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Rating: 
Summary: Guaranteed "A" in a Test if you read the book..., or not?
Review: Beyond the fact that every student who takes a class from Joan Barker agrees that she is a goddess, this book is extremely informative and should be given to any person that wants to begin a career as a cop or wants to understand this subculture enriching their own lives. Because this book is used also as a text for her cultural anthopology students, it also gives an brief understanding field work as an anthropologist. I highly reccomend this book as a way for anyone who has not had the privilage of taking her class to be able to be that much closer to this amazing woman.
Rating: 
Summary: RIGHT ON THE MONEY LOOK AT LAPD!!
Review: I have a friend who is a retired LAPD Officer of 27 years. I have know him for a little over a year and he is a wonderful person with a great outlook on life. I bought this book to get a better idea of what he went through while he was with the Los Angeles Police Department. He is now an officer with another, extremely small, police department after taking a few years off from police work. I read this book over a couple of days while on vacation and it was quite enjoyable. I discussed the book and its contents with my retired LAPD friend and it was amazing how accurate the book was when compared with my friend's recollections of the department and its subculture. Speaking with him was, at times, almost like hearing excerpts form the book! He told some of his memories about the way a lot officers look at things after spending a few years on the force and it matched up exactly like the author's work. If you want a look inside the LAPD subculture, this book would be a great way to start with having to make the trip to Los Angeles and spending time at the department. It would also give you a very accurate look at what police officers in LAPD go though on a daily basis. This book gave me a new respect for my friend and for all of those men and women who have honorably worn the badge of the Los Angeles Police Department. My reading this book also gave my friend a new respect for me because I took the time to learn and understand what he and other LAPD Officers have gone through while on the job. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book for those on the job or considering it
Review: I have been a police officer for over 10 years with a large department in northern california. I have seen the good, bad and ugly. I look back now and I can see how my personality and attitude has changed towards this profession.I read this book in two days. I was reading the chapter called hitting the wall and I had to stop because it was describing me to the number. I read other chapters that fit other officers personalities and I read how our personalities change with time, and the things that happen to us. I passed the book onto my partner, who is not known to be a reader of anything besides the sports page and he also loved the book and finished it in a week. Good book if you are considering this as a profession.
Rating:
Summary: LAPD
Review: I have been a police officer in Northern California for 15 years. I started out young and idealistic. Throughout my career I have gone through different stages and I have seen other officers go through these stages. I was given this book by a coworker and I read it on my weekend off. I totally saw myself in this book and others I work with and others who are now gone. The one chapter hitting the wall was the most interesting because that period was the most difficult for me in my career and like in the book I sought outside resources to save myself, mainly my family, promotion and finishing my college education. If I had stayed in that rut of hitting the wall I most likely would have quit the job all together because i was burned out. I encourage anyone who really wants to understand the job and what it can do over a period of time to read this book and those others can read it to think what is going on in the mind of that officer as you see him pulling someone over in the middle of the nite.
Rating:
Summary: LAPD
Review: I have been a police officer in Northern California for 15 years. I started out young and idealistic. Throughout my career I have gone through different stages and I have seen other officers go through these stages. I was given this book by a coworker and I read it on my weekend off. I totally saw myself in this book and others I work with and others who are now gone. The one chapter hitting the wall was the most interesting because that period was the most difficult for me in my career and like in the book I sought outside resources to save myself, mainly my family, promotion and finishing my college education. If I had stayed in that rut of hitting the wall I most likely would have quit the job all together because i was burned out. I encourage anyone who really wants to understand the job and what it can do over a period of time to read this book and those others can read it to think what is going on in the mind of that officer as you see him pulling someone over in the middle of the nite.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for the L.A. community, and LAPD management!
Review: I just read this 228-page book in about two days, and I would consider this book a must read for anyone thinking about entering the career path of law enforcement in a large municipal agency. Although this book talks about what is like being a Los Angeles Police officer from the point of view of the individual officers themselves, many of the experiences and stages of their careers are probably similar to that of officers in other large agencies. The book is the work of an anthropologist and based on research that began in 1976 and went on for approximately 21 years. In analyzing and studying the LAPD police culture, the author unwittingly pin-pointed many of the causes of the problems endemic within the LAPD today. The interviews with some of the officers also reveal the pride they have in being a police officer, above and beyond all the negatives with which they are bombarded on a daily basis. The book identifies all aspects of an officer's career beginning with the recruit phase and ending with retirement. I don't think I have ever found such a detailed and all-encompassing chronological study of any career. This book should be read by all LAPD officers, young and old, LAPD management, Los Angeles city political leaders, members of the criminal justice system, and most importantly, by the citizens of Los Angeles. The citizens of Los Angeles would really get an inside view about what makes their officers tick and how they think. We, as LAPD officers are always asked to be sensitive to the community and we are sent to dozens of cultural awareness classes and given sensitivity training on an annual basis. The very least we could ask is that members of the public also take time to find out a little about us, and what makes us what we are when you see us in uniform. That's not too much to ask. The only regret I have is that I didn't find this book sooner, because by reading it I've identified some issues that are particular to me at this stage in my career. I will be in the process of addressing them soon, which will improve my view of the job. Thanks, Joan.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant exploration of the world of the LAPD
Review: Joan Barker has taken her anthropologist eye and given us all a peek into the world of the Los Angeles Police Department. For those of us who are non-professionals but curious about the world we inhabit, this book satisfies that curiosity. I, for one, have often wondered about the true nature of the police department. Who are the men and women doing this difficult, and often thankless, job? Read this worldview of the LAPD and find out. This ethnography is a fascinating and scholarly work.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant exploration of the world of the LAPD
Review: Joan Barker has taken her anthropologist eye and given us all a peek into the world of the Los Angeles Police Department. For those of us who are non-professionals but curious about the world we inhabit, this book satisfies that curiosity. I, for one, have often wondered about the true nature of the police department. Who are the men and women doing this difficult, and often thankless, job? Read this worldview of the LAPD and find out. This ethnography is a fascinating and scholarly work.
Rating: 
Summary: We need a fair balance of theory and practice...
Review: Sociologic insights are important in understanding the nature of policing and how officers are viewed. This book is a good resource for criminal justice students and scholars. Women in policing face worldwide stereotypes in addition to the day-to-day struggles of working within our criminal justice system. Fortunately for society, a growing number are succeeding - even in the face of a still discriminatory system. The more we understand how society views officers, men and women - and the more we understand their own struggles and disappointments - the more we can do to create a stronger and better system.
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