Signal Zero

by George Kirkham

Book by Kirkham, George

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Dr. George Kirkham, who is nationally renowned as "the professor who became a cop," is Professor Emeritus at the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University.
His co-author, Dr.. Leonard Territo, is Distinguished Professor of Criminology at Saint Leo University.
He is a veteran rape/homicide detective who was the major advisor to police during the Ted Bundy murder investigation. Dr. Territo's Criminal Investigation Text has been the "Bible" of American law enforcement for over 30 years. It is also used to instruct police and criminal justice students in 16 other countries, including China.

Reviews

[Dan Lowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended to me by a friend as a book that every would-be academic should read, Signal Zero gives a short but enlightening portrayal of an 'intellectual' stepping out of the ivory tower and actually working in the field he had so distantly claimed an expertise about. In this case, Kirkham goes from being a Criminology professor who, like most in his discipline (and indeed in liberal academia since the mid-20th Century), is overly critical of the behavior of police in his society, to actually becoming a cop himself. His transformation is so rapid, I wonder now why anyone could have expected anything else.

Beyond the significance of his story to the abstraction of academic ideas, though, his portrayal of the life of a policeman -- particularly one in an especially violent part of the country -- comes off as most genuine. You realize how truly unwarranted our feelings of spite towards the police are, how much they are drilled into us by an increasingly anti-authoritarian and irresponsible culture, when it takes less than 200 pages to remind you how truly respectable of human beings they often are.

I'm almost convinced our distaste for them is driven by the fact that they (more often than not) represent the best of us, the best that we're too lazy and too cowardly to muster ourselves, and that maybe the hate we have is because of the image of ourselves we're forced to see when posed in stark relation.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you really want to understand police work, read this book. The author was a liberal criminal justice professor who thought police were brutal, ignorant thugs. Then one of his students, a police officer, challenged him to actually work as a police officer. Dr. Kirkham took up the challenge, and then found himself turning into the very things he always criticized police officers for being. A fascinating journey into the psychology of law enforcement--and an excellent read for those who hate/criticize police.

[Cali · Rating 5 out of 5]

A recommendation from one of my college criminal justice professors who was a retired CHP (California Highway Patrolman) - this book is a must read for those who want to hear the truth, read the truth, and gain a more indepth understanding of these truly frightening stories.

[Scott Harleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Signal Zero some time around 1982. It profoundly affected my thinking about the effect of environment on thinking and reasoning. I believe its message is more important than ever today, as we address the issue of police violence.

Kirkham's book did not cause me to condone police violence, but it absolutely did help me understand how and why police officers are changed by their working environment. I believe that understanding is absolutely necessary in order to address the problem, which is in no way new.

[Kevin Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping first-person account of a student-turned-police-officer's withdrawal behind the blue curtain. Does an excellent job of demonstrating why "cop culture" is so transferable.