The Police Mystique: An Insider's Look at Cops, Crime, and the Criminal Justice System (Paperback)

~ Chief Anthony V. Bouza (Author) "Cops work in a world shrouded with mystery and power, which attracts the attention of civilians in every quarter..." (more)
Key Phrases: unattended problems, organizational message, police executives, New York, Supreme Court, Guardian Angels (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While the ostensible tasks of America's police are controlling street crime, providing emergency services and maintaining traffic safety, their real job is restraining the underclass and preventing it from threatening members of the overclass. So argues Bouza, for 36 years a police officer and official in New York and Minneapolis, in this clear-headed, far-sighted analysis. He notes that the cops' "secret, unmentionable mission" is exercised throughout the country but is regarded as especially vital in the cities, where it runs head-on into racial questions, complicated by the fact that police departments are still largely white and male. Until the overclass faces up to its responsibility for creating the conditions that cause people to become homeless, drug addicted, poor and lawless, the nation's crime problem will continue and probably worsen, Bouza cautions. He sees the future as bleak.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Bouza is a former Commander of Police in the Bronx, the retired Chief of Police in Minneapolis, and the author of two previous books on police administration. Here he discusses police culture, agencies, and organization; the nature of criminals and how to control them; and the future of criminal justice. While he feels a well-functioning police system is necessary to combat crime, Bouza also sees the solution to the crime problem as closely linked to the improvement of the life of the underclass. Bouza is an interesting, sympathetic, and independent thinker who expresses some surprising views--for instance, that Supreme Court decisions on defendants' rights can serve to professionalize the police. While there is a bibliography, footnotes also would have been welcome. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries.
- Mary Jane Brustman, SUNY at Albany Libs.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Perseus Publishing (August 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738205834
• ISBN-13: 978-0738205830
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,766,065 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)