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A review by direja
The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America's Law Enforcement by Matthew Horace, Ron Harris
3.0
I would give this book 3.5 stars if allowed but couldn’t quite get myself to err on the side of 4 stars.
I kept looking for an acknowledgement of responsibility for law enforcement’s violent and racist internal culture but that really came only in the epilogue and in one passively written sentence at that.
The author offers stories of police brutality along with what feel like defensive justifications as explanations by saying police aren’t equipped to handle mental health issues or the systemic racism that society brings to the table. As if police departments are bound by society’s biases, incapable of creating their own culture of growth and accountability. Society plays its role, yes. And so does police culture. No one in America can escape culpability for our systemic racist policies and practices.
I also expected some ideas from the author (former career police officer and a criminal analyst for network cable shows) on a path forward. I think the author could have gone at least one chapter deeper to lay out some specifics of how PDs might improve community relations and create institutional change toward developing an anti racist culture within law enforcement agencies. He touches on some of his ideas but never fully fleshes them out or puts them together in a clear format.
All that said, this was a good primer for me to better understand how things work in (at least some) PDs. I’ll be thinking about how I can do better and promote better policies and practices as I move forward in my social work career.
I kept looking for an acknowledgement of responsibility for law enforcement’s violent and racist internal culture but that really came only in the epilogue and in one passively written sentence at that.
The author offers stories of police brutality along with what feel like defensive justifications as explanations by saying police aren’t equipped to handle mental health issues or the systemic racism that society brings to the table. As if police departments are bound by society’s biases, incapable of creating their own culture of growth and accountability. Society plays its role, yes. And so does police culture. No one in America can escape culpability for our systemic racist policies and practices.
I also expected some ideas from the author (former career police officer and a criminal analyst for network cable shows) on a path forward. I think the author could have gone at least one chapter deeper to lay out some specifics of how PDs might improve community relations and create institutional change toward developing an anti racist culture within law enforcement agencies. He touches on some of his ideas but never fully fleshes them out or puts them together in a clear format.
All that said, this was a good primer for me to better understand how things work in (at least some) PDs. I’ll be thinking about how I can do better and promote better policies and practices as I move forward in my social work career.