An Introduction to Policing (Paperback)

by John S. Dempsey (Author), Linda S. Forst (Author) "The word police comes from the Latin word politia, which means "civil administration..." (more)
Key Phrases: police history, crime bill, police practices, United States, New York, Supreme Court (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Written by two professors with extensive real-life experience in all ranks and assignments of policing, this introductory text is ideal for those interested in learning who the police are, what they do, and how they do it. No other text can offer such a current insider's look at what policing means today. With a remarkable blend of solid theory and practice, INTRODUCTION TO POLICING features comprehensive coverage of all major topics, emphasizing today's most current technology, the newest statistical data, and important new directions such as homeland defense and community policing. A "must read" for anyone considering a career in law enforcement, this book gives students straightforward information about the many rewards, and the often intense stress, that are part of police work.

About the Author
John S. Dempsey was a member of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for 24 years. He served in the ranks of police officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. His primary assignments were patrol and investigations. He received seven citations from the Department for meritorious and excellent police duty. After retiring from the NYPD, Mr. Dempsey served until 2003 as Professor of Criminal Justice at Suffolk County Community College where he won the college's prestigious "Who Made a Difference Award" for his teaching and work with students. Currently, Mr. Dempsey serves at the State University of New York – Empire College, where he teaches criminal justice and public administration courses and mentors ranking members of law enforcement and criminal justice agencies. He is also the author of INTRODUCTION TO INVESTIGATIONS, Second Edition. (Wadsworth, 2003). Mr. Dempsey is married with four children and three grandchildren.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 3 edition (July 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 053464290X
• ISBN-13: 978-0534642907
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #591,991 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This textbook stinks..., August 5, 2006

By	navylady (Camp Lejeune NC) - See all my reviews

This book is unorganized, out-of-date, too focused on New York City, and on every other page promotes the authors and their careers...On page 7 they are telling you how much has changed with the computer age, and the internet, and one of the authors tells you he went to grade school and they used quill pens and fountain jars...okay, I didn't need to know that. It was so annoying that by page 14, I was going to submit to them a list of improvements, but it would have been EXTENSIVE! From there on just gritted my teeth and got through it...Good luck! You'll be really tired of the references to the Trade City Bombing, and NYC in general, by the end of it!

5.0 out of 5 stars Disregard "navylady's" review, April 17, 2007

By	CJ Professor (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Policing (Paperback)

The previous review by navylady is of the 3rd edition of this book, and the reviewer makes some very good points about that edition. However, it should not be included here as a review of the 4th edition because all of her gripes about the text are limited to the 3rd edition and these issues are not present in the 4th edition of this text. I teach Introduction to Policing at the university level and I use this book. After looking at many other policing textbooks, I feel this is the most comprehensive and inclusive of all of them. It is a great text for any intro level policing class.