Customer Reviews

One Tough Cop: The Bo Dietl Story

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

 

 

At best, Bo is the funniest cop since Stallone in Cobra. At worst, he demeans our profession by painting us as loutish brutes who shrink at the sight of his midget ass. Bo Dietl is no representative of policemen. He is an embarrassment. We actually aren't scared of bad guys, we love our families, and when we take the Job we tend to relinquish our ties to ORGANIZED CRIME. Bo has done nothing that every other cop who wears the badge hasn't done before, He only loves telling you about it, be it fiction or fantasy. The latter mostly. But, If you want to laugh harder than you have in your life, read this idiot's autobiography, it will kill you

Although I do believe that Mr Dietl was a very brave and successful police officer in no way can all of his story be accepted as factual. A number of the confrontations that occured, ie taking on four individuals, is far fetched. Having grown up in a tough neighborhood in New York I have first hand knowledge of how tough the streets can be, sorry, no way some of these incidents occured as reported. Taken as part fantsy and ego building for Mr Dietl, the book is not bad, taken as true fact - don't think so.

Ah glory days, how they do pass one by... Sadly, Mr. Dietl cannot come to grips with the end of a career so highly embellished and exaggerated that it comes off as a combination of " The Naked Gun " and " Dirty Harry "

Having seen Mr. Dietl on several television talk shows, I am not surprised at the boorish, yet self serving environment in this " book". Mr. Dietl dishonors the police profession, not by his actions on the job, but his behavior after leaving it and this publication is a perfect example.

For shame, Bo--grow up and face reality. Tell your highly dubious tales on a barstool while drinking some cheap blended whiskey and a Schaefer back. Let the real cops live in peace.

The third bandit, the one with the gun, had turned and was running back up the street, past the spot where Bo lay in a heap. He didn't see Bo. Bo waited until he was on him, then jumped up. "Hey, ass....!" he cried. The man turned and had a gun pointed directly at Bo's belly. Bo had his gun out, too, but this called for something else. He leaned back and hit the bandit with a roundhouse to the jaw. The bad guy went down, dropping his gun. Bo fell. He was a mess, too. The bad guy got up and tried to kick Bo. But Bo was to quick....


Here's another story of Bo's exploits: I could hear Tommy pounding on the door, trying to get in, and I figured that I might need help with this one. So I edged around and managed to open the door. The gorilla meanwhile is going for the window. So I tackle him. He kicked me hard in the gut and we both come up facing each other. He's got his gun and it's pointing at my crotch. I got my gun out,too, but this looks to me like a standoff. I am calmly saying, "Put the gun down, man. Please don't make me shoot you." The gorrila is screaming at me in Spanish.....I looked past him like there's someone on the fire-escape, and yell, "No, don't!" The guy fliched. Had to. It's the oldest trick that there is, but there's no man alive who will not flinch. He looked away for a second. Not even, but that's all it takes. Then I kicked him and knocked the gun out of his hand.


In another scene while chasing a bad guy up a flight of stairs inside a tenement building, the bad guys turns around, gun in hand, ponting the gun at Bo. Bo holds his fire. The perp does not fire but continues up the stairs. Bo puts his gun into his waistband and goes after him. The perp runs into another cop coming down the stairs, pointing his gun at the cop. There's a struggle as One Tough Cop arrives to save the day, once again going mano-a-mano, and kicking the gun out of the bad guy's hand.


I am not saying this guy was not a good cop: he was. But why be such a braggadocio, bloviating, showboating, and a one man army. He never served in the military, so our country sure missed having another Vietnam hero, or better yet, Rambo. Do you expect me to believe all this mano-a-mano with bad boys threatening Bo with guns as if he were Bruce Lee. Gee, even Bruce Lee if he had a gun would have shot these bad boys. He should have given more credit to other cops he worked with not just his partner, who as I read seemed to be a lost puppy with a drinking and gambling problem, and worse, thinking he was a real cowboy. Talk about PTSD.


In the end Bo Dietl suffers an ankle injury while skydiving. He does not write about how he injured his ankle which lets the reader think it was probably another mano-a-mano combat confrontation. With close to 15-years on the job and feeling unloved by the NYPD, a job he so dearly loved, he decides to retire and get his pension, rather than get stuck doing paper work for the rest of his police career. He befriends a rich Arab Shiek who makes him an offer he cannot refuse, and Bo goes to work for the Saudis, buying war equipment,uniforms, and what have you. After making the right connections and meeting people of influnce and power, he decided to start his own security company


If you want to see his movie which is more bloviating and showboating than his book, and where Bo really goes Hollywood, shooting his gun and making love to his best friend's former girlfriend, then check it out.


One tough cop or a legend in his own mind? You decide.



-Joe Sanchez Picon, co-author with Mo Dhania "Latin Blues" & "True Blue: A tale of the enemy within"

I will say upfront that Dietl does do a lot of bragging and talks very highly of himself and his career. There is no sense of humility from him or in his book, for this reason I wanted to put it down and read something else. Everybody wants to read inspiring stories of someone else's struggles and triumps, it makes us seem more human and gives hope, we just want the writer to show a bit of humility in the story. With that said here is why I gave this a 5 rating.

This guy even though he brags about his accomplishments comes off as a very likable guy, with a great sense of humor. He seemed to have a sense of fairness to him that most cops don't have. The fact that this guy has over 1500 felony arrests, in half the length of the average career (120 being the average felony arrests within a normal career), without ever firing a shot, tells you a lot about the guy. This guy put his life on the line many times so he didn't have to take someone else's. It easy to use deadly force when someones trying to kill you, its justifiable, its much more harder not to kill. After reading this and coming to respect him as a man and cop. I eased up on thinking this guy is full of himself and found the book to be a great story that was very funny as well. I can see why people like this guy, I can see why he is successful. He doesn't take crap from anyone but isn't a jerk either.

I highly recommend reading this book. It is nothing at all like the movie, which is so far from the truth. Don't get caught up in his big headiness, its a good book and its funny. At the end of the book you'll like this guy as if he was a friend. He is a good bar room story teller.

I became interested in knowing the story behind the story about Bo Dietl from his appearances on "Imus in the Morning." Bo impressed me as a witty, a tough guy and a shrewd businessman from these appearances. In reading his book (true, a tad one sided and self promoting - but, my biography and yours would be also), it becomes apparent that Bo is a "tough guy" who has paid his dues and a guy I wouldn't mind sitting at a bar with and listening to some of these stories direct from the man himself. And, I would buy....Pick up this book, sit back enjoy and appreciate a guy who has paid his dues told in a way that is entertaining.

Richard Bo Dietl has all those people that were never cops believing that he was the baddest of the baddest, when it came to police work. ... Unlike true hero cops like Frank Serpico, Bo has never been for the underdog as he wrote in his book. ...Having fired your gun in the line of duty does not make you a better cop. But Mr.Dietl knew that it would make a better cop story, and went along with the Hollywood boys, fooling the public to believe he was one tough cop. ...I'm not saying he was not a good cop, I'm just saying he is just a bit full of [explicit]"Bragadocio Bo" is what they should have called his book and movie.

I read the book a few years ago. How can so many detractors here call the book "boastful"? If you did it, it ain't braggin'. It's Bo Dietl, the one-time NYPD arm-wrestling champ, talking about his career as a tough, dedicated beat cop. If a tough, dedicated cop wrote a memoir, what would you expect it to be like?

If you like "true cop" stories, you won't be disappointed. It's a good, inside look at the part of society most of us are fortunate enough not to see. Not only does Bo fight the dregs of society, but departmental indifference, favortism, mild corruption, organizatonal culture, etc.

And, yes, there are some funny parts.

Jack Maple's book "Crime Fighter" is my favorite NYPD book and at the back is a list, "A Canon for Crime-Free Communities" which I xeroxed and handed it in to the precinct and mailed to One Police Plaza but I won't be doing the same with this book because Bo Dietl strategies were clearly effective, um but I think they broke the mold; not to be duplicated. He is heroic with 15 hundred felony arrests, integral to solving high profile cases and he never actually had to shot someone with his gun. He went out of his way to not shot criminals which is pretty amazing.

The book is an adrenaline rush and I plowed through because I just wanted to know the ending. I won't see the movie because I don't imagine it will be as good as the book with the exception of Chris Penn. I do believe it takes guts and courage to be a decoy as he describes in the streets of NYC especially than but anytime. He clearly loves the NYPD although it didn't always seem mutual. The scene describing his retirement is anticlimactic and some how unforgettable considering the high volume of the book..the only sound being the gum chewing of the woman that takes his badge and papers and never even looks up at him. NYC is a tough town. I always say for the NYPD officers that get it right there has got to be a special place in Heaven.

I read this book when it first came out. I have never had the honor of meeting Bo, but feel that I know him from reading his work. During his career and afterwards he has dedicated his life to serve above and beyond of what is required.Any interested citizen should read this book, which gives a tremendous account of the life of a police officer on a day to day basis on the streets and back alleys of one of largest cities in the world, where many races and nationalities interact at work and play. The politics of an organization is observed between the lines and the pressure from top to bottom can be experienced during the reading. I recommend this book for anyone, with an emphasis for the new police rookie on the street, whether on foot patrol or in a cruiser. Bo was out there where the job counts. With the people is where the job truly is. Many police officers have given the surpreme sacrifice for their public. Bo as I previously indicated went that extra mile. A good tough cop with a down deep gentle manner for mankind. Here is a police officer that WOULD MAKE AN oustanding partner on any patrol ..