Customer Reviews

Police, Politics, Corruption: The Mixture Dangerous to Freedom and Justice

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After 25 years in law enforcement I know whereof Col. McKetta speaks in his book. The general public is woefully unaware of what goes on in the political sphere regarding police and the exposures by Col. McKetta of past history in this area as well as more recent situations, personal and public media facts, is something to ponder for anywone interested in such matters. I was especially intrigued by his personal story about the gambling and racketeering involvement of the Allegheny County District Attorney and his attempt to use politics to quash State Police efforts in that area. The more recent questions that McKetta brought up about recent Governors in their relation to the police situtation suggests that perehaps the solutions he offers at the end of his book should be recognized as being feasible to correct a serious problem.

Frank McKetta, a former Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Commissioner,writes of the department he once headed. While much of the book relates past events in which the author does not have direct knowledge or participation, it is fascinating to read an expose researched and written by the person who was at the top of the organization. It is clear Colonel McKeeta deeply cares about the proper roles police should have.
Colonel McKetta is especially critical of local police departments throughout Pennsylvania history. He notes that local politicians determine police budgets, hire Police Chiefs, and decide which laws should be enacted and guide the degree to which existing laws should be enforced. What results are highly politicized police forces that are sharply influenced by local leaders. Unfortunately, criminals have learned to become forces within local politics and then guide police investigations and enforcement away from areas they don't want the police to notice.
Decades ago, it was official state policy that PSP officers could not investigate local crimes. Thus, gamblers and racketeers operated in parts of Pennsylvania with the local police in their pockets and without fearing the PSP. In the 1960s, Reading, Penna. hosted the largest gambling operation east of Las Vegas, according to the author. The PSP had its own problems, as Colonel McKetta claims several people achieved leading PSP positions with sponsorships from politicans with organized crime connections.
The author describes his efforts to clean up the PSP. By informing state legislators of his efforts, they turned deaf ears to politicans who argued for continuing to keep the PSP out of investigations in their political areas. The PSP thus was able to make significant progress in destroying racketeering operations, according to the author. This book provides great descriptions into how these changes were achieved. Students of state and local politics and of Pennsylvania history should find this book exceptionally useful.