Breaking Rank: A Top Cop's Exposé of the Dark Side of American Policing, by Norm Stamper.

I have so many feelings about this book, but I think they can all be distilled into several similar points: the American policing system does not work, will never work, and relies on systemic and systematic oppression to function as it does. It was never designed for the protection of people; it was designed for the protection of property and furthering the interests of the ruling class. The former police chief who wrote this book recognizes the police system’s “pitfalls” but stops just short of calling for abolition — opting instead for major reform that would sound endearing if you hadn’t just read about the resistance this chief admitted to facing when trying to implement these reforms in his own department. Really, this book felt like it was written as a pat on the back for this former chief. Like “look how progressive I am for no longer being racist, homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic, and for trying to convince my fellow officers to not be racist, homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic too!” By admittance, he and his peers were racist, homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic when they first took that oath. By admittance, “proactive policing” doesn’t work. By admittance, community policing without the involvement of state police is more effective. By admittance, the state police absorbs a budget that is comical, ridiculous, stupid, and better delegated to community efforts and organizations. In nearly 400 pages, this former police chief could not, and did not, convince me that all of the aforementioned could be reformed. If anything, this book just reinforced the belief that I’ll keep defending over and over and over again: abolition is the only way.

Purchase here, or don’t.