Norm Stamper

Though it’s billed as 'part memoir, part polemic' on the jacket flap, I’d definitely place this book more in the polemic category. Norm Stamper’s Breaking Rank iterates his opinions on policing in five loosely organized categories with several chapters for each: crime and punishment, cop culture, police department structure, oversight of police, and departmental and city politics. Most chapters in these sections are illustrated with his own experience on the subject. A few of the chapters are devoted almost wholly to major experiences in Stamper’s career: when he shot and killed an unarmed man, his year infiltrating protest groups, and running the Seattle Police Department during the riots at the Seattle W.T.O. ministerial conference in 1999. Stamper espouses liberal, reformist ideas and presents them well in this engaging but cursory survey of policing from his perspective.

(Full review at my blog)… (més)

This book is enlightening. Stamper provides a thoughtful critique of policing, complete with plenty of interesting first-hand experiences that illustrate how much personal discretion is necessary. His breadth of experience, from beat cop to chief, establish his authority, but what makes this book truly credible is his openness in admitting his own mistakes and changes in outlook. Such dynamic thought appears to be rare in a profession so rooted to tradition and clear-cut operating principles. He covers a lot of philosophical ground in 400 pages: domestic violence, victimless crime, drug policy, racism, legal issues, undercover work, corruption, and terrorism. One of the most interesting sections described a set of nine real events that demonstrate ambiguity and the need for careful human judgment. He made me rethink capital punishment, on principle alone, and for the practical reason that wrong convictions might be more common than we realize. He didn't sway me toward gun control. Though sad, the imbalance of statistics he chose was probably driven by a lifetime of exposure similarly weighted in appreciation for the downside.… (més)