I am a die hard police abolitionist (and yes, we can live without police, they've only been around since 1838. We're just stuck in one place mentally as a society. Don't get me started.), but I'm also reasonable enough to know that you have to build and reform an existent system until it either replaces itself with something better or there is a substitute ready to step in after its decline. We cannot live happily in a police vacuum, nor in a police state. During this transition period, however, there are some FANTASTIC ideas in this book.

The first great idea discussed is procedural justice. Basically, cops stop being dicks and start treating humans as humans. It's a lot more elaborate than that, but it works for Stockton, CA and it should be common sense to apply it in all law enforcement agencies.

The second idea is community intervention. Police respond to police things while there are community organizations that deal with issues better left out of police control. Drug issues, mental health crises, assisting the homeless, anything that can be solved by restorative justice practices, and especially prurient to my life, juvenile justice. Why are we letting police send our children to jail when a swift kick in the proverbial pants by a mentor or guiding figure could set them on a better long-term course? It's madness.

The finally idea, and possibly the best one for quick and efficient rollout, is increased training. And I don't mean put your judgmental racist ass in a chair and doodle while someone "rattles on" about how you're a judgmental racist. I mean literally sit there, learn from someone, and make sure it is being applied in department policy and procedures with the risk of punitive measures or termination if it is not applied. We cannot let cops continue to get away with everything--by creating trainings for implicit bias, de-escalation, and non-violent control measures AND IMPLEMENTING THEM THOROUGHLY, we can change the face of policing until it is time to fully orchestrate a societal switch from punitive policing to one of community minded alternatives.

While I occasionally found this book apologist, which didn't set right, and the conclusion implied that none of us can see a USA without policing (au contraire, there are literally entire national organizations spearheading a movement towards abolition. We do NOT all agree that police should continue to exist.), he does indicate actual problems that need dealt with and did a fastidious amount of research to offer suggested fixes. I can respect that and get behind that. Finally, I found the personal stories of various cops to be occasionally long-winded, but I see what he was trying to achieve and I can give it a pass. I would have preferred more tangible suggestions over stories about the good old days, but if it gets people to relate to the concepts better, go the story route.

Thought provoking but also maddening - why aren’t more doing this? Sometimes reading about success is hard when you see so many around you not taking steps necessary to do better

Thank you to the author and publisher for the advance reader copy - this has not influenced my review.

Summary: This book follows three police departments after their police chiefs make a big decision: to replace aggressive policing practices with something better. By adopting models that focused on preservation of life, equity in the eyes of the law, social responsibility, and racial reconciliation, these police departments are trying to change the culture around their police departments. This book provides an insight into this process by following the chiefs, detectives, and officers of these departments.

Review: For transparency's sake, I am a Ph.D. student with a focus in Criminal Justice Policy. Because of this, I was really, really interested in this book, while also preparing myself to be potentially let down. That was not the case at all. This book provided an honest, raw, heartbreaking, and uplifting insight into these three police departments. Anyone interested in the future of policing should read this book.