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4.0 out of 5 stars
Unflinching self-disclosure marks book by wronged cop., May 29, 2003
Raymond Schaffer's autobiographical book is the story of an honest cop who refused to play along with the politically corrupt game in the Broome County, New York sheriff's department ruled (as the author describes him) by a cruel, vindictive and buffoonish sheriff named David Harder. At 554 pages it is a long read, and the real story of Schaffer's journey into agency hell doesn't begin until 200 or so pages in.By then, whether you've read every word or skimmed some of the minutiae I personally would have edited out, you will know Ray Schaffer very, very well. He examines himself with unflinching, even brutal, honesty. His is a journey into the underworld of police and political incompetence. Following the election of a sheriff whose opponent he had supported, he found himself in a department run by incompetent and none-too-bright leaders driven by narcissism and peopled with underlings most of whom are a**-kissing slugs. The author also describes a journey of self-discovery that took him to the brink of a mental breakdown only prevented by timely psychotherapy. In the first half of the book writing is amateurish but not off-putting. But once Schaffer begins to describe his war against the sheriff and his minions a writing transformation takes place. There is a passion and urgency in his prose that the first third of the book lacks. With considerable insight and courage, he describes his thoughts, emotions and even his violent retribution fantasies. Readers unfamiliar with just how rotten a law enforcement agency can become may not believe that such a thing is possible. His story will seem like the rambling of the delusional Alice who falls asleep and dreamed herself in Wonderland ruled by the insane Queen of Hearts. When the Queen commands "off with their heads," no real blood is shed.
The insular worlds of these few law enforcement agencies is all too real. Their monarchs can decide to ruin the lives of their subordinates. I can attest, from my work as a police stress therapist helping honest cops cope with morally bankrupt departments, that while these agencies are thankfully a small minority, they do exist. When Shaffer's enemies pull out all the stops to destroy his career, and truly wallow in the most appalling of gutter tactics to break him down him emotionally and spiritually, the book is hard to put down.
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