Crime Scenes

This is a stunning and graphic paperback of real crime stories from the worse part of Chicago neighborhoods. Don't fool yourself, we have cases like this in every large city. An outstanding read. The book is comprised of many short tales of cops responding to calls and the criminals that they find. Some of it is funny, some horrific. Highly recommend!

In the streets, one never knows whats going to come your way during your tour. Just like this book, it covers such an array of riveting, spellbinding, and heartbreaking stories. Will keep you interested, and emotionally involved. This is definitely a must read. Truly sensational, this author has a lot to say and a fantastic way of articulating events, incidents, that makes you part of the action. Takes you through a small history and explains the story. Sensational, descriptive, tear jerking, heartbreaking and sometimes humorous. It explains the inner workings of the unseen police world, without the hollywood glitz and glamour. The good guy doesn't always win, but you're definitely cheering them on for future battles. I finished this book within hours, and am ready to delve into her next book "Armed and Dangerous". Thank you Gina for giving us a true depiction of everyday life in the streets, a thankless job for the most part that is so much more than a job!! KUDOS to you. And I look forward to more of your stories.

"crime scenes" is a journey onto the streets and a look through the eyes of cops. this book is real and does not hold back. you will read about things that cops have to deal with on a daily basis. about private feelings that would take years of trust between you & a cop for them to even reveal to you. stories... about how cops cope with working for a huge political machine, a kid with big dreams trying to get out of the ghetto, working undercover and trying to sweep the streets of drugs/crime, losing a partner, and a prostitute who thinks a baby will help get her off the streets. you will laugh, cry, and be shocked after you read this book but be thankful that gina gallo exposed her life as a cop to write such a moving book as crime scenes. trust me, you will rarely get the truth and a real look behind the scenes of those who promised to "serve and protect..."

Want to know what it's like to be a cop--to really understand it? Short of joining the force, the best thing you can do is read this book. Cops see it all. What they see and do imbues our culture, fires our imagination, sparks our interest in urban romance--the sort of stories in which good-looking tough guys risk life and limb to serve, honor and protect us normal, vulnerable citizens. That's the fiction. What we have here, in CRIME SCENES, is the real stuff. Ordinary people--albeit highly trained--in extraordinary circumstances. This book shows us what cops see day in and day out, the traumas they deal with, the horrors they confront, the humor they find in the strangest places, and the affects it all has on their lives. A lot of media time and space is spent on crime and law enforcement, and the media always has a lot to say when cops do bad things. For people like me, it's always seemed fairly obvious that bad cops, inept cops, cops who make mistakes are mere jerks who abuse their power or who never fully understood and appreciated the responsibility bestowed upon them. After reading this book, it became clear that I needed to muster a bit of understanding and appreciation myself. And this book helped me do it. Now I have a better understanding of the extreme circumstances cops routinely confront as a matter of going to work every day, and I'm not so sure I'd be able to do it. This book taught me respect.

Gina Gallo, Chicago Police Department, takes the reader intothe world of the street cop. She is a "cop" in every senseof the word. She writes of her personal experiences that range fromthe terrifying "Dance with the Devil" to the comical"Mailbox Marilyn" chapters. Police officers everywhere willidentify with her accounts of "La Puta". Any street copthat I ever knew will read this book and feel that he or she has met apeer in Gina Gallo. I would recommend this to police academy trainerswho want to let recuits know what the "street" will be likefor them...