So You Want to Be a Cop

What Everyone Should Know Before Entering a Law Enforcement Career

By (author) Alley Evola

Publication date:

21 June 2017

Length of book:

238 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781538101476

Many children, from the time they are old enough to be attracted to a siren and flashing lights, dream their whole lives of becoming a police officer. As a retired police officer, herself, Alley Evola looks at the daily ins and outs of the job of a police officer. From recruitment, life at the academy, patrol and eventually promotion, she provides a helpful understanding of what you can really expect. She also looks at the current issues, including race and gender, and how these have shaped certain expectations from the public that a police officer needs to be prepared for when working in this field.

When you’re young and dreaming you don’t think about the process it will take to become a police officer. And it’s also not evident until after the police academy the many challenges and issues you will face in the field. So You Want to Be a Cop is for everyone who secretly wishes they were a police officer, or is pursuing their dream in hopes of transforming it into reality.

Introduction

1. Myth versus Fact: From dreaming to Testing and Entering the Force
2. Your Hired! Now What?
3. The Police Academy, or Hell on Earth
4. Field Training
5. Congratulations! You've Earned a Spot on the Bottom
6. Liability in Policing
7. Finances, Health, and the Police Officer
8. Communications and Inter-Agency Cooperation
9. Welcome to Your New Office
10. Going to Court
11. Vandalism, Littering and Other Criminal Mischief
12. Unwanted Subjects
13. Traffic Stops, Vehicle Pursuits, and Road Rage
14. Calls for Service: When You Are Called to Serve and Protect
15. Domestic Disturbances: Dangerous and Unpredictable
16. Alarm Calls, 911 Hang Ups, and 911 Open Lines
17. White-Collar Crime, Fraud, Forgery, and Deceit
18. Violent Felonies
19. Death Scenes: Walking into a Nightmare
20. Burglaries. Theft, and Crimes of Opportunity
21. Motor Vehicle Accidents and DUIs
22. Drugs, Narcotics, and a Cesspool of Misery
23. Shoplifting, or Five-Finger Discounts
24. Critical Incidents and the Use of Deadly Force
25. Specialties in Law Enforcement
26. Hate Groups and Hate Crimes
27. Using Force: My First Wrestling Match
28. Why Did You Do Your Job? Now I'll Have to Write You Up!
29. Race, Gender, and theEconomics of Policing
30. Riding the Storm of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
31. Show No Weakness

Policing in the Twenty-First-Century-America
Notes
Index
About the Author

Evola gives readers a thrilling insider’s look at the often-glorified job of an American cop. Opening on an action-packed scene that could be taken straight out of a Michael Bay movie, her first book is an immersing read for anyone curious about the world of law enforcement, and should be required reading for those considering a career in the field. Evola’s no-nonsense voice is powerful, witty, and engaging. She doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges of the profession, or the effects it has on an officer’s personal life, health, and sanity. She tells plenty of the funny, tragic, and poignant 'war stories' one could expect from a veteran police officer, but makes it clear the job is not for the faint of heart, or a commitment to be taken lightly. The services of a police officer are often rendered at great personal cost, in a dangerous environment, to a thankless community. Though at times she writes with due anger toward the profession that compromised her life, it’s clear Evola’s still passionate about her time behind the 'blue curtain.'