I would like to share comments and thoughts on books about Criminal Justice and Policing.
If you have a book or an article that you think is a "Must Read" for the Criminal Justice or Policing professional please tell me about. Email me at contact@futureofpolicing.com. Tell me the title and author of the book or article. Include a description as to why the book or article is useful. Information on how to get the book would also be very helpful. Great booksI thought LEN was the "Wall Street Journal" of Policing. It was a shame when it ended publication after 25 years. You can still access the archives at the link above. It would be nice if someone would fill the void left by this paper. The Crime Fighter: How You Can Make Your Community Crime Free. By: Jack Maple This is one of the Best Criminal Justice/Policing books that I have ever read. Jack Maple was one of the policing "Rat Pack". This book demonstrated practical application of Crime Prevention concepts. While this is not a "pure" Criminal Justice book, it does show how concepts like "Broken Windows" can be sucessfully applied in the real world of policing. The Turnaround: How America's Top Cop Reversed the Crime Epidemic by William Bratton and Peter Knobler Bratton was the leader of the New York City “Rat Pack”. It is very impressive to see what Bratton, Timoney, and Maple have done after leaving New York City. If you want to see theory in action you have to read Turnaround and Crime Fighter. From a Criminal Justice standpoint these books show what can be accomplished when people with a common goal, hard work, and a great understanding of theory work together.
Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order And Reducing Crime In Our Communities. By George L. Kelling and Catherine M. Coles Broken Window is one of the most important theories for crime prevention. This book along with the Atlantic Monthly article "Broken Windows: The police and neighborhood safety". (By James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling) is a must read.
Problem Oriented Policing. By: Herman Goldstein
The New Blue Line. By: Jerome Skolnick and David Bayley
Problem Solving: Problem-Oriented Policing in Newport News By: John Eck and William Spelman with others, 1987 Problem Solving: Problem-Oriented Policing in Newport News remains one of the only publications available on how problem-oriented policing was first implemented on the local level. This book shows how the police in Newport News, Va., implemented problem-oriented policing by focusing on resolving problems that led to crimes, as well as on the public's dissatisfaction with its safety. This book contains probably the best guide for problem solving. It is a classic and to this day still very good. For $16 from PERF it is an essential book for your library.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't. By: Jim Collins This is a excellent book on how to make companies sucessful. This is not specifically written for police, but it's concepts can be applied to policing. Since the time this book was written Collins added a monograph which applies to public entities. In 2007 "Good to Great Policing" was published which used the concepts from Collins. I did not read it yet.
The Vision of the Anointed. By Thomas Sowell This is a Great book. Limited use directly with policing. A key point is how "the anointed" defines issues and addresses them. This books makes you wonder who you can believe. Thank you to my old partner "Grabber" |