Signal Zero [Hardcover]

George Kirkham (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: J. B. Lippincott Company; First Edition edition (January 1, 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0397011288
• ISBN-13: 978-0397011285
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,163,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How True It Is, April 9, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Jacksonville, Fl) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Signal Zero (Paperback)

I am a Police Officer from the same department that the author worked for. Though this book was written some time ago, it still holds true today. If you ever wonder why police officers are how they are, read this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Signal Zero - A Police Classic, December 4, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Metro NYC Area USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Signal Zero (Paperback)

In my 20-years as a law enforcement officer, and 18 years of (simultaneous) college studies, I found Dr. George L. Kirkham's story to be one of the most intriguing, interesting, and accurate police stories. It is now a classic in police and criminal justice literature. This is a true story in which Dr. Kirkham, a college professor, becomes a street cop in a tough South Florida city (on a sabbatical from teaching). The reader will learn firsthand the changes - the metamorphosis - that Dr. Kirkham goes through. Would this happen to most any person who becomes a police officer? He describes a tough job, that sees American society often at it's worst. Kirkham learns that police theory and actual police practices are often far apart. (A short vignette of the story appeared as an article entitled "Street Lessons" by George L. Kirkham PhD, in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, March 1974, pp. 14-22). This story is required reading in all my Introduction to Criminal Justice classes.

Professor John Hill - Criminal Justice (retired street cop)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Facinating Reading, February 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Signal Zero (Paperback)

I read this book in 1977 and have never forgotten how I could not put it down. It is a look at police work from both sides of the table. It makes you think and re-think your ideas about police officers. My question when I finished reading this work was ... Do people develop a certain mind set and personality because of the occupation or are they drawn into this job because they are of that mind set and personality. This book provokes much thought.