Customer Reviews

Becoming a Police Officer: An Insider's Guide to a Career in Law Enforcement

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I found the book to be packed with invaluable advice. I've only been a cop for about 6 months now, but I wish I had read the book before I became a cop.

The book offers great advice on choosing a department. It also has inspired me to write more reports and write them better.

One of the main points I took from the book was to never sacrafice your integrity.

I didn't like how the auther put a little introductory phrase before almost every single paragraph in the book. If he didn't do that, the book would probably only be 60 pages long.

Barry Baker was a street cop for 20 years in a very tough town before taking promotion. He accurately reflects the central role of patrol - street work - and does not sugar-coat or avoid difficult issues. The conciseness of the book is a strength. His advice to young people is genuine and not idealistic or poorly informed. A nice job.

This book is a quick read, and aside from the somewhat strange format, it is a very well done production. The advice and information is accurate, up-to-date, and applicable. This will help any prospective Police Officer well before the application process and into their career. It covers the intricacies of police department politics, law, training, procedures, and specific types of calls/cases.
This book can help someone understand more fully what police do - something that you can apply in deciding to pursue a law enforcement career, during the application process and interviews, and then finally on the streets.

If you're in the application process or considering law enforcement I would recommend pairing this book with 101 Reasons Why You Should Not Become A Cop. It's not quite of the same caliber, but the two combined help give a wider perspective on police work from authors with decidedly different attitudes towards their experiences.

This book answered a lot of my questions and even some that I didn't even know I had. It helped me make some important decisions concerning my future. I'd suggest it to anyone looking for a career in this field.

Very good book, I am currently Deployed in Iraq and this books has helped me alot and I have a better understanding of what i need to do. The seller has very fast shipping and I received the book in excellent condition.

It has always been taught to know the profession you seek, and Barry M. Baker sets very good goals in this book that shows the high and lows of becoming a cop. I'd recommend this item to anyone seeking the right advice in law enforcement.

While Lt. Barker wrote this book relying on his experience as a police officer over a 30 year career, this book is definitely not recommended reading for someone looking into a new career as a LEO.

Lt. Barker's view of "becoming a police officer" is painted with a brush of his experience in law enforcement. This quickly leads to him polluting his "advice" with the context of someone looking back at his peers over a long/full career.

This is all well and good (and well earned I might add) but it is not helpful for a new recruit to believe that they can or should apply some of his advice without the context of having experience in the field. Some examples listed in the book that stuck out to me are telling new recruits some of the people teaching his academy probably don't deserve their positions or that your peers will lend more support to a more reckless (aggressive) driver than a cautious one.

Lt. Barker's advice is offered with the right intention but I believe it does much more harm than good to someone who brings his ideas/concepts into a career in law enforcement as a new/inexperienced officer.

If you are considering a career in LE and you want to know what to expect I would recommend doing ride a longs and basic research and do not take a veterans words with you into a new career. This WILL cause problems with your new coworkers...

My .02

I borrowed the book from the library and read it in a few hours. The book really brings to light the lax and careless nature that permeates many police departments, and stresses how to avoid becoming like that. I never realized how unserious officers can be in what they take shortcuts to avoid during their job. I hope the author was exagerating a bit, because I think officers need to take their jobs more seriously than most jobs out there. But the book was informative and interesting, and anyone thinking about becoming an officer, like myself, should definitely read this

I responded to an ad in the paper for volunteers to become reserve police officers. In our small town I thought it might be something like Andy and Barnie in Mayberry, but this book helped me to prepare for the interview as well as realizing that things have changed in our society.

Im a not a police officer but a college student looking to become one. I found this book very help on how to look at my self when i do become one of the tmen in blue. It showed that you need to be honest no matter the circumstances you face. it was an easy read for I finished it in couple of hours. This book showed me a view I will need to hold onto for the rest of my career