Black and Blue: The Creation Of A Social Advocate

by Cheryl Dorsey

True story of an African-American female whose LAPD career spanned twenty years under the command of police chiefs Daryl Gates, Willie Williams and Bernard Parks. Retired LAPD sergeant Cheryl Dorsey worked exclusively in patrol and specialized units in all four geographic Bureaus within Los Angeles; South, Central, West and Valley. In addition to various patrol division assignments, Sgt. Dorsey was assigned to traffic division, Newton Area vice and the infamous gang unit in Operations South Bureau; known as Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (C.R.A.S.H.) Sgt. Dorsey’s experiences form the basis for her second book, The Creation of A Social Advocate. Sgt. Dorsey exposes institutional police abuses and social justice disparities, while introducing strategies to systematically attack those injustices and empower audiences on how to navigate within that system, when necessary, and help change that system, when possible. “As an advocate for those who continue to suffer racial injustices, disproportionate and selective enforcement, intolerance at the hands of a police force that swore an oath to protect and serve yet seems to lack empathy and compassion in certain areas of the community; I am here for you. It may not be you right now- but you might be next.” – Ret. LAPD Sgt. Cheryl Dorsey We have Cheryl’s account and her contributions to law enforcement. That is change. And part of the solution she reminds the reader, is us; our education about law enforcement and how to deal with our encounters with them. There is reason to be optimistic. After all, we have Cheryl Dorsey. – Dr. Drew "Cheryl speaks truth to power in an unbought fashion exposing a system of lies and corruption. Every civil rights advocate must read this book, it's a game changer!" ~Attorney Ben Crump "With truth, compassion, courage and wit, Sgt. Cheryl Dorsey tells the oftentimes gritty tale of life behind the LAPD badge. Her transparency, as she lifts the lid off the boiling pot of police corruption, abuse and killings, is remarkably brave.” – Rolonda Watts, Journalist, Author of Destiny Lingers “Courageous, bold, and strong woman. Powerful read!” – Dr. Tiffany Crutcher (twin sister of Terence Crutcher killed by Tulsa OK police)

296 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 14, 2018

About the author

Cheryl Dorsey was raised in South Central Los Angeles. After attending Catholic school at an early age, she embarked on a career in law enforcement, beginning with the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Investigations, and Narcotic Enforcement, shortly after graduating high school.

She later joined the LAPD in 1980, a time when the department was under a consent decree to hire more women and minorities. Cheryl spent twenty years on the LAPD working patrol, narcotics, and vice assignments for all four bureaus of operation: South, Central, West, and Valley. She is most proud of having spent her entire twenty years working field-related assignments, which included the infamous gang unit known as the Community Resources against Street Hoodlums, or CRASH.

During her tenure, Sergeant Dorsey received numerous commendations and accolades from her command staff and the public she served. Cheryl enjoys spending time with her four sons, being a grandmother, and appreciating the world around her.

Reviews

[Crystal Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the perspectives shown in this book and the knowledge that the author shares. She’s extremely straightforward and direct in outlining situations as well as corroborating information. My only struggle with this book was the number of grammatical issues and misspellings.

[Julianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cheryl Dorsey has had experiences in areas that few women, particularly women of color, have had and offers a unique insider perspective. I truly appreciate her courage in sharing part of her life story as a police officer and sergeant within the LAPD for 20 yrs and her dire warnings of just how abusive and corrupt the culture within police departments can be. However, I truly hope she gets a new editor for any other books she may write. This book was so full of grammatical and spelling errors it was often difficult to read. I would not recommend this book to anyone but would actually really love to hear her speak in person someday since her story is so very important.

[Doris J Moler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The insider view you have been looking for

A complete view from inside the department from one who worked successfully and retired after 20 years. The corruption in our society gets magnified within the police department. The greatest danger to an officer comes from their supervision.

[Sarah left GR]

https://www.npr.org/2021/05/11/995942...

[Abby Schwartz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good info but poorly written

The typos and poor editing made this hard to read. The info was good though, and I appreciated the inside look into a police precinct.