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Blue on Blue: An Insider's Story of Good Cops Catching Bad Cops
One of the most authentic and consistently illuminating portraits of police work ever, Blue on Blue describes the fascinating inner workings of the world’s largest police force and Chief Charles Campisi’s unprecedented two decades putting bad cops behind bars.
From 1996 through 2014 Charles Campisi headed NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, working under four police commissioners and gaining a reputation as hard-nosed and incorruptible. When he retired, only one man on the 36,000-member force had served longer. During Campisi’s IAB tenure, the number of New Yorkers shot, wounded, or killed by cops every year declined by ninety percent, and the number of cops failing integrity tests shrank to an equally startling low.
But to achieve those exemplary results, Campisi had to triple IAB’s staff, hire the very best detectives, and put the word out that bad apples wouldn’t be tolerated.
While early pages of Campisi’s absorbing account bring us into the real world of cops, showing, for example, the agony that every cop suffers when he fires his gun, later pages spotlight a harrowing series of investigations that tested IAB’s capacities, forcing detectives to go undercover against cops who were themselves undercover, to hunt down criminals posing as cops, and to break through the “blue wall of silence” to verify rare—but sometimes very real—cases of police brutality.
Told in an edge-of-the-seat way by a born storyteller, Blue on Blue puts us in the scene, allowing us to listen in on wiretaps and feel the adrenaline rush of drawing in the net. It also reveals new threats to the force, such as the possibility of infiltration by terrorists. Ultimately, the book inspires awe for the man who, for almost two decades, was entrusted with the job of making sure the words “New York’s Finest” never ring hollow.
A truly revelatory account, Blue on Blue will forever change the way you view police work.
From 1996 through 2014 Charles Campisi headed NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, working under four police commissioners and gaining a reputation as hard-nosed and incorruptible. When he retired, only one man on the 36,000-member force had served longer. During Campisi’s IAB tenure, the number of New Yorkers shot, wounded, or killed by cops every year declined by ninety percent, and the number of cops failing integrity tests shrank to an equally startling low.
But to achieve those exemplary results, Campisi had to triple IAB’s staff, hire the very best detectives, and put the word out that bad apples wouldn’t be tolerated.
While early pages of Campisi’s absorbing account bring us into the real world of cops, showing, for example, the agony that every cop suffers when he fires his gun, later pages spotlight a harrowing series of investigations that tested IAB’s capacities, forcing detectives to go undercover against cops who were themselves undercover, to hunt down criminals posing as cops, and to break through the “blue wall of silence” to verify rare—but sometimes very real—cases of police brutality.
Told in an edge-of-the-seat way by a born storyteller, Blue on Blue puts us in the scene, allowing us to listen in on wiretaps and feel the adrenaline rush of drawing in the net. It also reveals new threats to the force, such as the possibility of infiltration by terrorists. Ultimately, the book inspires awe for the man who, for almost two decades, was entrusted with the job of making sure the words “New York’s Finest” never ring hollow.
A truly revelatory account, Blue on Blue will forever change the way you view police work.
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 7, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
February 7, 2017
Blue on Blue is about the New York City Policy's Internal Affairs Bureau. The author was the chief of the IAB for many years. He recently retired and has co-written this book about the IAB's work and his own experience. I found this book really interesting, but I can't imagine it will please all readers. Here are a few random thoughts:
-My favourite aspect of the book is that Campisi does a great job explaining the history of the IAB and the unique position of the IAB in investigating "bad" cops, including the challenges faced in gaining credibility with other cops.
-Another favourite aspect is that there are lots of interesting stories about investigations -- the bad stuff some cops have been up to and how they were caught. It's a long book, and the stories are the primary focus.
-Campisi comes across as a bit of a Pollyanna -- albeit a likeable and commendable Pollyanna. He goes to great lengths to explain how he has never ever crossed the line, and how the vast majority of cops never cross the line. There are only a few bad cops out there he assures his readers.
-While Campisi was very dedicated to ridding his police force of "bad" cops, he stays away from any analysis of systemic issues that may affect how the police do their job. When bad things happen it's because bad cops were involved. He supports this view with lots of statistics, shying away from the issue of whether the bad cops' victims were predominantly visible minorities or economically disadvantaged and not touching on how some groups are systematically treated differently by the police than other groups. This is an observation, and not really a complaint although it highlights the challenges in addressing systemic issues -- they are not necessarily visible to those inside the system.
All said, I really enjoyed reading Blue on Blue. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
-My favourite aspect of the book is that Campisi does a great job explaining the history of the IAB and the unique position of the IAB in investigating "bad" cops, including the challenges faced in gaining credibility with other cops.
-Another favourite aspect is that there are lots of interesting stories about investigations -- the bad stuff some cops have been up to and how they were caught. It's a long book, and the stories are the primary focus.
-Campisi comes across as a bit of a Pollyanna -- albeit a likeable and commendable Pollyanna. He goes to great lengths to explain how he has never ever crossed the line, and how the vast majority of cops never cross the line. There are only a few bad cops out there he assures his readers.
-While Campisi was very dedicated to ridding his police force of "bad" cops, he stays away from any analysis of systemic issues that may affect how the police do their job. When bad things happen it's because bad cops were involved. He supports this view with lots of statistics, shying away from the issue of whether the bad cops' victims were predominantly visible minorities or economically disadvantaged and not touching on how some groups are systematically treated differently by the police than other groups. This is an observation, and not really a complaint although it highlights the challenges in addressing systemic issues -- they are not necessarily visible to those inside the system.
All said, I really enjoyed reading Blue on Blue. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
February 9, 2017
“There are never as many cops like that out there as some people choose to believe, but for us, and for all the honest cops, there are always too many. And they are the reason we exist.”
Charles Campisi, the longest serving chief of NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau provides a revealing narrative. This is an eye-opening insider’s perspective of the man who cleaned up the NYPD, the world’s largest police force, weeding out their own ‘boys in blue’, the bad apples, those with badges who once vowed to protect and serve but ended up on the wrong side of the law. Campisi’s expose is very good. He sends the message to the troops early on that corruption will not be tolerated and then takes the reader behind the scenes of investigations, providing glimpses of a world the average citizen does not normally see; a hard business full of deception and betrayal. Campisi’s formula for policing the police worked: his passion, integrity and achievements impressive and undeniable.
As a side note, I felt a bit more of a personal connection than other readers I suspect, as my husband rose thru the ranks as an internal affairs investigator. I have considerable respect for these hard working people - their jobs are not easy. I also developed a huge respect for those who protect and serve even earlier on in my life, while working a 5-year stint alongside the man who headed the federal witness protection program and went on to become a well-respected police commissioner. It pains me to think our cops who sacrifice their lives every day for the greater good are getting such a bad rap today.
Thanks to Scribner for the ARC.
Charles Campisi, the longest serving chief of NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau provides a revealing narrative. This is an eye-opening insider’s perspective of the man who cleaned up the NYPD, the world’s largest police force, weeding out their own ‘boys in blue’, the bad apples, those with badges who once vowed to protect and serve but ended up on the wrong side of the law. Campisi’s expose is very good. He sends the message to the troops early on that corruption will not be tolerated and then takes the reader behind the scenes of investigations, providing glimpses of a world the average citizen does not normally see; a hard business full of deception and betrayal. Campisi’s formula for policing the police worked: his passion, integrity and achievements impressive and undeniable.
As a side note, I felt a bit more of a personal connection than other readers I suspect, as my husband rose thru the ranks as an internal affairs investigator. I have considerable respect for these hard working people - their jobs are not easy. I also developed a huge respect for those who protect and serve even earlier on in my life, while working a 5-year stint alongside the man who headed the federal witness protection program and went on to become a well-respected police commissioner. It pains me to think our cops who sacrifice their lives every day for the greater good are getting such a bad rap today.
Thanks to Scribner for the ARC.
February 7, 2017
This book really was a fascinating read. The author gives us a behind the scenes look at the inner workings on the NYPD and the IAB. And he does it in a way that is both interesting and thought provoking.
From dirty cops to unsung heroes to sting operations and undercover cops...this book will give you a greater appreciation for those that do what is necessary to keep the streets safe and the NYPD an institution you can trust.
February 6, 2017
In this eye opening memoir by the longest serving Cheif of NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau. We learn about the exposure of bad cops. Charles Campisi headed the Department from 1996-2014.
I like reading memoirs and this book, for me, did not disappoint. We get an honest and at times fascinating insight into good police investigating bad police.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Scribner and the author Charles Campisi for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I like reading memoirs and this book, for me, did not disappoint. We get an honest and at times fascinating insight into good police investigating bad police.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Scribner and the author Charles Campisi for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 11, 2017
This is a non-fictional account of this author's work mainly in Internal Affairs .. just what the title says ... good cops catching bad cops. From his days as a street cop to heading NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau, this is a fascinating look at the inner workings of the ever growing New York Police Department.
The author mentions several names that are probably well known to lots of people such as Frank Serpico and Bill DeBlasio and Rudy Giuliani.
Campisi worked under four police commissioners and put together a plan to scout out and remove corrupt police that is still the gold standard today in police departments across the country.
This is a well written account that anyone and everyone in law enforcement or who wants to be in law enforcement should read.
Many thanks to the author / Scribner / Netgalley for the digital copy and the opportunity to read this most interesting book. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
The author mentions several names that are probably well known to lots of people such as Frank Serpico and Bill DeBlasio and Rudy Giuliani.
Campisi worked under four police commissioners and put together a plan to scout out and remove corrupt police that is still the gold standard today in police departments across the country.
This is a well written account that anyone and everyone in law enforcement or who wants to be in law enforcement should read.
Many thanks to the author / Scribner / Netgalley for the digital copy and the opportunity to read this most interesting book. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
January 30, 2025
Mr. Campisi tells a compelling, enlightening story about his leading the NYPD's "rat squad" who tried to hold it accountable and keep it honest. You hear a lot in the news about bent and rogue cops, but the actual number is pretty low. The "cop impersonations" chapter was one of the most engrossing. Through it all, he had a loving family and wife. He gives a lot of information about the police academy, which may be of interest to folks who are looking to get into law enforcement. Well-written and well-organized.
February 10, 2017
Charles Campisi lived the life. The cases presented here range from the obscure and unknown to the headliners in New York.. So much fascinating, insider information is presented in this memoir. I was riveted. The stories are told in plain, easy to follow language. I wouldn't mind reading a sequel with more tales of corruption and the dedicated men and women who police the police.
Net Galley ARC received for an unbiased review.
Net Galley ARC received for an unbiased review.
February 6, 2017
BLUE ON BLUE: An Insider's Story of Good Cops Catching Bad Cops. By Charles Campisi
This happens to be a most fascinating story by the head Chief of Internal Affairs in the NYPD. A chance to learn how a reorganization of Internal Affairs headed by Charles Campisi was so successful in going after corrupt cops in the NYPD and once catching them giving them the opportunity of either cooperating with telling everything they knew about other corrupt cops for a lighter sentence. Charles Campisi writes in the most easy conversational style making the story of his history starting out when he first became a NYPD cop easily accessible to the reader.
I felt like I was right there, witnessing first hand accounts of Charles Campisi's history and his factual accounts of his many sting operations to catch these corrupt cops. Charles Campisi was Chief of Internal Affairs from 1996-2014. The number of crime and New York City people being killed went down significantly during Charles Campisi's service of heading up the new and revised Internal Affairs Bureau. In order to accomplish everything Charles Campisi did for the new Internal Affairs Bureau , Campisi had to hire three times the amount of Internal Affairs Officers that were in place when he accepted his position.
This was a long book, which I read very slowly to absorb what it must be like to investigate other police officer's who do not always follow procedure and their sworn oath to protect and serve their duties. Charles Campisi tells of police corruption that surprisingly was caught at some high level officer's in the NYPD. Whenever there is an allegation of police corruption, it was always followed up. Campisi states that while he was Chief of IAB that he and the people he served with were able to reduce police corruption by fifty percent. During his years serving as IAB Chief more than 2000 cops were arrested for various crimes, and they investigated thousands more for other serious misconduct.
There are two ways too advance in the NYPD. Either the supervisory route--Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain and up the chain of command. Or, getting the detective's gold shield. Earning the detective's gold shield is one of the most yearned for positions. Nobody wants to serve in the Internal Affairs Bureau because it is the most thankless job and there exists a blue wall of silence among police officer's and to serve in IAB is often thought by fellow officer's as being a rat or a snitch. Charles Campisi acting as chief was able to turn that around and make that a position that I highly respect the work he did making his department the model for many other police Department's to follow.
Here is how Charles Campisi got involved for remodeling IAB in NYPD: Police Commissioner Ray Kelly summon's Campisi to his office because he has to take control of a crime scene where Luiz Lopez, age 35 an eight year NYPD veteran assigned as an undercover in the Manhattan South Narcotics District is killed by taking a bullet to the chest during a $10,000 drug bust. The next day Ray Kelly summons Charles Campisi who tells him that he is being transferred to head a new Internal Affairs group called Corruption Prevention and Analysis Unit, which will track and analyze new patterns of Corruption within the NYPD and help devise new strategies to combat corruption.
Charles Campisi's first thought is NO WAY. Internal Affairs is the last place he wants to go. Internal Affairs is the last place anybody wants to go. The truth is Internal Affairs is the most thankless, no win assignment in the whole Department. Every success is also a failure. Yes, you can succeed, only by putting corrupt cops in jail or firing them from the Department. So Charles Campisi spends a few minutes trying to talk Commissioner Kelly out of it. But, Commissioner Kelly insists and tells Charles Campisi it will only be for two years and he will rotate out. Those two years stretch to twenty-one years. And from now on all cops are drafted and have to serve in the new Internal Affairs Bureau.
How do you catch a crooked cop? It starts with an accusation or allegation. The accusation may come from the newly anonymous set up 1-800-PRIDE PD line. An anonymous cop can call in and say, look, I don't really want to get involved, but these cops on midnights in the nine-nine, Smith and Jones and Alvarez, they are busting doors and ripping off drug dealers, I won't call again. Click.
I am directly quoted from Charles Campisi's words because he has written this book in an easy conversationally styled writing which best illuminates what his revolutionary new model was able do so successfully and he can say it so easily accessibly for the reader of this review. I really enjoyed this book and I really want to give readers a real flavor of how interesting and crisp in his words in hopes that other readers will give this book a chance, so I have take the liberty of using quotations in Charles Campisi's own words to tell only part of this fascinating story. So I am quoting from Charles Campisi, but I am not using quotation marks for reasons that I am stating to bring you the flavor of his engaging writing that comes across in conversational style as if he is telling you only.
So here are Charles Campisi's words in how to catch a crooked cop: Maybe we get a call from another agency--the FBI or the DEA, another police department--and they tell us hey, we've got this informant who says he can give up some NYPD cops who did a hundred -thousand drug rip, are you interested? You bet we are.
Or maybe, this happens a lot--it's this angry girlfriend or cop's ex-wife looking to get even with a bad ex-husband, or a recently arrested perpetrator looking for payback. We take those seriously, because who knows they might be true. Sometimes we have to go out and look for corruption, itself and we set up programs to do that. Enforcement debriefing, Intelligence, and testing. We have our own group 7, for cybercrimes catching child predators. We have our own geek squad.
Here is just one examples of many which there is so much in this book. I chose to quote this scenario in Charles Campisi's words: It starts out as a simple case in the Bronx against a dirty cop. By the time it's over, years later it turns out to be the biggest police scandal in decades. All the ticket fixers. It turns out that they were working on this case they ran across hundreds of calls to fix a ticket for somebody by calling up and asking to make a ticket go away. During working this case in the Bronx they will see an epidemic of wire tapped phones where hundreds of requests are made to make a ticket go away.
Here in Charles Campisi's words are what started out with a dirty cop in the Bronx: A woman calls in but doesn't give her name. There's this cop in the Bronx in the 40th precinct in the Mott Haven section. She say's his name is Jose Ramos, he owns a barbershop on East 149th Street. This guy who works there, Ramos best friend, a guy named Marco Mack, is selling marijuana out of the shop Ramos knows all about it, he's a bad cop, and someone ought to do do something about it. She say's he's the boss of the operation. That's all she's going to say. Goodbye.
No allegation of police corruption is routine. Ii's not like Officer Ramos is moving weight quantities of heroin, or ripping off people tens of thousands of dollars, or is engaged in murder for hire plot--although all of these will come into play in this case. Still it is a legitimate allegation and get's assigned to IAB Group 21, who covers the south Bronx. When we pull Officer Ramos personnel package and start looking around, we find that the caller's basic information checks out. Ramos is forty of Dominican heritage, the son of a retired NYPD who is now living in Texas, been on the job since 1993. A former PBA delegate in the four-oh precinct, no serious misconduct allegations, lives with his girlfriend, later wife, a woman named Wanda, in a house in Washington Heights and yeah, Ramos appears to be the silent owner of a couple of barbershops, although he hasn't registered the barbershops with the Department, which he is required to do. The two barbershop's both known as Who's First. Who's First I on East 138th St. and a storefront shop called Who's First II on East 149th St. in the Hub, a upscale hair salons. A handwritten sign on the Who's First II window advertises men's haircuts for ten bucks, boys haircuts for eight bucks--which is about as cheap as haircuts go in NYC--and another sign pitches new and used DVD's for sale.
So we sit on the shop's for awhile just watching, and sure enough Officer Ramos, a slight, thin guy with a pencil mustache, is in and out of the shops all the time. And so is this Marco Mack guy, real name Lee Ring an immigrant from Guyana who has a felony burglary conviction, plus some time on his record, plus some drug arrests. He's a known player in the Mott Haven drug trade. Mack is also driving around in a 2007 nissan murano that's registered to Officer Ramos--it's got Ramos police parking permit on the dash--and he's also living in apartment that has Ramos on the lease.
So right there we have enough to scoop up Ramos and ding him with Department charges of associating with a known criminal, operating an unauthorized outside business and an unauthorized use of a police permit, which may not sound like much, but trust me, in parking challenged NYC a police permit is worth a thousand times its weight in gold, and loaning it out to some drug dealing street mutt is serious business. In the old IAD it might have happened, there was a tendency to grab the lowest hanging fruit, to take down a bad cop on the easiest charges and transfer him to another precinct, or boot him out of the department, because if you looked too deeply who knew what kind of embarrassing facts might come out? But this is the new IAB, we don't play that way. We want to see where and how far this thing goes--and if there are any other cops involved.
TRUST ME YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK! What transpires in this case is eye opening and remember I said that through wire taps there will be hundred's of cops fixing tickets. Every Chapter in this book had shocking revelations and was unique. I promise you you will be transformed by reading this book. You will have a greater appreciation of why we need cops like Charles Campisi making our world a safer place. Many police departments have adopted this new model of policing. You will learn the truth behind some pretty mishandled information by the press about things that you think you actually know, but are not the exact facts of what actually happened. My eyes were opened and I learned that I didn't know exactly what I thought I knew. Charles Campisi is an honest and hard working individual.
Thank you to Net Galley, Charles Campisi--you are a hero. and to Simon & Schuster for providing me with my digital copy for a fair and honest review.
This happens to be a most fascinating story by the head Chief of Internal Affairs in the NYPD. A chance to learn how a reorganization of Internal Affairs headed by Charles Campisi was so successful in going after corrupt cops in the NYPD and once catching them giving them the opportunity of either cooperating with telling everything they knew about other corrupt cops for a lighter sentence. Charles Campisi writes in the most easy conversational style making the story of his history starting out when he first became a NYPD cop easily accessible to the reader.
I felt like I was right there, witnessing first hand accounts of Charles Campisi's history and his factual accounts of his many sting operations to catch these corrupt cops. Charles Campisi was Chief of Internal Affairs from 1996-2014. The number of crime and New York City people being killed went down significantly during Charles Campisi's service of heading up the new and revised Internal Affairs Bureau. In order to accomplish everything Charles Campisi did for the new Internal Affairs Bureau , Campisi had to hire three times the amount of Internal Affairs Officers that were in place when he accepted his position.
This was a long book, which I read very slowly to absorb what it must be like to investigate other police officer's who do not always follow procedure and their sworn oath to protect and serve their duties. Charles Campisi tells of police corruption that surprisingly was caught at some high level officer's in the NYPD. Whenever there is an allegation of police corruption, it was always followed up. Campisi states that while he was Chief of IAB that he and the people he served with were able to reduce police corruption by fifty percent. During his years serving as IAB Chief more than 2000 cops were arrested for various crimes, and they investigated thousands more for other serious misconduct.
There are two ways too advance in the NYPD. Either the supervisory route--Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain and up the chain of command. Or, getting the detective's gold shield. Earning the detective's gold shield is one of the most yearned for positions. Nobody wants to serve in the Internal Affairs Bureau because it is the most thankless job and there exists a blue wall of silence among police officer's and to serve in IAB is often thought by fellow officer's as being a rat or a snitch. Charles Campisi acting as chief was able to turn that around and make that a position that I highly respect the work he did making his department the model for many other police Department's to follow.
Here is how Charles Campisi got involved for remodeling IAB in NYPD: Police Commissioner Ray Kelly summon's Campisi to his office because he has to take control of a crime scene where Luiz Lopez, age 35 an eight year NYPD veteran assigned as an undercover in the Manhattan South Narcotics District is killed by taking a bullet to the chest during a $10,000 drug bust. The next day Ray Kelly summons Charles Campisi who tells him that he is being transferred to head a new Internal Affairs group called Corruption Prevention and Analysis Unit, which will track and analyze new patterns of Corruption within the NYPD and help devise new strategies to combat corruption.
Charles Campisi's first thought is NO WAY. Internal Affairs is the last place he wants to go. Internal Affairs is the last place anybody wants to go. The truth is Internal Affairs is the most thankless, no win assignment in the whole Department. Every success is also a failure. Yes, you can succeed, only by putting corrupt cops in jail or firing them from the Department. So Charles Campisi spends a few minutes trying to talk Commissioner Kelly out of it. But, Commissioner Kelly insists and tells Charles Campisi it will only be for two years and he will rotate out. Those two years stretch to twenty-one years. And from now on all cops are drafted and have to serve in the new Internal Affairs Bureau.
How do you catch a crooked cop? It starts with an accusation or allegation. The accusation may come from the newly anonymous set up 1-800-PRIDE PD line. An anonymous cop can call in and say, look, I don't really want to get involved, but these cops on midnights in the nine-nine, Smith and Jones and Alvarez, they are busting doors and ripping off drug dealers, I won't call again. Click.
I am directly quoted from Charles Campisi's words because he has written this book in an easy conversationally styled writing which best illuminates what his revolutionary new model was able do so successfully and he can say it so easily accessibly for the reader of this review. I really enjoyed this book and I really want to give readers a real flavor of how interesting and crisp in his words in hopes that other readers will give this book a chance, so I have take the liberty of using quotations in Charles Campisi's own words to tell only part of this fascinating story. So I am quoting from Charles Campisi, but I am not using quotation marks for reasons that I am stating to bring you the flavor of his engaging writing that comes across in conversational style as if he is telling you only.
So here are Charles Campisi's words in how to catch a crooked cop: Maybe we get a call from another agency--the FBI or the DEA, another police department--and they tell us hey, we've got this informant who says he can give up some NYPD cops who did a hundred -thousand drug rip, are you interested? You bet we are.
Or maybe, this happens a lot--it's this angry girlfriend or cop's ex-wife looking to get even with a bad ex-husband, or a recently arrested perpetrator looking for payback. We take those seriously, because who knows they might be true. Sometimes we have to go out and look for corruption, itself and we set up programs to do that. Enforcement debriefing, Intelligence, and testing. We have our own group 7, for cybercrimes catching child predators. We have our own geek squad.
Here is just one examples of many which there is so much in this book. I chose to quote this scenario in Charles Campisi's words: It starts out as a simple case in the Bronx against a dirty cop. By the time it's over, years later it turns out to be the biggest police scandal in decades. All the ticket fixers. It turns out that they were working on this case they ran across hundreds of calls to fix a ticket for somebody by calling up and asking to make a ticket go away. During working this case in the Bronx they will see an epidemic of wire tapped phones where hundreds of requests are made to make a ticket go away.
Here in Charles Campisi's words are what started out with a dirty cop in the Bronx: A woman calls in but doesn't give her name. There's this cop in the Bronx in the 40th precinct in the Mott Haven section. She say's his name is Jose Ramos, he owns a barbershop on East 149th Street. This guy who works there, Ramos best friend, a guy named Marco Mack, is selling marijuana out of the shop Ramos knows all about it, he's a bad cop, and someone ought to do do something about it. She say's he's the boss of the operation. That's all she's going to say. Goodbye.
No allegation of police corruption is routine. Ii's not like Officer Ramos is moving weight quantities of heroin, or ripping off people tens of thousands of dollars, or is engaged in murder for hire plot--although all of these will come into play in this case. Still it is a legitimate allegation and get's assigned to IAB Group 21, who covers the south Bronx. When we pull Officer Ramos personnel package and start looking around, we find that the caller's basic information checks out. Ramos is forty of Dominican heritage, the son of a retired NYPD who is now living in Texas, been on the job since 1993. A former PBA delegate in the four-oh precinct, no serious misconduct allegations, lives with his girlfriend, later wife, a woman named Wanda, in a house in Washington Heights and yeah, Ramos appears to be the silent owner of a couple of barbershops, although he hasn't registered the barbershops with the Department, which he is required to do. The two barbershop's both known as Who's First. Who's First I on East 138th St. and a storefront shop called Who's First II on East 149th St. in the Hub, a upscale hair salons. A handwritten sign on the Who's First II window advertises men's haircuts for ten bucks, boys haircuts for eight bucks--which is about as cheap as haircuts go in NYC--and another sign pitches new and used DVD's for sale.
So we sit on the shop's for awhile just watching, and sure enough Officer Ramos, a slight, thin guy with a pencil mustache, is in and out of the shops all the time. And so is this Marco Mack guy, real name Lee Ring an immigrant from Guyana who has a felony burglary conviction, plus some time on his record, plus some drug arrests. He's a known player in the Mott Haven drug trade. Mack is also driving around in a 2007 nissan murano that's registered to Officer Ramos--it's got Ramos police parking permit on the dash--and he's also living in apartment that has Ramos on the lease.
So right there we have enough to scoop up Ramos and ding him with Department charges of associating with a known criminal, operating an unauthorized outside business and an unauthorized use of a police permit, which may not sound like much, but trust me, in parking challenged NYC a police permit is worth a thousand times its weight in gold, and loaning it out to some drug dealing street mutt is serious business. In the old IAD it might have happened, there was a tendency to grab the lowest hanging fruit, to take down a bad cop on the easiest charges and transfer him to another precinct, or boot him out of the department, because if you looked too deeply who knew what kind of embarrassing facts might come out? But this is the new IAB, we don't play that way. We want to see where and how far this thing goes--and if there are any other cops involved.
TRUST ME YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK! What transpires in this case is eye opening and remember I said that through wire taps there will be hundred's of cops fixing tickets. Every Chapter in this book had shocking revelations and was unique. I promise you you will be transformed by reading this book. You will have a greater appreciation of why we need cops like Charles Campisi making our world a safer place. Many police departments have adopted this new model of policing. You will learn the truth behind some pretty mishandled information by the press about things that you think you actually know, but are not the exact facts of what actually happened. My eyes were opened and I learned that I didn't know exactly what I thought I knew. Charles Campisi is an honest and hard working individual.
Thank you to Net Galley, Charles Campisi--you are a hero. and to Simon & Schuster for providing me with my digital copy for a fair and honest review.
April 19, 2021
Very interesting read -- but it is, in a way, evidence that demands a verdict.
Campisi comes off incredibly likeable, like a real life Samuel Vimes from Terry Pratchett's Night Watch books. "quis custodies ipsos custodes Mr. Vimes?" "Me." "Ah, but who watches you?" "I do that too."
He's a dedicated man, in every sense of the word, and he hangs hit morality 100% on the law itself.
But, see, that's exactly the problem. The Law is not moral, it's not even supposed to be, it's just politics by other means. If the police are not civilians, then they are soldiers, and if they are soldiers, then crime is war. If crime is war -- then it's just politics, nothing less than the games the good and great play with the lives of the mean and poor. And that's disgusting.
I agree with him, and certainly feel his heartfelt contention that cops are good guys witha few bad apples, and his job is to catch those -- because even half a percent being bad cops means hundreds of bad cops in NYC alone.
But the thing is -- Listen to his stories, all these dastardly deeds and so on, and the mean punishment is something like 3 years in prison. Murder someone on the job, like that partner might of done if he hadn't stopped it? That's a few years for manslaughter, at most. Get caught with a pound of pot during a stop and frisk (I totally reject his stance on the policy, completely and outright) and the mandatory minimum is 4 for possession and 15 for intent to sell.
People like Campisi are exactly the men we want to give the badge to. If every single one were like him, at least overtly racist murders would end. And that's something. But the veritable concentration camps we've made for people who are young, black, male and poor? Nothing about that changes without changing the laws.
And dear GOD we need a department like his, with a man like him, to deal with corporate and political corruption . . .and also the goddamned DEA/NSA/FBI/ATF. . . well, except those guys all really just need to be disbanded, and a department much like Campisi's made to replace and serve as a new FBI.
So -- I can read this and have every respect for this man (even if a part of my mind is kinda snickering and refusing to believe this caricature can be real. .. mostly because I really want to believe it can) . .. but the real question of "bad cops" is not the apples, it's the barrel. And saying "They do their duty, within the confines of the law." is exactly my point. What if their duty is immoral?
Also -- the NYPD may only take the best and brightest and have a great academy and all. But I live in Texas. The police academy is an absolute joke, and actually offensively bad. And roughly 50% of the cops I knew before I moved to the DFW for college (all one of less than 5 cops per town) were meth dealers or addicts. And 100% were some level of legally corrupt. It's not nearly as bad down South as it was in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle mind, and Amarillo is notorious in so many ways anyway. . . but I know for a fact that you can rely on the cops in the Panhandle to be corrupt as all hell, and my experiences here in the DFW is that the cops are poorly trained, 5% based on my experience are legally corrupt, and 20% I've met have made it clear they actively enjoy hurting people, especially homeless folks.
The NYPD may be good guys spoiled by bad laws. But the good old boys in the South are racist, drug addict (seems mostly meth or roids), assholes.
Edit 2021: I wanna delete this just a few years later because it's almost hopelessly naive, but, obviously not hopeless. I'm not the same person, after all.
Everybody lies.
ACAB.
Campisi comes off incredibly likeable, like a real life Samuel Vimes from Terry Pratchett's Night Watch books. "quis custodies ipsos custodes Mr. Vimes?" "Me." "Ah, but who watches you?" "I do that too."
He's a dedicated man, in every sense of the word, and he hangs hit morality 100% on the law itself.
But, see, that's exactly the problem. The Law is not moral, it's not even supposed to be, it's just politics by other means. If the police are not civilians, then they are soldiers, and if they are soldiers, then crime is war. If crime is war -- then it's just politics, nothing less than the games the good and great play with the lives of the mean and poor. And that's disgusting.
I agree with him, and certainly feel his heartfelt contention that cops are good guys witha few bad apples, and his job is to catch those -- because even half a percent being bad cops means hundreds of bad cops in NYC alone.
But the thing is -- Listen to his stories, all these dastardly deeds and so on, and the mean punishment is something like 3 years in prison. Murder someone on the job, like that partner might of done if he hadn't stopped it? That's a few years for manslaughter, at most. Get caught with a pound of pot during a stop and frisk (I totally reject his stance on the policy, completely and outright) and the mandatory minimum is 4 for possession and 15 for intent to sell.
People like Campisi are exactly the men we want to give the badge to. If every single one were like him, at least overtly racist murders would end. And that's something. But the veritable concentration camps we've made for people who are young, black, male and poor? Nothing about that changes without changing the laws.
And dear GOD we need a department like his, with a man like him, to deal with corporate and political corruption . . .and also the goddamned DEA/NSA/FBI/ATF. . . well, except those guys all really just need to be disbanded, and a department much like Campisi's made to replace and serve as a new FBI.
So -- I can read this and have every respect for this man (even if a part of my mind is kinda snickering and refusing to believe this caricature can be real. .. mostly because I really want to believe it can) . .. but the real question of "bad cops" is not the apples, it's the barrel. And saying "They do their duty, within the confines of the law." is exactly my point. What if their duty is immoral?
Also -- the NYPD may only take the best and brightest and have a great academy and all. But I live in Texas. The police academy is an absolute joke, and actually offensively bad. And roughly 50% of the cops I knew before I moved to the DFW for college (all one of less than 5 cops per town) were meth dealers or addicts. And 100% were some level of legally corrupt. It's not nearly as bad down South as it was in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle mind, and Amarillo is notorious in so many ways anyway. . . but I know for a fact that you can rely on the cops in the Panhandle to be corrupt as all hell, and my experiences here in the DFW is that the cops are poorly trained, 5% based on my experience are legally corrupt, and 20% I've met have made it clear they actively enjoy hurting people, especially homeless folks.
The NYPD may be good guys spoiled by bad laws. But the good old boys in the South are racist, drug addict (seems mostly meth or roids), assholes.
Edit 2021: I wanna delete this just a few years later because it's almost hopelessly naive, but, obviously not hopeless. I'm not the same person, after all.
Everybody lies.
ACAB.
May 13, 2019
Blue on Blue should be essential reading for anyone interested in a career in law enforcement, specifically those who want to achieve supervisory positions.
Chief Campisi, tells it like it is, in a clear and factual manner, he pulls no punches. Any large law enforcement agency to ensure transparency and public trust, must have an affective Internal Affairs.
In the mid 1990’s the NYPD implemented institutional changes in how it tracked and responded to crime and how it conducted police internal investigations. The “New Internal Affairs Bureau” went from an inactive responsive division to a proactive Bureau that aggressively investigated all complaints while simultaneously conducting proactive integrity testing.
These changes were implemented by Commissioner Ray Kelly, who directed that the former voluntary assignment to Internal Affairs, be replaced by a mandatory assignment for Sergeants and Lieutenants. Sergeants and Lieutenants seeking assignment to coveted positions in the Detective Bureau, Organized Crime Control Bureau and Intelligence Division, first had to fulfill a two-year assignment in the Internal Affairs Bureau.
I was one of the first groups of Sergeants who were (drafted) into the Internal Bureau, under this new policy. I along with many of my colleagues were not very happy with this new assignment. As we settled into our new assignment we realized that the stigma associated with being in IAB slowly eroded as personnel were transferred into and out of the Bureau to their new assignments. There were many excellent investigators who completed their assignments in IAB and moved on to coveted positons within the NYPD. I have often heard it said, and I agree, that the assignment to IAB made all of us better supervisors.
Chief Campisi provides the reader with some eye-opening cases, all of which are true. The case of the Brooklyn Police Officer who stole money that was planted in a car as part of an integrity test is just one instance of proactive integrity testing. Having watched the video, it is amazing this officer didn’t crash the car as he steered with his leg and counted out the cash! This clearly was someone who needed to be removed from the department.
Chief Campisi, in his book and in person, always spoke up for the honest cop, letting everyone know that most police officers were hardworking and honest.
The NYPD, and the residents of this city have all benefitted from his assignment to the Internal Affairs Bureau.
Chief Campisi, tells it like it is, in a clear and factual manner, he pulls no punches. Any large law enforcement agency to ensure transparency and public trust, must have an affective Internal Affairs.
In the mid 1990’s the NYPD implemented institutional changes in how it tracked and responded to crime and how it conducted police internal investigations. The “New Internal Affairs Bureau” went from an inactive responsive division to a proactive Bureau that aggressively investigated all complaints while simultaneously conducting proactive integrity testing.
These changes were implemented by Commissioner Ray Kelly, who directed that the former voluntary assignment to Internal Affairs, be replaced by a mandatory assignment for Sergeants and Lieutenants. Sergeants and Lieutenants seeking assignment to coveted positions in the Detective Bureau, Organized Crime Control Bureau and Intelligence Division, first had to fulfill a two-year assignment in the Internal Affairs Bureau.
I was one of the first groups of Sergeants who were (drafted) into the Internal Bureau, under this new policy. I along with many of my colleagues were not very happy with this new assignment. As we settled into our new assignment we realized that the stigma associated with being in IAB slowly eroded as personnel were transferred into and out of the Bureau to their new assignments. There were many excellent investigators who completed their assignments in IAB and moved on to coveted positons within the NYPD. I have often heard it said, and I agree, that the assignment to IAB made all of us better supervisors.
Chief Campisi provides the reader with some eye-opening cases, all of which are true. The case of the Brooklyn Police Officer who stole money that was planted in a car as part of an integrity test is just one instance of proactive integrity testing. Having watched the video, it is amazing this officer didn’t crash the car as he steered with his leg and counted out the cash! This clearly was someone who needed to be removed from the department.
Chief Campisi, in his book and in person, always spoke up for the honest cop, letting everyone know that most police officers were hardworking and honest.
The NYPD, and the residents of this city have all benefitted from his assignment to the Internal Affairs Bureau.
October 24, 2020
I think I had notions about this book given that I got it in the summer of 2020. For those that think, given the contemporary debates about police brutality and racial inequality, this may be timely....I'd argue it sets itself up to be and then hard-to-starboard swerves around the issue. I felt like it was a little hypocritical and clannish for the author to take the stance 'you don't understand if you're not a cop' and then dismiss the collective truth for entire swaths of society. Also super disrespectful towards the media. I get that NYC has more of a tabloid culture than the rest of the country, but joking about the news media being fiction is counterproductive to positive media relations and quite frankly irresponsible given the role of a free press in a democracy.
Also, I think an editor is needed in cutting down some of the long winded stories that all kind of blend together in the end.
There were some parts that were genuinely interesting, but overall it's a pretty shallow perspective of a complex and timely issue.
Also, I think an editor is needed in cutting down some of the long winded stories that all kind of blend together in the end.
There were some parts that were genuinely interesting, but overall it's a pretty shallow perspective of a complex and timely issue.
June 18, 2017
Wow!! The book Blue on Blue was an eye opener for me learning the truth about police corruption in the NYPD. But not only does police corruption happens in New York, subsequently happens throughout the USA. I just wasn't aware of how low a peace officer can go. This book had enlightened my awareness as too looking at a police officer outside of a bubble and realize they are still a human being and the measure of their integrity can be challenged at any given time, on or off duty. I will never forget my brother showing up on my door steps early one morning with his face beaten badly; his bloody face and two black eyes, and a knot on his forehead. I ask him what the hack happened to you? And he said the Cudahy Policemen's beat him up. And to that day I knew their were bad cops and they should be fired from the department and prosecuted.
April 22, 2017
Not since Edward Conlin's BLUE BLOOD have I been so rivited by a non-fiction cop memoir. Like Ian Rankin's THE COMPAINTS, Charles Campisi's BLUE ON BLUE gives us an informative, in-depth look at cops policing other cops. As someone who works in Law Enforcement myself attitudes and situations Campisi describes are easily recognizable and hugely relatable. This should be must reading for any Police Cadet. Loved it.
January 5, 2018
Loved it. I might be a bit biased in my line of work, but I get tired of cops getting such a bad reputation in the press. Who better to set everyone straight but the guy that ran NYPD Internal Affairs for umpteen years? Just a great read about cops catching bad cops, and the cool investigative work that goes into building cases against crooked cops. I'd love it if all of my friends read this one.
May 30, 2017
The author is often defensive and sometimes long-winded, but after twenty years on NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau he's got quite a few interesting stories. This one belongs somewhere between two and three stars.
August 14, 2020
It’s an interesting read, but it is also deeply biased. The author spends a great deal of his time defending the NYPD and glossing over more controversial topics. Topics such as racism and brutality are briefly mentioned with no meaningful discussion.
July 4, 2017
not as good as I was hoping for. if he's not busy praising cops gushingly then he's just relaying stories of busting bad cops. it gets a bit tedious after awhile.
April 16, 2018
A very frank, informative, enlightening and interesting book.
June 25, 2023
Charles Campisi provides a fascinating and in depth look at urban police, and more specifically NYPD, culture in Blue on Blue. By this point, many Americans should be aware of the numerous problems plaguing the American criminal justice system. Issues in policing have taken center stage in the last decade. But the solutions are not easy or as simple as the politically charged slogans make it out. As a New Yorker, it breaks my heart to hear crime is rising in my home city which was at one point one of the safest in the world. But when politics takes precedence over practical reforms and action, the result is that more people are victimized.
Campisi was a former 3 star cop, head of the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau which, as the title suggests, specialized in taking down bad, dangerous, or corrupt cops within the NYPD. Campisi is, I think it's safe to say, biased towards supporting the NYPD, which should not necessarily be surprising. But he's not blind to the issues with the department either. He of all people would know that there are bad cops that need to be removed. I am uncomfortable with several of the defenses of certain aspects of cop culture and politics but I think that speaks more to societal expectations of cops and what the general public thinks a cop's job is rather than Campisi's loyalty to the "blue wall of silence". The blue wall certainly exists, but from Campisi's own record and narrative, he never seemed engaged in it at all. This was probably a major reason why he fit into IAB so well. Campisi took a barely functioning section of the NYPD ridden with malaise and hated by the entire department and possibly the city and turned it into an efficient bureau of corruption and crime hunters out to make sure the NYPD stayed as clean as possible. The actual stories of various cases that passed through IAB are fascinating and give the reader a good look at proper police work and the difficulties in hunting criminals who also happen to be cops.
The main reason I think this book is so valuable is that it's probably a cops like Campisi who can provide a clear and practical way forward for criminal justice reform not just in New York but across the country. He's not a politically motivated hyper progressive politician who would rather have a community fend for itself and abandon the very concept of the rule of law than call the cops and he's not an authoritarian right winger who would actively use the police to incite race riots and target political opponents, the press, and other so called "enemies of the people". The cops who understand that law enforcement officers should stick to law enforcement while other issues should be addressed by other civil service corps, or the cops who understand that their fellow cops can indeed be assholes and criminals, are going to be the best cases for leading reform efforts.
To keep a realistic eye on the author, it's possible that Campisi's politics have changed ever since this book was published in early 2017, particularly after the George Floyd protests in 2020 and the subsequent uptick in NYC crime after various "reforms" were put in place by DeBlasio and Adams. But these events show even more the importance of ensuring good cops have a significant place in reform efforts. Besides, the best way to actually combat crime is to ensure a healthy and growing economy with opportunities for every citizen to acquire employment, healthcare, and education. That is a discussion that not many people are ready to have as of yet unfortunately.
A high recommend from me for anybody who wants a good taste of real police work with an internal affairs twist. Great stories contained in here and plenty of good lessons learned from a very interesting point of view in the NYPD.
Campisi was a former 3 star cop, head of the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau which, as the title suggests, specialized in taking down bad, dangerous, or corrupt cops within the NYPD. Campisi is, I think it's safe to say, biased towards supporting the NYPD, which should not necessarily be surprising. But he's not blind to the issues with the department either. He of all people would know that there are bad cops that need to be removed. I am uncomfortable with several of the defenses of certain aspects of cop culture and politics but I think that speaks more to societal expectations of cops and what the general public thinks a cop's job is rather than Campisi's loyalty to the "blue wall of silence". The blue wall certainly exists, but from Campisi's own record and narrative, he never seemed engaged in it at all. This was probably a major reason why he fit into IAB so well. Campisi took a barely functioning section of the NYPD ridden with malaise and hated by the entire department and possibly the city and turned it into an efficient bureau of corruption and crime hunters out to make sure the NYPD stayed as clean as possible. The actual stories of various cases that passed through IAB are fascinating and give the reader a good look at proper police work and the difficulties in hunting criminals who also happen to be cops.
The main reason I think this book is so valuable is that it's probably a cops like Campisi who can provide a clear and practical way forward for criminal justice reform not just in New York but across the country. He's not a politically motivated hyper progressive politician who would rather have a community fend for itself and abandon the very concept of the rule of law than call the cops and he's not an authoritarian right winger who would actively use the police to incite race riots and target political opponents, the press, and other so called "enemies of the people". The cops who understand that law enforcement officers should stick to law enforcement while other issues should be addressed by other civil service corps, or the cops who understand that their fellow cops can indeed be assholes and criminals, are going to be the best cases for leading reform efforts.
To keep a realistic eye on the author, it's possible that Campisi's politics have changed ever since this book was published in early 2017, particularly after the George Floyd protests in 2020 and the subsequent uptick in NYC crime after various "reforms" were put in place by DeBlasio and Adams. But these events show even more the importance of ensuring good cops have a significant place in reform efforts. Besides, the best way to actually combat crime is to ensure a healthy and growing economy with opportunities for every citizen to acquire employment, healthcare, and education. That is a discussion that not many people are ready to have as of yet unfortunately.
A high recommend from me for anybody who wants a good taste of real police work with an internal affairs twist. Great stories contained in here and plenty of good lessons learned from a very interesting point of view in the NYPD.
February 7, 2017
Police corruption is a subject that I’ve been interested in for a good few years, right back to when I myself worked in current affairs journalism. In the UK there are two books which looked at police corruption in London’s Metropolitan Police, Bent Coppers by Grahame McLagan and Untouchables by Michael Gillard and Laurie Flynn. Broadly speaking, Bent Coppers argues that the Met was effective in combating the scourge of corruption, while Untouchables takes a far more pessimistic view. What these books both have in common is that their authors are journalists, a police officer involved in the fight against corruption has yet to put pen to paper.
Across the Atlantic, in New York, the reverse is now the case. Charles Campisi was head of the NYPD’s Internal Affairs division from 1996 through to 2014, and his book Blue on Blue outlines his experiences. A lot happened in New York during his tenure. As mayor, Guliani presided over his so-called zero-tolerance. While some claim that led to a drop in crime, a number of police officers appear to have taken it as a green light for brutality. This is not to place the blame for any of what happened at Guliani’s door, I’m not suggesting that he bears any responsibility, but a minority of officers do appear to have interpreted the policy this way.
A big difference between the Met’s problems and those of the NYPD seem to be the scale of violence. Undoubtedly, this is in no small part due to New York officers being routinely armed. Campisi developed a reputation as incorruptible, as something of a hard-nosed investigator, and his tenure at IAD saw a marked fall in the number of New Yorkers gunned down by police and the number of officers who failed integrity tests. That said, he still presided over some harrowing cases. The choking death of Anthony Baez, the killing of Amadou Diallo who was shot nineteen times by police, and Abner Louima who was sexually assaulted by NYPD officers, are just some of those he had to deal with. Then there were the officers trafficking drugs and helping organised crime.
As mentioned, both books written on the Met’s battle against corruption have been penned by journalists. Having read Campisi’s book, it would be interesting to read a journalist’s perspective on New York’s battle. Similarly, I would love a Met police officer to pen an insider account as Campisis has done. Only when we have both can we hope to have something close to a complete picture.
That said, Charles Campisi has written an engaging and intelligent account of the NYPD’s battle against corruption and it’s a book I have no hesitation in recommending.
Across the Atlantic, in New York, the reverse is now the case. Charles Campisi was head of the NYPD’s Internal Affairs division from 1996 through to 2014, and his book Blue on Blue outlines his experiences. A lot happened in New York during his tenure. As mayor, Guliani presided over his so-called zero-tolerance. While some claim that led to a drop in crime, a number of police officers appear to have taken it as a green light for brutality. This is not to place the blame for any of what happened at Guliani’s door, I’m not suggesting that he bears any responsibility, but a minority of officers do appear to have interpreted the policy this way.
A big difference between the Met’s problems and those of the NYPD seem to be the scale of violence. Undoubtedly, this is in no small part due to New York officers being routinely armed. Campisi developed a reputation as incorruptible, as something of a hard-nosed investigator, and his tenure at IAD saw a marked fall in the number of New Yorkers gunned down by police and the number of officers who failed integrity tests. That said, he still presided over some harrowing cases. The choking death of Anthony Baez, the killing of Amadou Diallo who was shot nineteen times by police, and Abner Louima who was sexually assaulted by NYPD officers, are just some of those he had to deal with. Then there were the officers trafficking drugs and helping organised crime.
As mentioned, both books written on the Met’s battle against corruption have been penned by journalists. Having read Campisi’s book, it would be interesting to read a journalist’s perspective on New York’s battle. Similarly, I would love a Met police officer to pen an insider account as Campisis has done. Only when we have both can we hope to have something close to a complete picture.
That said, Charles Campisi has written an engaging and intelligent account of the NYPD’s battle against corruption and it’s a book I have no hesitation in recommending.
June 28, 2019
This was an excellent look at NYPD’s IAB/IAD from the 70′s until recently, by a 3 star chief. While part autobiography, the main focus was on the changes and activities of the IAB and how they functioned and the people they went after.
One thing I really appreciated was how well it was written, it had a cohesive story telling style that never felt scattered, though it did branch off at various times.
Another thing that I felt was a matter of good editing was the sticking of the political issues at the very end. There was so much to cover, so much time as an NYPD officer and in IAB, that the politics of Mayors and Commissioners and editorializing about them was best left for the end, as a sort of pre-epilogue.
Overall, you really get a good understanding of the person, of the job, of the department, even while focused on the some of it’s worst characters, from the Cannibal Cop to the Tix-Fix scandal.
My only complaint was that the book glossed over his experiences promoting through the ranks and managerial issues. I would have loved to have read more about what it was like to take the sgt’s and other tests, how it was to be a chief and managing various personalities and people, and the difficulties and successes in that regard. So few people have ever been in his shoes, it’s always good to be able to learn from those who have managed to succeed in leadership roles.
A really good read that never got boring!
One thing I really appreciated was how well it was written, it had a cohesive story telling style that never felt scattered, though it did branch off at various times.
Another thing that I felt was a matter of good editing was the sticking of the political issues at the very end. There was so much to cover, so much time as an NYPD officer and in IAB, that the politics of Mayors and Commissioners and editorializing about them was best left for the end, as a sort of pre-epilogue.
Overall, you really get a good understanding of the person, of the job, of the department, even while focused on the some of it’s worst characters, from the Cannibal Cop to the Tix-Fix scandal.
My only complaint was that the book glossed over his experiences promoting through the ranks and managerial issues. I would have loved to have read more about what it was like to take the sgt’s and other tests, how it was to be a chief and managing various personalities and people, and the difficulties and successes in that regard. So few people have ever been in his shoes, it’s always good to be able to learn from those who have managed to succeed in leadership roles.
A really good read that never got boring!
August 27, 2017
This book provides an education on both how the NYPD views itself and the role it plays in society. Specifically this book discusses how good cops monitor and catch bad cops. In addition, how the police force interacts with the community is also illuminated in this book. It highlights the challenges a force the size of the NYPD faces. A key point being the complexities of communities that the NYPD protects and serves, they go from low income to fully immigrant populations to the wealthiest in the nation. After reading the book one can understand how and why cops become cynical, how hard it must be to look at life with a positive perspective when dealing with the fiftieth offender.
The book reads much like a dialog with the author. He states he wants to teach, this book does just that for anyone who has not ever worked in law enforcement. It also provides numbers to support several key points in the book. One point at the end of the book, as a country/society we currently face many cultural issues. The author points out that "quality of life crimes" (mugging, parking violations etc.) are just as important as solving murders. Mainly because taking care of the "quality of life" issues prevents the bigger crimes. This provides the reader with context the next time he/she votes. This book is worth the time it takes to read.
The book reads much like a dialog with the author. He states he wants to teach, this book does just that for anyone who has not ever worked in law enforcement. It also provides numbers to support several key points in the book. One point at the end of the book, as a country/society we currently face many cultural issues. The author points out that "quality of life crimes" (mugging, parking violations etc.) are just as important as solving murders. Mainly because taking care of the "quality of life" issues prevents the bigger crimes. This provides the reader with context the next time he/she votes. This book is worth the time it takes to read.
June 23, 2017
Blue on Blue: An Insider's Story of Good Cops Catching Bad Cops is Charles Campisi's account of his service over multiple decades in the New York City Police Department (NYPD). As chief of the department's Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB), "the police who police the police," it's less a riveting narrative and more an organized collection of stories about catching crooked cops, peppered with Campisi's opinions about all kinds of things related to police work and its public perception. The book will challenge both the dogmatic cop hater and the dogmatic cop apologist, describing more corruption in the police - but also police working harder to stamp out that corruption - than some on either side may expect.
Some of the stings to catch crooked cops are impressively elaborate. Some of the stories of criminal mistakes are downright (and occasionally darkly) hilarious. Overall, this is a very "pro-cop" book, contrasting the overwhelming majority of under-appreciated honest cops with the inevitable "bad apples" that Campisi spent his career expelling. Campisi takes ample opportunity to correct misconceptions, misunderstandings, and misrepresentations of police work by those who don't understand it from the outside (important things for informed cop critics to recognize). For example, sometimes a corruption story would hit the press, and they would be accused of hiding it if wasn't for the media exposure, even though IAB had already spent hundreds of hours behind the scenes gathering evidence against the perpetrators. Campisi also presents compelling evidence that the modern NYPD is cleaner, more professional, more fair, and more effective than earlier periods in its admittedly troubled history.
On the flip side, Campisi clearly demonstrates the temptations of power and the constant vigilance required to minimize corruption (important things for informed cop supporters to recognize). The NYPD should be commended for specifically addressing these challenges - for example, forcing regular officers into two-year IAB stints to overcome the cultural perception of internal affairs as less-worthy "rats". Yet the challenges remain formidable, and some of Campisi's details suggest his opinions may be a little optimistic. The chance involved in some of the stings, and the difficulty of proving previous crimes, makes one wonder how many other incidents slip through. Campisi doesn't think there's a solid "blue wall of silence," giving copious examples of good cops exposing bad cops, but he also shows the heavy cultural incentives cops have to overlook abuses. Even with the infamous travesty of Louima and the broken broom handle, while cops eventually exposed Volpe, they initially were silent, with union reps backing them up, making one wonder how often other things stay hidden.
The Louima story reveals another major shortcoming with the book: its treatment, or rather lack of treatment, on racial issues. "In a perfect world," it wouldn't matter that Louima was black and Volpe was white; Campisi understands that "in this world," it does, but he doesn't seem to understand why - as if the incident itself is independent from the world in which it occurred. He is astonished that Volpe did what he did and unable to explain it, seemingly oblivious even to the possibility that a dehumanizing attitude toward black people could have played any role in allowing it. Campisi also only sees positives to the city's "stop, question, and frisk" policy, as if its large effects on innocent minorities are acceptable collateral damage in the war on crime, and not counterproductive to it, and he predicts ominously that its severe reduction will lead to increased crime. But crime has only decreased to new record lows in the two years since. Campisi's remarks still include some useful facts and perspective, but for better coverage of NYPD's relationship with minorities, see Corey Pegue's highly riveting Once A Cop. (Campisi also cautions against having too much "community" in "community policing," saying "muggers and armed robbers are never going to show up at a Community Council meeting to discuss their problems." While there's an overall point to be made, the violence-reducing gang-member call-ins described in David Kennedy's Don't Shoot come pretty close to that!)
This brings me to two striking threads common in books on the NYPD. The first is the remarkable contrast between New York City's current and past crime levels. Major categories like homicides have now dropped almost 90% from their peaks (so have "officer-involved shootings"). Visceral descriptions of NYC's lawlessness of, say, the late 70's, always give me hope that if they could turn things around from there, it's never too late for my city of St. Louis, either. The second, however, is that NYC has an apparent advantage in its sheer size. NYPD has a force of over thirty-six thousand officers! Their IAB has more officers than some city's entire forces, and they can afford to set up elaborate stings and throw resources in various directions. And positive changes can have positive effects on millions of people. Both threads are demonstrated in dramatic fashion throughout this book.
Many people have polarizing attitudes toward police officers, though most of us want the same things: safe streets, low crime, and a fair application of justice for all. Maybe Campisi's book can be a resource towards that end. While there may be major disagreements about how systemic "bad cops" are, perhaps we can all agree on the importance of stopping their bad activities, from the injustices they inflict on their victims to the ways they ruin the good names of other officers. Perhaps people from opposite sides can join in hearty cheers when Campisi expresses indignation that "too often" the PBA union "seem to forget that every cop's most basic sworn duty is not only to enforce the law, but also to obey it." If nothing else, perhaps this book can at least help people who like to express their opinions on these important matters to be just a little more informed.
Some of the stings to catch crooked cops are impressively elaborate. Some of the stories of criminal mistakes are downright (and occasionally darkly) hilarious. Overall, this is a very "pro-cop" book, contrasting the overwhelming majority of under-appreciated honest cops with the inevitable "bad apples" that Campisi spent his career expelling. Campisi takes ample opportunity to correct misconceptions, misunderstandings, and misrepresentations of police work by those who don't understand it from the outside (important things for informed cop critics to recognize). For example, sometimes a corruption story would hit the press, and they would be accused of hiding it if wasn't for the media exposure, even though IAB had already spent hundreds of hours behind the scenes gathering evidence against the perpetrators. Campisi also presents compelling evidence that the modern NYPD is cleaner, more professional, more fair, and more effective than earlier periods in its admittedly troubled history.
On the flip side, Campisi clearly demonstrates the temptations of power and the constant vigilance required to minimize corruption (important things for informed cop supporters to recognize). The NYPD should be commended for specifically addressing these challenges - for example, forcing regular officers into two-year IAB stints to overcome the cultural perception of internal affairs as less-worthy "rats". Yet the challenges remain formidable, and some of Campisi's details suggest his opinions may be a little optimistic. The chance involved in some of the stings, and the difficulty of proving previous crimes, makes one wonder how many other incidents slip through. Campisi doesn't think there's a solid "blue wall of silence," giving copious examples of good cops exposing bad cops, but he also shows the heavy cultural incentives cops have to overlook abuses. Even with the infamous travesty of Louima and the broken broom handle, while cops eventually exposed Volpe, they initially were silent, with union reps backing them up, making one wonder how often other things stay hidden.
The Louima story reveals another major shortcoming with the book: its treatment, or rather lack of treatment, on racial issues. "In a perfect world," it wouldn't matter that Louima was black and Volpe was white; Campisi understands that "in this world," it does, but he doesn't seem to understand why - as if the incident itself is independent from the world in which it occurred. He is astonished that Volpe did what he did and unable to explain it, seemingly oblivious even to the possibility that a dehumanizing attitude toward black people could have played any role in allowing it. Campisi also only sees positives to the city's "stop, question, and frisk" policy, as if its large effects on innocent minorities are acceptable collateral damage in the war on crime, and not counterproductive to it, and he predicts ominously that its severe reduction will lead to increased crime. But crime has only decreased to new record lows in the two years since. Campisi's remarks still include some useful facts and perspective, but for better coverage of NYPD's relationship with minorities, see Corey Pegue's highly riveting Once A Cop. (Campisi also cautions against having too much "community" in "community policing," saying "muggers and armed robbers are never going to show up at a Community Council meeting to discuss their problems." While there's an overall point to be made, the violence-reducing gang-member call-ins described in David Kennedy's Don't Shoot come pretty close to that!)
This brings me to two striking threads common in books on the NYPD. The first is the remarkable contrast between New York City's current and past crime levels. Major categories like homicides have now dropped almost 90% from their peaks (so have "officer-involved shootings"). Visceral descriptions of NYC's lawlessness of, say, the late 70's, always give me hope that if they could turn things around from there, it's never too late for my city of St. Louis, either. The second, however, is that NYC has an apparent advantage in its sheer size. NYPD has a force of over thirty-six thousand officers! Their IAB has more officers than some city's entire forces, and they can afford to set up elaborate stings and throw resources in various directions. And positive changes can have positive effects on millions of people. Both threads are demonstrated in dramatic fashion throughout this book.
Many people have polarizing attitudes toward police officers, though most of us want the same things: safe streets, low crime, and a fair application of justice for all. Maybe Campisi's book can be a resource towards that end. While there may be major disagreements about how systemic "bad cops" are, perhaps we can all agree on the importance of stopping their bad activities, from the injustices they inflict on their victims to the ways they ruin the good names of other officers. Perhaps people from opposite sides can join in hearty cheers when Campisi expresses indignation that "too often" the PBA union "seem to forget that every cop's most basic sworn duty is not only to enforce the law, but also to obey it." If nothing else, perhaps this book can at least help people who like to express their opinions on these important matters to be just a little more informed.
March 24, 2022
A powerful and disturbing book at the same time. Growing up in NYC i was familiar with many of the incidents described in the book as well as the locales where they took place. I have the utmost respect for the NYPD, and always have. I can sympathize with the rank and file who describe the work of internal affairs as "rats . " This is such a sad state of affairs and the author pulls no punches about how hard it was to get cops to work in internal affairs. So much so that he instituted a mandatory two year draft to force people in. Of course we all want police who are honorable and i believe they are. the few bad apples ruin it for all.Unfortunately. to find them the author's department sets up stings, and integrity tests. Im not sure how i feel about integrity tests and the effort expended in uprooting ticket fixing scandals. Having said that, the book is an incredible insight into the workings of the NYPD, NY politics, and the difficult task of a bureau that is scorned by many because of what they have to do. I could not put it down.
December 16, 2019
This is an insider's view of what it's like to serve among others on the largest police force in the nation. Given the size, it's not surprising that New York City has its share of problems within its own ranks, but the recollections of how those problems have historically been addressed will likely surprise those not already familiar with the inner workings of law enforcement agencies. Charles Campisi recalls the efforts to address problems in the NYC police ranks in a down-to-earth, frank way that will enlighten the unenlightened. A must-read for anyone wanting a more rounded view of how corruption in police departments is addressed.
August 25, 2018
An interesting read, but also a biased one. Campisi talks about bad cops being a very small number, but glosses over cops lying to protect said bad cops. Talks about the professionalism of most cops, but then glosses over a cop coming forward about a major police brutality incident and getting harassed by other cops. Certainly a Neanderthal when it comes to issues of race and stop and frisk.
Campisi’s service, assuming his story is true, leaves an admirable legacy and record. But what Campisi’s book doesn’t talk about, or doesn’t get into the details of, speaks as loudly as what he does.
Campisi’s service, assuming his story is true, leaves an admirable legacy and record. But what Campisi’s book doesn’t talk about, or doesn’t get into the details of, speaks as loudly as what he does.
November 13, 2017
This is an extremely insightful and interesting book. I am hopeful that there will be more novels of this sort written. The style of writing and eloquence cannot be understated. This book had the potential; of being filled with smut and swear words, yet it was quite the opposite. When foul words were used ti was done within proper context and short lived.
I would highly recommend this book to everyone.
I would highly recommend this book to everyone.
November 1, 2018
I enjoyed this book a lot. A good look into the world of catching bad cops from the perspective of the head honcho. Is there a bit of bias? Of course he worked in NYPD internal Affairs for 14 years. I would hope he would be a bit pro cop being in that job that long. Lots of interesting cases, and ways of catching the bad cops. Well done.
November 8, 2022
A great story about good cops catching bad cops. The author is quite patriotic but he knows how to write a nice story and he is allowed to have his differing opinions on police morals. The conflicting nature of solving crimes within the police force makes an enlightening, intriguing book that is well worth a read.
June 15, 2024
From 1996 until 2014, Charles Campisi was the Chief of the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau, setting the bar for how police investigate fellow officers. His memories of this time are engaging, if somewhat troubling, as ge navigates a rejuvenation of New York's Finest by creating a division of the utmost integrity.
Fascinating to read.
Fascinating to read.
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