Cop: Forty-Three Years In The Royal Canadian Mounted Police

by Bill Sharp

COP is the true story of Bill Sharp's service in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police from 1968 to 2011. For over forty-three years he served in British Columbia where he upheld the law in Trail, Burnaby, Castlegar, Surrey, North Vancouver, Coquitlam and Langley. These are his stories of basic training, followed by first-hand accounts of violence, tragedy and interesting events — experiences recounted with honesty and humour. It is a lucid, credible and articulate memoir of the author's career as a front-line policeman in the RCMP.
- Renée Layberry, Editor

302 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 26, 2014

About the author

I lived in the small towns of Lacombe and Barrhead, Alberta. After high school I moved to Edmonton where I worked for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in their management trainee program, and at the same time I enlisted in the Canadian Army Reserves. In 1968, I joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and subsequently served in nine detachments located within Metro Vancouver and in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. All of my forty-three years in the RCMP were in uniform general duty (except for a month on traffic). COP is about my forty-three years in the RCMP.

Reviews

[Robert Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Police Officers have interesting stories to tell and Bill Sharp has a lot which make for a very good read. Mounties are somewhat different as they can be posted to various regions of Canada on a somewhat regular rotation so they really get to know the Country. I have been fortunate to have a Mountie as one of my hunting partners and we have spent many evenings at the campfire in northern Alberta listening to his tales of the human condition. Most are exceptional people.

[Don Arthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

After three Mounties were killed in Canada I happened to see this book for sale and I ordered it.I read it over two days and found myself laughing out loud a lot of the time, but not always because some stories are about horrific murders and other sad events. All in all a really interesting read and enlightening as well. I liked the stories about their tough boot camp and the practical jokes. The author did a good job in writing his memoir and I enjoyed this book. I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Don Arthur

[Adam McConnochie]

i'm sure lots of cops have incredible stories to tell. well nice to see a local cop share his! forty three years is a heck of a long time be a cop with the royal canadian mounted police (heck of a long time in any line of work!). sometimes funny, sometimes serious, sometimes just plain sad. got the e-book and i enjoyed. good read.

[M Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered this book from Amazon and finished reading it within a week of receiving it. The no-nonsense matter-of-fact manner that the stories are told by the author- who is a 43 year veteran of frontline policing- is refreshing. I enjoyed the book from start to end and highly recommend it.

[Larry Gallishaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall this is an engaging book. Most of the stories are of amusing circumstances and outcomes; however several are lugubrious and thought-provoking. A refreshing, honest, book about police work that I found quite pleasurable to read.

Larry Gallishaw

[Douglas Kirkman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book by Bill Sharp. It is truly wonderful read. I was fortunate to have Bill as my boss from 2002 to 2010 in Langley, B.C. After he retired we kept in touch shared stories and laughed about the good old days. Bill's career spanning several decades was like having two or three different jobs. Starting out he was Pre-Charter of Rights lots of paperwork. As society changed over the years so did police work and the police had to keep up. Trying to accurately recall details and events from decades past can be challenging. What was recalled and reported here is an entertaining and interesting glimpse of policing. Bill called me in Sept 2014 and asked if he could buy me coffee. I was not aware he had written a book. We met at a restaurant where he proudly presented me with a autographed copy of COP. Then he kind of grinned with a quiet laugh saying "I kind of mentioned you in the book". Anyway that's how I got to read the book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I know he has lots more stories so lets encourage him to write some more.

[Robert Mackay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author traces his 43 years in the RCMP with understanding, compassion and humour, whether dealing with the accused or his fellow Mounties. He had short periods in the far north, Ottawa, and on the Musical Ride, but most of his career was spent in BC. It's very interesting to read about cases that made the newspaper headlines at the time but are now almost forgotten. Bill Sharp's writing style is clear and easy to read. I have no hesitation in highly recommending Cop.

[Sam Cradberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy Buen Libro

I see this book is rated quite highly and now I know why. It's a very good book about a Canadian policeman who served throughout Canada. Interesting and well put together.

Sam Cradberry

[Mary Geraghty · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting insight

The book was well written and clearly showed the dedication and humour needed for this job. Beautifully described areas and colourful and not so nice characters.

[Ben J. Maure · Rating 5 out of 5]

Working 43 years for any organization is quite a milestone. I raise my hat to Mr. Sharp! I truly enjoyed his book! It kept me entertained. Many of the stories he recalled made me laugh endlessly. Above all, Mr. Sharp's fair and candid treatment of the people he dealt with (hardened criminals or the general public) is a model to follow not only for police officers but for any aspiring leader.

[Jim Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I happened to see this book in the library and I decided to check it out. I'm glad I did, as I found it very interesting, fascinating and informative. I was so impressed, I recommended to several of my law enforcement friends (and a close relative who is a cop) they read it.

JK

[Howard Callaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An abundance of interesting and well-written stories.

Howie Callaghan

[M. Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was very interesting from start to end. It is filled with great stories that will entertain you. I recommend it.

[SeaTree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently got this book out of the library here in Victoria. What a pleasant read! It made me chuckle from the first few pages as the author reminisces of his calling to be a "Mountie" as a small-town little boy in Alberta to his training days at the Regina Depot back in the late 60s to his many different detachment posts as a front-line police officer. What a timeline and the author does a great job describing the many experiences and true crime stories spanning over his RCMP 43-yr career most of it spent as a patrol officer in BC. I highly recommend. Great Canadiana book.

[Arlisscrowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a mountie cop that worked in western Canada from 1968 to 2011. I liked his down-to-earth stories and I learned things about Canada that I didn't know before like the different laws and police structures. Anyway the stories are interesting, personal and most are funny. A good entertaining book and I gave it a solid 4 out of 5.

[Patrick Mead · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of humorous incidents and sayings that made me chuckle. If you liked police stories and want to know about the mounties in Canada, this is the book to read. Held my interest throughout.

[Paul Boisvert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did very much enjoy this memoir of the author's long time in the RCMP. The book covers over four decades, ending in 2010 and he wrote of many cases and incidents. Not a dry account by any means, it is written in an enjoyable style that makes the stories a pleasure to read.

P. Boisvert

[Wayne Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It showed an accurate picture of what a career in the RCMP was like... and not just 'any' career. Very few men or women spent 43 years in Law Enforcement so when Bill Sharp writes about it, it's well worth reading about it.

[Blaine McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full marks for this book because I found it interesting and informative.


Blaine McCarthy

[Ted Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A law enforcement memoir that I enjoyed reading. It is full of non-typical vignettes that are well written and interesting.

Ted Kane