True Blue: Police Stories by Those Who Have Lived Them

by Randy Sutton

After September 11, 2001, Las Vegas Police Sergeant Randy Sutton began soliciting writing from law enforcement officers-his goal being to bridge the gap between the police and those they serve, with a book that offers a broad and thoughtful look at the many facets of police life. Hundreds of active and former officers from all over the United States men and women from big cities and small towns, some who had written professionally, but most of whom were doing so for the first time.

The result is True Blue, a collection of funny, charming, exciting, haunting stories about murder investigations, missing children, bungling burglars, car chases, lonely and desperate shut-ins, routine traffic stops, officers killed in the line of duty, and the life-changing events of September 11. Here, officers reveal their emotions as they recount the defining moments of their careers. Some of the stories

-Two cops' desperate search for a missing child feared kidnapped
-The revival of the one-month old baby who was shot in the face in a drive-by shooting
-A patrol officer's dramatic showdown with a hostage-holding gunman
-On-the-scene details of rescue and tragedy during the 9/11 terrorist attacks

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Police, Crime

298 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 2004

Reviews

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt really satisfied after closing this book. I felt a lot of things but that was the most overwhelming feeling. It's not often a book makes me feel like that.
I assumed, when I got this book, that it'd be an okay read and maybe would open my eyes to a few things. Well, it did that and more.
Like most people, when I think of the police I groan. I think speeding tickets and harassment over stupid stuff. I've never needed them to come to my aid for anything real serious so I never stopped to really think about them.
I see why some people can't understand that the "heroes" of our world are sports stars and movie stars and musicians. That speaks volumes about our world, sadly. :(
I read a few reviews, on this site and others, that said some of these stories were written like a police report. I'm not sure how many of those who wrote that have actually read a police report but that's neither here nor there. Even if it were true, I don't see what's bad about that. Uh, they are police officers, not authors, and everyone reading the book knew this, or should have known this going in. Why complain about it? What were they expecting? Great writing? Anyway, I didn't think that was the case at all. From my speculation on how a police report would/could read, I came in contact with ONE story that STARTED out with this sort of writing and that's it. Moving on....
I can't wait to read Sutton's next book and I think this is an awesome idea for a book - there should be more - tons more. It really made me think about the things these officers see and go through. And it's things that the average person, myself very much included could not deal with. I don't even have words to tell about some of the stories and it would do no good if I did - you have to read them yourself.
Lastly, I'd like to point out that these police officers, fire fighters, EMT's, etc. all do their jobs, saving lives and getting monsters off the street while we idolize a basketball star. Or Brad Pitt. That's something to chew on for a few minutes.

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read, with each chapter written by a different police officer from a different city. At times I noticed how alike the writing of most of the stories were, as if the editor rewrote all the chapters in his own voice, but the content varies wildly. Right at the end, the last section was suddenly devoted entirely to tales of 9/11, and tells you parts of the story not normally told. Well worth your time.

[Asad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book back in the days when I wanted to be a police officer. As the days went by, that dream deteriorated and I soon got a dose of reality. This book presented the human characteristics of police officers. People don’t usually think of police officers as being humans like the rest of us but rather as “pigs”. True Blue presents many different stories from across the thin blue line. These stories take place in small townships, rural areas, and most excitingly the big city police departments like N.Y.P.D., L.V.M.P.D., and the L.A.P.D. The brave men and women who protect us take a beating that is sometimes physical but the emotional agony hurts the most. This book is a must read for all crime enthusiasts.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always amazed by how well people write when they go to write down their experiences. In the case of this book, it had said that some had never written more than a police report. By the well-written narratives I would not be able to guess who writes regularly and who did it for the purpose of this book.

[Rich Pedersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is both informative and inspirational for someone trying to start a career as a police officer. Well worth a read.

[Dan Stern · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is simply a very good read. It covers a multitude of emotions that police officers whether Canadian or American experience. Mr. Sutton lays out the short stories in an easy to ready format (for us knuckle draggers). As already stated, great read for those who have relatives, siblings etc., involved in police work. Better understanding of the world we walk in and why we sometimes do what we do - or not. Be Safe!

[Mahay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this book to anyone. It is a collection of short stories written by law enforcement with a section dedicated to 9-11. Some funny, some twisted, and some emotionally draining. Reading this really gave me a better insight of how officers think and how they work. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories in this book, and was truly moved by the end. It is worth purchasing.

[maureen mcconnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

True Blue

This was a very good book. I live in Las Vegas and have seen Officer Sutton on many news casts. He talks to people in a way they can understand what's going on. He did a great job and now on to his next book.

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish. Short stories kind of drive me crazy. Most of them are good, usually only 2-4 pages. Just not long enough for me. Good content, just kind of hard to get into.

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Gives a look at the other side of police work. Some fantastic stories.

[S.F. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

True stories told by law enforcement officers. Proceeds benefit victims of 9/11. As a mystery writer, I find it to be an invaluable resource.

[Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sometimes funny, sometimes sobering, anthology of NY police officer stories reportedly told in their own voice. Some are no longer than a two pages.

The last collection of stories is gathered under the title, Ground Zero. These are retellings of these officers’ experience and efforts on September 11, 2001. If you read nothing else, read this section. It is a very powerful reminder that the image we have of the cops sitting around in coffee shops slurping gallons of coffee and inhaling truckloads of donuts is unkind and unfair. Nobody likes a cop until they need one.

The one small problem I have with this anthology is what I see as heavy-handed editing. All the stories seem written by the same author and not enough, or at least for me, separate personalities are discernable.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this because I went through a phase where I was reading a lot of police wives blogs. This was well-written but just didn't connect with me that much. NOT for late night reading (some pretty horrible incidents)

[Skyqueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Best! Only topped by his own soul-revealing book, A Cop's Story.
It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will make you think. But most of all, it will make you thankful.
God Bless our uniformed officers. The good ones, and yes, even the bad ones.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Attractive book, nice size, good typeface, good layout, well-written, easy-to-read . . .
And the contents? Loved it: heartfelt, down-to-earth stories, as real as they come. Beautiful, tearjerker stories. My favorite section was The Beat.
GOOD READ.

[Lex Hogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of the stories in this collection are very insightful, a couple even cracked through my hard exterior shell. Unfortunately many are poorly written, and not well edited. The collection as a whole could have been better, I thought, but it's worth the read for those few really great stories.

[Tbone · Rating 4 out of 5]

want to know what police work is really about. Read this.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gives you a look inside the lives of police officers from big cities... pretty interesting, especially when you are used to living in a small town.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome book. I recommend it to anyone who wants to read true, heartwarming, and sometimes comical, stories about the men and women in law enforcement.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

great collection of true police stories from police officers.

[Wayne Hogg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love police stories and the book delivers. From all spectrums one hundred percent.

[bookreader_nix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great! I'm not a big fan of cop books, but the stories in here are really powerful. Definitely recommend to people. =]

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting little collection of personal stories by police officers. Some are more effective than others, but overall a good read, with even some humor thrown into the mix.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories from cops around the country. Easy read. Really brings the reader to understand the law enforcement mentality

[Arlisscrowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Randy Sutton's other book: A Cops Life and liked it a lot, so I read this book. It is just as good - interesting and amazing stories. I rate it between 4 and 5.

[Lindsay Huffman-dilks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out Kung fu Curt.

[Becky]

Awesome book and a must read for anyone thinking about becoming a cop.