Breaking Rank: A Top Cop's Exposé of the Dark Side of American Policing

Norm Stamper's 34-year law enforcement career began in my San Diego hometown in 1966. During my own 20-year LE career, Stamper achieved the rank of SDPD Assistant Chief. As a fellow LE liberal, I have long admired Stamper's extraordinary insights, openness, honesty, and willingness to publically criticize the actions and mindsets of himself and his LE colleagues. All who seek to understand the deep structural flaws in America's LE institutions should read Stamper's books. This book is easy and fun to read, loaded with revealing, relevant, personal, and interesting stories.

Stamper offers an honest and personal view of policing in America. His first-hand account of police culture makes for excellent reading. Oddly, this self-proclaimed progressive offers many conservative approaches to tackle crime in our country including the decriminalization of drugs, a stance supported by Friedman, Buckley, and Shultz. Breaking Rank proved to be balanced and pragmatic. As a conservative, I was surprised to find how often I agreed with Stamper's recommendations. Breaking Rank is a must read for all police and public administration courses that tackle the subject of crime prevention. As a native San Diegan, I'm proud of Stamper's accomplishments and his contribution to police reform. Kevin Scott

Stamper's book should be required reading for all young law enforcement officers who, in particular, aspire to positions of future leadership of America's police forces. It offers guidelines for progressive changes, including greater emphasis on community policing, the rampant crime of domestic violence, and less militaristic models of police department organization. Stamper also makes persuasive arguments for such controversial policies as the elimination of capital punishment and the decriminalization of drugs. The author was a working cop and police administrator in San Diego and Seattle, where he was chief of police. This reviewer had the opportunity, as a newspaper editorial page editor, to observe Stamper's outstanding performance in the latter role. His account of his personal experiences is arresting - no pun intended - and often very entertaining.

I was taken in turns from tears to laughter and dismay to hope- Chief Stamper's use of personal story, research and examples weave together beautifully to make a well written "page turner". But more importantly, this book made me think. I applaud his unequivocal stands on issues without regard for the PCness that one might have expected. Whether you agree with him or not, you'll want to discuss the issues he raises. That Stamper's desire to elevate cops to the highest level of professionalism is met with disdain by some within that community is probably the most disturbing thing about his book.

Police officers do a job that I'm not willing to do. Yet when my car broke down on the highway or we heard noises that convinced us a burglar was breaking into our home, I had no hesitation in calling 9-11 for help. I can't imagine life in these United States without the service of police officers. Most of my experiences with cops so far have been positive, but not all. I have friends and family who work in law enforcement and I've heard some pretty unbelievable stories from behind the "thin blue line." Breaking Rank validates those stories (and more) and gives the reader an appreciation for all aspects of law enforcement: the nobility of police work, the dangerous work that cops do every day to keep our streets safe, and the problems inherent in every profession-and the big, big difference when problems occur in a profession where the employees have guns and badges and can choose to use them as deadly force against any person. I can't imagine life in these United States without constitutional restrictions on that choice especially now with even more power for local law enforcement granted under the Patriot Act. In Breaking Rank, Stamper blows the smoke out of our eyes so we can see both the humanity and humanness behind the mystique of a respected and reviled profession. I found myself pensive and then concerned over issues that once seemed far removed from my corner of the world-violence in the home, capital punishment, the war on drugs to name a few. And, rather than getting one narrow opinion on these issues, I appreciated the research that was cited to back up Stamper's thinking. What this former chief can expect is a steady stream of vitriol aimed his way as a result of authoring this book, although it sounds like he's no stranger to it. One has only to look at the current discord in the AFL-CIO and the personal attacks on union leaders to see what happens when someone in the ranks steps out of line with the rest. Peer pressure is hard to resist in any organization, but Stamper makes it clear that it's especially so for those who work in an environment where to openly talk about problems, admit fault or say you're sorry could cost you or your bosses millions of dollars. Unfortunately, it's hard to correct problems or even make something better if no one is willing to talk about the flaws. One can hope that some open-minded people in law enforcement and beyond will be willing to consider some of the issues that the author raises in this book. After reading Breaking Rank, I'm also reminded that we get what we pay for. I'm not sure I buy the argument that most people who use drugs have a "disease," but what I do buy is that I've been unwilling (or uneducated) to use my vote or my voice to question whether my tax dollars are best used to support an established industry that spends $50 billion on drug enforcement when public education and other prevention services are sadly lacking for resources. I will say that dinner

I can't remember the last time I was so surprised by, or more grateful for, the contents of a book. I expected "Breaking Rank" to be an event-filled memoir by a cop with a thirty year career. I figured he would share a lot of stories, the most interesting of which would be his account of the 1999 WTO riots in Seattle where he had been the chief of police. The book is certainly that, but it transcends its topics to offer deeply thoughtful and heartfelt perspectives on police culture, politics and the choices we have made as a society. Stamper is outspoken about the war on drugs, the death penalty, criminalization of prostitution and gun control. He expresses anger, disappointment and regret over the damage these policies continue to cause, and he sees it through the eyes of a man who was a street cop, an undercover agent (now THERE's an interesting story) and a police administrator. I don't agree with everything he writes, but I had to think hard about what he wrote. And I respect the rigor of his thinking and the eloquence of his expression. I came away from this remarkably personal book with the impression that every day that Deputy or Lieutenant or Chief Stamper went to work, he learned something and then applied it to make his sector, his division, and ultimately, his department and city better. You get the idea that Stamper worked hard to make himself a better, more compassionate officer, leader and human being. After I read about WTO, the event that ended his career, I felt tremendous regret that a man of such ability withdrew from government. I finished the book haunted by vividly drawn images of murdered women and children, the pain of racism and intolerance, and of a city - my city - wrenched by overwhelming disorder. I also came away knowing who I would want running my police department. If I were a dishonest cop, or most politicians, I would hate this book. If I were an honest cop, I would be honored to count this book's author as a colleague and mentor. "Breaking Rank" is a remarkable book that offers insights that our society would do well to take to heart in this age of homeland security and headlong, heedless self-righteousness.