Crusader: The Hell-Raising Police Career of Detective David Durk [Hardcover]

James Lardner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 1996

As soon as he joined the force, David Durk discovered the New York City Police Department rife with corruption--from routine gambling payoffs to cops dealing drugs. Along with Frank Serpico, he devised and executed a plan to blow the whistle and rid the department of the bad cops, sacrificing his career and financial security.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When David Durk joined the New York City Police Department in 1963, he found an organization with its own set of rules, where bribery and payoffs were routine and no one wanted to be disturbed. Durk set out to fix the whole mess. For 22 years, until he was forced to retire at age 51, he was a thorn in the side of mayors, police commissioners, commanders, sergeants, and beat cops alike. His crusading led to an investigation into police corruption in the 1970s by the Knapp Commission (credit for which usually goes to Frank Serpico) and more recently, the Mollen Commission.

From Publishers Weekly

David Durk, an Amherst graduate who had also spent a year studying law, joined the New York City Police Department in 1963. He was shocked and angered by what he found there: officers who had chosen police careers on idealistic grounds had learned to conform to the prevailing cynical attitude in the department because many of their superiors were dishonest, timid, lazy or all of these. Working with the later famous Frank Serpico, he gathered evidence against the department; they got nowhere until in 1968 they enlisted the interest of the New York Times, whose exposes resulted in the setting up of the Knapp Commission in 1971, which uncovered corruption in the NYPD. As a whistle-blower, Durk became persona non grata and was transferred into the finance department, where he unearthed potential scandals that were never exposed. Still regarded as a troublemaker, he retired in 1985. Lardner (Fast Forward), a former police officer in the District of Columbia, sees Durk as a hero, a commendation with which readers of this rousing volume will agree.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 389 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1 edition (April 2, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394576489
• ISBN-13: 978-0394576480
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,774,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The True Story of How The Corrupt Lid Got Blown Off The NYPD, May 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Crusader: The Hell-Raising Police Career of Detective David Durk (Hardcover)

David Durk did not fit in the NYPD of the sixties and seventies from the start. A tall, wiry, Jewish college graduate-- it never quite seemed that Durk was going to be a typical cop; and he wasn't. Durk was to be a true Crusader, along with his acolyte and friend, Patrolman Frank Serpico, Durk the Idealist would go on to expose the massive amounts of corruption that lay undisturbed, rife within the NYPD. Durk's obsessive love of the truth and his equally obsessive love of policing led these dramatic changes. The NYPD is less corrupt today than it was thirty years ago, and we have David Durk to thank for that. This book retells, in startling detail, the methods which Durk employed to achieve his goal; to rid the NYPD of corruption.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring story of one man's search for justice, October 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Crusader: The Hell-Raising Police Career of Detective David Durk (Hardcover)

David Durk is a crusader in the best and worse sense of the word. He relentlessly fought for justice, despite the apathy and corruption of the New York City Police Department. For his noble efforts, he was rewarded with a partial pension, a long list of powerful enemies and an exile in upstate New York. It is a travesty that someone who devotes his life to helping people would receieve such horrible treatment himself. This book made me angry and sad but also hopeful that someone like David Durk exists to fight the system. I hope one day he wins out.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful book, extremely well written, David Durk inspiring!, June 8, 2009

By 

Suzannah B. Troy "artist/writer/youtube Mayor... (New York City, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Crusader: The Hell-Raising Police Career of Detective David Durk (Hardcover)

Powerfully written book by James Lardner that makes the film "Serpico" fall flat because the immense complexity of the story which was bigger than police corruption although Durk could not get the Knapp Commission to investigate corruption beyond the police and there was plenty. What is unique about this book is how much David loved the NYPD. The dept. often turned it's back on great talent, not just rebel rousers like Durk.

David Durk's father was an eye surgeon who felt compelled to do community doctoring in Harlem, often being robbed, so much so he started carrying his medical equipment in a paper bag. He never called the police. Davd joined the NYPD after graduating Amherst College and studying law at Columbia University where he met his future wife Arlene. Serpico and he inevitably meet and form an alliance although their paths are different and there was no doubt both had to worry for their safety but as most people know Serpico did take a bullet to the face and had to leave the country. There are a lot of grey tones filled with compassion in this book except for tolerating corruption but sometimes David even found gentle ways to discourage cops and ultimately liberate them by just doing the math for them and proving it wasn't worth it. David wanted to make change and to do so from within the system. There were honest police officers, very impressive people, some in senior positions that would literally go out on the street to work with Serpico and Durk. Capt. Paul Delise worked with David on surveilling Gigante which even involved David using the faculty room at NYU Law School which I particularly enjoyed including David having a conversation with a law professor that had me smiling. Capt. Delise grew up in the Bronx and his mother made a strong impression on him pointing out a cop that might help himself to a piece of fruit in the market. The depression was a big factor in him joining the NYPD and he remained an honest cop retiring a Deputy Chief and with the help of a beautiful undercover woman officer named Anne King, they did arrest Gigante. I can't put this book down but I do because I don't want to finish it. I am reading it now because I am so frustrated and angry with what feels like corruption in NYC politics so it is fascinating to read the NYC politics that were the landscape at the time. I am also in awe of an old man that approaches David for help because he loves his son so much and his son is not following his abilities but a drug dealer down the path of destruction. A civilian coming forward the way this man did was unbelievably brave, exhibited unbelievable love for his son, so for the officers that got it right and brave civilians like this loving Dad are a few examples of why I am very moved. Sad note is do to corruption and the way the dept. was run it took David going to the media yet again after the Knapp Commission to get the dept. to follow thru on the old man's lead and even than officers attempted to say the old man was a dealer and he was not. It turned out to be a big win but too late to save the heroic old man's son. The politics at city hall are a back drop that fascinates and so much stated than is true now except it things have gotten far worse. There is even the same anger about spending a fortune to build Yankee Stadium in contrast to the lack of support the city gave the NYPD, true and even more so now but I would add teachers, after school programs. etc. The stories in this book are so complicated and intense especially when he goes to work at City Hall and again right now there are SLA investigations going on, Morgenthau let off a powerful Goldman Sachs exec who was confused about the need to pay taxes on art he shipped, my point is a lot of the same is still going on but much less is the NYPD which may be it's smallest in number ever with NYC's population the highest although the NYPD receives little support from mayor Bloomberg. This book was a powerful read and there is so much I could talk about like even a gutsy dynamic Det. Lanzano who left because as usual at the time the NYPD did not know how to keep it's talent and he and his wife were and are superstars who had six children of their own but were also "shelter parents" who took in abused and disturbed children refusing to allow a girl with cerebral palsy to be institutionalized in a notorious institution but kept her as their own child and got her special ed where miracalously she learne dot communicate with a visual-identification device. No you are not reading a book called "Serpico". You get there were always honest cops that cared deeply and you understood the dept. was afraid of David Durk because he ran to the press but if he didn't nothing would have changed. Even The French Connection was a much bigger story and this book is worth the read. I have admiration for David Durk and his family. James Lardner is such an excellent writer I have to remind myself he is the author and this is not an autobiography...I ask "Is Democracy for Sale?" Jack Newfield and Wayne Barrett wrote is" City Hall for sale?" re: Koch as "campaign contributors got tax abatements and zoning changes to block the heavens" page 317 Jim Breslin quote a stand out as well.