Customer Reviews

Bad Cop: New York's Least Likely Police Officer Tells All

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read Bad Cop over the weekend... and I kid you not - I laughed out loud through the first half and couldn't put it down until I finished. I loved his writing style... very conversational - like he was sitting next to me with a glass of wine telling the most hilarious stories. He is so funny! As a fan of cop shows, this book was another point of view I hadn't read before. What an enjoyable way to spend a weekend. Suggestion for Paul Bacon: now go write a book about your diving job.

Bacon is hilarious. He should write more books. Sometimes a person's life is the best story of all.

After reading the book and the amazon reviews on it, I would have to say that Bacon was not a bad cop, (he did make some good collars and received 2 commendations for his efforts) just a person who picked the wrong profession. It has good war stories, and vivid descriptions of the academy and his time on the street. I don't think he berates other officers at all. I wish he would have expanded on how his liberal beliefs conflicted with the job. But it wasn't this, or his self-described timid, trusting nature and dislike of confrontation that led to his resignation, but rather an acknowledgment that one of his actions could have gotten himself or someone else hurt, so I have to give him credit for that. Everyone comes on the job for different reasons, and some people realize that this is just not the career for them. Bacon says he wanted to be an FDNY firefighter but was too old. I believe had he met the age requirement, he would have joined and still be a firefighter today, enjoying it and excelling.

I read this book over a 2-week period, and while it is humorous in a dry way, I found it a little sad, too. Not a sad ending; just sad that such incredible amounts of time and money are wasted by the procedures of the NYPD. I know Manhattan pretty much from stem to stern, and I can relate to all the locations he mentions. I realize that being a policeman in the NYPD can be one of the tougher jobs in America, but the amount of inefficency detailed by the book is staggering. And at some level, you know it's true.

You'd think that someone with a little authority would read this book and do something, but New York City is such a beauracracy that it'll probably never happen. Why leave the dinner table long as the taxpayers are picking up the tab? You don't know whether to laugh or cry.

I can't say this book is for everyone, but I enjoyed it

Contrary to some of the previous reviews, this book was not meant to be an expose of the NYPD. It is the story of ONE MAN'S experience, and he freely admits that he was not a good fit for the NYPD--the premise for the whole book. This is HIS experience---no one else's. Written with lots of humor, but infused with the realities of the job, his honesty is refreshing. It is written in an easy, conversational style and I laughed a lot, but also was moved by his descriptions of some of the realities of everyday life in the big city. I highly recommend this book!

I loved this book. I laughed so hard at times I had to remove my steamed up glasses to wipe the tears away. Paul Bacon's wonderful wit and story telling ability kept me enthralled from beginning to end. If you enjoy stories and books by David Sedaris you will Love this book.

I am a retired NYPD Officer, I read this book as well as others of the same genre, because it is something I am very proud of belonging to, a tight knit group of people who have a common thread, being a police officer. Although after reading this book it became very clear that the author, although a sworn police officer in the NYPD, had no right or desire being one. His descriptions of his coworkers and the type of jobs they handled on a daily basis, had a biting and mean spirited tone. The author ends the book with him being a scuba instructor in Hawaii, and that is precisely where he belongs, not serving the great people of New York.

Paul Bacon's book gives a real insight into a classic smart person's what-if.
Here, it is "What if a sensitive, intellectual but also athletic person (a former divemaster) optioned for
a rough and tumble blue collar profession?" Bacon was in New York the day 9/11 happened. That day's events combined with some vocational dislocation motivated him to look for a career where he could make a difference.
Bacon gives a great view of the training involved and a sense of the "street cop" type. Bacon gives an eye opening look at the frustration involved in being a beat cop in some of New York's roughest precincts. I acquired a lot more respect for cops and what they have to put up with on a daily basis. Seemingly, the physical demands of the job are not what weigh on Bacon the most. I leave it for others to spell out why the job is so hard. Writing is concise and hilarious throughout. Bacon does not spare the laughs in writing about New York's Police Department, the citizens, and most importantly himself!

This is a rather pointless book, with no great amount of real humor, and certainly no interesting stories of good police work.
The author seems to have joined the NYPD to do some good after 9-11, but right from the get-go doesn't appear to have put in any real effort to being a good cop.
He shows up at the police academy unsure and uncertain of what he's doing and never got past that on the job.
The author drifts into the job, and with no real reason just drifts back out again.

The same lackluster effort also appears to have been put into the book.
Its not that interesting, and the entire effort doesn't have much of a point.
Its readable, but only as a something to hold you over while waiting for something better to show up at the book store.

All in all, a disappointment of a rather boring book, with no "punch line" at the end.

This book is an account of one, Paul Bacon who quite literally witnessed the World Trade Center fall before his eyes is called to arms... he wanted to do something for the City of New York. It just so happens he fit the criteria for the NYPD.... even so, some people just aren't meant to be cops.... no matter how noble their intentions may be.

This book is a cautionary tale, albiet an enjoying and often howlingly funny one. It's not a slam on the NYPD nor about a crooked cop on the take. Paul Bacon wasn't a "bad cop", he did have some arrests that did take some criminals and drugs off the streets and he did recieve some awards.... it's just the fact that his nature and his job clashed many times and he eventually got burned out after 3 years on the job. He got in way over his head. Even so, it's a funny and enjoyable take on one person's career choice.

I normally read books on police officers, particulary NYPD officers as I'm taking the first steps to becoming one of New York's finest. I've read James Wagner's excellent but brutal portrail of life in the dangerous 9th precinct in the East Village circa the '70s. Also I'm currently reading the excellent Bravehearts, this book about officers that are the polar opposite of Paul Bacon.... the people who I hope to follow in their shoes eventually. I read 'Bad Cop' so I could see "The Job" from a differing viewpoint, one that wasn't entirelly positive, but again wasn't a slam from a bitter ex-employee. The author wasn't meant to be a police officer and he lets you know it. Even so, while I enjoyed this book and even if you have no interest in becoming an officer of the law, it's still a good read. If you're like me and do want to become a cop, then you really should read this book, becoming a police officer, especially for the NYPD is not a decesion you make on a lark, it takes dedication and sacrifice to do it.... so definately pick this one up to make sure this is what you want!