23rd Precinct: The Job [Hardcover]

Arlene Schulman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2001

The love-hate relationship of cops and their work.

Journalist-photographer Arlene Schulman spent nearly two years in New York's 23rd Precinct, going out on patrol, with one of the three daily shifts of officers, into one of the toughest neighborhoods in the city: East Harlem.

Schulman got to know all ranks -- cops riding desks and sector cars, cops on foot patrol, and detectives on special details like homicide and robbery and narcotics. 23rd Precinct is a report, literally from street level, of what she witnessed occurring between police and citizens, and between the cops themselves: what they think, feel, and fear. It is a candid, raw portrait of what the job takes and what it gives back. Often told in the words of the officers themselves, it is a revelatory look at the men and women policing and experiencing an inner city precinct.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For the better part of two years, from 1995 to 1997, veteran journalist Schulman (T.J.'s Story; etc.) was granted unfettered access to New York's 23rd Precinct in East Harlem just above the wealthy and powerful Upper East Side where she shadowed police officers of all ranks, from patrolmen to captains. The setting is indeed dramatic, a place where "women beat each other up, their daughters did the same" and "a natural death was a drug overdose." But such pithy remarks are rare, and Schulman rarely grounds the dialogue she transcribes at length in narrative. As a result, while she captures the salt-and-pepper tone of police conversation, the reality is blurred, the various voices and strands of dialogue blending into one another without creating distinctive characters. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the dialogue is regularly attributed to an unnamed "cop" or "sergeant." Schulman addresses a host of critical issues: women on the force, alcohol and drug abuse, corruption and community relations among them. To her credit, she garners views on the precinct from East Harlem residents, be they drug dealers or community activists. But in the end, there are not enough solid insights into the often-embattled NYPD and the men and women who compose it. Police buffs will be disappointed.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In 1995, Schulman was granted permission to ride along with the officers of the New York Police Department's 23rd Precinct, covering the area from 96th to 115th street and including everything from multimillion-dollar apartments to drug dens. She accompanied them on all three shifts for over two years and here presents their voices as they talk about their frustrations, fears, and experiences on the streets. Because the book is crafted in sections loosely based on specific shifts and because the author moves disjointedly between different stories and different cops, it is often not clear what she intends to convey. Schulman is at her best when she covers the officers of the midnight shift and those who work in the housing projects; here, the officers truly bring their experiences to life. Large public libraries and academic libraries with criminal justice majors may want to consider; otherwise, books like David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (LJ 6/1/91) and Peter Maas's Serpico (LJ 12/15/73) do a better job discussing the lives of those on the thin blue line. Danna Bell-Russel, Library of Congress
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Soho Press (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569472378
• ISBN-13: 978-1569472378
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,277,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing from page one!, August 17, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: 23rd Precinct: The Job (Hardcover)

This book is the inside stuff of what goes on in a New York City police precinct. I work in one and this book is as realistic as it gets. I particulary liked the chapter about female cops on the job and their history in the NYPD. The dialogue makes you feel like you're in the patrol car without air conditioning with the cop. Being a police officer is a tough job in a tough city and the writer really got the inside story which deserves to be told. Great book! Thank you, Arlene Schulman!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bad Television Show In Words..., May 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: 23rd Precinct: The Job (Hardcover)

If you are a cop or in law enforcement this book might be worth your while. However, you're better off skipping this one; there are too many other good books out there. Since when does piecing together interview after interview, quote after quote pass for good writing? I get the feeling that Schulman spent time as a stenographer. There are so many people, so many different angles in this book that I don't even think Schulman could keep track of it all.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best books on cops I've read!, August 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: 23rd Precinct: The Job (Hardcover)

I'm not a police officer but I've always loved cop shows and movies. This book is the REAL story of cops in their own words. The writing and reporting really impressed me because this is non-fiction and the writer made me feel like I was in the car along with the cops. Being a cop is not an easy job and Ms. Schulman shows the good and the bad sides. I particularly liked the chapter on police women where an older woman describes what it was like to be a cop back in the seventies. There is real history here. I also liked the fact that the writer didn't ignore subjects like alcoholism, racism, and politics in the New York City Police Department. Her interviews are quite candid and I liked that.