Good Cop

by Maureen Dowd

In the wake of the George Floyd murder and calls for defunding the police, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd reflects on our changing points of view on law enforcement through a personal prism - the life and times of her father. For four decades, Detective Sergeant Michael J. Dowd served on the Washington, DC, police force, guarding presidents and catching killers. Meanwhile, his daughter grew up as a child of the 1960s, embracing liberal politics and evolving into a journalist some presidents might have thought they needed to be guarded from. As a result, it took decades for Dowd to fully embrace her father’s bravery and make peace with the pride she felt in his work. She has done so with heartfelt eloquence in this deeply personal and profound look back at a man who represented the good that lives within us, even those who wear a gun and badge.

Audible Audio

Published December 2, 2021

About the author

Maureen Dowd is a Washington D.C.-based columnist for The New York Times. She has worked for the Times since 1983, when she joined as a metropolitan reporter. In 1999, she was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for her series of columns on the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

Dowd's columns are distinguished by an acerbic, often polemical writing style. Her columns often display a critical attitude towards powerful figures such as President George W. Bush, former President Bill Clinton, and Pope Benedict XVI.