Customer Reviews

One Time : The Story of a South Central Los Angeles Police Officer

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book was very dissapointing. It is full of spelling errors and is generally a badly planned and written book. One interesting error is when the author talks about his gun sites (sights.) Being a police officer myself I find this to be an amusing error. I think I would not suggest spending money on it unless you need some bathroom reading.

I read the book One Time with great appreciation and admiration for the young officer who worked in the inner city and for minority officers. The book depicts the inner most feelings of what it is like being an officer in Los Angeles. Law enforcement is sometimes frustrating, demamding, stressful and rewarding, which Mr. Bentley sucessfully displayed. The book also gave us a sample of how they are precieved and treated by the commnity and each other. It is unfortunate that this young, eager, and educated man was not allowed to be the kind of officer that he initally wanted to be, and to make a differnce in his commnity. Because of the prejudices, bureaucracy, politics and unethnical behaviors within the department,there will be many officers like Mr. Bentley who will be burned out by the system.

I recommend this book to all potental police officers and their families. A must read book!

I very much enjoyed reading this book. It was very easy reading and went very quickly. While the author had some very interesting stories to tell, however, I think the publisher did him wrong for publishing it as is. There are a lot of editing mistakes and typos within the context that at times can make it somewhat difficult to follow. However, despite these mistakes, I highly recommend the book to anyone who is interested in law enforcement, especially in L.A. I'm sure it would be an eye opener. I never realized how violent a city L.A. could be.

Interesting book with real life drama and tells sories most cops are brainwashed not to tell! The author deserves respect from the black community and beyond for his style and heart to challenge the LAPD and the gangs from the mean streets of West and South Central Los Angeles.

Having grown up in S/C LA and also a retired Police Officer, this book give you the real world experience. This book will take you from one extreme to the other. You will laugh, cry and be very afraid. Because it is all so very true. Somebody needs to make this into a movie, Quick. Oprah needs to read this book

I was hopeful of reading a well-written, factual "Cop" book based on a black officer's perspective; it certainly had potential. I was sorely disappointed, both in the author and his book.

I'm an ex-cop (retired in 1999) with over 25 years street experience, including 5 officer-involved shootings [3 fatal] and well over 1500 solid felony arrests. I've worked the streets long enough to smell fiction over fact, and this book smells like garbage to me.

If you want to read a cheap novel skewed with a wild imagination, go ahead and buy it. I gave it two chapters before I threw it away.

I was amazed at how open and honest the author was about the emotions he experienced while patrolling the neighborhood he loved. My father was a police officer who died at an early age from job related stress and alcoholism. He never opened up. One Time allowed me to see the world my father would not reveal to his family.

One Time is a hardcore and realistic look at the police. The author's writing style kept me interested and I am not a big reader. Since reading the book, I now look at police officers differently.

One Time is an excellent account of the life of a young African American on the LAPD force. Reading the book, you feel like you are on patrol with officer Bentley. You feel the rush of the chase of a dangerous suspect and the excitement of the arrest. But you also feel the pain of Bentley's disappointment of not being able to bring about the change in his community he was so desparately seeking when he joined the force eight years ago.

The book would make a fascinating movie.

I have read One Time and would like to express my approval for the author openly and honestly confirming what takes place on the streets of Los Angeles between minorities and police officers. The actual events that minorities have been complaining about for years has finally come to life--from the eyes of a police officer himself. I am very appreciative of the fact that Mr. Bentley decided to share his experiences on the force with the public. I hope the information contained in the book will be used to take a look at the unjustices and unfair practices people of minority descent have endured for years from LAPD.