Cop : A True Story [Paperback]

Michael Middleton (Author), Michael L. Middleton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2000

In this brutally honest portrait, Sergeant Michael Middleton--a now-retired veteran of the LAPD--tells the gripping tale of his two decades on some of the America's meanest streets.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Middleton joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1966 and served for 21 years, reaching the rank of sergeant before he retired. His chronicle of his experiences is a top-flight view of police work at the street level, where an officer's death is an ever-present possibility and physical battles with suspects are frequent. Middleton's anecdotal history is grouped into subjects such as heroism, the ``us against them'' police mentality, drugs, gangs and deadly force. He is optimistic about certain aspects of the LAPD, reporting that many of the racist and sexist officers have retired; but he ends on an exceedingly pessimistic note, opining that the 1992 post-Rodney King verdict riots showed that there have been no vast changes in L.A. ghetto life. Middleton provides one of the most dramatic depictions of gritty police work in memory.

Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 2 edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809225409
• ISBN-13: 978-0809225408
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #483,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest, to a fault., June 27, 2004

By 

Richard M. Holbrook (Weatherford, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cop : A True Story (Paperback)

I respect Sergeant Middleton for his apparent honesty, but not for the way he neglected to effect a better police department during his time as a sergeant. I don't recall if I ever met him during my own 30 years on the LAPD, or during the four years I was in charge of trying to transform hundreds of top street police officers into effective supervisors at the LAPD Academy. In that respect I apparently must apologize for that small part I had in it. But if the reader wants to know what the streets of L.A. are like, and to experience in graphic detail the pressures and effects it can have on the proper supervision and guidance of otherwise fine police officers, read Mike's book, particularly the explanation on the effects of the use of deadly force.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest critique from a cop who lived it, February 1, 2004

By 

Christopher Fisher (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cop : A True Story (Paperback)

I found this book informative, interesting, inspiring and worrysome. Middleton is quit honest about the realities of life in the LAPD - the bravery, politics, and racism. The book leaves you inspired by the heroism of some officers and disgusted by the racism and abuse of others. COP takes the reader inside the life of street cops as no other book I've read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book!, January 5, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Cop : A True Story (Paperback)

The stories in this book will knock you out, and some of them will keep you awake at night! It's the most true-to-life portrait I've ever read of what it is like to be a poice officer in a large American city. I loved it.