Book Description
INSIDE THE MOB.
INSIDE THE NYPD.
THE LAST GREAT MAFIA BOOK OF OUR TIME.
The Brotherhoods is the chilling chronicle of the shocking crimes of NYPD de-tectives Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito, notorious rogue cops found guilty in April 2006 of the ultimate form of police corruption -- shielding their criminal deeds behind their badges while they worked for the mafia. Their crimes include participation in the murders of at least eight men, kidnapping, and the betrayal of an entire generation of New York City detectives, federal agents, and prosecutors. "One of the most spectacular police corruption scandals in the city's history," proclaimed the New York Times in its front-page coverage of the jury's verdict.
This gripping, true-life detective story is remarkable for its psychological intrigue, criminal audacity, and paranoid, blood-soaked fury. Written by prize-winning journalist Guy Lawson and William Oldham, the brilliant detective who quietly and relentlessly investigated the rogue cops for seven years, The Brotherhoods provides unparalleled access to the secretive workings of both the NYPD and organized crime -- their hierarchies, rituals, and codes of conduct.
Sprawling from Manhattan to Las Vegas to Hollywood, this incredible story features wiseguys, hit men on the lam, snitches, cops on the take, girlfriends who should know better, a crooked accountant, corrupt jewelers, streetwise detectives, flamboyant defense attorneys, ice-cool prosecutors, a distinguished federal judge, and a gallery of other unforgettable characters, many hiding secrets they are afraid to reveal.
In yet another turn of events, in June 2006 a federal judge vacated the convictions on statute of limitations grounds, even as he cited overwhelming evidence that Caracappa and Eppolito had committed "heinous and violent crimes." The U.S. Attorney's Office, which had won the convictions, has appealed the ruling. The conviction of the two men by a jury and the judge's reiteration of their guilt underscore the amazing story of The Brotherhoods.
Destined to rank with such modern crime classics as Serpico, Donnie Brasco, and Wiseguy, this quintessential American mob tale goes to the hearts of two brotherhoods -- the police and the mafia -- and the two cops who belonged to both.
Customer Reviews:
Four Stars........2007-10-14
It's more like a bad road through an interesting place. The subject is fascinating, but it's not a page flipper. And that's because of the book's organization. It shoulda been divided into Parts with distinct themes and characters. If it was easier to read I'd give it 5 stars.
Under construction?.......2007-10-02
I must agree with reviewer/reader maskirovka in that this book takes liberties not with facts, but with narrative tense and editing. This is not really the story about the infamous mafia cops ( we have to read to almost page 120 to begin the biography of one of the killer detectives ) as much as it is the story of the cop who chased them. Oldham's publishers probably thought we had read enough about supercops fighting the mob and police corruption. The idea of another Serpico or Donnie Brasco was probably a hard sell. Regardless, what we really get is a biography on Oldham and his career in law enforcment. The case of the mob cops was simply the one that he obsessed with the most and that was most infamous. Oldham's writer/partner Lawson is no Truman Capote either. His device of using quotations for some of Oldham's first person narratives are questionable, given the fact that THE WHOLE BOOK is really a first person narrative from Oldham's persepctive. We can imagine Oldham in Hollywood shopping this story to the major film studios. Here's a question for him. "If any of the living criminal characters in your book with a vowel at the end of their name agreed to attend a luncheon with you and a movie producer, just to add an air of credibilty, would you bring them along?" Hmmm.
The Brotherhoods.......2007-09-26
A riveting account of two rogue cops who freelanced themselves to the Luchese crime family for years and got away with it until a cadre of dedicated investigators compiled the evidence to put them away. The book gives a detailed description of day to day life in the NYPD and the mob. Martin Scorcese should be looking for a cast for a blockbuster movie.
Jane Harvey.......2007-05-25
I happen to just love the work that these two guys did on this book about Lou Eppolito and the other bad cop. I am in the book on pages 358 throu 364 I am Jane McCormick. I had dealing with Mr Eppolito for 3 years. He was a good con man and he conned $45,000 from me . He said if you cant trust a cop who can you trust! Jane harvey was the name I used in Vegas. I am writting my true life story. It is already done but it is being edited now and will be plublished in a few mos. I am hopping to get it on this wonderful web site soon.I have a wonderful writer that is writing But this book will tell it as it really was in Vegas in the 60s and 70s
Parallel, intertwined brotherhoods on either side of the law.......2007-04-19
Lawson and Oldham's narrative is the story of parallel, intertwined brotherhoods on either side of the law--the New York City Police Department and the five Mafia families of the 1980's and early 1990's. It is subtitled "The True Story of Two Cops Who Murdered for the Mafia." The cops in question are Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito. The story, however, belongs to NYPD detective William Oldham, one of the co-authors of the book. Oldham was a in the police brotherhood with Caracappa and Eppolito, admiring first grade detective Caracappa's work in the organized crime unit from a distance, and puzzling at Eppolito's flaunting of police department regulations about fraternizing with mafia members.
Oldham made his way through the ranks of the NYPD with a wary eye on the Caracappa/Eppolito duo. Eppolito retired in the early nineties and published a tell-all memoir about his association with the mafia, bragging about brutal take-downs and his delight at being in bed with the wise guys. Caracappa was a figure in the tell-all memoir, and retired shortly thereafter to keep his pension an avoid the inevitable NYPD Internal Affairs investigation
Luchese family boss Gaspipe Casso turned state's evidence in the mid-nineties and confessed all to the FBI and NYPD in exchange for placement in the witness protection program. He had dirt on the Luchese family and other mobsters which rivaled the confessions of Sammy the Bull Gravano. A common thread in all his stories was "the crystal ball" (or "the cops"), a pair of crooked cops, one from the Major Case Squad, who helped Casso rise to mythical levels within his crime family. "The cops" fed Casso dirt on who had turned into an informant, swept cases against made men under the rug, gave warnings about take-downs, and even murdered under mafia orders. Casso was once removed from his crystal ball, but after Eppolito's tell-all memoir was published, he had a good guess about the identities of "the cops" who made him such a success as a mafia boss.
Detective Oldham then made it his mission to take down these crooked cops, who by the end of the nineties were retired in a comfortable lifestyle in the Las Vegas area. Lawson and Oldham's book is as much the story of police detectives Oldham, Caracappa, and Eppolito as it is a history of the mafia in New York over the last three decades. The authors describe the genesis of the RICO legal statutes and its implications for both the cops pursing the mafia and the district attorney indicting criminals. The book also addresses the changes in the openness of mafia membership after the 1950's and the disintegration of the code of honor and ethics in favor of straight-up thug killings and bloodshed.
The Brotherhoods expertly tells the facts of official and unofficial mafia and police action over a two-decade period without getting overly bogged down in technical specifics. This could easily read like a detective blotter, but Guy Lawson spins a compelling tale of the wide web of individuals affected by the actions of two crooked NYPD cops. A "cast of characters" prefacing the book is an indispensable reference to the police, mobsters, and victims of this story.
Book Description
CIRCLE OF SIX
The True Story of New York's Most Notorious Cop-Killer and the Cop Who Risked Everything to Catch Him
In 1972, New York City was plagued with protests, riots, and general unrest. It was during this defining year that one of the Police Department's most scandalous cases occurred: the murder of Police Officer Phillip Cardillo. On Friday, April 14, 1972, the police were summoned to Mosque Number 7 in Harlem, led at the time by the Nation of Islam's Louis Farrakhan, for a ten-thirteen: officer in need of help. The turn of events after this officer distress call has become perhaps the most legendary story in NYPD history. Police entered the Mosque and a conflict occurred, leaving Office Cardillo dead, and the city on the brink of a full-scale riot. Sensing a potential crisis and conflict with the Nation of Islam and the Black Liberation Army, New York City Mayor John Lindsey, Commissioner Benjamin Ward, and Congressman Charles Rangel acquiesced to the city's black leaders and ordered the police out of the Mosque.
Subsequently, the details of Officer Cardillo's murder and the events of what happened at the Mosque were covered up and an investigation was never truly launched until NYPD detective Randy Jurgensen began his own investigation. For four years, he would not rest, taking on the Mayor, his superiors in the NYPD, the Nation of Islam, and seemingly at times, the entire city of New York, before he could affect an arrest. His investigation revealed the tragic and shameful story of the political scandal and cover-up that rocked the NYPD and the Nation of Islam.
Circle of Six is the harrowing true crime expose that lifts the curtain to reveal the raw story behind one of the most debated cases in the history of the New York City Police Department. Officer Cardillo's murder is still an officially unsolved crime to this day. Written by Randy Jurgensen with Robert Cea, also a former NYPD detective, it details Jurgensen's determined effort to bring Officer Cardillo's murderer to justice. Despite the mayhem on the streets and the Machiavellian corridors of Mayor Lindsay's City Hall, Detective Jurgensen captured Cardillo's killer, Lewis 17X Dupree. He broke the case with an unlikely accomplice, Foster 2X Thomas, a minister for the Nation of Islam who became Randy's witness and would eventually help put Dupree behind bars.
Customer Reviews:
Gripping Drama.......2007-09-16
This was a shocking and gripping report on actual events and the extremely disturbing aftermath. A detailed no-nonsense story about a detective's determination to overcome all the obstacles thrown up by New York city police brass and elected officials...all named...to stop an investigation into the murder of a police officer in a Nation of Islam mosque, Harlem, New York City in 1972. An amazing account.
Shameful Time in NYPD History.......2007-07-13
As a former Lieutenant in the NYPD and in TPF at the time of the Mosque incident, I read this book, both frustrated and proud. Randy Jurgensen is the quintessential NYPD detective; dogged, honorable, dedicated, loyal, and honest. This episode is Department history makes me ashamed of the bosses and politicians who so shamelessly put their careers ahead of justice in the murder of a NYC police officer; alternately, it makes me proud that cops like Randy Jurgensen are around to right those wrongs.
Remember Cardillo!
The Way It Was.......2007-05-15
As a former NYC Police officer, assigned to the 28 Pct.a year after this terrible tragic event I knew many of the people mentioned in the book..My wife also read the book and could not believe the cover up of the killing of Phil Cardillo..We met his wife on many occassions....I also worked with his cousin Mike Cardillo at One Police Plaza...
Don't Vote Until You Read This Book!.......2007-03-31
Charlie Rangel, Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam, Jesse Jackson -- just a few of the individuals currently the darling endorsers of more than one potential 2008 presidential candidate -- are well known for their political posturing, but less well known for their notorious, criminal, acessory-to-murder activities so convincingly exposed & proved in Randy Jurgensen's well-documented Circle of Six. Any normal person who reads this book should be outraged that justice was subverted in this case. And you should be afraid. Really, truly, afraid that the thin blue line keeping evil from overwhelming us ordinary folks is so easily sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. The power people who were never called to account for their horrible coverups, collusion with criminals, & abandment of their public trust are still with us today. Tragically, Officer Roy Cardillo's murder & the cover-up afterward is not isolated in law enforcement. Saldy, the Circle of Six has many more members in many more departments in many more cities. It is wherever the politically powerful advance themselves at the expense -- and the lives -- of those they are supposed to lead. Thankfully, there is one Court, one Judge, and one Book they will ultimately be unable to avoid. Thank you, Det. Jurgensen, for helping to expose the darkness to the light.
The best true crime I've ever read!.......2007-02-26
This is one of the best of it's genre I've ever read. It hits home on the other side of the coin the media never reports. It's about a cop who has his hands tied by political correctness and his ingenious way he goes around the system to find justice to a slain brother officer. The book points to the fact that in Cop culture they have only one color BLUE!
Book Description
When counterfeit prescription medicine started turning up in the nation's supply and threatening some of the sickest and weakest patients, Katherine Eban went in search of the story. What she found was an unlikely and irresistible group of heroes-five aging South Florida investigators who dubbed themselves the Horsemen of the Apocalypse and held their meetings at Hooters. Working around the clock on cases no one else wanted to tackle, they followed the trail of stolen and contaminated medicine in a takedown eventually dubbed Operation Stone Cold. This riveting page-turner takes us along with the Horsemen as they wade into "more rank Florida unseemliness than a Carl Hiaasen novel" (Salon) to ultimately uncover $33 million in bad medicine and make more than sixty arrests.
Thanks in part to the attention Dangerous Doses received in hardcover, the media, politicians, and drug companies are starting to address the problems it uncovered. This new paperback edition includes a chapter with the latest update on these developments.
Book Description
"The West Si-I-I-I-de." There is a rhythm to the way you say it, letting the last word slide. There is a rhythm to the way life ebbs and flows here, different from the rest of the city, as if life here was determined by the spell of a separate moon, with its own tides. If the West Side could be embodied in the soul of a man, he'd gamble and take his losses without crying; he'd smoke a good cigar on his last three bucks and he'd give you a wink when he passed you on the street. The West Side - one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the world. A young policeman named Mike Cronin, who'd lost his foot in Vietnam, came to work on the West Side more than three decades ago, getting to know the broken curbs of every drug corner and which buildings had back steps that creaked, getting people to tell him things they never thought they'd tell a cop, where the guns, the drugs and the shooters were hidden. He'd learn the fine line one must walk to be a street cop, the balancing act between toughness and fairness and the ability to enforce the law without being brutal, to not take things personally and to play by the rules when the criminals don't have to, or don't want to. He'd seen men grow rich off drugs and bodies found crumpled cold from overdoses. Over time, Cronin would see change; he'd see names change and faces change, and ages, they'd get younger but, like the turn of seasons that come back upon themselves, he'd see that little had changed at all. This is a story of the West Side through his eyes ... through the eyes of a cop called Cronie.
Customer Reviews:
Life in a World most of us will never visit........2007-03-31
What a Book! It shows the seamy underbelly of the City. Reading This book made me wonder how we can ever break the cycle of drugs and the lifestyle that goes with that that is perpetuated from generation to generation. I think of the little kids sitting on a urine soaked mattress in a "smoke house" watching their parents smoke and/or sell crack and the bigger kids being lookouts for $100.00 a day. No wonder they don't want to go to school. I don't know what the answer is and there is no answer in the book. This is a social workers nightmare. It reminds me of Dante's Inferno where at the entrance into Hell it says "Abandon Hope All ye Who Enter Here". How do they break out? I don't think they want to break out. They are captives of their habit.
Policemen like Cronin can only keep the problem from spilling over into other communities but can never stop what is going on in this community.
It is a picture of a subculture that most of us will never visit. It makes me feel there is no solution for this problem.
Book Description
An expose of organised crime and its unholy alliance with world leaders, intelligence agencies, and law enforcement, Double Deal is a 40–year saga told with unflinching honesty by mob insider and former Chicago chief of police Michael Corbitt.
Growing up poor and angry, Michael Corbitt fought his way up the ranks of greasers and street gangs until he attracted the attention of Chicago crime boss Sam Giancana, who placed him on the Willow Springs, Illinois, police force. By the time Corbitt was appointed chief of police, he'd also moved up the Outfit's ranks and was living the high life of a respected mobster.
Corbitt's luck turned when he was indicted on charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder. Although there was a mob contract on his life and he was facing a 20–year jail sentence, he refused to testify against organised crime figures under the witness protection programme, maintaining instead the Mafioso's code of silence – until his release from prison.
Now Corbitt breaks that silence, holding back nothing–including the account of his personal involvement in the brutal murder of the wife of Chicago mob attorney Alan Masters.
Corbitt bares his soul, confessing in graphic – sometimes horrific – detail a life lived as both saint and sinner, a life that moved back and forth between the conflicting worlds of the police officer and the gangster with ease.
Customer Reviews:
Accurate.......2003-12-01
As a life long resident of the SW side of Chicago I was able to corroborate many of the accounts Mr. Corbitt gives in Double Deal. Many of the "baby boomers" who were "in the Know" from my area stated that Mr. Corbitt was a very influential gangster associate on the SW side. The man was heavy and dangerous. He killed people,but many were in the line of duty. He also made it very clear in the book that he wasn't an angel.The man gives some very accurate accounts of his life and experiences
If you like "true" gangster stories. . ........2003-10-01
. . .you may wish to spend some time with this book.
The book tells the story of a small-time hood who, due to friends, and not really to any talent of his own, becomes a moderately significant figure in Chicagoland organized crime in the 60's, 70's, and 80's.
Believe me, the main character (and co-author) Michael Corbitt is not really a likeable or sympathetic character. What I found most interesting about the book was the willingness of law enforcement -- on all levels, including the prosecutors who eventually brought him in -- to behave in ways quite similar to those "mobsters" they are trying to control.
There are truly no real "good guys" in this book.
As I said, if you like this genre, the book is worth reading. If the genre doesn't interest you, "The Godfather" is a much better story!
Sleazy Loser Tries to Cash In.......2003-09-20
They might have a great sense of humor, or love their mother or support various charities, but in the end, most are cold-blooded murderers.
That descripion only fits the top mob bosses. Scummier still are the average hoodlums that make up a crime organization and that's where Michael Corbitt fits in. A street thug ends up making a few friends that help buy a corrupt gas station business. Next thing that happens is that he joins a corrup police force in Illinois and when the drunken chief retires, he is made chief.
Eventually, the law and his fellow sleazebags catch up with Corbitt so here comes his book. Sure, the book is interesting, but Corbitt was never a main man. He was just a very small player in a much larger organization. What's shocking is that he was able to so as a top police official in Illinois, but given some history in that state, how surprising is it?
To summarize the book, you will find that Corbitt has killed people, he helped cover up a murder, he was involved in all kinds of other corrupt illegal activity, he stole millions from the taxpayers of his community.
Somehow I'm supposed to feel sorry for this scumbag or have sympathy for him?
Great book...........2003-09-03
This was a great read. I live right in Chicago, near Oak Park, so this was especially of interest to me. Iam not sure if its all true or not, but if it is, it makes a lot of sense. This book offers lots of explanations, i.e. Marilyn Monroe, Kennedy assasination,etc. and once you read them, they really make you think.
WILD SIDE.......2003-08-20
AS A BIG FAN OF MR GIANCANA THE (AUTHOR) I FIND IT AMAZING THAT HE IS ABLE TO FIND THIES PEOPLE TO WRITE ABOUT. THIS STORY WAS ONE THAT KEPT YOU TRUNING THE PAGES AND NOT WANTING IT TO END.THIS WAS AS GOOD OR BETTER THEN GOODFELLOWS AND CORBITT MUCH MORE INTRESTING THEN HENRY HILL THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE CHICAGO CREW AND MOSSAD AND OTHER HISTORIC FIGURES MAKES ME THINK THAT IF GIANCANA AND CORBITT ARE NOT BEING SUED THEM MUCH OF THIS MUST BE TRUE.MAKES YOU THINK? GREAT READ!
Book Description
A former Chicago cop exposes shocking truths about the abuses of power within the city’s police department in this memoir of violence, drugs, and men with badges. Juarez becomes a police officer because he wants to make a difference in gang-infested neighborhoods; but, as this book reveals, he ends up a corrupt member of the most powerful gang of all—the Chicago police force. Juarez shares the horrific indiscretions he witnessed during his seven years of service, from the sexually predatory officer, X, who routinely stops beautiful women for made-up traffic offenses and flirts with domestic violence victims, to sadistic Locallo, known on the streets as Locoman, who routinely stops gang members and beats them senseless. Working as a narcotics officer, Juarez begins to join his fellow officers in crossing the line between cop and criminal, as he takes advantage of his position and also becomes a participant in a system of racial profiling legitimized by the war on drugs. Ultimately, as Juarez discusses, his conscience gets the better of him and he tries to reform, only to be brought down by his own excesses. From the perspective of an insider, he tells of widespread abuses of power, random acts of brutality, and the code of silence that keeps law enforcers untouchable.
Customer Reviews:
A courageous, sophisticated memoir with the soul of a novel........2006-11-06
Anyone who wants an inside look into the often-disturbing culture of inner-city policing should not hesitate to purchase this book. Mr. Juarez writes candidly and courageously about the problems and conflicts of law enforcement, but he also writes a moving account of his own personal journey. Stories of the author's upbringing in a working class, inner-city Chicago neighborhood are heavily drawn upon as Jaurez comes to analyze and ultimately question the morality of the entire criminal justice system, from the beat cop to the courthouse to the national agenda of the War on Drugs and War on Crime. The power of this book lies in the author's ability to take a sophisticated, broad view of the institutional prejudices of the American criminal justice system while providing deeply personal, and jarringly unfiltered accounts of life on the street.
This book is brutally honest and pulls no punches as it provides specific details of the underhanded practices of crooked cops: framing suspects, violent abuse, violent intimidation, theft, bribery, and vandalism. The book also details what seems like the very routine practice of falsifying reports to cover-up the offenses listed above, justify an unlawful arrest, or to guarantee a conviction. Mr. Juarez takes pains to emphasize that the overwhelming majority of the victims of such crimes are impoverished minorities. He even details how policies are emplemented specifically to avoid targeting middle and upper-class offenders.
Even though the officer exposes what seems to be widespread corruption and an institutional bias against poor minorities, I found it very fair. Juarez in no way exempts himself and provides numerous accounts of his own misdeads and his complicity in not speaking out when confronted with other officers' criminal acts. He also provides many examples of honest, hardworking cops and seems to conclude that the biggest problem facing criminal justice lies less with the individuals that make up the system than with the system itself.
As said in the title of this review, this memoir reads like a page-turing novel. Even given the disturbing details of misdeads and injustice, there were strong elements of an uplifting nature in this memoir as well. The author's own personal journey is inspiring and admirable. If only more of us had the courage to take an honest look at ourselves and the shortcomings of the institutions that surround us, we would find our culture in a better place. One can only hope this book might inspire others to that calling.
the truth is crazier than fiction!!!.......2006-09-16
this book is wild. the author joins the police force and discovers a world of privilege and violence. he often uses these things to his advantage, though he isn't violent and racist like many of the other cops. then he ends up getting fired for a really dumb reason (although he probably should have been fired for not doing his job earlier!)
overall this book shows a police force that keeps down minorities and punishes people for stupid things like smoking pot. also they use force in a completely inappropriate fashion for their own pleasure. the one that sticks out in my mind is when they come across a homeless guy trying to stay dry, and they totally ruin his day for no reason except cruelty. another time, a couple of cops destroy these black guys' nice car just for the hell of it. it's pretty obvious where the likes of NWA got their lyrical inspiration! whether you think the author is immature or not isn't really the issue. by the way he handles his romantic relationships, it's pretty obvious he was immature! but he was also a good guy surrounded by a bunch of jerks who enabled each other in their "brotherhood," much like A STREET GANG. ironic, huh? as for judging the police force, well this book was written a while ago. it's possible things have changed a lot since then. i don't know. these cops certainly aren't the calm, super-rational, protocol-following types you see on the show "cops," that's for sure. there are good and bad people in any profession. there are great cops. of course regardless of what kind of job the police are doing, many laws and societal changes need to take place in america, instead of basically arresting people for being poor and the author addresses that this book is full of drama and interesting stuff. i enjoyed it.
honest hard hitting account.......2005-12-18
I want to thank Mr. Juarez for writing such and honest hard-hitting account of his years as an officer in the Chicago Police Department. You have shown that anyone who puts on the badge must confront not only the bad actors in our society but also the demons
nestled in one's own psyche. This is cautionary tale with a deeply redeeming ending; a must-read for anyone who is considering a career in law enforcement.
An honest look at the individual's contribution to a damaged system........2005-09-23
The storyline itself is enough to make a compelling read: ex-cop lays bare his once-secret past while exposing the prejudices of a flawed justice system. But Juarez's memoir is more than a salacious tell-all. It's an honest accounting of his own role within this system, and shines a desperately needed spotlight on the lack of personal accountability within our civic institutions.
Juarez has been called selfish and jaded by members of his own department for describing in intimate detail the brutal beatings, racially-motivated harrassment, theft and drug use rampant within the Chicago PD. But what these critics fail to acknowledge is that Juarez places these personal experiences against a framework of documented descrimination within the department and without. The juxtaposition of his detailed, in-your-face narrative against these statistics reveals how each of us bears responsibility for the larger status quo.
While the transition between chapters occasionally calls attention to the fact that this is his first book, Juarez's unflinching honesty, vivid descriptions, and educator's insight reveals an American system with real problems that must be addressed. It comes at a time when our country is in dire need of self-reflection, and it offers a fantastic example of how each and every one of us contributes, for better or for worse, to our larger community.
Hard to Believe: A Chicago Cop Actually Tells the Truth.......2005-08-30
This book confirms all the horror stories told in the ghettoes of Chicago about the city's biggest and most brutal gang. This is gang is unlike any other in the city, however, because it works for the prosecution, so its violence is usually deemed legal. It is the CPD.
Juan Antonio Juarez's true narrative of the life of a Chicago cop may shock the middle class. The abuses he describes, however, are well known to any kid on the street in Humboldt Park, Pilsen, ABLA Homes, or any other part of the city where the privileged fear to tread, and the poor are forced to live. When the victims of police misconduct tell their own stories, their accounts are often dismissed because they "lack credibility". By chronicling the abuse of power that he both witnessed, and participated in, while on the force, Juarez has done us all a great service.
I especially appreciate this book because during the same years that Juarez was working for the police department, I was teaching in many of the same hard-hit neighborhoods. Among my students the corrupt and brutal practices of police were so well known and despised, that I recall even some of my Irish-American and Polish-Americans students, whose own fathers were cops, gladly joining a picket line at city hall to denounce the racism inherent in Chicago law enforcement.
I'm personally thankful that Juarez exposes the corrupt practice euphemistically referred to as "the power of the pen." To the Chicago cop this does not mean the art of rhetorical persuasion, but rather systematic falsification of police reports and in order to intimidate and convict anyone who dares to question their actions or who is simply unfortunate enough to get in their way. I applaud this, not only because the police have threaten me for speaking out, but even more so because I have known people who were beaten as badly as Rodney King for merely asserting their own constitutional rights or the rights of their children. Inevitably, the victim was labeled the aggressor and charged with "disorderly conduct" or "mob action" as a cover for police violence. The police sadistically taunted and harassed one woman I knew because she dared to complain when they gunned down her unarmed son and then created a preposterous story to blame the kid for his own death.
Because of my own experiences, Juarez's descriptions of the abuse the cops inflict on the people they are supposedly paid to protect did not surprise me, his account of the vast privileges heaped on the even the rookie beat cop in exchange for favors, however did surprise me. If one were to draw out Juarez's argument to it logical extreme, then the Chicago cops function as the strong arm of a racist and totalitarian political machine.
Book Description
Dramatic, moving, and disturbing true stories from a cop's twenty years on the street 'Cops put an impassive face to the world because they have to, but they all feel things deeply and profoundly, even if it doesn't show and even if they can't express it.' -Excerpt from A Cop's Life T he twenty stories that comprise A Cop's Lifeare not standard issue police stories. Along with shoot-outs, hangings, drownings, and murders, portraits of young cops who've seen too little and old cops who've seen too much is uncensored introspection, chilling confessions of Sutton's near suicide, complicated moral dilemmas and situations that challenge our perception of what it means to be a police officer.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful book!.......2007-10-20
The author Sgt Sutton is actually a lieutenant in my police agency and I, for one, feel priveleged we have a man that has gone through all this in this book as a head in my police dept! God bless him and officers all around this world!
gritty, true, heart-wrenching... .......2007-05-30
Randy Sutton compiles a collection of true cop stories that will leave you reeling. Devoid of any gooey sentiment but true to the street beat that these cops work. At times scary, depressing, uplifting and heroic these cops tell a story of sacrifice, family and the failure of society. Not an easy book to get through at times but highly recommended.
The Truth Behind the Badge!.......2006-08-28
Randy Sutton takes the reader for a wild ride through the world of a street cop. I laughed and cried through this entire book! As a street cop in Las Vegas Randy Sutton has been there and done that and lets the reader see what goes on behind that badge. The heartbreaks and elation, the ups and the downs and the pride he himself carries on every call.
If you like cops, read this book! If you don't like cops, read this book! Randy reminds us that the street cop has a heart just like we do and while they often are able to hide their true feelings, they have those feelings just as we do. Randy has shown us the REAL feelings street cops have and have to deal with.
Insightful!.......2005-12-30
Sgt. Sutton is on the Las Vegas P.D., but his work is not amid the neon lights but the homes and dreams of its less than affluent citizens. The book consists of a series of short stories of his life on the job.
Suicides, domestic violence by a son against his mother (who then malevolently accuses Sutton of throwing her son out the window to his death), juveniles that murder a grandmother trying to arrange quiet so her grandchildren can sleep, a juvenile that beats two old people - gets a slap on the wrist - and then kills another and is given life in prison like his father, stopping to help a little girl cross the street, a partner killed - the list goes on and on.
Each of these tragedies takes its toll - eventually he asks for a desk job to avoid anymore. Turns out twice as many cops die of suicide (about double the national rate) as are killed on the job.
"A Cop's Life" helps the reader appreciate the contribution made by police, and to emphasize with the emotions they must internalize as they go through life.
Great Book!.......2005-09-24
This is the second book that i have read by this author. A Cop's life brings you into the world of how cops do their job on a daily basis.
Book Description
The stories are as infamous as the artists who tell them. With their boasts of drugs, extortion and even murder, in todays world rappers need rap sheets before they can even hope to have a platinum record. So with all this grandstanding about their criminal nature, why havent more hip-hop artists been busted for the crimes that they brag of, and why havent high profile crimes replete with witnesses and media coverage ever been solved? Derrick Parker knows why. A veteran of the NYPD, Parker served as the lead detective in the Rap Intelligence Unit, the first special force devoted to hip-hop crime. For over twenty years he served on the force, covering the hip-hop beat and uncovering the truth behind some of musics most notorious crimes. But in the midst of politics and internal strife, Parkers efforts to close the cases were stymied by the NYPD. Notorious C.O.P. will be the Serpico of the new millennium, exposing the flaws in the NYPD that have rendered them unable to adequately deal with the threat of hip-hop crime. From cops working part-time for the artists they are supposed to be pursuing, to their lack of understanding of gang culture and drug warfare, which has left not only these widely publicized murders unsolved, but has allowed notorious gang leaders to go unprosecuted for decades. Filled with photos, documents, interviews, and anecdotes, Notorious C.O.P. will be the most extensive and authoritative book ever written on hip-hop crime, exposing the facts behind the legends and the foibles of the NYPD that have left them unresolved to this day.
Customer Reviews:
I dropped it after 21 pages.......2007-02-13
This book from what other reviewers said really doesn't add much new info in terms of the much-publicized deaths of TuPac, Biggie or Jam Master Jay ... which is one of the big motivations I'm sure most of us consider reading a book like this.
Also the fact that this book was written by a cop from the once secret "Hip Hop police" is also somewhat novel.
You'll spend most of the first 20 pages sifting through this guy trying to straddle the fence -- sounding official & professional to rep police but also trying to come off as empathetic and altruistic in his quest to "save" hip hop's elite from crime & corruption.
Read this book with a grain of salt!!!!
I dropped it after Page 21 (go to a bookstore or library and read the bottom 2.5 paragraphs).
Parker's basic premise in his defense of policing hip hop is NOT that he sees the stars as needing protection (which is why soooo many rappers still roll deep, packin' heat!), but rather that so many are still so heavily involved in criminal activity he's doing what he does for public safety.
Give me a break.
Who's really afraid of Ludacris? Jay-Z? Kanye West? Chamillionaire (or 50 Cent for that matter)?
Parker dares to use the term "public safety" in this defense and discusses how any number of acts of gunplay could "breakout at any time" when rappers are in public.
Let's see, we've got ...
A raging war in Iraq & the threat of nuclear terrorism.
Ongoing police brutality issues.
Trickle down damage from crooked politicians.
Real crime.
All kinds of sexual predators.
Increasingly fragile school systems not to mention poverty, intolerance & all kinds of social ills.
Yeah, Parker's doing a great job defending society from public enemy No. 1: Poor black men who use hip hop success to rise to a better life.
Skim the book's latter chapters for the minor details you seek if you'd like, but I pass on reading more of this crap.
I'm sure he's got interesting stories to tell, but this book just reads like an opportunist looking to make a fast buck by preying on the weak-minded blind enough to believe rappers (code for young black men) must be tamed.
This Isn't Some Video.....It Is The Real Thing.......2007-01-02
The reader can avoid about the opening 26 pages in Notorious C.O.P., as Derrick Parker mentions that he was the NYPD'S "hip-hop cop" so many times that it ruins what could have been a good introduction. But putting his ego aside - or at least dishing it out in smaller doses - the compelling book becomes hard to put down.
Parker took his affinity for the music industry and his concerns about its expanding linkage to organized crime to eventually spearhead a "hip-hop" unit. He is careful to explain that he was working for the safety of the artists - which was not always the goal of other police officials - while also taking steps to clean out the criminal element that made victims of the artists, neighborhoods and others who innocently got caught up in the drama.
What I found especially interesting is the normal, daily manipulations that you may hear about, but really don't see in print; the politics from his bosses that oftentimes came from a media-hungry and -savvy City Hall, the department jealousies, the ignorance & corruption, along with the bitter racism.
Parker's growing disenchantment with the NYPD reached a boiling point when he was brought up on bogus departmental charges due to others who wanted his "hip-hop" post for all the wrong reasons and when a superior ordered him to compile a dossier on hip-hop artists that had all the trappings of COINTELPRO-styled abuse.
The sensationalistic subtitle sets those chapters up for a letdown, and that is what happened in the cases of Tupac and Biggie. Parker really adds very little to what has been made public over the past decade, but does justify his findings with credible evidence.
Though retired from the NYPD, Parker's private investigation of the Jam Master Jay murder, his attempts to get his former colleagues engaged into a solid investigation with a prime witness and the games played that has now made solving the crime virtually impossible brings the book to an apt conclusion.
Organized crime has been in the music industry for many years; the original gansta was probably Frank Sinatra, who reportedly had some "assistance" in the early 1940s to get out of his contract with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra to start a solo recording/touring career.
Parker shows - through a text unfortunately marred with numerous typographical errors - that the vicious game in a multi-billion-dollar industry is still being played, but with oftentimes much greater tragic conclusions. And those with the power to help clean things up refuse to do so for a variety of reasons that are as much racial as they are political.
Hip-Hop Cape.......2006-12-28
Pros: Someone recommended this book to me, and when he did, I asked him why in the world would he think I'd be interested in a book written by a cop, specifically because I've never made it a secret that I do NOT trust police and I'm extremely burnt out on the Biggie/Tupac's death considering I wasn't a fan of either of them. He told me that it talked about some interesting parts of hip hop crime and that there was only one chapter on Biggie and Tupac. Indeed, he was right. This book delved into the Jam Master Jay killing, along with the criminal issues of Murder Inc., Young Jeezy, Jay-Z, Diddy, 50 Cent, J. Lo, Lil' Kim, Foxxy Brown, Suge Knight, Snoop, Game, Dr. Dre, etc., in addition to the murders of Freaky Tah, Tupac, Biggie, and more. It was interesting to read about the details that I did not hear in these cases, such as cops handcuffing J. Lo to the top of the cage. That's a prime example of why I feel the way I feel about cops. Was it really necessary to do that? In that aspect, I can feel this book. There were many times when Parker complained about how the NYPD handled witnesses and innocent victims as though they were criminals, and he hit it right on the head by explaining that if the NYPD continues to be as domineering and violent as they have been to get people to talk, the streets and crime will continue to be on different playing fields with no intentions of a fair game.
Cons: 1) I'll admit that even as a professional copyeditor, I can look over errors. It's much safer to let at least two pairs of eyes read a manuscript than one. I'm hoping that's what happened with this book. No copyeditor will catch every single error, but about a quarter through this book, I was seeing so many errors to the point where I wondered was it copyedited at all? Commas out of place, words in the wrong order, past tense with present tense, and other glaring errors that should've been caught by even the most casual reader.
2) I was so tired of this man patting himself on the back. It was to the point where I thought he was molesting himself trying to talk about how great he was. He kept italicizing "I" and "me" as if we didn't understand that he deserved credit for something. Then, he kept on bragging about how cops were coming to him for help because he knew about hip hop. In mid-story, he'd start talking about how he knew something was wrong because he was so well-informed of the subject. Okay, we get it. If the man had just told the story and his actions, we could've come to the same conclusion without reading about you and your Hip-Hop Superman Cape.
3) Over and over again, he made idiotic statements that only cops can come to the conclusion of. The word "accidentally" and "Amadou Diallo" should NEVER be used in the same sentence. That was flat-out intended murder; nothing accidental about it. Even though he kept saying that hip-hop was not the full reason for violence, he kept throwing out all these random examples about how they equate, without ever mentioning the fact that poverty can play a great big hand in that. He uses examples like Kanye West to say that some rappers don't go down the same violent path, but what a drastic comparison. Kanye West didn't live nearly the life that Snoop Doggy Dogg did and there's no way anybody is going to tell me that the neighborhood and economic gain does not play a hand in the attitudes that many "gangsters" and drug dealers have in how they view life. This is not to say that it is right for them to be suicidal all the time, but I can't see how he couldn't understand that.
4) Throughout this whole book, he made it seem like he was one of the best cops and he seldomly talks about anything he does wrong. Even when he does, he blames it on his boss making him do it (ex. creating the hip-hop binder). He claims he's not a drinker but consistently talks about how he doesn't remember certain places he was at because he was so drunk and having fun. He talks about how other cops were scared but he was excited to be in drug-ridden, violent areas of Brooklyn. That in itself concerns me. To me, that's like saying that this cop viewed these areas like the board game Clue. He may find it amusing that he caught the killer, but none of these killers, witnesses, and children in the area find their everyday life "fun." It's very easy to criticize one's lifestyle when you don't have to live it on an everyday basis.
5) The man seems to have all of these answers about how the NYPD and LAPD should operate to be a more productive police force, but there was something he did in this book that only stamped the "Why I Hate Cops" attitude into just about everyone who mildly thought it before. There's a huge no-snitch policy in poverty-stricken areas (and quite a few middle-income areas too, the more the police act a fool)! Every single time he talked about issues within criminal cases, he gave out real names of witnesses, as well as ALL the information they gave. He talked about buying them food and how so many were cooperative in telling their stories. But the information he gave may not have all been accessible to the public. Some of the killers got off free, and I don't even understand why he put so much information about what the victims said in this book. Does he think all criminals don't read? All they need is ONE friend to say that their name was mentioned in the book, and there's a whole new set of problems for these witnesses. Victims and witnesses risk their lives telling stories about what has happened around them, and a cop documenting all the details in the book does not make anybody feel safer to go running to the cops. If anything, it makes them more hesitant. Just about every chapter, I was shaking my head and thinking "He can't help it. He's a cop. He doesn't understand how goofy it is to document this type of information." Even if it's someone who hasn't been in a situation where they have to be a witness, a cop repeatedly bothering you can work a person's nerves to the point where they don't want to help you simply because they don't like YOU. I went to a high school a block away from a police station and was harrassed ALL the time for unexplainable reasons, even as a reasonably innocent teenage girl. It's going to take more than the no-snitch rule to get people to help in these communities. Cops have to pretty much change their WHOLE attitude before a lot of these people will trust them.
6) He speculates on how hip-hop is becoming organized crime and how Jay-Z and 50 Cent have marketing deals. I don't even understand this comparison. It's not like these were dudes fresh off the street who walked in rapping and got gymshoes. They both had to fight their way to the top for these companies to even pay attention to them. Yes, they were both drug dealers IN THE PAST. So what? Is every marketing company supposed to look at their background, ignore the fact that they are legit now, and not do business with them? If that's the case, America wouldn't have survived this long. This country was created from thieves and slaveowners. If Wall Street can get rich, so can hip-hop. Parker talks about how most Fortune 500 companies wouldn't do business with people with this background. I hate to break it to this dude, but if companies weren't going to get rich off of criminals, America wouldn't be one of the most powerful countries that it is now off of FREE labor and the attitude "well, it's all in the past now."
As I figured, I didn't like this book and it didn't improve my opinion on cops, but when he wasn't talking about how great he was, I did find out some missing information that the media has screwed up in their daily reports.
Mildly Whack.......2006-11-04
The title of this book should have been "Derrick Parker is the Bomb" by Derrick Parker. He seems a lot more interested in hyping himself then really giving any insight to the murders of Pac, Biggie and Jay. He said he solved Jay's case. Well, if he solved it, why is no one in jail? There were some pretty good moments, especially his stories from Miami. I would say that 50% of the book was Parker hyping Parker, 20% was interesting information and 30% was the just some things we've all read or heard before. I hope that the fools that put down Pac, Biggie and Jay get their due, but this book does not do a lot to help the cause.
Power and corruption with a bullet.......2006-09-21
Having read this book was quite more of an eye opener than I would have liked to think in regards to what takes place in the hip-hop realm. It is quite unfortunate to read about what goes on with many of the hip-hop artists from an insider and investigator's point of view. The self-perpetuating, and often self-fulfilling lethality of hip-hop is something one could only hope would one day cease to exist. The corruption within the police force...I suppose when one can genetically remove human nature then this could end that.
Overall, I tremendously enjoyed the book and would recommend it highly to people who want more perspective. The book takes on natural growth as Parker's outlines hip-hop's milestones that coincide with his development within the police force. Could the book be written better? Sure. The edits could have been more sensitive. However, I did not feel that anything was taken from the essence and message that Parker delivers. The truth is the truth no matter how it is written...we just won't even know it for sure.
Book Description
She tried to tell her friends. She even went to the police. No one would believe her--and now she was dead.
Problems had always followed Susan White, but when she remarried and moved to Houston's posh suburbs, she thought the past was behind her--until she met a deputy sheriff named Kent McGowen who would soon become her worst nightmare.
McGowen was an aggressive cop with a spotty record. When Susan rebuffed his advances, she claimed he stalked and harassed her, using her troubled teenage son as bait. And then, in an act of arrogance and revenge, he made good on his threats, setting her up for the kill.
In A Warrant to Kill, Kathryn Casey meticulously pieces together the tragic shards of the case to create a riveting story of vengeance, fear, and justice--of the terrifying power a badge can have in the wrong hands.
Customer Reviews:
Casey Is a Great True Crime Writer.......2007-08-29
Though I am a veteran reader of true crime, I had not heard of Kathryn Casey until earlier this year when she was recommended by a friend.
A WARRANT TO KILL is the third, and the third outstanding, of her books that I've read. To briefly summarize, it is the story of a troubled woman, Susan White, killed by a likely-sociopathic rogue cop named Kent McGowen. As in her others I read earlier, SHE WANTED IT ALL and THE RAPIST'S WIFE, Casey's talent for true crime is remarkable. Her writing is crisp, reportorial, and to the point. As in the others, A WARRANT TO KILL contains none of the boring, superfluous filler found in lesser true crime. It contains none of the irritating drama, often used even by good writers, which can turn true crime into cloying true soap opera.
A WARRANT TO KILL shows in-depth research and interviewing and a sincere interest in writing an outstanding book. She also, importantly, knows when to leave out unnecessary or repetitive information, with the result that she avoids excessive length and boring repetition. An excellent example is the section of the book which deals with the trial. This is often a deadly dull part of a true crime book, but Casey keeps it moving and interesting by not including every bit of testimony, only that which is necessary to futher the story line. And, thankfully, she does not feel the need to include every bit of forensic testimony.
Finally, Casey, as in all of her books I've read, does a masterful job of presenting the details of the personalities and psyches of the principals in the case. This, in my opinion, is the single most important element in great true crime. And Kathryn Casey writes great true crime. Fans of the genre will love this book.
Readable True Crime Story.......2007-07-18
I have enjoyed all of Ann Rule's books, and find this author to be almost as good. This true story is even more gripping than fiction.
Very detailed.......2007-04-24
This is the first true crime book I have read and it was only because I saw the story on A&E and was intrigued to learn more. It was very detailed and while I can't say I enjoyed it (murder is nothing to be happy about) it really shocked me at how much harm a man with a badge can do. Susan White had her issues but she didn't deserve to be harassed and then be killed by someone who is supposed to serve and protect. Anyhow, while I truly found this intriguing, I don't know that I will read anymore true crime simply because I love happy endings and these for the most part don't end that way. I will stick to fiction.
Bad Cop, Great Writer.......2007-01-29
Kathryn Casey takes us into the bowels of the Houston police department and shows us a man that NEVER should have been in law enforcement. What a sad story of a flawed woman and the police officer who ended her life. This book was masterfully researched and written, as are all of KC's books. The more I read this writer, the better I like her work. I have pre-ordered her next book.
Can you say bad cop??.......2007-01-16
I read this a few year's ago and it was amazing that this cop could think he could do what he wanted and believe he was above the law himself. Thank goodness that we don't have that many bad cops in our system. I hope!!
Book Description
In the early 1970's, the Federal Government undertook to investigate corruption penetrating the entire criminal justice system in New York, particularly the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) of the narcotics division of the New York Police Department. Young and enthusiastic detective Robert Leuci was chosen by federal prosecutors Rudolph Guliani, Maurice Nadjari, and Tom Puccio to probe this world of corruption as an undercover agent. Leuci had enjoyed a swift rise from patrolman to the rank of detective. He knew Frank Serpico and while he was sympathetic with Serpico he felt the corruption filtered down. The police were at the bottom of this food chain.
This is the true story. Leuci helped put together corruption cases against lawyers, bail bondsmen, mob figures and some of his own. Leuci seemed perfectly suited to his special job. His cover was deep with only the Police Commissioner aware of his dual role. As team leader within the SIU, Leuci had access to all of the players in criminal justice from judges down. He walked a tightrope that made his life a nightmare. His life was in jeopardy from both sides.
"If Prince of the City is any good, and I hope it is, this is because during the weeks and months of our interviews, I had the wit to keep silent and let Detective Robert Leuci talk. Having witnessed so much bizarre, comic, tragic, complicated human conduct on the streets of New Yoark, having observed and remembered every detail, his stories were more vivid and emotional than I had expected," said Robert Daley. Daley has captured Leuci's story and laid bare the contradictions in the criminal justice system.
In a world where conflicting pressures are excruciating, who should indeed bear the burden of being right when so much of the system is wrong.
Customer Reviews:
The dramatic true story of Detective Robert Leuci.......2006-01-07
Prince Of The City: The True Story Of A Cop Who Knew Too Much is the dramatic true story of Detective Robert Leuci, a deep cover sleuth who assembled corruption cases against lawyers, bail bondsmen, mob figures, and even some of his own, putting his own life in peril for the sake of law and justice. Written in the style of a novel, Prince Of The City offers an unflinchingly honest portrait of the rigors of policework, the toll it can take, and the horrors it encounters all too often. An introduction by Rudolph Giuliani rounds out this mesmerizing chronicle of courage and duty.
Books:
- Bruce Chatwin: A Biography
- But I Don't Feel Too Old to Be a Mommy!: The Complete Sourcebook for Starting (and Re-Starting) Motherhood Beyond 35 and After 40
- But I Don't Feel Too Old to Be a Mommy!: The Complete Sourcebook for Starting (and Re-Starting) Motherhood Beyond 35 and After 40
- Come Back: A Mother and Daughter's Journey Through Hell and Back
- Crossing Fifth Avenue To Bergdorf Goodman: An Insider's Account on The Rise Of Luxury Retail
- Crossing the Wire
- Daniel Boone: Young Hunter and Tracker (Childhood of Famous Americans)
- Deep Down Things: The Breathtaking Beauty of Particle Physics
- Detectives on Everest: The 2001 Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition
- Diamond Heart, Book One: Elements of the Real in Man (The Diamond Heart Series , No 1)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- History: Fiction or Science
- Bad Cat Page-A-Day Calendar 2007
- Taxation & Confiscation
- The Origins of Totalitarianism
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- All My Children: The Complete Family Scrapbook
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- Real Life Guide to Starting Your Career: How to Get the Right Job Right Now!
- The Effects of a Choice Automobile Insurance Plan on Insurance Costs and Compensation: An Updated An
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General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Mob Cops
Donnie Brasco: Unfinished Business
The Sixth Family: The Collapse of the New York Mafia and the Rise of Vito Rizzuto
Circle of Six: The True Story of New York's Most Notorious Cop Killer and the Cop Who Risked Everything to Catch Him
The Last Godfather: The Rise and Fall of Joey Massino (Berkley True Crime)
