,” although Johnson is a proven liar and there is no witness to back this up (Page vii). He puts out the out the damn lie that Brown had his hands up, which three post modem exams disprove (Page vii)
He is very critical of police actions in the Ferguson riots. Excuse me Chief, when there are Molotov cocktails being thrown at you, retaliating with tear gas and rubber bullets shows a lot of restraint. Not to mention, it was all based on a lie, “Hands up! Don’t shoot” (Page84).
He condemns the Baltimore PD for breaking Freddy Grey’s neck, but the only witness in the van to come forward says Grey was smashing his head against the wall.
He puts out anti-gun propaganda on kids “almost daily we hear stories of infants pointing daddy’s 357 magnum and shooting their sister” (Page 86). Tragic if one occurs, however, it’s more like once per month (https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tod...).
Then he goes fully off the cliff. He wants local law enforcement federalized, because the feds never make mistakes. He may like to look at Waco 1993, Ruby Ridge 1992, or Houston spring 2018. As this was published in 2015, I wonder if he was angling for a position in a Mrs. Bill Clinton administration.
He does have a good review of police equipment, but that in no way balances the 300 other pages.
Reading this book, I’m reminded of a fact of law enforcement. With exceptions, once you get above sergeant (in a large police department) you no longer do police work. Chief Stampler is what we call a bureaucrat with a badge. It shows in his writing. He seems to think with over 63 million interactions a year, approximately 1000 shooting deaths, of which less than a quarter are black, shows rampant racism spread over 900,000 peace offices in the US. Forgive me, he’s wrong.
His review of the 1033 program is laughable, when he describes a “tracked armored personnel carrier, i.e. a tank.” (Page 84). He does not know the difference between the two. An armored personnel carrier moves persons into a hostile area with protection from small arms, so they can deploy and engage. A tank is a weapon in and of itself, you fight with and the main gun is the primary weapon. Other than as display items, tanks are not sent via 1033, and they are demilitarized (e.g. concrete is poured in the gun tube).
The Chief is very judgmental of Darren Wilson, basically saying if he had just tried “de- escalation technique,” the Ferguson riots would have been avoided. He says the liar, Dorian Johnson, was truthful when he said Wilson screamed “Get the f$%^ out of the street,” although Johnson is a proven liar and there is no witness to back this up (Page vii). He puts out the out the damn lie that Brown had his hands up, which three post modem exams disprove (Page vii)
He is very critical of police actions in the Ferguson riots. Excuse me Chief, when there are Molotov cocktails being thrown at you, retaliating with tear gas and rubber bullets shows a lot of restraint. Not to mention, it was all based on a lie, “Hands up! Don’t shoot” (Page84).
He condemns the Baltimore PD for breaking Freddy Grey’s neck, but the only witness in the van to come forward says Grey was smashing his head against the wall.
He puts out anti-gun propaganda on kids “almost daily we hear stories of infants pointing daddy’s 357 magnum and shooting their sister” (Page 86). Tragic if one occurs, however, it’s more like once per month (https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tod...).
Then he goes fully off the cliff. He wants local law enforcement federalized, because the feds never make mistakes. He may like to look at Waco 1993, Ruby Ridge 1992, or Houston spring 2018. As this was published in 2015, I wonder if he was angling for a position in a Mrs. Bill Clinton administration.
He does have a good review of police equipment, but that in no way balances the 300 other pages.
September 10, 2016
Yesterday, I finished reading "To Protect and Serve: How to Fix America's Police" by Norm Stamper, former Chief of Police for the City of Seattle. You may remember Stamper for his (mis)handling of the 1999 World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle, which resulted in the use of tear gas against protesters -- an event for which he has since admitted his decision to use chemicals against the protesters was wrong.
In the wake of police-related shootings and attacks against the brave men and women who serve our communities, Stamper's book is a welcomed contribution to the nation's discussion of policing in America. The book is appropriate for both lay readers and policy makers/researchers alike as it's jargon-free and takes the time needed to clearly explain terms that readers may be encountering for the first time.
Stamper manages to provide a useful overview and evaluation of police tactics, equipment, and contemporary attempts to improve the image and function of police in America. Alongside these discussions, Stamper highlights cases involving police shootings and abuses of power, as well as attacks on the police, to assist the reader in understanding why this is such a pressing issue demanding attention and thoughtful solutions.
"To Protect and Serve" ends with a thoughtful discussion regarding a number of policy suggestions for reforming policing in America -- both for protecting the lives of those who serve and for improving police-community relations -- that would require collaboration amongst multiple levels of government. Overall, it's a book that those on both sides, or in the middle, of this debate should read, because it will focus, inform, and enrich the discussions we have regarding this hotly debated issue.
In the wake of police-related shootings and attacks against the brave men and women who serve our communities, Stamper's book is a welcomed contribution to the nation's discussion of policing in America. The book is appropriate for both lay readers and policy makers/researchers alike as it's jargon-free and takes the time needed to clearly explain terms that readers may be encountering for the first time.
Stamper manages to provide a useful overview and evaluation of police tactics, equipment, and contemporary attempts to improve the image and function of police in America. Alongside these discussions, Stamper highlights cases involving police shootings and abuses of power, as well as attacks on the police, to assist the reader in understanding why this is such a pressing issue demanding attention and thoughtful solutions.
"To Protect and Serve" ends with a thoughtful discussion regarding a number of policy suggestions for reforming policing in America -- both for protecting the lives of those who serve and for improving police-community relations -- that would require collaboration amongst multiple levels of government. Overall, it's a book that those on both sides, or in the middle, of this debate should read, because it will focus, inform, and enrich the discussions we have regarding this hotly debated issue.
November 3, 2016
Everyone should read this book.
I remember when at was at my brother's graduation into the police department, there was a particular speaker. The speaker wasn't a cop, he was a soldier, but he talked (in a rambling way that made it clear he was giving it off the top of his head) about how the world is divided into "sheep, sheepdogs, and wolves." Not a particularly deft analogy and I remember bristling with anger and irritation as he opined that "the sheep fear the sheepdogs, because they look a lot like wolves, and the sheep don't understand, but the sheepdogs know that sometimes what they have to do is for the sheep's own good."
Anyway.
Stamper gets it. He was a beat cop, he has the credentials to talk about policing. But he also has the understanding that the policed have as much say in the matter. His approach is thoughtful, practical, and reasonable; neither idolizing the "the thin blue line" nor taking a short-sighted "everything about the police is bad." And that's why you need to read this book, because we all fall somewhere on this spectrum, be it respect, rejection or, most likely, somewhere in the middle. Things can be fixed. They can get better.
One book may not solve all of our problems. But it's a step in the right direction and it's one that I would love nothing more than to talk about and debate the merits of with everyone around me. Because we're all in this together, we're all part of our communities. Stamper's book restored my hope that the divide between police and citizens can be healed. That makes it worth your time, in my opinion.
I remember when at was at my brother's graduation into the police department, there was a particular speaker. The speaker wasn't a cop, he was a soldier, but he talked (in a rambling way that made it clear he was giving it off the top of his head) about how the world is divided into "sheep, sheepdogs, and wolves." Not a particularly deft analogy and I remember bristling with anger and irritation as he opined that "the sheep fear the sheepdogs, because they look a lot like wolves, and the sheep don't understand, but the sheepdogs know that sometimes what they have to do is for the sheep's own good."
Anyway.
Stamper gets it. He was a beat cop, he has the credentials to talk about policing. But he also has the understanding that the policed have as much say in the matter. His approach is thoughtful, practical, and reasonable; neither idolizing the "the thin blue line" nor taking a short-sighted "everything about the police is bad." And that's why you need to read this book, because we all fall somewhere on this spectrum, be it respect, rejection or, most likely, somewhere in the middle. Things can be fixed. They can get better.
One book may not solve all of our problems. But it's a step in the right direction and it's one that I would love nothing more than to talk about and debate the merits of with everyone around me. Because we're all in this together, we're all part of our communities. Stamper's book restored my hope that the divide between police and citizens can be healed. That makes it worth your time, in my opinion.
June 26, 2020
I am glad I read this book. It offered a good overview of modern American policing from a former police chief, who recognizes a great many problems with the status quo.
He offers reforms that could improve policing but would not reduce the scope of what we ask of police officers. He offers advice for individual citizens when dealing with police, and models for citizen review boards to provide oversight of police departments.
Given the current sociopolitical climate in June 2020, and what I've heard and seen, I don't think his reforms will be enough, but they could hold a lot of value if the scope of policing is redefined.
He offers reforms that could improve policing but would not reduce the scope of what we ask of police officers. He offers advice for individual citizens when dealing with police, and models for citizen review boards to provide oversight of police departments.
Given the current sociopolitical climate in June 2020, and what I've heard and seen, I don't think his reforms will be enough, but they could hold a lot of value if the scope of policing is redefined.
July 21, 2018
After a 34 year career in law enforcement, Norm Stamper “retired” and turned his attention to reflecting upon what might improve the state of law enforment in the U.S. Though under 300 pages this books accomplishes a lot, explaining many issues that make both policing and interacting with the police so much less safe than they could be, as well as concrete solutions that would improve safety for all. The book is sprinkled with enough studies and science to make its case, while remaining very readable and well articulated, even to someone like myself, who doesn’t know very much about law enforcement.
I’m left hoping at some point, we can begin to listen.
The book includes information about:
Crisis Intervention Training, particularly the Memphis Model, and the success it is having when taught to police, not only in helping increase safety for them and those they are paid to “protect and serve” but also in the positive effects it had on police officers’ lives off the job.
The typical training of police officers, and how it works to create fear of being hurt far beyond what the statistics bear out, and then sends out new officers who are afraid and also encouraged to put their own safety above the safety of those around them. And how teaching police how to manage their fear not only makes increases safety for those with whom officers interact, but actually makes them safer, than does the currenct practice of training them to be increasingly fearful.
How high quality training that would increase safety for police and non-police, while expensive, would be far cheaper than the current method of paying out more money in settlements because of police misconduct.
How misuse of SWAT teams and the militarization of police forces decreases public safety.
How wellness programs for officers can increase public safety.
Advice for those encountering police and what to do about the reality that police often violate civil liberties and otherwise break the law. Specific tips are shared for increasing your chances of surviving the encounter, and then what to do afterwards to hold officers accountable and therefore improve policing.
Barriers to police accountability when officers do break the law, and how crucial it is that communities find a way toward that accountability. “If Americans understood the extent to which policing fails to supervise itself, fails to rid the system of corrupt or corrosive cops, they would likely be shocked. In any case, given the sensitivities of the moment, there’s never been a better time for policing’s citizen partners to demand an end to unsupervised police work.”
He then lays out a broad base approach to how we might fix the many problems he has outlined, and have police across the country who are safer and who are able to keep those of us they work for - the rest of us - safer.
An important book.
I’m left hoping at some point, we can begin to listen.
The book includes information about:
Crisis Intervention Training, particularly the Memphis Model, and the success it is having when taught to police, not only in helping increase safety for them and those they are paid to “protect and serve” but also in the positive effects it had on police officers’ lives off the job.
The typical training of police officers, and how it works to create fear of being hurt far beyond what the statistics bear out, and then sends out new officers who are afraid and also encouraged to put their own safety above the safety of those around them. And how teaching police how to manage their fear not only makes increases safety for those with whom officers interact, but actually makes them safer, than does the currenct practice of training them to be increasingly fearful.
How high quality training that would increase safety for police and non-police, while expensive, would be far cheaper than the current method of paying out more money in settlements because of police misconduct.
How misuse of SWAT teams and the militarization of police forces decreases public safety.
How wellness programs for officers can increase public safety.
Advice for those encountering police and what to do about the reality that police often violate civil liberties and otherwise break the law. Specific tips are shared for increasing your chances of surviving the encounter, and then what to do afterwards to hold officers accountable and therefore improve policing.
Barriers to police accountability when officers do break the law, and how crucial it is that communities find a way toward that accountability. “If Americans understood the extent to which policing fails to supervise itself, fails to rid the system of corrupt or corrosive cops, they would likely be shocked. In any case, given the sensitivities of the moment, there’s never been a better time for policing’s citizen partners to demand an end to unsupervised police work.”
He then lays out a broad base approach to how we might fix the many problems he has outlined, and have police across the country who are safer and who are able to keep those of us they work for - the rest of us - safer.
An important book.
March 10, 2018
The effects of what is wrong in american policing has been pretty clear for a while. That it is a structural problem is something the book highlights and generally describes. That part is newer--its not really the individual officers so much as the structures that create and can preserve them as they become the people they probably never meant to be.
That conversation about why the structure creates the problem is a much more difficult conversation that has not really been engaged. The book seems to dance around it by calling out structures but not by calling out supervisors, managers, and executives' mis-steps or failures as the real issue. And to the extent the focus is on engaging the "community" as a whole, it misses that there really is no single community to engage. Basically, if its everyone's problem its no one's problem to fix...
So the book is a primer. Its a book about the problem of american policing. Despite the promise of the title, its not a book about what to DO about the problems in policing...the specific action items that could change the arc of the problem. The things that work in other countries. The characteristics of American departments that do it right (not the ones that just have good spin meisters or an overly accommodating local press) And so its just a conversation.
I'd hoped for more.
That conversation about why the structure creates the problem is a much more difficult conversation that has not really been engaged. The book seems to dance around it by calling out structures but not by calling out supervisors, managers, and executives' mis-steps or failures as the real issue. And to the extent the focus is on engaging the "community" as a whole, it misses that there really is no single community to engage. Basically, if its everyone's problem its no one's problem to fix...
So the book is a primer. Its a book about the problem of american policing. Despite the promise of the title, its not a book about what to DO about the problems in policing...the specific action items that could change the arc of the problem. The things that work in other countries. The characteristics of American departments that do it right (not the ones that just have good spin meisters or an overly accommodating local press) And so its just a conversation.
I'd hoped for more.
October 29, 2019
Stamper makes some good points, but one has to dig through rhetoric and "I believe" statements to find them. Throughout I get the impression of someone trying to reinvent their legacy; from the Chief who escalated the "Battle in Seattle" to a rabid reformer. While there are good citations in some areas, other statements of opinion are presented as fact and unsupported. Also, some citations are to news editorials and other opinion pieces.
Read with a cynical eye, and watching out for politicising, there are some nuggets worth finding the pages
Read with a cynical eye, and watching out for politicising, there are some nuggets worth finding the pages
September 9, 2018
I read this book after hearing the author interviewed on NPR and it did not disappoint. Illuminating in terms of the inner workings (and failings) of police hierarchies while examining various approaches to reform before coming to a final conclusion/recommendation. Fun to read as it gets into the nitty gritty (a list of the gear police use/wear and why) but also the big picture issues.
August 24, 2020
Covers all the issues honestly
A realty-based review of issues. A real human perspective from the inside demonstrating where the corruption comes in and how much it is a product of the community as a whole.
Allows a look at possible solutions and gives real human examples.
You are dealing with people.
A realty-based review of issues. A real human perspective from the inside demonstrating where the corruption comes in and how much it is a product of the community as a whole.
Allows a look at possible solutions and gives real human examples.
You are dealing with people.
September 8, 2020
Written by the former chief of the Seattle police, in the aftermath of the murders of Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, and Tamir Rice, to advocate for sensible police reform. It seems like such reforms would have been tough to implement, but effective had anyone taken up these suggestions. Today, the suggestions seem almost quaint and wholly inadequate.
May 30, 2017
a must-read for anyone interested in police reform:
last year i read "rise of the warrior cop" by radley balko, and i learned a lot from that book. but this book is important because we get the perspective of an officer.
last year i read "rise of the warrior cop" by radley balko, and i learned a lot from that book. but this book is important because we get the perspective of an officer.
October 2, 2020
Even though it's a 4-year-old book, we're still having the same problems today so it's still a relevant read. He's a bit long-winded in parts, but it's a comprehensive look at the major flaws of policing in the US and no quick fix is going to resolve our issues.
October 6, 2018
Uneven but interesting
March 19, 2019
Very liberal bias and approach.
September 8, 2020
Having just read The New Jim Crow, this was a worthwhile follow-on. We really need to admit there's a problem--ok, problems--so that we can get on with the messy business of fixing it.
January 3, 2024
I disagree with some of his views but he writes in a very thorough manner.
September 9, 2020
After having read "Rise of the Warrior Cop" last year and then seeing that the author of Warrior Cop wrote a recommendation for this book, I went into Norm Stamper's "To Protect and Serve" hoping to find a similar detail oriented book that was focused on how to enact reformation. Unfortunately, I left feeling as though the book stated several strong arguments, many of which I agree with, but made those arguments in what I felt was a lackluster way.
Each chapter of "To Protect and Serve" focuses on a separate topic in policing that is in need of reformation. Unfortunately, the paragraphs do not flow well. The thesis statements give poor outlines for the chapters. And much of the evidence given is speckled with odd thoughts, names, and anecdotes that feel unnecessary and convolute the point that the author is trying to make. Frankly, the author's writing detracts from the points being made and undermines the authority that the author holds. You can be the person who invented policing itself, but if your writing sounds as though your thoughts are scattered, I will have a hard time believing that you are the source for clear, directed reform for the nation's police force.
Ultimately, I feel like this book talks about many good topics in policing that need to be discussed. I think it provides an excellent voice from policing that advocates for reform. I don't agree with all of the points that the author makes as I don't feel like he goes far enough with reform, but I'm sure he is also calling for more reform than others would be comfortable with, so I don't mind reading the opinions of someone who can write from a more compromising point of view. Unfortunately, I feel as though the writing in this book detracts from many of the points that the author is trying to make. I don't think I'd recommend this book to many people. I'd probably suggest that they read "Rise of the Warrior Cop" instead.
Each chapter of "To Protect and Serve" focuses on a separate topic in policing that is in need of reformation. Unfortunately, the paragraphs do not flow well. The thesis statements give poor outlines for the chapters. And much of the evidence given is speckled with odd thoughts, names, and anecdotes that feel unnecessary and convolute the point that the author is trying to make. Frankly, the author's writing detracts from the points being made and undermines the authority that the author holds. You can be the person who invented policing itself, but if your writing sounds as though your thoughts are scattered, I will have a hard time believing that you are the source for clear, directed reform for the nation's police force.
Ultimately, I feel like this book talks about many good topics in policing that need to be discussed. I think it provides an excellent voice from policing that advocates for reform. I don't agree with all of the points that the author makes as I don't feel like he goes far enough with reform, but I'm sure he is also calling for more reform than others would be comfortable with, so I don't mind reading the opinions of someone who can write from a more compromising point of view. Unfortunately, I feel as though the writing in this book detracts from many of the points that the author is trying to make. I don't think I'd recommend this book to many people. I'd probably suggest that they read "Rise of the Warrior Cop" instead.
February 3, 2017
Policing in America is in a state of emergency as relations between them and the public has been severely damaged almost to the point of no return. The people believe that the police are an oppressive force that view them as combatants and punish them while the police feel that the public they serve is not appreciative of their work and not responsive to them. In reading this book by Norm Stamper, this viewpoint could not be any more clearer. He, as a former police officer, uses this book to acknowledge the growing dissension between the police and the public that they serve. He also notes that the police force was not made to interact with the public in the ways that they do. The increased usage of military equipment and specialization of certain aspects of the police led to this public problem. He gives concrete examples of police brutality and where the thinking of this comes from (mostly fear). In addition to this, he also outlines ways to solve these problems. With each proposed solution, he truly believes that the trust can be restored and order returned to the afflicted communities. Personally, I believe that the solutions proposed by the author would be effective in repairing the relationship between the people and the police given that it is essential for them to work together. If you are looking for more information about how the police force works and what can be done to improve it, this book would be a great read.
July 27, 2022
For my taste, this book offers a view that is a tad not radical enough, especially when it comes to the use of force. I do not share the author's view that some things could be improved with better control and oversight (like taser use).
That being said, the book offers valuable insight into the ways American policing could be greatly improved even without too radical solutions. I appreciated the will of the author to change his mind and admit his mistakes.
It is also very well written and captivating.
Great gateway read on the art of policing.
That being said, the book offers valuable insight into the ways American policing could be greatly improved even without too radical solutions. I appreciated the will of the author to change his mind and admit his mistakes.
It is also very well written and captivating.
Great gateway read on the art of policing.
August 26, 2016
I have this book 5 stars because it made me think about policing and how we police. After 30 years a police officer I found the book to take me on a roller coaster ride of emotions as I turned its pages. But I think the lessons laid out in the book will be helpful in helping policing adapt its methods as it evolves to policing a FREE society. I recommend the book as it will most definitely generate thinking.
September 11, 2016
I have mixed thoughts on this book. Before I say anything else I will say read this book. The topic is important. Book is well read and at times gets deep into the problems. My problem is his solutions are the same old lets throw money at the problem. Let's hire more personal for the justice system. No thanks. Weasley use of statistics 30,000 deaths a year? He may want to go deeper into those numbers. All problems aside. Read this book.
October 27, 2016
A very balanced view on the state of America's policing in this very fraught, violent. and divisive era.
January 9, 2025
SOCI250: Delinquency and Crime
1.5 ⭐️
1.5 ⭐️
April 27, 2017
Written by a retired Seattle Police Chief, this book has excellent ideas for fixing the problems of police departments in America. Filled with true examples of policing, he calls for fundamental changes by including the federal govt and citizen participation to reform the many broken aspects of most departments beginning by eliminating the "quota system" of ticketing and moving through the militarization and adversarial viewpoints of many cops towards their communities.
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