CODE 4: True stories from a 37-year police veteran

by Terry Smith

You step into a doorway to see a man levelling a shotgun at your chestYou hold a dying child in your armsYou crawl into a mangled car to help someone trapped and bleedingThese are a small sampling of the kinds of things that police officers encounter. Not everyone is able to do the job that cops do, fewer still are willing. Those who do it with grace and dignity are special people.CODE 4 is an insider's view of the police profession, seen through the eyes of one of its veterans. Over a 37-year span Terry Smith worked as a uniformed officer, a long-haired undercover narcotics agent, an organized crime investigator, a SWAT commander, and a homicide detective. He and the men and women who worked with him looked down their gun barrels at murderers, armed robbers, rapists, burglars, and an assortment of other violent people. He began his career with the Bloomington, Minnesota, Police Department, then moved on to do thirty years with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). During his last seventeen working years he ran a squad of homicide investigators for the BCA.Smith has written about things that happened while he was "protecting and serving." Some of them were dangerous, some gut-wrenchingly tragic, some humorous. He speaks with insight about the people he worked with "who could be kind or hard-edged as circumstances demanded" and the toll that policing took on their lives. He gives an inside look at several newsworthy cases he supervised including two sad abduction/homicides involving victims Julie Holmquist and Katie Poirier. Both investigations received extensive national coverage. Smith appeared in an episode of "The New Detectives" featuring the Poirier Case on the Discovery Channel.In 2001 Smith received the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association honorable mention award as Minnesota Police Officer of the Year.CODE 4 will help you, the reader, feel the adrenaline, the excitement, and the occasional bursts of fear that are parts of the police job. It will help you understand why cops are willing to do what they do.*The words "Code 4," spoken into a police radio, mean that a dangerous situation has been handled, things are under control, and no additional help is needed.

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 11, 2021

About the author

There are multiple authors with this name.

Reviews

[Holly Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought-provoking and we'll written

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I've been on both sides of the law, and although most people who have been on the wrong side tend to end up despising law enforcement, that's not me. In fact to this day, I respect law enforcement even more. Because everything this author says is true: your common citizen has no idea what your average policeman or woman goes through. And that is now in this day and age, a trebled difficulty with so much attention paid to the bad actors that wind up becoming officers of the law. In every profession there is someone who doesn't belong there. Policing is no different.
For some reason I also enjoy very much the show called cops. And in the more modern episodes, you do see people of color who won't pull over when the cops light them up. They will instead wait until they are in an area where there are other people. Because they are terrified of the police causing them bodily harm for no reason. They feel targeted. And I have to believe to some degree there's a reason for this. But it is a shame to give all cops a bad rap for the actions of a few. But I am grateful for the police, and their protection that they give to US citizens. I would hate to imagine a renegade society of anarchy. Anyway, very good book and kudos to the author!

[Scarlett Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My father-in-law was also a police officer. Not only that but he was the oldest active police officer in the US when he retired. He was 89 but his personnel file said 87. At the time he retired, he could still stand on a 3 inch stack of phone books and touch the floor with his fingers. He also could accurately shoot his department issued weapon. He and I had a close friendship because instead of bossing him, I loved to sit and listen to his stories. Officer Smith’s stories echo him. Because of my abiding respect for “Big George,” I embraced those same feelings as I read this book. I encourage that you read his book and become educated to the courage and skills needed to be a respected officer in the USA. These men and women need our respect and support in these current days of chaos and hatred toward this noble profession.

[Judy Tarver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high expectations for this book but it wasn’t what I expected. I thought it would be a series of stories and encounters the officer had in his career and while it does have some, it also isn’t written like most of the books where the genre is either medical, police, or other stories of different professions rather this one reads more like a biography of a retired police officer. It does have some interesting stories in it, but I did find a few of them vague and not very detailed and some weren’t that interesting. It is still a decent book to read, I just prefer the type that lists each story instead of inserting one here and there at random while also speaking of other things about being a police officer besides just stories of cases that are interesting. I think most people who enjoy reading about the job of policemen will like this book.

[Caroline Ratliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

code 4

Such a good book written by a skilled author! Highly recommend for any first responder, anyone interested in getting involved with the field, or anyone simply interested in what we go through daily in the line of duty. Cheers!

[Susan Mathis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it

I really enjoyed this book. It was a good look into policing of the past and of how it has changed. Easy read and I thing anyone who enjoys cop stories will like this book.

[Laura Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very clean memoir of a police officer.

[ED Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, easy read.

[Anna Reimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written book!!

Very interesting and hard to put down!! Would recommend others to read it. Love reading police and game warden books!

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting!

Very entertaining accounts of many aspects of police work. Stories were full of emotions of every kind. I didn’t want to put the book down.

[Donald W. Ebelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book written from a police officers point of view. Well done Terry!

[Richard A Lambing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. I related a lot, because I’m a retired Fort Worth Texas officer.

[Bridget Isenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a good read this was! It shows how much police officer actually do besides the main stream thought of "just giving tickets and out to get you." I feel like everyone should give this a read! Police officers do so much more then we think they do, you sir are amazing!

[Stacy Ness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book and easy to read. Author is from the area I am from. Was surprised to find one of the cases he wrote about has a very close connection to my family. It was nice to read about what actually happened that night and not the rumors from other people.